I can see the people shudder whenever I asked if they read poems. What is there about poems that elicit such a response? Many, I dare say, perceive poems as something very abstract, very dull or simply uninteresting and not worth their attention, let alone read them. However, let me be bold enough to say that “Poems” or Poetry is a general category under which would come nursery rhymes, ballads, odes, sonnets, haikus and free verse. I may have left out some inadvertently. Nursery rhymes are so enchanting. Young children easily get into the rhythm of the rhymes and very often, commit them to memory readily. How many of us remember “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Jack and Jill” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep”? For those of you who have grandchildren, do you read these nursery rhymes to them, or teach them to sing those songs? Yes, these nursery rhymes are songs!! The main thing about these nursery rhymes is their rhythm. You can clap to the rhythm or tap your foot along or you can even interact with the poem. E.g. “Brother, Come and Dance with Me”. So, how can poems be dull? Check out my poetry book for […]

Why would I need to? Surely it’s enough to know that I want to do something and then go do it! Setting goals is integral to success. It allows you to see the direction you should take in order to succeed. For example, someone says he wants to be a published author. How will he achieve this goal? Does he just sit down and write? Does he know what he’s going to write about? Do you get my drift? So, before he begins, he needs to know what he wants to write and if it is a story, what kind of story it will be and how long it will take him to come up with his book. He needs to be specific and have a time frame within which he will work to get his book written and published. There will be mini goals in each time frame so that it will be easier to achieve to get to the final accomplishment of completing the book. So go ahead and write the book that is raring to come out from inside you!

A few months ago, I had some health issues which made me quite depressed. I couldn’t see properly to read or write. The light hurt my eyes and there was a burning sensation whenever I tried to read something. There was also the feeling of sand in my eyes most of the time. So, I couldn’t read any books and reading is one of my favorite pastimes. It was most agonizing for me. Imagine being unable to read, write or even watch the t.v. A fractured toe also meant I couldn’t walk much as I had to rest in order for it to heal. However, it was a good opportunity to listen to the music CDs. Thank goodness, all these are now past and I’m back to reading books. I’m writing but not much as I’ve got what is known as the writer’s block!! I’d write and then push it aside as it didn’t read well. So, it’s slow going. But, I’ll get there sometime. I would like to introduce some books which I’ve just read over the last couple of months. They were page turners and I think if you like to read, you will like these books. One […]

Excuse me? I’ve often been asked this question and it never fails to stop me in my tracks.  How do I write? Well, it has to begin with an idea, an idea of what I want to write, fiction or non-fiction.  Do I want to write a story?  A short story, a novella or do I want to share a topic about which I feel strongly? Then, I put the idea on paper in a couple of words.  Once the idea is down, I just write anything and everything that comes to mind, related to that idea.  This will go on for about ten minutes. After that, I take a look at what I’ve written and try to make a mind map.  That will be the skeleton to which more will be added as I think of the “meat” to add to fill out the skeleton. There is a group which meets in the evening, once a month, in a small roofed shelter by the sea.  We discuss books which we’ve read, share our thoughts and even our writing.  A member of our group suggested that we should pen 100 word stories and share them.  This was an excellent exercise […]