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Hope
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Morning birth-bathed in sunshine bright and beautiful
Yet yesterday mourned shadow gloomed forboding preggnancy
The tell-tale faithfulness of tomorrow will bring tomorrow
By DUL JOHNSON 1. I want to start from the very beginning – the opening; What does a reader want in an opening? First is to have the writer introduce the main character(s) and intimate something about the situation she/they are in-i.e the conflict that will provide dramatic twine for the story; (2) to get us interested and involved; and (3) to do it all in a timely fashion, i.e. it stops being an opening as soon as possible and gets on with the story.... ‘WHY WOMEN WON’T MAKE IT TO HEAVEN’ succeeded in doing just that...it introduces us to the characters, showed us where they were, and showed that they’ve gotten concerns or problems. And it does all these in the first page; starting with a long paragraph and quick five short paragraphs. After this, the story is up and running as the conflicts between a husband and his wife, then similar issues between other husbands and their wives escalates with disastrous consequences. The second story is more leisurely, comparably. Reading throug...
The evening air at Evakings Bar carries the faint scent of diesel and suya, but the conversation at the corner table is focused on the heavy silence of the streets. Jide is recounting a story from his commute—a scene where a conductor was harassing a young passenger while everyone else looked out the window. "I wanted to say something," Jide admits, staring into his drink. "But I thought, 'Why look for trouble?' We tell our kids to stay out of 'grown folks' business' so they stay safe. But aren't we just raising a generation that watches the world burn from a safe distance?" Jennifer looks up, her expression sharp. "Safe for now, Jide. But when we raise 'Bystanders,' we are building a society where no one is protected. We’ve confused 'minding your business' with 'ignoring injustice.' If we don't teach them to be 'Upstanders' now, who will speak for them when they are the ones in the conductor'...
The night at Evakings Bar has reached that soulful hour where the playlist shifts from Afrobeats to Highlife, and the conversation moves from politics to the kitchen table. Ola is nursing a drink, looking at a flurry of WhatsApp messages from his mother. "She’s at it again," Ola sighs, showing the screen to Jide. "I told her no sugar for the baby until he's two. I walk into the living room, and she’s dipping a biscuit in tea and feeding him like it’s a sacred rite. When I corrected her, she said, 'I raised you on tea and bread, and you’re a CEO today. Is your Google wisdom better than my gray hair?' How do I win this without breaking her heart—or my son's health?" Elder Ephraim chuckles from his corner. "Ola, you’re trying to win a war where the prize is a child who needs both of you. You have the 'New Knowledge,' but she has the 'Old Love.' If you fight for authority, you might win the battle but lose the village." ...
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