The slender woman walked into Pharaoh's throne room. Standing a good head over most males present, her frame was like that of a perfectly sculpted figurine wrapped in a golden coloured sheath dress. Deep brown eyes gleamed with scorn as they took in her environment, and as she moved it appeared as though her... Continue Reading →
Nezzar II
627 BC, Babylon Nabopolassar's hands were crimson with the blood of his enemies when the news reached him. He pierced the earth with his battle axe and turned to face the messenger fully. "Speak one more time, boy. Tell me again." The boy of about thirteen smiled, his weather-beaten skin stretching with the action. "You... Continue Reading →
Jezebel
878 BC. Sidon From her place behind the gauzy curtain, Jezebel took in his general appearance--his bland expression, graceful fingers that constantly pushed stubborn locks off a strong forehead, and deep pink lips that were pressed in a flat line. He was the youngest at the gathering, maybe a few years older than she was.... Continue Reading →
To Kill an Enemy
Somewhere in Eastern Nigeria, 16th of June, 1968 I avoided looking at the dead man’s face even as I approached. My intention was to quickly search the body for weapons and ammunitions. I wasn’t particularly picky, even a knife would do at the moment. Guilt scratched at the back of my mind, preaching a sentimental... Continue Reading →
SACRIFICE
SACRIFICE ...all "good" things come to the desperate... Somewhere in West Africa 1679 “It's a girl,” the midwife mumbled in a raspy voice. She was a short woman with a bent back, and withered skin much like dates—shrivelled and brown. Nneka smiled a little then turned her face away. She wasn’t sad, but at the same... Continue Reading →
The Parrot’s Egg
Oyo Empire, Western Africa. 1650 All members of the Supreme Council of the Oyo Mesi and Ogboni fraternity were present. They sat on polished wooden stools that lined the ancient walls of the throne room, and each held his face stiff and unyielding, filling the place with that air of impending doom. Ayibi sat, relaxed in his... Continue Reading →
7 Unique Ways To Become More Creative: Fiction Writing
Ever watched a painter paint? How about a baker bake? Those that bake fancy realistic cakes like sneakers or a full human being? Have you watched their creation process videos? First, their works look all scattered, uncoordinated, and in some cases, ugly. The painter starts with some lines that make no immediate sense to the... Continue Reading →
Fiction 101: Punctuation
Since Punctuation is a motherload topic, I wouldn’t be giving a full lecture on it, but I will try my best to touch the basics. A good writer must know where to use commas, full-stops, semicolon, dash, em-dash, quotation marks, question marks, exclamation marks, ellipsis, parentheses e.t.c. Proper punctuation usage is something readers barely notice... Continue Reading →
Fiction 101: Narrative Tenses
Is your story happening now or did it occur in the past? There are about twelve tenses in the English language but we will be focusing on the two types of tenses most stories are written in. Present Simple Tense Here, the narrator or viewpoint character tells the story as it is happening. I hand... Continue Reading →