Hi everyone
I would want to aid our great storytellers and criptwriters on the 5 cardinal rules for a powerful african story.
I have been keen to observe these and you are free to add yours at the end .

1. Make your stories a uniquely common situation :

A lot of writers tend to like exhibiting what is naturally obtainable and make the reader to know the end and middle from the beginning. There is something with a story being ‘ uniquely common’; the characters are everyday situations but the plot of the story is unique .
Consider a story of a man that leaves his wife to marry a younger woman and then compare it with the story of a keke driver who falls in love with a female motor park tout
They are both similar plots but the character have made one of both plots thicker. Can we guess the thicker one ?

2. The use of african sounds and symbols-
It is typical to see people use english names so often that we sometimes tend to think if it is one ‘shakespeare ‘ or micheal oliver that wrote the story. There are so many symbols and sounds that are typical of the african culture. If you write a story about congo, what sounds and symbols can every congolese person relate with? This is important

3. Keep the reader thinking but following : Stories that tend to be so suspense filled can naturally get me off after a while. If it is also predictory in nature , I could stone you ( the author)from the pages and I will not miss !
Your ability to create a balance of leading the reader on so deeply and then letting him off when he feels he knows your story is a key ingridient lacking in african stories

4. Poor visualizations and grammar : This is key for scriptwriters. Most stories look too common when scripted that it does not look like you actually thought it true. Our everyday conversations are not regular.
You could be talking to someone and a car passes and you change the subject... this is in real life situations. Transform this to the virtual media. It gives a lot more originality and sharpness to your script and stories
As for grammar , look at these two examples
1. “ Guy , shey you know that today is martha’s birthday ?”
2. “ I dont even know what to buy for martha”
“ buy keh ? Is today her birthday ?”

What do you notice in both conversations?

Let your grammar be creative

5. An end that keeps me ready to read again.

What strikes you about certain books or movies? You want to watch it ten times over. My favourite is johnny english. His use of comedy keeps me willing to watch over and over again
(Im actually a fan of horrors)
Your story or movie script should have a conclusion that makes me go back to the book or film and wonder if i missed anything.


Its short but if you could take the wittiness out of it. Good luck.

My name is Nkemjika Okeke , a creative writer and content creator with an experience in business development.
Call on +2349095551504 for help and guidance