I am honoured to be part of this movement of African Christian authors. I am also grateful for this opportunity to share a little bit of my writing journey and some of the lessons I have learnt.
My name is Lonwabo Patrick Kulati and I am the author of a book called, ‘A Gap in the Cloud‘.
I have always loved writing, but I never thought I could write a book. I developed confidence in my writing skills at the University when some of my articles were published in a university publication.
In terms of writing my book, A Gap in the Cloud, I had been writing down my experiences in journals over the years. These formed the foundations of the book as I constantly referred to these journals in the process of writing. What I learnt here is the importance of not losing the journals or where you write your notes.
During the writing of the book, I had stops and starts until I shared the title to a fellow author, Putco Mafani. He was so excited about the title that he phoned his publisher for me. He also shared some thoughts on what I could include. After my chat with him, I was really motivated. Share your dreams with people that can motivate you, not people who will tell you all the wrong things with your ideas.
But then I lost my motivation again shortly thereafter. After my birthday on 18 July 2022, I seriously started writing again. I wrote everyday in the morning and whenever I found opportunity throughout the day.
The impetus of my writing gained traction when I hired an editor. She helped me a lot with the discipline of writing in the process of addressing her questions and attending to her comments. I advise people who struggle with motivation in the process of writing their book, to hire an editor.
Writing requires both internal and external motivation. You need to plan specific writing times and stick to them. And you also need people who will not only support and encourage you, but also hold you accountable.
I am now in the process of producing my second book. With God’s help, I hope it comes out over the next few months.
