Writing alone vs writing with others.

Happy Monday f

Last week I recieved some good feedback about the idea of freewriting that we've been talking about for the past 2 weeks. And I'd like share it with you before we start this week's work.

Esteemed Nick's letters reader and subscriber, an outlaw dj who is also a state department officer in the ministry of interior had this to say about FREEWRITING as a reply to last weeks email. 

“I wanted to type "touchè" and send. But I choose to free-write my way into sending the same response. 

I didnt worry about Grammar, too, but I think it comes to near perfection because of my previous writing, sorry, freewriting, ordeals.

Peace!”

To help you understand this context: His writing is growing and blowing his mind.

Guess what? Freewriting when practiced whether online or offline, is a guaranteed way of supercharging your writing. If you haven’t done it, I highly encourage you to do it.

You see, we’re living in a world dominated by AI crap. Almost all content you see people put out there is generated by ai. Especially written materials like blogs and articles and emails. People like choosing the easy way out of writing by using ai. But as you know it, ai doesn't have SOUL. And yet you, my dear reader has SOUL. So if you can write from the soul by for example practising freewriting quite often, you stand out and speak to more humans than Ai can. In other words, freewriting is going to make you strengthen your writing and and help you communicate your ideas trully and make you sound real! Yes.

Anyway, to continue with the ‘So You Want To Write’ series. This is the third email but there are a few more emails on the series coming up that you don't want to miss if you're passionate about writing and believe in the power of written words.

Let's go!

Now. If you do any type of writing, you are going to agree with me that exposing and sharing your work is normally a scary thing to do, especially in the beginning. Heck, sharing your written ideas is such a difficult and scary thing that most of us don't even get to reply to these emails. Oh my! Be free. This is a safe space. Sawa!?

Anyway.

Did you ever want to write something and keep it a secret by never telling anyone? Well, it happens to many people including myself all the time. While there's no shame in sharing your writing, writing things and keeping them to youreself is essential for growing as writer. 

Writing for yourself is a key part of your evolution as a writer. Infact, nearly every writer first begins by writing for themselves even without knowing they might one day go public.

Back in my early uni years, I used to write a lot for myself. The backpages of my unit exercises books were filled with my freestyle writing that I did not want to post on Facebook. My diary was my place to hold a conversation with myself as I sought consolation from the troubles of a from-village to-city-freshman living with a relative hundreds of kilometers away from his mother.

Anyway, private writing is meant for your eyes only. Even if you are working on let's say an article which will eventually be posted, then keeping the early work private is still OK. Infact, the best type of writing happens in private! That is why I highly encourage you to start writing for yourself. Do that using the FREEWRITING technique which we discussed in  the previous letter. When it comes to writing for yourself, you have nothing to loose. So be free and do it!. But there's the next step to writing which is essential too for the evolution of writers.

And that is…

Writing with others.

Most people who are passionate about writing always think of themselves as part of a community of writers.

These people can be novelists, poets, songwriters, speakers, djs, thought leaders, state department officers, marketers (like nick osale) or technical writers.

These writers may,

• Read and respond to each others work.

• Offer advice and encouragement. 

• Share inspiration and frustration. 

Becoming part of a writing community is an invaluable asset for you to thrive. Because it is from communities when your word and voice begins to spread. You can meet and find what other writers are doing. The good thing is that you can be in communities without leaving your private writing practice. 

Take for example when Shivachi Shihembekho and I decided to hung out at the writers guild of Kenya one Saturday evening in November 2022. Even though we ended up not becoming members of that community, we found and connected with other writers. On a personal note, I still see and read the works of the writers I met at the writers guild of Kenya.

For example, another Nick's letters reader and subscriber Wangui Maina(who I met at the writers guild of Kenya) writes on LinkedIn. I see her posts whenever they find me. I read and see how she is evolving in her writing niche which is: mental health- if I'm not wrong.

Anyway winding down now…

To write for yourself or with others?

Honesty now, there's no one side to choose when you can proudly take both. Both are rewarding! Because, you don't want to write and keep things private to yourself(except your personal journal)

But then again you, you don't want to put every piece of your work out there. That's obvious and understandable.

What you want to do is this…

You want to find a balance between private and personal writing. 

Trully, there are times you will keep your writing private. But it is eventually a win and helpful to share and publish your work for people to see.

When it comes to the whole process of writing, you're encouraged not just to share your final work but also the process and build up to your final work.

So go ahead and practice your personal writing. But never shy or have fear of putting your mind out there. Because guess what? Writers are the ones who make civilisation work. We are the one's to save civilisation from this awful mess were in right now.  Happpy writing.

Until next week.

Nick Osale.