I have decided to start a challenge to post on my blog for twenty-eight days continuously, starting today. This challenge should take me to the end of April 2022 and will stretch me beyond my longest blogging streak, which I think is four or five days. My goal is to improve my writing and increase my fluidity in expressing my thoughts. There will be no particular topic or theme for this series. I am open to ideas or suggestions from my readers on what to write about and will write on them if I have sufficient knowledge or experience to string a few thoughts together.

I want to start today by reflecting on how I got into writing and blogging. I studied engineering for my undergraduate program, but have always had a flair for some other form of expression outside the sciences. However, aside from writing an article or two for my campus Christian fellowship magazine and writing a few devotionals for the daily devotional we used to publish (Truth for Times), I did not do much else to hone my writing skills, neither did I really take writing as a serious endeavor. It was always a tool to achieve other things I considered more important.

I began to give writing and publishing my thoughts more attention after completing my undergraduate program. During my NYSC program in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, I was selected to serve as Editor for NCCF Ebonyi and then successfully ran for election as NYSC Ebonyi Corps Editor. I oversaw the publication of two magazines for NYSC (Ebokopa) and NCCF (Flint Magazine) respectively. Those experiences emboldened me to pay more attention to a new skill I was unsheathing, one which is turning out to be critical in fulfilling my life’s purpose. I eventually started my WordPress blog in 2012 after completing my NYSC program.

Having a friend like Gbenga Awomodu (a very fine writer and editor) also influenced my decision to start a blog. Gbenga had run a blog on WordPress for the longest time. He even had his own domain name long before I paid attention to what those were. Because he’s been a close friend and brother through the years, I can’t even tell how much of what I am doing today was learned from him. I just know he’s been the greatest influence in my journey of learning to share my thoughts with others via writing.

Writing for me has encompassed a lot of study and practice. Although I have mostly written non-fiction, I have also tried my hands on fiction and spent lots of time writing poetry. I can confidently say that writing for me has been a journey of discovery and influence, one of learning from others and sharing with others. I want to keep it that way for a long time to come. I’ll pause here today and pick up my thoughts tomorrow…Cheers!

NYSC – National Youth Service Corps – a mandatory one year program to be completed after undergraduate studies in Nigeria. It is a requirement for employment in most organizations

NCCF – Nigerian Christian Corpers’ Fellowship – the association of Christians currently serving in NYSC