aper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could Even though writing is a talent and every writer develops his own method of writing instinctively, only a combination of talent, careful planning, persistent hard work and patience can produce a good literary work. It is, therefore, advisable for you as a writer to be meticulous and avoid rushing your work, bearing in mind that every literary work takes form in stages.

Basically, there are three of such stages; conception, gestation and delivery stages. The stages have some semblance with the biological process of child bearing. From the time of conception to the delivery time, the expectant mother has to tend the pregnancy through prenatal care. Likewise, the writer has to treat every stage in the creative process with a sense of commitment if the work is to meet the expectations of his potential readers.

Conception stage refers to that moment when the idea of a story occurs to the writer. It usually occurs either during a conversation, at a quiet lonely moment, while driving, when strolling or in a dream. It could also be inspired by an incident of a high emotional impact. It is advisable for you to always have a piece of paper and a pen with you so that any time and anywhere the idea occurs, you could quickly jot it down. However, you should not rush into full writing at this stage. Just jot down the main body of the idea in a few sentences and allow it to expand and take root in your mind.

The period under which the idea takes root is the gestation stage. The stage must also not be rushed. Keep turning the idea or the story line over and over in your mind and continue to update it on paper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could t

such stages; conception, gestation and delivery stages. The stages have some semblance with the biological process of child bearing. From the time of conception to the delivery time, the expectant mother has to tend the pregnancy through prenatal care. Likewise, the writer has to treat every stage in the creative process with a sense of commitment if the work is to meet the expectations of his potential readers.

Conception stage refers to that moment when the idea of a story occurs to the writer. It usually occurs either during a conversation, at a quiet lonely moment, while driving, when strolling or in a dream. It could also be inspired by an incident of a high emotional impact. It is advisable for you to always have a piece of paper and a pen with you so that any time and anywhere the idea occurs, you could quickly jot it down. However, you should not rush into full writing at this stage. Just jot down the main body of the idea in a few sentences and allow it to expand and take root in your mind.

The period under which the idea takes root is the gestation stage. The stage must also not be rushed. Keep turning the idea or the story line over and over in your mind and continue to update it on paper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could

aders.

Conception stage refers to that moment when the idea of a story occurs to the writer. It usually occurs either during a conversation, at a quiet lonely moment, while driving, when strolling or in a dream. It could also be inspired by an incident of a high emotional impact. It is advisable for you to always have a piece of paper and a pen with you so that any time and anywhere the idea occurs, you could quickly jot it down. However, you should not rush into full writing at this stage. Just jot down the main body of the idea in a few sentences and allow it to expand and take root in your mind.

The period under which the idea takes root is the gestation stage. The stage must also not be rushed. Keep turning the idea or the story line over and over in your mind and continue to update it on paper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could

you could quickly jot it down. However, you should not rush into full writing at this stage. Just jot down the main body of the idea in a few sentences and allow it to expand and take root in your mind.

The period under which the idea takes root is the gestation stage. The stage must also not be rushed. Keep turning the idea or the story line over and over in your mind and continue to update it on paper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could

aper as it develops. As time goes on you would discover that the story is not only gathering momentum but you are becoming more familiar with the setting, characters and other components of the work. And by the time you get to the delivery stage, you would have gathered most of the necessary materials – the building blocks for the work. You would have also become so familiar with the story that you could tell it easily and convincingly. It becomes as easy as telling your own personal story!

The last thing you may do before the delivery stage is to make the complete outline of the story, i.e. the synopsis. This entails the structure of the story from the beginning to the end, including the twists and the denouement.

The delivery stage is the final phase. At this point you would develop your work fully, based on the synopsis. However, there is no rule binding you strictly to the synopsis; it only serves as a guide. Just follow your creative instinct and do away with any part of the synopsis you find unnecessary or unsuitable. Even at this final stage you need to take your time. Don’t write too much at a sitting. Stop writing as soon as you run out of ideas, then resume again as soon as your brain has rested. Remember, your first writing at this stage is a mere draft. You have to rewrite and rewrite, taking care of elements like narrative logic and grammar, till you get a clean copy. That is the secret behind the success of writers like Mario Puzo, who said he rewrote The Godfather several times before it went to press. The same thing goes for the famous poets of old.

These three stages are a general knowledge to every writer. But not many writers believe it is necessary to be so meticulous as to go through them systematically. Their reason is that writing is a natural process that requires no rules. Yes, writing might not require rules in the strict sense of the word, but it does require some procedure or steps. Even plants, whose existence depends solely on the dictates of nature, need to be