Writing is many things. Theory and praxis, argument and persuasion, conviction and doubt, truth and power, spirituality and entertainment, seeking and (sometimes) finding. It is talent, god-given, a spark of storytelling that manifests itself through writing instead of dancing, playing music, or image-making. It is a skill, capable of being taught, learned, improved upon, and assessed. It is a craft: the particular way in which each storyteller chooses to weave their narrative, imbuing their work with biography or imagination, shaping it using specific imagery, rhythms, and styles.
In “The Hope, The Prayer, And The Anthem (or, The Fall So Far)”, the first short story that appears in Only Stars Know The Meaning Of Space, the protagonist—at the end of a narration of the zeniths and nadirs of his writing aspirations—posits that “writing is confession.”
I agree.
I think.
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Perhaps writing, like the Catholic sacrament of confession, is a laying down of truths as they have been witnessed, an honest recounting of (one’s) commissions and omissions in the narrative at hand, as thorough an accounting of a tale as possible, told in the best way that the writer knows how, to an unknown reader on the other side of the page—the confessional window, if you will—who may or may not have the power of absolution.
The premise is this: if you bring your sins—completely, contritely—to the confessor they shall exonerate you from them; that if you write your story with talent, skill, and craft, the reader shall reward you (with something).
At times, maybe that is why writing can feel liberating for the writer regardless of the subject matter. A leaden weight is cast off, a lightness is carried in its place. Even the mere asking of a question can feel like a considerable inroad to the gleaning of an answer.
I think good writing is honest and sincere. In the quest to tell a story a writer, traversing through the unknown (using whatever they know to help them along the way), and being painfully aware of their own ignorance and the limitations of their understanding, the gift and privilege of their talent, the shortcomings of their skill, and the imperfect nature of their craft, is necessarily humbled in the process of writing. Mayhaps it is at this moment that vulnerability which, to me, seems inevitable in all forms of writing becomes less performative and self-serving—the space for pretence runs out.
These days I judge a good piece of writing—mine or someone else’s—based on whether or not I feel a writer has sufficiently divested themselves of their original sin: thinking their writing is worthy of taking up time.
When writing is well-executed, the act of writing is a penance of some kind.
But even then forgiveness is not always promised.
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POSTSCRIPT: Maputo is bae. This is not conjecture, but certitude. Maputo is a wellspring of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation in a year that has, at times, been overwhelming. Despite its grand struggles it is its small joys and ways of life that give it a charming personality. The sometimes strange choice of architectural styles; the midnight piri-piri chicken (Jesu Christo!); the cornucopia of seafood (my god, the seafood!); the thronged streets and the busy night life; the involute history and its modern-day effects; the wonderful and amusing people—THE PEOPLE!—nah, Maputo is bae! At the recently hosted 2024 Doek Literary Festival, long after I have left Maputo’s streets and shores, the Nigerian author Chiké Frankie Edozien will describe the gathering as “the rising tide that lifts all boats”. That imagery will, in retrospect, describe this incredible city by the sea, the memory of which has buoyed me since I visited it.
The Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats. Maputo, Mozambique, 2024. © Rémy Ngamije.
READ: “Storm Chasing” by Aba Amissah Asibon (Doek!) • Images Of Love And Growth by Queila Fernandes (People’s Stories Project) • Things I Didn’t Do With This Body by Amanda Gunn • “Small Castles” by A. K. Herman (Shenandoah) • Far District, House Of Lords And Commons, and School Of Instructions by Ishion Hutchinson • “Tomorrow’s Forests” and “The Storyteller” by Mubanga Kalimamukwento (Kweli and Waxwing Literary Journal respectively) • The Softness Between Teeth And Other Poems by Veripuami Nandee Kangumine (Lolwe) • Luster by Raven Leilani • The Creation Of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu • The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell • Priory Of The Orange Tree and A Day Of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon • “The Return Of Ta-Nehisi Coates” by Ryu Spaeth (New York Magazine) • It Never Rains On National Day by Jeremy Tiang | WATCH: 3 Body Problem, season 1 (2024) • A Day As A Dishwasher At A Top NYC Restaurant (2024) • A Day In The Life Of A Korean Café Owner (2024) • The Bear, season 3 (2024) • Elon Musk: Everything You Didn’t Know About His Shitty Past (2024) • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) • Godzilla: Minus One (2023) • Long Road To War (2018) • Lupin The Third: A Woman Named Mine Fujiko (2012) • This Man Makes 3000 Bagels By Hand Every Day (2024) • The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) • Mr & Mrs Smith, season 1 (2024) • The Most Legendary 3-Star Michelin Chef In Japan (2024) • World War II: From The Frontlines (2023) • X-Men ’97, season 1 (2024) • You Hide Me (1970) | LISTEN: “Back And Forth” by Aaliyah • “All Star”, “All The Small Things”, “Fix You”, “Iris”, and “Yellow” by Alex Melton • “If You Were Here Tonight” by Alexander O’Neal • “Bad Vibes” (featuring Seyi Vibes) and “Commas” by Ayra Starr • “Coupé Bibamba” by Awilo Longomba featuring Jocelyne Beroard • “Jazz Is For Ordinary People”, “Jocelyn’s Dance”, “La Danse”, and “Wash My Sins Away” by Berlioz • “Mona Lisa On A Mattress” by Bishop Briggs • “Safe And Sound” by Capital Cities • “The Long Way Round” (Live from the MMXVI Tour) by The Chicks • “Kante” by Davido featuring Fave • “Hero” by David Kushner • “Pitch In On A Party” by DJ Quik • “Houdini” by Eminem • “Bombs”, “Insomnia”, “Mass Destruction”, “Miss You Less, See You More”, “Music Matters”, and “We Come 1” by Faithless • “Mais Amor” by Flavia Coelho • “Bittersweet Symphony” by Fort Nowhere and Emma Allaway • “Dreams”, “Out Of Reach” and “Rise” by Gabrielle • “Hands Of Time” by Groove Armada featuring Richie Havens • “Electric Feel” by Henry Green • “Believer” by Imagine Dragons featuring Lil Wayne • “Love Me Again” by John Newman • “Tshwala Bam” by Kabusa Oriental Choir • “I Believe”, “Feel Alive”, and “So Good” by Kamrad • “Anabella” by Khaid • “Love At First Sight” and “Red Blooded Woman” by Kylie Minogue • “Love Is Blind” by Lady Zamar • “Make Up Sex” by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear • “Miles On It” by Marshmallo featuring Kane Brown • “She Keeps Me Warm” by Mary Lambert • “Heavenly Sent” and “La Vida” by Mi Casa • “It’s Raining Vengeance” and “A Bat In The Rafters, Part 2” by Michael Giacchino • “Ode To Fury” by Miracle Of Sound • “Luta E Brinca” by Mestre Barrão • “Why Don’t You Get A Job” by The Offspring • “Icole” and “Bané” by Oliver N’Goma • “Heaven Is A Hallfpipe” by OPM • “Yellow” by Pub Choir • “In The Dark” by Purple Disco and Sophie And The Giants • “Pastime Paradise” by Ray Barreto • “Bittersweet Symphony”, “Learn To Fly”, “Yellow”, and “Song 2” by Rockin’ 1000 • “King Of Sorrow” by Sade • “Melanin” by Sauti Sol featuring Patoranking • “Housecall” (featuring Maxi Priest) and Mr Loverman” by Shabba Ranks • “Cigarette” by Shay Zamora • “King Cowboy” by Slow Joy • “6 Underground” by Sneaker Pimps • “Shape” and “Too Lost In You” by Sugababes • “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae • “Bad Dreams” and “You’re Still The One” by Teddy Swims • “Time Of The Season” by The Zombies | PLAY: God Of War: Ragnarok (2022) | TRY: leaving it all on the page—where, often, it belongs.