When Chinua Achebe was asked which of his books he loved most, he said it was like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. Impossible. Yet he admitted that Things Fall Apart gave him his name in a way he never expected.
That’s the strange truth for countless authors and musicians. The work that brings them fame, awards, and praise is often the one they never saw coming. It’s written in a rush, as filler, or just for the flow of it.
That hits home for me because I’ve tried to program creativity by waiting for the “right” time, the free hours, the perfect mood to write something big. But the pieces that get the most love are usually the ones I dashed off under pressure, almost without thinking. The essays I spent days polishing sometimes fall flat, while the quick ones I barely overthought end up striking a chord.
Life doesn’t follow a schedule. Restricting to write only on a weekly column or waiting for the ideal moment can kill the ease of stumbling on an idea and running with it. Freedom matters more than planning.
Sometimes you just have to write, let readers read, and stop trying to force a masterpiece.
The work you expect the least from, the one you put the least effort into, often becomes the one that wins or creates a masterpiece that readers see as truly significant and valuable.
Cheers 😀
Bagudu Mohammed
bagudumohammed15197@gmail.com
