Ek'abo
Ebi! (Welcome Family!)
I’ve
been told on more than one occasion, that when you write a book you should try
to make it universal; something that most people can connect to in some way,
shape or form. A number of things can
make that difficult. If you are not a veteran
writer, sometimes finding the right words to express a thought, portray a scene
or even connect with a reader can prove problematic.
This
can also be the case when you write outside the norm. As you are aware, my book Amachi’s Hope is influenced by West
African culture. Throughout my story,
the reader will come across a number of names, terms, and deities that are not
apart of the English language or American culture. For that reason, I have included a glossary
of terms at the end of the book. But
what if the reader is not the type who would be inclined to “flip to the back”
and find out what a word means. Where
does that leave you? Do you go out of your way to make things easier for the
reader? Or do you say, “Forget that! I’ve
put too much work into this to start again.”
Another
issue that has come up is my use of West African names for the characters in my
book. As I mentioned before, this story is affected by West African culture
(Yoruba in particular). Someone told me
that “the names are too much to remember.”
Why would I use everyday names for my characters? My book is based in Africa, during a time past, when gods
ruled and magic still existed. The use
of names like: Michael, Angela or Jordan, do not apply. J How often are
authors approached about changing the names in a story because it has too many
syllables or it doesn’t fit the status quo? Frustrating…
I do
not want to lose a reader/follower because they are confused or impatient when the
definition of a word is not immediately available. But does that mean that I change my story into
something I don’t want? Something I
would not be proud to put my name on?
One
of my favorite authors, Colin Channer, of Waiting
in Vain and other exceptional pieces of literature, is a Jamaican who writes
from a Jamaican perspective. He uses
patois (a Jamaican dialect) in his books.
And he makes references to terms, foods and vernacular that only someone
from the West Indies would appreciate and/or understand. As someone who was raised in a West Indian
household, I found that I could relate to the characters and I understood the
terms used throughout the book. But I
also realized that regardless of the language used in the book, readers were
still able to connect with the characters in the story and their experiences. Universal…
I get it.
Readers,
like me, can be fickle. There are times
when we want light reading. Something
funny, sexy, or outrageous. Then there
are times when we want to read a book with punch; a book that sends a message
or shares a moving experience. There are
books for adults, books for teenagers and books for young children. There are hard covers, paperbacks and
e-books. There is so much to choose from
that it is more important than ever to reach your audience and hold them.
So I
am faced with a new challenge. How do
you connect with your readers while holding on to your story’s objective? How much are you willing to lose to get the
attention of the right reader, agent or publisher? These are definitely points to ponder.
Mari
e laipe!
See
you soon!
S-
*****
Thanks for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope.’ If you were
inspired or felt a connection with today’s blog (or any of my previous
entries) please leave a comment. J
