Writing Lessons from Africa--Every Writer is Different

 

Antelope roam everywhere in southern Africa. They even share hotel grounds with people (as do zebras). Here is a guide to identifying just a few of the many species of antelope.

The picture at the head of this post shows a waterbuck, and the one below is a kudu. If you are looking at males, the easiest way to tell them apart is by their horns, and the difference there is obvious.¹ But all of them—male and female—can be identified by their markings.

Waterbucks and kudus are similar in size, but kudus have noticeable white lines running from their sides over their backs, while waterbucks have a distinctive white circle around their rear.

Then there are the impala and the springbok. Smaller and sleeker than many antelope, they are both darker on top with a lighter belly. But impala make the color change in progression from dark to light (top to bottom), while springboks have a darker mark in between. That’s how you can tell the third photo shows impalas and the fourth is a springbok. There are also significant differences in the markings on the face, but at a distance they are easier to distinguish by looking at their sides.

Then there are the blue wildebeest, which have an entirely different look. They are often described as looking like cattle in the front and horses in the back. That’s the next photo.

In Africa, you can’t just say, “I see an antelope,” because someone is sure to ask what kind. There are all different kinds of writers, too. Some (called plotters) plan every scene out in advance, while others (called pantsers) discover the story as they write it. Some are sticklers for grammar rules, and others feel free to break them if they think the story calls for it. Some use big words and long sentences, while others keep both short. There is no right or wrong way as long as it works for the writer.

Actually, that’s still too much of a generalization. Even among types of writers, every one is different. I’m sure that’s true of antelope, too, but here I’ll make the comparison to zebras, instead. We were told that a zebra’s stripes are like our fingerprints, and no two patterns are alike. Writers are like that, too. And that’s good.

So whatever type of writer you are, embrace it.

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¹ The main difference between deer and antelope is that deer lose and regrow their antlers every year while an antelope’s antlers are permanent.