By Sarah Alaro
Published July 17, 2011
“Writing is an adventure, a game. To live or play it well, one must learn the rules that govern it.”
These are the very first words in the introduction of the book, How to Write on 1001 Subjects!, a publication that is to a writer what a map is to a traveller. Like the traveller knows where he or she is going and only needs a map for direction, this paperback is a guide for someone who knows what they want to write about and only need to know how to write about it.
Writing that this book teaches any one how to think logically and coherently, Ogova Ondego, the author of How To Write on 1001 Subjects!, provides a guide that walks the reader through writing for various fora: leisure writing, journalistic writing, academic writing. Thus so doing, Ondego equips the user with the common, standard and accepted way of expressing words and phrases. The basic rules of grammar are also highlighted in the book; for example, where to use capital letters and where not to. This makes the book not just a guide but also an invaluable reference material on some of those small mistakes that people make while writing.
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Drawing from various international sources on writing, grammar and criticism, this 44-page publication covers creative writing, journalism and criticism (arts journalism, arts appreciation, fine arts, architecture, literary analysis, music analysis as well as film analysis) in a simple enough language that does not call for the use of the dictionary or thesaurus.
Whether you are a journalist, a student, a poet or even just an arts lover, this book will not let you down. If you are a writer or are working on becoming one, or if you are writing an academic paper or a news story, this book will be a handy companion to help you on the long and often difficult and lonely journey with ideas and letters.
Published by ComMattersKenya in 2011 and retailing for Sh300 per copy, this paperback is affordable and any serious school would do well to add it to its library. Anyone who has an interest in improving their writing skills should get themselves a copy as, to quote Ondego, “Writing is a game to be played only by those who understand the rules that govern it.” Therefore, if you want to play the game of writing, be it fiction or non-fiction, you have to learn the rules and How to Write on 1001 Subjects! is just the book for you.
