The Writing Room

The United States of America (USA), a country founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all, has branded itself as the richest, most powerful and greatest country in the world and a bastion of democracy. This branding has captured the imagination of people across the world who see the USA as a land of opportunity. But, what is the place of the USA in the world and is the external perception of the USA the reality? Let’s find out. The USA—the richest, most powerful and greatest country in the world For now, the USA has the  largest economy  in the world and is, indeed, the  richest countr y in the world. It is also ranked the  most powerful country  in the world. American culture, as it is experienced through its food, globalised media and entertainment industry, has been held up as the ideal and this view has permeated almost every society. The USA is the country to visit, the country in which to live, the country to experience—the land of opportunity. The USA—a land of

  Let’s begin with a brief summary of what we have done so far.  In  Book writing 1 , we looked at the preliminaries that the new writer must consider before she or he begins to write. In Book writing 2 , we focused on writing non-fiction. We look ed at types of non-fiction, word count and an outline for a non-fiction book.  In the third writing tutorial , we focused on organising the content of a non-fiction book and in Book Writing Tutorial 4 - Point of View,  we help you to select your point of view for your book. After going through the previous three tutorials, you should have a sense of what your book will be about. Now that you know what you want to say, how do you say it? Point of view Your point of view is the perspective from which you tell your story. You may tell your story from a first person, second person or third person point of view. Whether you are writing non-fiction or fiction you will choose a point of view from which to tell your story.  First person poi

  Letters of the alphabet are the building blocks of words. Words are the building blocks of sentences. Sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs. Paragraphs are the building blocks of chapters. Chapters are the building blocks of books. Writing is a puzzle but unlike a jigsaw puzzle that has its pieces already created for you and which you have to put in the right place to complete a pre-designed image, writing that is your own is created by you, word by word, with the final product often a blurry vision - at least initially. In this tutorial, we will examine the building blocks of the chapters in your book – the words, the sentences and the paragraphs and how you manipulate them to communicate your idea. You will learn to use these to write your book. Writing non-fiction – choice of words As a writer, your job is to use words to create images of your subject matter in your reader’s mind to help them to understand and appreciate the work that you create. Try to use “load

Writing is fun, when you get the hang of it. In these tutorials, I will show you how to awaken your writing skills that you have allowed too much rest. Before you engage with this tutorial, revisit Book Writing 1 , the first writing tutorial. Also, scavenge in the writing toolkit for other relevant information to guide you on your writing journey. In this tutorial we will focus on writing non-fiction. We will look at types of non-fiction and word count, as well as an outline for a non-fiction book.  At the end of this tutorial, you will be able to write an outline for your first non-fiction book. Writing Non-fiction - What is non-fiction prose? The Encyclopedia Britannica gives us a good place to start. It says that non-fiction prose is “ any literary work that is based mainly on fact, even though it may contain fictional elements”. It is writing that is “ intended to instruct, to persuade, to convert, or to convey experience or reality through “factual” or spiritual revelati

Welcome to Book Writing Tutorial 1.  Writing a book is hard work. Among other things, it involves writing, throwing much of that writing on the cutting floor, doing that over and over until you eventually capture the essence of your thoughts on your subject matter. You know this but you still want to try. Wonderful! Let’s get started. However, before you start the writing process you must do the following: 1. Clear your mind of worry about your writing. Don’t worry that what you write won’t be as good as another writer’s product. ‘Good’ is relative. What makes each writer’s work stand out are the personal assets that she/he brings to the project – personality traits, experiences, theories about the world and so on. Every writer has her/his set of assets that sets her/him apart from other writers. We learn this from the works that writers produce, works that evoke specific emotions in us; works that take us on journeys that we don’t want to end. So, don’t worry that your work won’