By: Taiwo Akerele
On the sidelines of the recently held 41st convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors that took place in Abuja Nigeria at the beginning of the fall of 2022, legendary writers and pen warlords such as Prof. kalu Uka, Prof. Ernest Emenyonu, Prof Akachi Ezeigbo, Denja Abdullahi and others took turns and time to advise young writers to be patient in their desire to be at the zenith of their writing careers. This very expensive yet free admonition arose from cumulative years of experience in writing, publishing, and serving as either judges or panelists in different literary and creative forums.
Just as in writing, everything we do in life requires patience, humility and understanding, learning the ropes, and subjecting ourselves to the guidance of those who understand better than we do.
The session which was adroitly moderated by Prof. Ushie Joseph of the University of Uyo, offered a great window for young writers to be guided on relationship management, the use of emotional intelligence, the power to scrutinise the environment, and adjustment to climes if possible. Attendees were advised to pen down their thoughts in carefully chosen diction, develop the power to look ‘again and again’ at drafts and manuscripts, understand the value of constant reviews, appreciate the importance of asking questions and thinking about the relevance of each sentence, paragraphs and even chapters. The old writers, in their separate reactions, argued that there are situations where editorial teams admonish authors to delete irrelevant pages and chapters from a yet to be published book or manuscript. As painful as this could be, it is usually in the overall interest of the author to take such advice for quality assurance purposes.
One of the common trends observed during this very important literary epoch is the haste and hurriedness amongst young people to get their works published and, in the process, key ingredients of writings are left out. Though it is understandable for young people to want to get published, the panelists submitted that just like someone preparing for WAEC or JAMB examinations, extensive study, gathering and sifting of research materials is key. Primary sources of data collection analysis and referencing is also a major ingredient in quality finishing of books.
One major take-away from this session is that every facet of human endeavour has subscribers to what I would refer to as the ‘yahoo yahoo’ way (a dubious means to getting rich). A lot of young people want to get to the top of their career without following diligence or due process associated with their profession; a similar situation in the pen industry, too. You cannot be a permanent secretary in a ministry without climbing through the ladder of the civil service or having the requisite experience gathered over the years. You cannot be a professor or PhD holder in a university without relevant publications and research works, the same way you cannot claim to be a certified medical doctor without going through the very rigorous training of a medical school and all the stress of practical classes and sleepless nights. There is no easy way to success. Life itself is a process.
Another important highlight of this very enriching gathering was the opportunity provided for young writers to ask pertinent questions and the quality of answers given by the panelists. Common challenges such as finance, publishing, editorial work, getting quality mentors and access to research materials characterized the key issues that arose during this window. The no hold barred style of this particular side event should be encouraged at subsequent conventions to give room for young persons in the field of writing to get acquainted and brace up to the challenges of the profession and device means to surmount them all.
It was a session I wanted a second phase of it and I cannot wait to take an advantageous position during the next convention that will hopefully be hosted again in the beautiful city of Abuja come October 2023, where intellectuals from Nigeria, some African countries and parts of Europe and America will gather again to discuss key issues that affect us, our environment, the society, governance and humanity at large. Before then, I am taking a second and a third look into my forthcoming book towards ensuring that all identified common gaffes and literary loopholes are corrected, although it is practically impossible for us as humans to attain comprehensive perfection in all that we do. Kudos to ANA! Kudos to President Camillus Ukah whose kinetic and dynamic leadership has made ANA achieve so much within a very short time.
Taiwo Akerele contributed this piece from Abuja, Nigeria.
