FOR BUDDING WRITERS: 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GETTING AN IDEAGASM

                                                                      Image courtesy of www.7ideas.net

This article came up after I had an ideagasm while reading the transcription of Chip Kidd’s TED talk (The Art of First Impressions in Design and Life) video in which the word was mentioned.

For a while now, the blog has been idle due to inactivity or what my good friend have referred to as not just a ‘block’ but a ‘writer’s idea block’. He may be correct because it has actually been months since my last upload. Although there should be no excuse for the little community of readers; there actually is. I have been sent on the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme here in Zamfara state and my routine have been slightly skewed, hence little or no time to write.

Back to the article, The term “ideagasm” is a merger of two words ‘idea’ and ‘orgasm’ which simply stands for the orgasmic feeling when one’s mind becomes impregnated with ideas or better still, the feeling that comes with an “Eureka” moment (Ikeji, 2015). For a writer, this is one of those times we cherish as we just go ahead and put pen to paper; letting it flow.

Writer’s block is a phenomenon which many writers like me detest. You just want to pen something down but have no idea on how to go about it. My longest block was for over 4 months after which I stumbled and fell on an inspiration which made me experience one of my memorable ideagasm as a budding writer. The product of that idea, later led to an article which made the content editor for the Jobberman blog then, contact and had me submit articles which were published on a weekly basis some time ago. I may not be an expert on idea generation for writers but these few generators I am about to share have worked for me and could be helpful to budding writers lacking ideas or suffering from ‘the block’. Thank me later!

Other people’s material: I would like to place a disclaimer here that this is in no way supporting or advocating for plagiarism. What I simply mean by this is that by reading other people’s material, you may experience an ideagasm maybe from a new word or from how a sentence is constructed and from there; you could be typing over a thousand words. The Forbes website, Ted.com and a plethora of news stories have been helpful to me in the past and still are. Remember: If you are not reading, you are not writing.

Use of Apps: Sounds funny right? But it is serious business as app developers have come up with apps that can help you generate titles for your work when you put in key words. Some of these apps suggest titles for your work and proffer additional information that you may find helpful. One of these apps which I just came across and got to like is named Portent. A little keyword search on Google would redirect you to their site for download. Others are Hubspot, Buzzsumo, etc.

Knowledgeable discussions: Being observant while certain discussions are ongoing is one of a budding writer’s biggest tools. There are a thousand and one stories and articles from “knowledgeable” discussions with friends, in a formal/informal setting or even in a meeting. I started writing an article on Nigeria and the nuclear energy issue after seeing one news story on SouthAfrica’s new nuclear plants just yesterday. That story spurned a discussion amongst the people in that room with me and an argument ensued on whether the country is ripe for nuclear energy or not. I spoke when the need be, put pen to paper and then jotted down salient points for my next article.

Every writer’s nightmare -the block- could arise from a lack of ideas but incorporating simple rituals as the ones stated above could see you having a long lasting writing life.

Keep writing!

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WHY I WRITE

Writers they say are gods who with the aid of their pen and paper, creates characters that come alive, brings scenarios into existence and then try to reconcile art with life. Sometime last year, I wanted to join a writing club and was asked to submit an article with the title 'Why I write'. Some friends have also asked this question severally - "why do you write?"

Below are some reasons why I put pen to paper. 

Writing to me is a form of expression. Rather than speaking those words that could easily be forgotten, I prefer to pen down my thoughts so that they could be referenced later. Some people would argue that when you get to speak of certain things bothering you, you feel good about yourself but for me; when I write about them, it produces the same effect.

I write because there is this feeling of contentment that comes with every article or write-up, a feeling that could be said to make one feel like a god - bringing things into existence. Imagine picking up a blank paper and then penning down your thoughts, stringing words together and at the same time bringing up stories, articles and write-ups that people could reconcile with. 

I write because it gives me joy, it makes me happy when someone tells me that they read my article somewhere and it really made sense. For example, a friend stopped me on the road and used these words: "Vic, how are you? Saw your Article on Nairaland, it had over 30,000 views." Imagine the kind of joy in my heart as a budding writer. The fact that people get to understand my write-up(s), could reconcile with and even feel good about it makes me feel good myself.

Writing puts me in a position to air my views on certain issues as I usually do on my blog, advise and even caution people whom I wouldn't dream of speaking to on a normal day without being interrupted. LOL. I'd admit that the fact that some people can't see you but can hear you from you write-ups makes me happy. That feeling for me is 'très bon'. 

I write because I just have to. It is more like a personal obligation for me, I just have to pick up a pen or my computer and try to string words together because it makes me whole. Those thoughts just have to leave my head and either make someone's day, get another laughing or be a source of information to a third.

Writing for me is a form of relaxation - my yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and any other relaxation technique you could think of. I write nice poems when I'm depressed sometimes. Penning down a piece leads to more writing as I become more relaxed and productive.

I write because I just have to write, can't really imagine what not writing feels like, I just have to do it because I can't just help but write.


Why do you write? Feel free to leave your answer on the comment box below.

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Follow me on Twitter: @victorikeji