Writing cannot be tamed into a habit, as you might have learned for yourself. Like trying to tassel a wave, even daily practice is futile for anyone trying to achieve such ability. I feel ashamed now of the sheer naiveté as I sit out here for inspiration; how the mighty have fallen!

By the time this edition reaches you, it has been a hundred fifty-eight days of distress, school break, and lip-syncing competitions with a toddler. But if there ever were a Substack edition worth waiting for, this might be it. In this chapter, I will talk about how to get over writer's block forever (yes, and forget what you are thinking), and how we can use it to our advantage. R.L. Stine already promised that, but this version is free ;)

The strain of identifying as a content creator and writer is audacious when you cannot control the gift and power you claim to possess. Writer's block is a crude equalizer: the powerlessness reminds you of your mortality as you reach and scratch for another good line. In this edition, we will discuss writer’s block, how to get over it, and how to employ it. Without further ado, let us discuss the wise words of people who get paid to write, and what I have learned during this distressful time.

Facing the Block

The one way to tame writer’s block is to sit on it, and instead of trying to remove it, let it move you. If you really want to write and are struggling to start or maybe to finish, you must be afraid of something. But rather than stop there or try to analyze it, drink water and remember, you are safe there — it's just you and the paper. Whenever we cannot write, we throw a fit, rip through the entire notebook, and finally abandon the effort, right? But after hours of competing with that toddler, I’ve realized that, in the same way, when one writes, nothing is wasted but the paper.

Stealing from Atwood, With Love

The two things Margaret Atwood stresses are that any form of human creativity is a process of doing it and getting better at it: “You become a writer by writing; there is no other way, so do it, do it more, do it better. Fail. Fail better. Somehow, sometime you will finally become unafraid.” And second, writing is work, and, like other crafts, it requires a yearning and desperation that causes you to reach even when inspiration eludes you. Romanticize it later.

Haikus and Half victories

Haikus exist because three lines are exactly all we can manage sometimes. For all the depth and breadth of The Narrow Road of the Deep North, Matsuo Basho understood we needed the haiku when we felt much but could only say so little. Diversifying your content allows you to edify your reader with a balanced selection, expand your creative portfolio, and to keep writing, whether you are full or empty. Joyce Carol Oates, who has an oeuvre that is as varied as it gets, advises, “Short things you can finish and show other people are very satisfying and necessary for a writer. What we all need is the satisfaction of the little uplift that we get psychologically from finishing something.”

Copy-cats Do Learn, and A Little Too Well

Every four-year-old knows that copycats never learn, but I cannot think of a faster way to learn (or to win ;). The truth is that after twenty-one centuries, every single idea has already been done over and over and over. I mean, every great love story is that he loved her so much he went through heaven and hell so she could have eternity. Basically, you don't need the new big idea; you need only to figure out how you are going to tell it:
How does he save her?
  How do you attack the same taboo?
    What is the moral gray area you are going to be writing about?
Rather than spend your thinking time on the idea, surprise even yourself instead with the second-greatest love story ever told. I cannot attribute my poetic improvements to any other activity, and feel no shame if it makes me half as good a writer as you, Noor U.

How to Sneak Up on a Masterpiece

Before the first five drafts, we are all bad writers in hiding. It is not about inspiration or craft; it is about going through it again and again until you start to like what you see. The first draft is pure torture for us all (Judy Blume–certified); we dread every second of it because we cannot believe how bad we can be. But writing is a refining process of cleaning up the abstract inside until even others can see the genius you have been mulling over. “So write until you're ready to show the world what you've done.” That is how one sneaks up on a masterpiece.

Apply Pressure for Equal Measure

Most of the time, expect it to take more than six days, and for it to exhaust and exploit you (mark my words). That is because you are the source, the literal provenance of much genius, so of course it will drain you. But it will be worth it, because no one wants to see it come to life more than you do. So commit little by little, but include a deadline for applied pressure.

Clouds, Bugs, and Breathing

And when it has exploited you for all you have, take the time to breathe in — inhale. Supply yourself with the much-needed inspiration, thought, time, and copy-cating you need for another comeback. This is what poets are paid for, you know: to look at the clouds and watch the bugs — someone has to keep an eye on those things. (borrowed from Billy Collins :)

I hope this was the edition you were waiting for, and that there will no longer be defeat by a blinking cursor.

Write to you soon.

This letter comes to you with life-saving advice that transcends genres, occupations, and learning styles- mental health, and amateur writing on the internet included. 

After twenty years and some, the most pro-life advice I've saved to share from this respiratory exercise is, breath; if you don't, you'll suffocate. Very simple, and easy to forget too. 

As a content creator, breathing is an essential component for a successful occupation. It's essential to inhale every molecule of art, inspiration, and latina pop music - guaranteed- but to stop the exercise halfway is exactly deadly. After every draw in, a creator must exhale and give back that air to help something else; that's exactly where the majority of us choke. Last time I checked, we are all creators, but when it's the time to show what we could do with all those beautiful, intricate, deadly molecules of air, we just will not release them despite knowing it'll kill us. 

As the saying goes, a coward dies many times before his death; a creator who doesn't create suffocates slowly until her final breath. It's poetically pathetic. Life is meant to create more life, it's called the life cycle for a reason. And to go against it is to rebel against nature- I cannot remember the episode where anyone did that and survived.

Everyone has a beautiful something inside them; I guess mine is with my words so I keep writing to find out if it's true. Sometimes I don't think it is, but I reach out for the pen and paper, for the camera lense, for the movie I think is a masterpiece, again and again and again. Every day that I do not create, or give back in some way some of the inspiration I've been mulling over, I feel a part of myself corrode- in my heart or in my brain; I haven't placed my finger on it- and it decays into self-loathingness. It's the other guaranteed cycle of doom and despair.

Legitimately. Physiologists have discovered that the leading cause of low self-esteem is no personal accomplishments, and the lack of creative expression; Jordan Peterson said so himself. 

At some point we've all got to stop and take a moment to exhale, and see what kind of life will come out of it. It's grievous to imagine all the life that has died because we forgot to just respire. So, take a moment and breathe; you'll die if you don't. 

This letter is coming to you after the South African President threatened Kigali with “a declaration of war” for “any further attacks on South African troops in eastern Congo." (M23 rebels killed 13 South African soldiers- President Ramaphosa claims that Kigali is backing the Congolese militants; President Kagame strongly denies all participation.) The Rwandan President retorted that if [South Africa] wanted a confrontation, Rwanda would  "deal with the matter in that context any day". East Africa is on the brink of another Congo War.

The right to freedom of speech is sacred in many countries around the globe; however, as political tensions rise, and societies become the most polarized they have ever been; our gift from democracy is being openly, irresponsibly, proudly abused. 

Literally only a decade ago we said things under our breath, in the corners of streets, in the secrecy of our family rooms. Today, the world's the stage, and the only thing needed to get the show started is our audacious, underinformed, or even not informed at all- it doesn't really matter, uncensored opinion. Everything we say suddenly matters; apparently even enough to start wars, such as in the case of our epistolic hook. 

Such important terms and conditions are underlooked when we learn that our voices do have some effect on the matter. It reminds me of the proverb, “loose lips sink ships”. Just watch the American stock market.

The message is not  that we should deter from the privilege of speech- it's quite the contrary. With great power comes great responsibility; yet it seems we have successfully suppressed that sense of duty for so long, we've begun to undermine the privilege.

The world's a stage and we are on it; and everything we do and say will be held against us in the courts of the internet. Charges are applied to persons eighteen years and above; all creators are advised to speak responsibly.

We are given two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. But is there such a thing as listening too much– get it?

I've just got back from the 2025 Yale Model African Union Conference. It was my first time attending, and I can assure you that your girl did NOT slack! Infact, I'll take this moment to inform you that this Delegate of Benin was awarded first Honorable Delegate of  the ECOSOC committee for excellent debate skills and diplomatic prowess. 

Back to my intended pun; is there such a thing as listening too much? History says there is, and literature says there never will be; however, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Historically, every catalyst of change happened because people had heard enough and decided to do something about it: the anti-Weimer White Rose at the start of Hitler's regime, the Gen-Z movement against the IMF financial bill in Kenya, Seun Kuti's IMF music video ‘IMF’ that harks back to the continued assault against the sovereignty of the African people. I consider these carefully and the evidence points to one mouth over two ears. I wonder if any change happened because someone somewhere listened enough?-- I wonder if Mahatma Gandhi's hunger strike counts.

The recurring idea at the YMAU conference was a phrase I've grown decisively devoted to since, Ni sisi, ni sasa; a swahili phrase for It is us, and it is now. The idea is that the voices, and protests, and actions of this generation are NOT for the future, they are for RIGHT NOW.

To reference my last letter, Hyper Consumed, I now think that there is no such thing as saying it enough, at least not until we no longer have to say it at all. Despite the innumerable numbers of people talking about the subjects I wanna talk about, saying the things I wanna be saying, no one is saying it the way I want to say it, nor in the way that I can. And that’s what I think they call the personal voice. 

It has become harder to be heard if you are not already an established voice, or if you are not talking about the topics on trend; however, even if we've been given just one mouth, I think that's enough because one is all we need to speak. 

There's honestly no poorer way to start at content creation when everyone has already said it, tweeted it, sang it, and created a youtube channel to repeat it over and over until there is no more value to be salvaged from it(#niche.) For example, the Rwanda-Congo Cool War was a point of national, and regional security and stability until reels of tik tok shorts made it a stand-off about resources and Rwandan dubiosity— even misinformation is hyper consumed. Now, suddenly but not surprisingly, it's becoming forgotten that it is actually a scramble for arms, resources, and political leverage; and the risk of the loss of national and economic sovereignty at the hands of multi-interested “allies” who are more excited by the prospect of a big kill than the establishment of stability in either country. 

Anyways, I desire to start to create content— no, not because I have an insatiable hunger to be seen and heard and loved. I really want to add value to the world I've been given, but the algorithm doesn't seem deep enough to hold one more opinion. There are innumerable numbers of people talking about the subjects I wanna talk about, saying the things I wanna be saying, but not getting it quite right. And I know no one has talked about it from my perspective because no one is molecularly interested in the economic perspective of anything, or aware of the power of influence it has over our quality of life; let alone in regional security and peace affairs— It's so frustrating. But, I'm analyzing globals events and trends and how they affect the economics and security of Eastern Africa today. If you're also interested, follow for more.