ZarZar:


Become an author? No. But I'm sure I'd love that. It's just that, I don't think it's as easy as it seems because I've heard of people struggling to find publishers or anyone willing to help for that matter. That sounds very stressful to me. Are you into writing?

Snow84:



Getting published these days is for the big spenders. You need a name first before anyone will be willing to lay his hands on your works. And if it doesn't get to the hand of people that matter, writing becomes an effort in futility.

Many people told me I would be a good writer before I ventured into it. In your case too, you have been hearing it, and your sense of description is greater than mine. The draft of a whole novel may not be more than 1k words. You will develop this to about 40k words--I did it before. You will add imagined lies which are possibilities from your personal experiences. In a work of mine, I said a young girl told her friend "Iwo is the home of the grey parrot, Ibara is the home of the hawks, where is the home of the green parrot?" In truth, I heard that from my mother's father, and I translated it into English... If someone is asked this question in my corner of the world, it means he should do away with false pretenses.

Jaqenhghar:

Yup. Scripts mostly
you can write and send a few entries for some competitions. There are short story competitions ... The good thing about writing is the more you write the better you become.

Snow84:



Getting published these days is for the big spenders. You need a name first before anyone will be willing to lay his hands on your works. And if it doesn't get to the hand of people that matter, writing becomes an effort in futility.

Many people told me I would be a good writer before I ventured into it. In your case too, you have been hearing it, and your sense of description is greater than mine. The draft of a whole novel may not be more than 1k words. You will develop this to about 40k words--I did it before. You will add imagined lies which are possibilities from your personal experiences. In a work of mine, I said a young girl told her friend "Iwo is the home of the grey parrot, Ibara is the home of the hawks, where is the home of the green parrot?" In truth, I heard that from my mother's father, and I translated it into English... If someone is asked this question in my corner of the world, it means he should do away with false pretenses.

ZarZar:


I never thought of that. Thank you

Snow84:



Well, you are right to some extent, and that's why nairaland writers are not known beyond nairaland.

Ever heard of blacktower publishers? I paid them to edit my first novel, and they gave me recommendations regarding the story's DNA. They said the story will make waves if I tone down my heavy words and windy statements. They said they will publish it if I can pay for publishing and advertisement. And that they have contracts with authors at times. I had to publish it online myself.

I submitted my latest manuscript for an international award. The feedback is the story is great, but judges said language use was too simple. I made it simple because of the previous recommendation. So, I only write for fun now, I don't care again.

ZarZar:


Hmmm...interesting. Btw, I'm still waiting for your reply. It's always nice to read things from your perspective.

Snow84:



Well, you are right to some extent, and that's why nairaland writers are not known beyond nairaland. .

Snow84:


Let me send a free copy to you. My device was stolen, so I will download a copy from the iBookstore and send it to you.

ZarZar:


And so? In my house I'm a child, in the community I'm my father's daughter, but in the eyes of the world I'm given yet another identity, one which I wear with pride & that is being a South African. South Africa is my country, my identity & I'm gonna defend it regardless. You say anything bad about it, you best believe I will be all over that statement like white on rice. To you it may seem like just another place to blow your gums about on the internet, but to me it is home, my foundation & my roots. Your attack becomes a personal attack, whether I care about what you have to say or not. It's like this, a swarm of bees will sting you to death if you dare come near their nest because to them, that's home! Simple. As a human, I'm no different from other living organisms in that, I will defend my territory with everything that I have. Don't care about your reasons or your opinion, but when it comes to my habitat, I grow fangs like a cobra, ready to strike any day, any time, unless I really don't feel like it. Like today. Yup.

Jaqenhghar:

Cool . But if U have a link I can jist download and spare you the wahala

ZarZar:


LMFAO. No comment.

Jaqenhghar:

Hahaha. That's the characteristics of Nigerian writers. Too much big words.
Another characteristics of Naija writers you give up toi easily.
Do you have a link to your work... can I go through and give you a few tips?
Truth is you gotta keep trying. Every writer has his style. Find yours. Once you find yours the rest is history.. Like I told zar zar start with short stories send more entries ... Just 2 tries. Do you know how many times some of these authors have tried?

Jayceon:
you seem to know a lot of strategies when it comes to writing,have you tried writing?

Jaqenhghar:

Yeah but scripts. Working on one book now ...... still on it

Jayceon:
awesome!! What genre?

Jaqenhghar:

Fiction.. writing about something with a bit of satire in it ....

Jayceon:
I mean it .can you imagine how lucky that baby would be to have such two great like-minded parents? CANT WAIT,keep your motherly instincts alive baby

DictatorZAR1:


Oh vok, die ou is verlief

CyrusTheGreat:
...What the fvck are you mudbrained idiots talking about? Did you read the thread title? This isn't the place to discuss your interests in novella you morons.

I mean for real, "Oh look a thread about SAfrican banditry and sexual violence, better start chatting about my next short story!", what kind of mental patient has this kind of thought progression? Foreign Affairs regulars, apparently.

SAfrica should just get annexed. Put it under commonwealth control or something. The government and authorities are useless, the people are all horrible and the crime rates are extreme. Where else on earth do you hear common stories of primary school children involved in rape gangs and sh!t? Just nuke this filthy country.

ZarZar:


I fought you? Sorry, I don't remember. But anyway, it's not about growth or any of that zen stuff. It's just that these kind of topics are boring sometimes & I don't feel the need to address every single one of them. We're savages, this or that, whatever, IDC. Whoever wrote the article, clearly wrote it because that is the subject matter she chose to focus on & write about. Her journalistic POV. Something that I could care less about, really. She's right about one thing though, the apathy, because that is exactly what I felt reading this write-up. We've heard it all before, both good & bad, it has ceased to have any emotional impact whatsoever. Any time you see me or any South African commenting on negative threads about South Africa, it's not because we care or are ashamed of what's being said. Our main gripe is when people act holier-than-thou & start keeping tabs of what goes down in our country, as if whatever crimes happening in South Africa, don't happen elsewhere. Now THAT is annoying. However, at the end of the day it's still all opinion & as people who've heard it all before, expect apathy, total disregard & disinterest on our part, unless we really feel like entertaining ourselves with you as a toy

CyrusTheGreat:


And that's exactly why you're the most horrible nation on earth, and exactly why you're savages. You regard as a pointless opinion news investigations on mass rape and sex-slavery, instead of addressing problems in your society. That says something mighty about your foul psychology.

Stop framing this article like it's someone's opinionated column blog. It's not. Rape and sex slavery is an extreme problem in your country and your culture at every level, it has nothing to do with poverty and everything to do with mentality at this point. When you see an article about infants and children being sexually violated you just scream bias and bat it away without a thought. That's fvcking pathetic. If this is a universal with poverty, why do we not hear stories of teenaged gang rapists and mob violence towards foreigners in similarly economically challenged communities? Face it, you monsters are all fvcked in the brain.

For the record, no this does NOT happen in other countries, and yes this IS a specific problem in South Africa. If this happened in the US, France, Korea, India, Germany, etc. THERE WOULD BE RIOTS IN THE STREETS! STOP trying to paint your backwards country as the international norm in regards to crime and human relations, because IT IS NOT. The statistics show that South Africa has the highest reported sexual assaults of ANY NATION on EARTH, with even higher estimated unreported assaults! This implies that you and your South African kin, of ALL racial denominations, are some of the most VIOLENT, CRIMINAL, RAPIST-PRONE, EMPATHY DEFICIENT human beings on EARTH! The only other people who even come close are fucking WARZONE JIHADISTS.

Hopefully some country finds a reason to invade your horrible shithole of a country and turn it into something better, because your nation is just going to continue to rot and die.

ZarZar:


Quite frankly my dear, to me, your opinion means as much as fart in there wind. I'm sure someone cares about that essay up there, but that someone ain't me.

CyrusTheGreat:


Firstly, I'm not the "dear" of any South African. Secondly, three and a half short paragraphs is an essay to you?

I don't think you could care even if you wanted to. Judging by your painfully philistine comments, you're likely dumber than a rock with wings.

I stand by what I said.

You're a savage.

ZarZar:


Cool. I still don't care about your opinion though.

CyrusTheGreat:


As you've continuously hollered to make clear. The statistics about rape and violence in South Africa, however, are not opinions, and are a terrifying reality for millions of people in your country. Too bad you and your kinsmen are too hardline sociopathic and failure-prone to actually try and do something about it. Hell, you crims probably even engage in it. Just keep on perpetuating human social cancer. The world won't miss you.

Fvcking stupid South Africans.

ZarZar:


Bleep you too.

CyrusTheGreat:


South Africa has some of the highest incidences of child and infant rape in the world. In 2001, it was reported by the South African Police Service that children are the victims of 41 percent of all rapes reported in the country. About 15% of rapes are children under the age of 11 according to the MRC's Rachel Jewkes.






South Africa has one of the highest reported incident of rape in the world. While men are also subjected to sexual violence and 3.5% of men have been forced to have sex with other men, the majority of sexual violence is against women. The South African government reports that one of these reasons is the culture of patriarchy in South Africa. Its report states that patriarchy is firmly rooted in Black culture and fighting it is seen as attempting to destroy South African tradition or South African ideals.

Orkin, Dr. FM (2000). "Qualitative research findings on Rape in South Africa" (PDF). Statistics South Africa.
Burton, Patrick (July 2004). "National Victims of Crime Survey South Africa 2003". Monograph No 101. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15.
"What is Sexual Violence?" (PDF). National Sexual Violence Resource Center. 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
"Travel.State.Gov: South Africa". U.S. Department of State: The Bureau of Consular Affairs. Retrieved 29 Feb 2012.
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Smith, David (29 Feb 2012). "Quarter of men in South Africa admit rate, survey finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 Feb 2012.
Kimani, Mary (July 2007). "Taking on violence against women in Africa". Africa Renewal. p. 4. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
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a b c Perry, Alex (5 November 2007). "Oprah scandal rocks South Africa". TIME. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
a b c LoBaido, Anthony C. (26 Dec 2001). "Child-Rape Epidemic in South Africa". WND. Retrieved 29 Feb 2012.
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a b "Child rape in South Africa". Medscape. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
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Savage? Savage.