₦airaland Forum

novelBeast:
This response will be long, but only because I want to share some thoughts with future readers, just in case.

Writing is easy to start. You just do it. However, it's not an easy concentration to maintain. It takes time. Like any line of work, it has to be done repeatedly and consistently before it becomes effective. That being said, I don't believe in the concept of wasted effort when it comes to writing.

Don't write free stories on NL:

Some writers want to be compensated for everything they created. Whether that means getting a book deal, receiving monetary compensation for their work, tons of views, or whatever. They want to write a piece today, and have something come out of it other than sharing the work itself. I don't mind sharing my work online, be it here or another site, because most often what I'm looking for is the feedback from readers about the piece.

When I read the work of writers on Nairaland, I don't see it as wasted, because they are getting feedback. When people respond, whether it's positive or negative, you can use those comments (some of them) to help you improve your work. You have to listen to every individual comment, but if 10 people comment on your story, and 7 of those 10 bring up the same interest or issue, then that's something to look into. If each person leaves a different response, weigh them to see how you feel about it, and if you disagree, move on.

Just because someone comments on a piece doesn't mean you have to change your work to sit their interests. Start trying to appease everyone and I can guarantee that you'll never create anything worth publishing.

many stories have been stopped half way here on NL cos the writer just couldn't go on with the fiction.

There could be a number of reasons why this is so. Could be because the story was too difficult to manage, they lost interest, they no longer had a device to access the website and continue, I don't know. Many times, I've found that it's not just the story they've stopped, but have stopped posting to NL completely.

However, if it were me, and I were publishing a story here or anywhere else, I would start by committing to a routine that would allow me to continue writing. Maybe publish a piece of the story once every few days, or even once a week. Something that would allow me to keep readers engaged at regular intervals. Whether or not it will work for anyone else, I cannot say, but it's where I would start, then adjust from there, depending on how things go.

But as to why people quit halfway through a story, the only way I can offer possibly solutions for that, would be to know why the writing stopped in the first place, unfortunately.

Make a name and your book would bring profit:

It is almost impossible to make a name for your book, or your work in general, without someone having been pre-exposed to your writing. Which is why I said I don't believe in the notion of wasted effort.

If you have an idea, put it out there and see how people respond to it. If they respond favorably, then you know you're onto something. If they respond negatively, then you know you've got some work to do to improve. Only by exposing people to your work, will you ever gain a reputation. I'm not saying you have to share all of your stories on NL or anywhere else, I'm just saying you have to give people an opportunity to read your work, to determine whether or not they like it. Whether it's among your peers in a creative writing course, at a writer's conference or workshop, submitting it to a publishing agent or magazine for publication, or sharing it among the members of your church.

Once you know what people respond to, you can leverage that knowledge to begin improving and strengthening your writing, and eventually, begin to build a name for yourself and your work.

It doesn't have to be the novel you're working on. It could be a story you've pulled from the top of your head on your way home from work.

The decision is yours. But if you want to build an audience, you must first give them something to consume. And the more they fall in love with your work, the stronger your reputation becomes.

Don't self publish: Just don't try this in Nigeria brother!

I've read this a lot, but I've never read any reason as to why someone shouldn't. Is it because self-publishers are scammers and they steal your work? Or is it because the pay is very little?

There's nothing wrong with self-publishing (in general) however, you do have to be cautious of where you self-publish. I've read the terms of a few self-publishing sites that tell writers they must surrender the rights to their work for a short period of time. Which is something I do not agree with in any capacity. A writer should always retain the rights to their work.

But as far as self-publishing in Nigeria, I don't know. I'll have to look into it and find out why people say it's a dead end.

We all have a choice in life, many people have been referred to as an author even without them picking a Biro Or typing 'A'. I have decided I would be in that part of the devide, and I would walk tall cos my story has been written by me.
I respect your opinion too, but I would rather stick to my own way.

ClassCaptain:
Bro, one thing one must realized in Life at times is that it is not always about the money...U are into.music and am sure you know more than enough about this...

the passion comes first. then the money follows but at a point,making profit should be among the goals !!!

1) I quite agree with this... My best stories are not on nairaland yet and I have bigger plans for them..But this should not dissuade one from posting stories..It is this story that bring you the exposure, connects you with friends and helpers,help u gain a reasonable fan base and help u market any other thing u want to offer...

I have met someone who singlehandedly gave me 30k for one of my stories here !! You never know who is watching and will bring u to real lime light..

Have also gotten some publishing deals from people but I can call them " Slavery deals '


2) totally agree

3) very true

4) Naijasinglegirl sold 419 copies of her book at 1000 naira each on okadabooks ...She self published it...That shouldn't discourage anybody !!!

Well, maybe I just adviced from an angle of someone that has two cards (music/writing) so I prefer to put in for music first cos it would aid writing faster than writing aiding music. And to be sincere, 419 copies is not that much o, but a good start.

Writing is not at all easy, so if you don't want your effort to be wasted

1, Don't write free stories on NL: I've read many stories on NL and the best stories don't even get to reach front page sometimes, and when it does, it still does not bring a dime to the writer. But shout out to story writers like classcaptain , I know you would be contacted for some of ur stories here on NL soon.

2, Don't publish in a hurry: Take your time to write and proof read, many stories have been stopped half way here on NL cos the writer just couldn't go on with the fiction.


3, Make a name and your book would bring profit: If let's say 2face should publish a book today, which I think he has done already, he would definitely smile to the bank, cos of the name, if 30% of his fans should read it, then it would be a monetized effort.

4, Don't self publish: Just don't try this in Nigeria brother!

I've written 3 stories which I think would be very good for screen play, but I would rather keep it to myself till its ready to come out. And I also keep my diary close to my heart, I won't mind sharing when needs be. But for now, it's a no no. Cos nobody would pay me for my stress.