Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up. ~ Stephen King
May 2025 is gone forever, and it wasn’t particularly a good May.
Low sales, plus I lost a great friend to cancer.
I pray God to rest his wonderful soul.
But adding another year means 365 more reasons to be grateful.
It’s been over 2 months since my last story.
Well, it’s not as if I haven’t done a longer barren stretch in my writing journey, but perhaps the thought of taking a break for a year (which I quickly trashed btw) forced me to find time to write.
Though I write almost regularly, I simply can’t publish everything.
I strive to publish at least once a week when I’m in the creative zone.
For instance, during the early months of my Success Journey Series.
And perhaps once a month during my less inspired periods.
Yet three months or more flew past in 2020 without a single published story from yours truly.
Oftentimes, it’s down to the usual factor… that scarce commodity called time!
And frankly, I’ve been preoccupied with a new business I’m building lately.
Again, it’s not as if I haven’t been previously immersed in a hustle that brought good and steady income.
Back in the days of petroleum marketing, I would go weeks and possibly months without penning a paragraph.
I wake up and drive to the depot.
It could be Enugu, Port Harcourt, Warri or wherever fuel is available.
The only writing I did was signing cheques.
I find myself in a similar situation. The early morning opportunities in this commute business mean I don’t even get to climb to my attic home office, much less write a word before I start plucking the greens.
And that is my major concern!
I don’t want to lose my early mornings… they are my best period for creative emergence.
My most productive time for reading, writing, and thinking.
I use the early hours to meditate, reflect, plan, and more often these days just find solace in stillness while appreciating God’s awesomeness!
I’ve always agreed that money is good, and a lot of it is better.
Money is important… it is the oxygen of our ecosystem and the lifeblood of any society.
Yet money isn’t everything. The foolish person will disagree.
But the wise can rise above that zaniness by prioritising value.
And you can earn good money creating value.
If you add a little resourcefulness and bid your time, you will be astounded by the result.
Am I tempted to keep harvesting the greens? Of course!
But there’s always an opportunity cost.
In this case, it’s my creativity, something I cherish so much.
I fear I may not have enough time for the things I love.
I mean, since March, I know I’ve spent little time writing, reading and chilling with my family.
How much more when I’m Elon Musk?
They say we can delegate.
Yea right? Will I also be delegating a visit to Venice with my wife?
We have to accept that a cost is always a given.
You must lose something to gain something.
But can we try to strike a balance?
Yes, we can. Bird by bird, we can enjoy the best of both ends.
I always listen to Peter Tosh, and my favourite verse in his Equal Rights song is …
What is due to Caesar
You better give it on to Caesar.
And what belong to I and I
You better, you better, give it up to I.
A little to the left and a little to the right, in the words of IBB.
And enye ndi ebea, enye ndi ebea to quote Ike Ekweremmadu.
In writing, I talk to you and myself.
I learn and you learn. It’s a win-win for everyone.
That is why I won’t stop writing.
I have finally accepted that I need to explore AI options if I’m to maximise my time and optimise my writing.
If I do take a break, it should be for a creative project.
Writing helps me grow, discover and evolve.
And building a community means that writing also helps me teach.
Mark my words, soon and very soon, we’ll start earning like many writers and teachers out there.
We are this close to monetising these past years of quill welding.
As I always say, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
It isn’t rocket science.
While we continue plucking the greens via whatever hustle we are engaged in, let’s not forget to create time for writing.
It helps both the writer and the reader to live a little more.
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