RULE THREE PASSION—be flamed up, to Inflame.

RULE THREE

PASSION—be flamed up, to Inflame.

History has seen innumerable manuscripts rejected by publishers that turned out to be megahits when eventually published: typical of such cases is C.S. Lewis’, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Literary groups and his publisher thought it would ruin his career; even his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien—a writing genius criticized it, pointing at too many clashed elements, like talking animals and so on…. The passion for what Lewis had written made him go with his heart, what others said, regardless. In the end, Lewis’ seven books were published and his series is still one of the most popular of all children’s literature: this feat, he achieved with an inflamed and fired up passion. In order to envelope the words of your writing in dredged passion, you must let it flow from your heart.

What is passion? You may inquire. As many definitions as possible may be right, but to aid our discourse this one fits appositely: Passion is the riding on an appropriate emotion—a strong feeling—say joy, love, hate, etc., to express an affection toward a desire—a purpose or goal, to have it actuated. Like unadulterated truth, it reveals the genuineness of any penning: that feeling responsible to landing success in any writing project—having the proffered solution borne in the written composition feed the need for which it was composed: the purposes—educating, entertaining, or merely keeping humans informed genuinely, are met when affection is employed in a particular writing. Passion is somewhat irrational being that, its force pushes the rider against all odds by irresistible motives to see an intended action carried out or a belief substantiated—pursuit being positive or negative, nonetheless. It is the force of passion that makes for the impact of impartation via writing, without which a literary composition may end up looking like a body with no spirit—a corpse. Passion, in other words, is the spirit in any writing, which qualifies the composition with its life.

Do you really want to get the minds of your readers inflamed with the passion you transmit? Was your answer “yes”? Then you need not wait till the hearth—place of inspiration is cool, before your poker is stuck in the stoked coal. As of the days of old, “the pool of Beethesda only heals the first unwell person who goes inside it when stirred.”¹ The period when there is a surge of passion to write is in similitude to a pregnant woman’s broken water—rupture of the amniotic sac: an indication of imminent labour. What it heralds is the birth of a child; in this case, a brainchild—your latest article or new book! The kick of passion is the ignition to write; so, drive! Write with passion; for passion in writing is having enthusiasm to put into words, the sayings of the heart the way it is meant. Liken the heart to a faucet that runs inspiration when turned on: since the coming of inspiration into one’s mind is never forced, but runs at perfect timings; it behooves you then, to be available to fetch when it pours out, or forfeit the thirst-quenching drink, both for you—the writer … as well as your readers when the flow ceases: A passionate writer hardly will miss these highly fecund moments.

“You don’t write because you want to say something; you write because you have something to say.”² Now, having had something to say, passion for that thing should motivate the sort of writing, worth anyone’s while in reading. No matter the genre of literature you write by, let passion be the driving force, powering your word flow: this is what ignites the contagious fire of written … even spoken words. Passionate writers, like Peter—one of Jesus’ disciples did,³ cast their passions into the deep of their being, to catch treasures from within. They draw out sufficient and words, needed to complete a writing project and more, such that there will even be enough texts to cut down on, during editing to bring about efficiency. Really, “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.”⁴ They just must be drawn out, if they will be seen.

Passionate writers do not necessarily struggle to write; they rather search, to discover their own uniqueness and then write through the genre—“kind” or “type” (French) that best expresses their creativity. They understand plagiarism would douse the fire of creativity in them; so hardly will they copy as well, but may build on existing concepts to produce novel ideas. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong in experiencing disparate waves of inspiration per time, as that is a possibility: a poet for instance, might start flowing—writing prose-wise…. Do! Most importantly is to write when and where inspired. The writer does not spell out what to put down for inspiration; instead, it is the other way round. Do not dawdle therefore, to lay down the words that flow to you when they do, since they may not come again; perhaps they may come in different ways, if they later do.

It will be of great help to make an elaborate list of things and places you love: those can possibly point at your muses and sources of passion, which will grow with the exploration of the marked fields. Tremendous success is accounted to the credit of a writer when a reader is immediately inspired and could not put down the writer’s book, till it is completely devoured—it is the passion with which the subject matter was written that would have lit the passion within the readers’ minds, causing the latter to become intensely enwrapped in the subject. Passion is what steams a writer’s engine—being, moving his or her pistons—hands up and down from start to finish of every writing venture, rendering the vehicle—the book worthy to carry the passengers—readers to their destination where the essence for the read information is met…. But, a lack of this writing virtue will only create a mundane piece that will leave interested readers stranded ashore.

Five Deeds that Douses Passionate Writing

1. Comparison

Comparison is not advisable in all psychological respect: it is a snare, especially when its result can quench passion, having plunged one into a complex of inferiority—this is the happenstance when a writer thinks one of his or her colleague or just another is better. This artificial intricacy makes the weak-willed writer imitate rather successful writers; thereby, outright losing their unique style. Meanwhile, recognition by readers is gained when a discovered voice and style in writing comes consistently.

2. The Pursuit of Fame and Fortune

This should not be the objectives for writing: passion is most times, lost for this reason. The fulfillment, which comes to those that can savour the experience of writing with passion, should first be relished; then doubtless, fame and fortune will follow anyone who rightly engages a worthy endeavour like writing, long enough.

3. Writing to Impress a Select Few

Never write to impress people: this deflates the bubble of inflated passion. Writing is a form of advanced communication in the sense that, the writer pens down his or her unique perception of an accepted knowledge to readers he or she expects a determined reaction from; hence, it should not be tinged with arrogance at any point: that will turn off most readers. Writers, who show off the “I know-it-all” attitude, most times lose their likeability as authors. Besides, when a writer’s mind is on people to impress with his or her writings, he or she loses focus of the targeted mark for which the writing is created and concentration of the entire course. This attitude, in a nutshell, is tantamount to indulging an avoidable distraction: do well to keep your focus in check by avoiding that, so as to carry all your audience along.

4. Fabrications that Embellish Truth, to Fake Facts.

In any circumstances—good or bad, truth is better told. That is the currency with which trust is purchased. Mind this quote: “Never exaggerate. Never say more than you really mean.”⁵ With exaggeration, credibility is at stake; therefore, write the truth without extending it. In order to avert time wastage and the rigorous task of throwing more light on a concluded matter to aid its comprehension, and then curb the energy that would have been dissipated by the plied effort, simplify complexities instead.

5. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else’s work—word for word, even ideas—bit by bit, as though they are your own. It shows the laziness of a writer who engages the act, and if it is even worked upon, the outcome will be dunked in shoddiness, making the composition lack vim. In a nutshell, the work will become rigid—having deficiency of fluency: this state is settled for, because the passion of delivery is of paramountcy, in dearth.

Conclusive on this issue is the urge that writers should endeavour to let their readers have the real deal. If they—the readers pay that much loyalty to read a thing you wrote, then they deserve genuineness, at least…. And writing from a point of inspiration can accomplish this objective. Words become all the most effective when the perception of a taken perspective is ignited with passion: ply it thus, to hit your mark!

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Hope you can live up to expectation with keeping this rule: PASSION—be flamed up, to Inflame? Like other rules preceding as well as succeeding this one, it sure will make your penning defy all odds and be appreciated by almost, if not all readers. With this know-how, you will be able to write decisively—imparting your readers with the impact, which it takes to drive down the crafted solution proffered or information propagated.

You can break this rule by not waiting for inspiration, but looking for its source. Take yourself to wherever your muses are located: get inspired and write when it is hot. By so doing, you will craft decisively, contents certified with power—authority; thereby, having yourself qualified, an author.

Rule four of our write right series will be coming before you know it…. Keep watch!

In my next newsletter hitting your inbox soon—in two days to be precise, you will understand how to write right by copying from the best teacher—Life. You will be shown how to watch nature, and live her lessons; so as to be able to replicate her kind of wonders in your writings. This will come your way as the fourth of our TEN RULES governing, to improve writing. It is titled: LIFE—observe and Experience it. Be expectant; for the expectation of the faithful will not be cut off.

Take charge, my colleague.

Malik Obynna.

References:

Jn. 5:2–5, descriptive (Bible).
F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Luke 5:4–6, (Bible).
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
C.S. Lewis.

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