This is a story that I’ve not really spoken about since it happened. It’s just one of those things that only tend to serve as experience and I prefer not to think much about it because when I think about the potential the project had, it just makes me really sad that everything involved went down the drain like that.
But then, I have to say that this was one of my most important moments in life because that particular experience taught me a lot about commitment. If things had been handled a bit differently or if a little bit of foresight had been employed, the story might have ended on a different note.
And what’s this I’m talking about? It’s about my idea to build a writing community. Last year, I had this plan to grow a community of writers. They would be mostly fiction writers though, because that is the one thing I’m pretty good at. I would have them and give them regular tutorials on writing, there would also be contests where they can earn good money with the writing.
Everything started off on a good note. I had a veteran in the game who taught me how to scout for interested candidates. I started small, with a WhatsApp group where all our classes were held, but I had hoped to expand it on Facebook where I would have a much larger reach. But it was only a matter of time, I was willing to do everything I needed to do to make it happen.
But sadly, that was not to be. The thing is, started all this before school resumed, so it wasn’t that difficult for me. It was easy for me to combine it with all the jobs I was doing without having it affect anything. And to that effect, I managed to get at least 200 serious people in the group.
However, the moment I started attending lectures, things changed. I barely had time anymore. I spent most of the day at school and when I returned home, I was either doing assignments or working. There was so much on the line at the time, and at that point, I was forced to make a scale of preference. Something had to go. It definitely couldn’t be the school, because that’s what brought me back to Owerri in the first place. And it sure as hell couldn’t be my job because that’s what pays all the bills. The only thing that had to go was the community.
This was a painful thing for me, but at the time, I didn’t have a choice. I was spending days and weeks away from them. Many times due to the heavy workload I had, I didn’t even come on WhatsApp to talk more about entering the group. And as days passed, the commitment dropped more and more.
After a few months, I decided that things couldn’t just go like that and I tried to revive the community. I appointed a few members to handle specific areas and lead the community in my stead. This only worked for a few weeks before they too started slacking. Then, I forgot about it all as exams came on and by the first semester holidays, I decided to just let it go. It didn’t make sense to revive it during the holidays knowing fully well it would take the backseat again once school resumed.
The funny thing is, the veteran who helped me set it up thought I wasted such a beautiful opportunity and I don’t blame him for that. He thought I was just being lazy and by now I could have expanded to Facebook or even Telegram with thousands of members. But I didn’t bother to explain in detail, I just told him I was working and schooling, and that didn’t allow me much breathing space.
And it wasn’t just one job. Apart from blogging, I was working for clients at the time, sometimes two at a time. I was also working on my first book which I later published at the end of last year. So, there was always something that I was doing, and all this unknowingly pushed the community to the back burner. I just couldn’t remain committed to the project.
And now, almost all the members have left the group, I don’t even say anything in there because I’m not that active on WhatsApp anymore. It didn’t work out as I planned, although thanks to the project I got to meet some really great writers as well, so it was not all a loss. Also, I’ll build a community like that later on. Maybe when I’m finally done with this school of a thing and I’ve got more time on my hands, I’ll give it another go.
Like everything else in my life, I’m in no rush. I’m only going to carry what I can handle and that’s what I’m doing. I know that there’s a lot of good I can do in the lives of writers and readers out there, but for now, I’ll be taking things one step at a time. I’ve got so much on my plate right now, and as a final-year student, even more is about to be heaped on it.
But no pressure, things will definitely pan out in the end. That is something I’m sure of.
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