WINZ Newsletter, Issue No 3

WIN-ZIMBABWE ON THE MOVE

Writers International Network Zimbabwe (Win-Zimbabwe) made a valiant step when it set up a voluntary Harare/Chitungwiza Cluster Committee to properly structure the growing association on Saturday 2 October 2010.

The meeting, attended by students from Vimbai High (Norton), Glen View 2 High, and some members from different parts of Harare, took place in the afternoon at the Theatre in the Park, Harare Gardens.

Gracing the occasion were Win-Zimbabwe Board Chairperson Josephine Muganiwa, Ms M Mumanyi who accompanied students from Glen View 2 High, and Noah Mangwarara, a renowned motivational speaker, author and owner of Veriest Solutions International. Mangwarara made a life changing speech at the meeting.

The students and poets Tinashe Muchuri and Samuel Mahuntse, spiced up the meeting with gripping, enlightening and entertaining performances.

Large part of the committee is composed of students, reflecting Win-Zimbabwe’s character to make the youths have ownership of the association and all its programmes.

In her speech, Win-Zimbabwe Board Chairperson Josephine Muganiwa thanked Heads of the two schools and urged the students not only to read for examinations but for enjoyment and general purposes as well.

“In order to grow in your writing, read other writers’ works also,” she said.

Muganiwa is one of the editors of the 2010 Cover to Cover magazine published by the Standard to promote young authors in Zimbabwe. An author as well as lecturer, she encouraged the budding writers to be strong and work towards achieving their goals.

Mangwarara, author of twenty five motivational booklets, inspired the young writers with his ‘abnormality mentality’ speech.

“The difference makers of this world were all abnormal thinkers. We need the ‘abnormality mentality’ if we are to change the world around us,” he said to an attentive audience.

Giving examples of great women and men such as William Shakespeare, Nelson Mandela, and many others who are known for their outstanding different achievements, Mangwarara said life was full of challenges but one only needed not be too normal to be bogged down by failure.

“If you ever want to be a great writer, you must be prepared to spend sleepless nights reading, inventing, finding the right words. In other words, be ‘abnormal’,” he said.

On another note, Mangwarara said his publishing company is in the process of scouting for talent with the view of publishing an anthology. He also announced that Veriest Solutions International has come up with a new branch called Veriest Multimedia which is designed to record literary works such as poetry on audio and video CD’s.

THE WRITE HUMOR

Policeman: Where was the novelist when you ran over him?

Motorist: The write side.

TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS

Expand your writing ability

If you only write fiction, and only try to publish fiction, it may be long time before you see your name in print. Editors like to see clips, even if they are only peripherally related to what you will do for them…they are able to see that someone has taken a chance on you before, and that you have delivered.

Take yourself seriously

This doesn’t mean be arrogant about your skill. Rather, work as if your goal will be achieved, and do everything within your power to achieve it, setting regular work hours, loving to learn as you go.

Don’t depend on friends or family to edit your work

Someone who does nothing more than pat you on the back and give you an ego boost is not of any help to you. It may be a good idea to form a loose reciprocal arrangement with another writer whom you trust, working on each other’s writing, honestly

Aspire to write book reviews

This is a great way to get clips. Get the name of the person who is responsible for book reviews on a particular publication. Find out if it uses freelance work. Ask questions about format, length, style and so on and try to understand the editor’s preferences.

Your way is not always the right way

Editors have a particular task in the writing process and need to know that you will co-operate with them. This doesn’t mean that you should not be vested in your work, but you should realize that others can sometimes see your work more clearly than yourself and that you need to listen to them.