Wordsmiths and Word carvers – Innovation and Ingenuity in Writing

Words are flowers in the florilegia of life.

JRR Martin, author of the Game of Thrones trilogy, once said that writers come in two categories: architects and gardeners. Architects see the big picture; gardeners pay attention to detail. Great writers combine both skills, according to their personalities. To write, one must have a premise or intent towards a set of subjects. Writing serves as a triggering point for ongoing conversations between the writer and his own ethos, the writer and the themes and characters he/she employs and the writer and his society. It is the clarity of such conversations that informs great writing.

Writers are usually good readers. You cannot write if you have not subjected your mindscape to the methods of other writers. You are not really obliged to copy their style but if there is something about their works that works (forgive the pun, I couldn't help it), please study and see how  you can inculcate that style into your writing. There are no rules in writing. The only rule is that  you make sense and stir your readers to contemplation on a specific (or set of) themes and situations. No one writes in a void just as no one reads in a void. There has to be a point of reference, a place of discomfort that constantly clamors for a writer's attention. It is through that discomfort that the writer reaches the catharsis needed to espouse his/her work.

In her book, So Long A Letter, Mariama Ba states that

The power of books, this marvellous invention of astute human intelligence.  Various signs associated with sound: different sounds that form the word.  Juxtaposition of words from which springs the idea.  Thought, History, Science, Life.  Sole instrument of interrelationships and of culture, unparalleled means of giving and receiving.  Books knit generations together in the same continuing effort that leads to progress.

Writing is work done well through repetition – the more you write, the better you get. There are so many people in this world with wonderful stories stuck in their heads. They have not build the discipline to sit down and write the story out. Writing is an art but it also a craft. You cannot succeed by neglecting the craft side of things. Talent is nothing if hard work is nonexistent. I wrote in an earlier post that poets should aim for a minimum of 10 poems a month and writers should aim for, at least, a short story a month. There is a proverbs that states that it is through discipline that we find freedom.

Remember writing, like life, is a continuum. You will always get a chance to clarify a thought you began in one work in the next one. The problem with starting a work lies in the fact that we want it to be perfect in our minds before we write. That can be a stumbling block to getting any work done. The idea is to write and write and write, even though you might not end up using what you wrote. You will be preparing yourself through exercises of clarity and clarification.

Words do not have to be always placed where others think they should be. Especially in poetry, you have the license to 'destroy and rebuild' language if it makes your poem work.Do not try to sound like others. That is a big mistake. You can start a story anywhere you like. You can play hopscotch with your themes or hide and seek with your reader. What I am conveying is this simple truth: be comfortable in your skin as a writer.

Remember that you are writing for the audience of one. Never let criticism determine the course of your writing. Criticism is to make you conscious of weak spots, not to strip you of your strong points. Any criticism that shreds your abilities to pieces is not worth listening to. Writing attracts, as it should, a lot of criticism. You get clobbered for spelling errors, syntax confusion, tautology, style, subject matter et cetera. Consider criticism as a sign that you are important enough to merit the attention of others. Use it as a tool to assess your work objectively.

Find a theme you are most passionate about and interpret it in every way you can. Life is full of prisms and paradigms. It is your task as a writer to utilize them as vehicles for your ideas. The danger of writing on popular topics is that we set ourselves up for needless competition. Smart writers find a way to make obscure subjects interesting to their readers. There are countless themes and variations in this world to be used as tools for writing. I suggest that you commit to reading subjects that are new to you. Try breaking down those new subjects with your powers of analysis and you would see nuggets of insights hiding in plain sight.

Pay attention to your craft. Attend workshops, seminars and programs where you are likely to be encouraged by the work of other writers. I would be the first to state how important it is to write alone. However, like flowers, we are better when we cross pollinate. The flower does not have wings and legs to execute pollination. Hence, it uses the bee's activities to serve its own purpose. Some of us are flowers, some of us are bees. Each group shall get what it wants if there is an effort towards collaboration.

Pay attention to your art. Editing, proofreading, formatting, style, tone, theme, context et cetera. Stephen King said,

Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.

It is important to spend time on perfecting one's identity. We just cannot wing it to success. That has never happened. Thoughtful development of one's skill as a writer involves periods of self-critique and repositioning of ideas. Do not regard any of your works as done. Subject it, as you would to an piece of gold or diamond, to ensure whether it is the real deal. We cannot allow the comfort of self-preservation to get in the way of a better version of our work.

Do not slow down for accidents – Keep on writing even when you do not feel like it. Remember, great writing comes from great pain. So you got a rejection letter. So what? Keep writing. So, someone said your poem or short story sucked. So what? Keep writing. Remember writing is an extension of life. Do we stop attending school just because a certain teacher dislikes us? The journey of writing, like that of life, is traveled upon by the determined. You cannot let anyone or any situation punk you out of your purpose.

Writing demands a comfortable relationship with truth. This is the core of Wole Soyinka's writing when he explains how

truth and power for me form an antithesis, an antagonism, which will hardly ever be resolved. I can define in fact, can simplify the history of human society, the evolution of human society, as a contest between power and freedom.

Fiction still has its basis in truth. There is an almost sacred requirement for the writer to expose truth through his/her work. Some tend to hint at truth; others place it in the limelight. Writing places on us the pressures of our surroundings. We must hone our catharsis towards two main goals: the stating of problems and the suggestion of solutions. Both activities require the power of clarity to evoke response in the reader. That is how poets like Dennis Brutus exposed apartheid. That is how novelists Peter Abrahams used Mine Boy to tell the story of being black in white South Africa. Writing gives us an intangible weapon that is appropriate for the shaping and sharpening of thought in our world. As a soldier spends a lot of time practicing with his weapon, we are required to become conversant with the nuances of our trade.

Boris Pasternak advised, focus on a reality which feeling has displaced, art is a record of this displacement – You are presenting a world (known or unknown) to your reader and it is your duty to leave them stunned (and stirred to action) by the time they are done reading (or listening). Novelist Benjamin Kwakye states in Kojo Ansah that

If people would spend thinking half the time they spend talking the world would be a better place. If people filtered their thoughts before they spoke, they would not come out with the rubbish we hear these days.

There is a call to thoughtfulness in this realm of writing. We need to let the sacredness of our duty in our societies sink in and prompt us towards excellence. We have to think through our works. We have to think through our careers. We have to think through our contributions to our societies. As we smith and carve words into pieces and sculptures of existence, may we not forget to remain catalysts. Our duty is to inform the world of its present state, one book (one poem, one story and one play) at a time.

Never forget to utilize the need to use structure, poetic license and identity in writing

The Ghanaian Poet/Writer: Enjoy The Meal You Prepared Yourself

When you know the origin of a meal, you eat it without trepidation, even in the midst of enemies.

One of the most precise instructions on writing – Kill your darlings – was given by Arthur Quiller-Couch. I agree with that assertion a thousand percent. As poets (and writers of other genres) we must learn to put ourselves out of the way of the story. We might be joined at the hip to a particular set of words but we ought to investigate whether there are other words (synonyms) or ways to better capture your poem (or writing). The ancient Greeks had a proverb – Know thyself. That summarizes the spirit that ought to be behind every human endeavor. No one on God's green earth knows you more than yourself. You ought to use that to your advantage when you are editing yourself. You ought to read the poem (or writing) out loud to check whether it flows or shows the mood you want to convey. You have to enjoy the process of preparing your work, the way a cook is immersed in the preparation of ingredients for a meal. You have to find the recipe that you like best and stick to it. That is how you stay relevant in any genre of writing. Kofi Awoonor advised that the writer tells the truth – honesty wakes the world up…As a writer, know yourself.

Good writers are good editors. First drafts are, more likely than not, like disheveled hair. You need take them to the barber shop of editing. One rule of editing is to focus on being clear. In the administration of this rule, we cannot have favorite words or phrases. Everything is subject to editing. Where we develop the attitude of not getting in the way of editing, we give ourselves the space to grown into better poets and writers. It is extremely important to edit one's work, as much as one can, before a new set of eyes reads them. This positions us to better understand (or refute) any criticism or changes. Editing is like leaving the valley of words to stand on the mountain of clarity. The higher we are on that mountain, the smaller and precise our work becomes. Editing gives writing a needed sense of perspective.


Own a thesaurus. I have ran into several pieces that betrayed the poet's lack of flexibility with word choice. If you do not have a thesaurus, please get one. If you cannot afford it, use the Internet to access the many online thesauruses out there. A thesaurus is like a writing assistant who, in our moment of doubt on a word, whispers several alternatives for that word into our ears. A thesaurus comes in handy, especially, during times of editing. Poets and writers should make it habit to consult with one on a regular basis.


Own a dictionary. Now if you do not have a dictionary, I ought to have you arrested for fraud. (Hey, I'm just joking). A writer without a dictionary is like a one-legged man without his clutches. Since we deal with words for a living, we need to have a dictionary besides us so we can spell our words right. There are many poets and writers who have realized, especially when it was too late, how undependable the Spell Check feature is. The best ritual to have while writing is to have a physical dictionary at our side. One that we can quickly reach for while writing or editing. Once again, the Internet has a lot of dictionaries like this one.


Get a notebook (hard copy or electronic) in which you play around with phrases. Develop writing exercises with phrases you make up. Move words here and there to check on how meaning is either muddled or clarified. It is a good practice to keep such phrases in a notebook set aside for random thought. I can tell you that one days when I had writer's block, it was my phrase notebook that kick-starts my creativity. There are times when a sentence, phrase or, even a stanza drops in one's head at very odd moments. A handy pocket book will save those thoughts for latter use.


Get a group of writers who share your goals. It has been noted that writers who belong to small support groups are able to produce a lot of quality work.  For example, great writers, such as C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien were part of a writer's collaborative called the Inklings. This idea is even touted among the other disciplines. Collaboration, instead of competition, is the best way to ensure quality and (ironically!) discover individuality. Artists such as Cezanne and Van Gogh, belonged to a group (the Post Impressionists) that supported their ideologies of art, at the time when the art world did not care for their works. The support system gave those artists the fuel to produce more and more. Now the work of those artists is worth millions of dollars. The support, criticism and community of such groups can be the impetus for a great stretch of writing. I was a member of a local poetry group in the city I live in. We met on the second Sunday of every month. I always looked forward to that 2 hour meeting because I gained invaluable insights on my works. What we did was quite simple: every one brought in a poem or two to read. Copies of the poem(s) were passed around to everyone in the meeting before the poets read. Instead of verbally criticizing on a poem, fellow poets wrote what they liked or disliked about the poems(s) on the copies they had. I can tell you that I was able to complete ten books of poetry based on the inspirations I got from this group. Such a model should be the norm among Ghanaian poets and writers. Of course, such groups are founded on trust. Plagiarism was not allowed in the group I was in. Everyone at our meeting was serious about his/her art. We were there to support each other. Presently, there is a collaborative project called #CommunalPoemExperiment on Facebook. It is premised on the idea of having poets come together to create a poem. It is a thriving idea. Feel free to join if you are on Facebook.


Aim to write about 120 poems a year (That's 10 poems a month). For writers, I would say one short story a month is a good goal to aim for. The reason behind this point is that a year's work should be an anthology waiting to be published. It is important to work hard in these times of relative obscurity so that whenever we intersect with opportunity, we can feed its demands. Like any human activity of worth, writing demands diligence. You cannot wing it. Thinking that only talent will do is a state of wishful thinking. You must work hard with your skill sets by having an attitude of constant creativity and curiosity. I have intersected with a lot of poets and writers who want to be famous but are not willing to put in the work. If you claim to be a poet or writer, you should be able to have a portfolio of works or produce them on short notice.

Believe in yourself but be ever ready to learn new ways of writing. Orison Swett Marden stated that, the best educated people are those who are always learning, always absorbing knowledge from every possible source and at every opportunity. Being open to novel ways of doing things is an asset to any poet or writer. It is not unoriginal to learn something new. As poets and writers, it should be one of our goals to constantly enhance our skill sets by challenging ourselves through experimentation.

In one of his many literary lectures, Chinua Achebe said nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am - and what I need - is something I have to find out myself. It is imperative be circumspect of strengths and weakness and be ready to work on them. In the end, we harvest the things we planted in our own fields of writing. If we sow the wind, we shall reap the whirlwind. But if we commit to hard work and perseverance, we will not be disappointed.

No one will believe the person who does not believe in him/herself. You need to believe in your work enough to edit it.

A Leopard Does Not Behave Like A Lion

The leopard understands that even though the lion is king, it can never change its dull brown coat by royal command.

There is a reason why the human race is interpreted in different colors, why we have clans and tribes, why we have language and dialect. The one reason is variety. Without variety, the world will be one dull place. That is why the changing seasons, together with the colors and ambiance they bring, give us such joy. That is why we have day and night. It is in the spirit of that variety that I plead, that we cannot be a commune of copycats, either of ourselves or the rest of the world. Each one of us has a poem, play and story to tell that nobody else can. The power of diverse perspectives is evident in the way words change in context and meaning as they are pronounced on the tongues on different people. Pick the word, God. In Hausa, it is Allah. In Twi, it is Nyame. In Ewe, it is Mawu. In Ga, it is Nγumɔ. The fascinating thing is that the word, God, takes on more descriptions as it is mentioned in other languages. I used this illustration to buttress the fact that we must write from our POV (point of view) of the world we live in or want to live in. That is the strongest place a writer can write from. That is the place where more likely than not, he/she will make more sense. Playwright Afua Sutherland said that what we cannot buy is the spirit of originality and endeavour which makes a people dynamic and creative. We must write from the depths of our identity and the heights of our capabilities. There is no excuse to waste one's writing life trying to sound like others.




Your understanding of the world through your cultural identity will set you apart. Kofi Awoonor said that a writer is first and foremost an individual; born and bred. Comes from somewhere, a family, a town, a country, a culture, a civilization, a people… Individuality defines artistic capabilities. No one comes from a vacuum…” Your perspectives on humanity are still needed. For a long time, we have listened to the westernized view of things even at our our existential peril. Western literature, in all its brilliance, has still not being able to capture the myriad of nuances that dance in the African worldview. Although works by seminal African writers and poets made definitive statements about independence, a vacuum remains when it comes to the continuation and expansion of our narratives. Presently, we have African writers and poets who are taking their places in the literary world. That should galvanize the Ghanaian writer and poet to do more with his/her art. Ghana, with all its rich and colorful traditions, is far behind other countries in putting our stories and poetry out there. It is time to showcase our worlds through our different cultural identities. It is through this kaleidoscopic effort that we can make an impact in our world and beyond.


Your usage of your cultural nuances (language, practices and beliefs) makes your writing authentic. Poet Darko Antwi puts it succinctly in his essay, All Poets Are Mad...Except Kwaku Ananse, that cultural nuances, like languages, should be treated like food or people. It should be within our choice to consume or befriend, irrespective of origin or ethnic background. Some people like local dishes. Others want to go foreign. Someone wants a bit of this and a bit of that. It's all a matter of choice. I do not like writing all my poems in English. I speak six languages and do believe I should be able to mix them up whenever I like. I have been experimenting with a fusion of Twi and English (tentatively dubbed, Twinglish). There may be some who might not like that, as it might sound to them as a variation of Pidgin English or, worse, a terrible case of sanitized vernacular. As a professional linguist, I have always had a big problem with the word, 'vernacular'. There used to be a time when all the native languages were classified as vernacular as English was hailed as the right language. I think that is still the case. This attitude must change, for goodness' sake. If our politicians and leaders are too timid to take the lead in this matter, our poets and writers should. Believe it or not, our languages are very important. They encapsulate our histories, music, folklore, proverbs, legends and knowledge. The work at hand is enormous but if each poet decides to take up the cross of standing up for culture and tradition, we can create an industry for ourselves.


You are not required to write to satisfy anybody's set of rule (unless it is for an anthology with set guidelines). Pick a set of styles and be known for them. Never commit the mistake of writing to suit the expectations of others. Write for yourself first. It is important for us to be confident in what we do. Instead of comparing and contrasting yourself, hone your art and develop the knack for self-correction. If it does not read right, it will not sound right. Write in every style you set your eyes on. Push yourself to do things that are out of the norm for your poetry. Be creative when it comes to presentation. However, if you are writing for an anthology or competition, by all means, pay attention to the guidelines. In short, you must pay attention to your art.


Write as much as you can about as much as you know. Wole Soyinka, in exploring what made him write, said that looking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there's a lot of work to be done. There is always a story or an idea begging to be written. More likely than not, poets and writers are witnesses or characters of some tragedy, comedy or melodrama. Such experiences must not escape the net of exposition. Poets and writers alike must write and write and write about what they know. There should be no end to our activities because we are presented with opportunities to change the world and we better be up to it.


Do not imitate. Innovate. Orison Swett Marden advised, do not imitate. Originality is the best substitute for advertising. I hate it when people imitate others. It is a pet peeve. I believe that the world has so many interpretations that it is a travesty to live without a touch of originality. I get it that not everyone can create from nothing. However, we can create something from something. We can take something familiar and make it unfamiliar or vice versa. Innovation, something that sets a company from its competitors, is sorely needed in African writing. We cannot afford to sound the same. Language is like a mold of soft clay. It can be morphed into anything the potter likes. We cannot keep on using a particular style ad nauseaum. We must learn to infuse newness into the way we write.


Do not substitute the richness of your own circumstances for circumstances you know nothing about. One of my lamentations (and I have many) is when I read native writers and poets trying to sound westernized. I ask myself whether (a) they are ashamed of their own stories, (b) unable to tell their own stories or (c) reluctant to use their own environments to drive their works. I used to joke with friends that a day in Accra could easily fill an anthology with poems or short stories. The humorous situations, coupled with scenes of perseverance, do fill the mind with amble material to write. We cannot wait for inspiration. We have to meet it half-way by using what exists in our hearts and minds.


Brand yourself through intentional distinctiveness in your writing. Maya Angelou nailed it when she said

When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I'm trying for that. But I'm also trying for the language. I'm trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for what it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.

Focus on your uniqueness. Play to your strengths. Use your persona to leverage your work. There is no other voice out there that sounds like yours. Others may try to imitate. Let them do what they like. Find a place in your writing where you produce excellence and grow there. Be known for a style of writing. Differentiate yourself from the crowd. Remember that if you are distinct in your writing, you would have achieved the very purpose for which we write. This is not time to rest on your oars.

Your cultural identity plays a critical role in your poetry (and writing)

Dancing To Mozama Disco Kristo Music

Give me words that make me sway,

give me words that make my day,

give me words that bounce with style -

and if they make me dance and smile, I have music

- When Music Takes Over 

(from the lachrymose ways of rain and other poems)

I love to dance. Not the formation kind. Just the move-your-body-in-funny-twists kind of dancing. I see that life and love are dances we must master. I see that struggle and success are also movements we must excel in. Everything is a dance, an internal attempt to be in sync with external rhythms of existence. Since we are all in one big dance hall called the world, wouldn't it be smart to inculcate that musicality into our works? Musicality, also called beat by American poets, is a rhythmic essence peculiar to a particular poet, writer or body of work. In works with musicality, you can detect (when you read or listen to that poet, writer or work) that the words flow with ease and that the flow makes sense. That flow reaches recesses of your mind and lingers there even after you are done reading or listening.


Find your own unique rhythm. All of us have varied tastes. Someone might be an azonto dance master. Another might be a waltz king. We must play to our strengths, things that are integrals features of our personas. Like rhyme, rhythm can hold back or set your poetry free. The temptation to write like others comes into play whenever the subject of rhythm is raised. Of course, people respond to some beats better than others. However, the poet must not forget this Shakespearean advice in Hamlet: to thy own self, be true. Never, ever copy someone's rhythm. You will catch writer's block as quickly as a naked man in the Arctic. It is of supreme importance to stick to one's core id when it comes to the subject of rhythm.


Use it effectively to drive home the mood of your poem. Like beats to a song, rhythm sets the mood to poetry. It determines when certain words enter and exit a poem. It is important to stay true to rhythm as an abrupt exit can kill the effectiveness of a poem. Trust me, it is not only spoken word that has such challenges. Written word is equally as powerful in the mind of an engaged reader. He/she detects abruptness and dissonance just by the way words are woven into a poem.


Experiment with variations of your rhythm. By no means, use variations of your rhythm in a poem. This allows you to slow it down with words that have soft syllables, make it fast with words with short syllables or add oomph with delicate sounding words. One has to be absolutely intentional with rhythm because of its intangibility.


Write to an imaginary listener who loves music. Poets write to someone. A lover. An ex-lover. A parent. A crush. A boss. Whoever. When we read our poems out loud, it becomes easy to detect where rhythm is suffering. This enables us to edit the irregularity so we can keep the poem in the flow. One secret of rhythm is to write as if one was talking to someone who loved music. Not just any kind of music but the music we like. Poems are songs without melodies. It helps to keep that in mind when writing them.


Do not fight the flow of your poem during the first draft. You will have ample time to edit. You might begin a poem that has a rhythm you dislike. Instead of tossing it into the dustbin, write it out. Give it a chance to live. You might like it after a few reads or tweak it into a rhythm you like. Great songs are usually great poetry; great poetry does not have to be a song but it should involve several elements of a song.


Jazz pianist Thelonious Monk said that anything that’s good will make you laugh in admiration – Your poem (and writing) is your presentation of perspectives of the world to the world. You must pull your readers (and listeners) in. You must push off your guardedness and embrace the inner rhythms of your soul. They come out whenever you put pen to paper, waiting on you to involve them in the process of creation. As Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka says, the ultimate lesson is just sit down and write. That's all.

Do not mute the music in your words.