Anthology of Essays, Short Stories & Poems (A Book Proposal)

By: Chukwuemeka Oluka

To the glory of God, I can confidently say that the manuscript of the proposed book, 'Anthology of Essays, Short Stories & Poems' is more than halfway written. Therefore, I shall employ a blend of past, present and future tense to flesh this book proposal. Please journey with me.

Meanwhile, here is a quick rundown of what this book proposal will cover:

• Introductory background
• The premise - The basic concept of the book
• Writing tools, resources and strategies
• Preferred publishing route
• Conclusion
• Author’s Bio

Background

The trajectory of this collection is traced to August 2020, in the thick of the Covid-19 global pandemic. It was a means of self-discovery and self-expression during the lockdown. Then, my participation in cmonionline – a platform for essay competitions, gave life to this discovery and expression. I found some level of writing consistency, as I would submit entries for weekly essay competitions.

My entries reflected a tool for keener political and social awareness. The research and opinion essays would become a vital spotlight on the government because of the style and potential for allusions to trending events and conditions. See some examples in these works on Medium – No Gree For Anybody and suffering and smiling mentality in Nigeria.

As days crawled into months with months tiptoeing into years, my writings became a swirling kaleidoscope of bright and glaring works that would also explore short stories (fiction) and poems. With this, I discovered the beauties hidden in other genres and that helped to advance my versatility as a writer.

Why do I want the anthology published?

Of course, publishing this compilation will give me the fulfilment of adding the title, ‘published author’ to my profile. It will help me establish credibility as a writer. I will also enjoy increased visibility because of the wide audience the book will bring. The ultimate reason though is that I want to celebrate my ideas, creativity and expression. My sister once said, 'No one takes fine selfies and hides them in phone galleries. The beautiful faces may never be seen and appreciated.'

Will it be a viable Venture?

Oh, yes it will. A published compilation from a single author is usually from a particular genre that covers the same or closely related topics, but this anthology offers variety. It permeates other genres and the essays, stories and poems will make the reader spoilt for choices. The proposed book will also interest a broader range of audience.

It also has the potential to serve as a textbook for schools. The book will help students prepare for external examinations like the senior secondary school certificate examinations (SSSCE) in the English language. Answers to a few past questions in the examination will be found in the book.

The Premise

With its allusion to trending stories, the essay compilation in this anthology will serve the thematic need to chronicle major happenings in the country within the last four years.

In another development, there is a waning reading culture in contemporary society, especially with the Nigerian audience. The one who can afford a book is not interested in reading. The one who loves to read is either frightened by long texts or cannot even afford a book. Now, this is a problem. This dilemma stares me in the face.

However, the good news is that there is a solution. The solution lies in knowing my audience and where they can be found. This knowledge will then influence the final outlook of the manuscript, bearing in mind other peculiarities of my target audience.

Writing tools, resources and strategies

Though writing can be challenging, the digital era has made it worthwhile. This is so because there are numerous writing resources available. Microsoft Word (MS Word) is a writing tool I have mastered. Apart from being the first writing tool I adapted to, I have grown to also appreciate Google Docs. Moreover, since MS Word is not a completely free resource, Google Docs has come to the rescue. These two tools have improved my writing significantly because they can check grammar and syntax.

Although when it comes to grammar check, the numero uno is Grammarly; a very powerful cloud-based typing assistant and editing tool. It reviews spelling and punctuation and gives my writing clarity, good delivery and engagement. Poor grammar they say is painful to the eye and injurious to the ear, but with Grammarly, this is not the situation because my command of the English language has improved tremendously. It has taught me good diction and concord.

Another beautiful tool is Zotero. As a research enthusiast and having written essays that involved some research, Zotero has been a magical tool for curating bibliographies and related research materials. With this tool, I can store links, documents and books in such a way that it makes citing the resources or materials easy and seamless. It also helps me provide a good reference list after writing my research essays.

From the get-go, I had known that I would have my writings published in a book. Therefore, I would store them in the cloud. Every essay, short story or poem is edited painstakingly with Grammarly before uploading the manuscripts to my Google Drive folder. In this way, I have the assurance that they are secure and safe. This is why I did not lose a sleep when my laptop computer crashed and I lost a lot of information in the process. I knew I would retrieve my writings eventually.

My approach to writing remains a deliberate one. To avoid writer’s block, at a point, I wrote not less than 300 words in a day and by the time I put everything together, I must have attained the word count I set for the week. Now, the set word count is nothing less than 1500 words in 14 days.

I also ensured I read a lot — not limiting myself to any genre. Tellingly, my writing inspiration(s) had had to come from the least expected of genres. I also listen devotedly to both local and international news to polish my grammar and to keep me abreast of current trends and issues. Social media events have also inspired some of my literary collections.

Another approach I adopt is to distinguish myself as a natural writer using simple, clear and unambiguous language devoid of unnecessary and heavy-sounding vocabulary. I ensure that the titles I give my essays always stand out — so much so that they catch the readers’ attention effortlessly and stimulate them to read.

I learnt to study myself to know what inspires me the most to write. I tried to identify the best mood that triggers me to write well. I have observed that most times, I write better when ecstatic. I have also noticed I can as well write when under pressure. I wrote “Lagos,” one beautiful short fiction in less than two hours. So, knowing what spurs me to write has helped me reduce any manifestation of writer’s block. I would also identify that a greater percentage of writing is thinking. I always knew that once my thought pattern and cognitive ability were distorted, then, my writing would not be good.

Okay, have you heard of ‘The Cathedral Effect?’ I refer to it as a strategy that has helped me navigate writing different genres successfully. Over some time, I noticed that a ceiling height, that is, how low or high ceilings are can inspire different types of cognitive reasoning.

If I needed to stay focused and be better at writing detailed and analytical works, I chose a room with a low ceiling. In addition, when I find myself in a room with high ceilings, I become more open and creative in writing.

Preferred Publishing Route

In the end, the final draft of the manuscript will go through a rigorous editing in the hands of an expert before I approach a publishing house in Obiagu, in the Enugu metropolis for their modalities. I have chosen traditional publishing because this is my first book. In addition, the market is so competitive and I may not have the reach yet to capture the needed audience. Therefore, I will have to leverage a publishing house’s fantastic distribution network to achieve it.

Another reason is that publishing houses have a team of experts – editors, readers, and marketing agents who know the publishing business very well. While I am aware of the drawbacks of traditional publishing like the lack of control over the publishing process, giving up some of the author's power and ownership, not forgetting the lengthy delays before the book eventually hit the shelves, the first step of the process has to be to send my final manuscript out to traditional publishers. The outcome will determine if I will make a U-turn and then go the independent publishing route on Amazon.

Conclusion

Statistics on the number of books published in just a year alone are incredible, and the noise is pretty deafening. However, judging by the arguments presented in this proposal, I am convinced the book, 'Anthology of Essays, Short Stories & Poems' will stand out because it will offer something unique that readers will appreciate - something different from mainstream literary works. Hopefully, if I do not take my foot off the gas and maintain the writing consistency I have explained, the final and edited draft of the manuscript will be ready for the publisher by the end of the second half of the year, 2024. I really can not wait!

AUTHOR’S BIO

Chukwuemeka Oluka is a COREN-certified Engineer and passionate writer whose interest spans research, creative non-fiction, fiction, feature, opinion and poems. He loves to make meaningful impacts through his writings and he has over fifty literary works that have appeared on 'cmonionline.com,' ‘medium.com,’ ‘techEconomy.com,’ ‘grassroots.ng’ and 'nircle.com.' His e-mail is write2oluka@gmail.com