There is no denying the fact that there is hardly any pastime that exists today that has not got its own share of challenges. It is in the light of this truism that many opinion writers accept most of the frustrations they face with seeming equanimity. Any committed and passionate opinion writer sees himself or herself literally crying by each passing day. He does not cry like the child that was scolded with a whip or a spank. Any opinion writer that knows his or her onions does not cry in a shrill manner like the baby that was deprived of breast milk or denied attention.
Given the foregoing analysis, the germane question for any reader to ask at this juncture is: why would an opinion writer resort to crying when he or she is not a baby? The truth is that opinion writers cry in a literal sense but not in the true sense of the word. They cry in the course of engaging in their pastime, which is writing. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as they are faced with a plethora of obstacles from the point of inspiration to the point of expecting their articles to be published.
At the stage of inspiration, many writers find it difficult to write a meaningful piece. At this stage even coining an appropriate heading and writing a lead paragraph is a problem. For those in the writing profession, this kind of situation is usually caused by a phenomenon called Writer’s Block. It is simply a situation where a writer finds it extremely difficult to write a new piece or improve upon an already written piece. It is a terrible situation for any writer but in my own view it can be easily overcome as it is known in all religions that it is only God that gives inspiration to anyone to be creative. The book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 1 to 5 attests to this when it says, “Then the LORD said to Moses. See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri,the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given skill to all craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.” As a writer, this is one of the favourite verses I usually resort to in the Bible whenever I am stuck with writer’s block. What any writer needs to do whenever he or she experiences writer’s block is to remind God of this biblical injunction and ask Him in prayer for the in-filling of His spirit for the skill, ability and knowledge to write. For non Christians, it may look so simple and unbelievable but it works. This particular scripture is not peculiar to the art of writing but also to all creative activities like singing, dancing and even to secular office tasks. Therefore, rather than resorting to crying, an