THANK YOU, STEEMIT

Today, I just feel like thanking steemit for what it has offered to countless people like me, unemployed, frustrated and depressed; people who have searched for a place where their eccentrities, their weirdness, their every expression is welcomed, not always accepted, but encouraged to grow.

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I joined steemit after losing my job at a blog where I wrote story series of about 24 episodes every other six days. That was four episodes every day of those six days. That was an average of 1500 words per episode; do the maths. I wrote 36000 words every other six days and I was paid about 67 Sbd at present rate. I was ecstatic about the job until the publisher shut down the office and moved back to Lagos.

Now you may wonder why I would be excited over that amount of money every month. Well since I graduated from the University several centuries ago, that was my highest paying job ever! Yes it's true.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel sad at the loss. I think within me, I knew something better was coming my way. So when my folks at home muttered in sympathy and tried to console me like I had lost a limb, I just laughed it off and told them I will be fine; another job will come.

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I have over the years worked as an English and literature teacher, a secretary's assistant at a law firm, an account manager (sales rep) for an online advertising firm, a sales boy at an electronic shop and a writer at a blog. It was not until I started working as a writer that I felt dignity in my labour.

Today, when people ask me what I do for a living, I do not say I am in between jobs at the moment, no... I tell them I am a writer. There is value in those words for me and I can see it in the way people look at me when I say it. That is confidence in who I am.

Some nights ago, I was with @hectore who I had recently introduced to steemit. He had some questions and we found a spot to park his car, sat on the bonnet and shop talked. He had come with a lady friend who could not follow our conversation or did not care to. She left us and entered the car.

After several minutes, she came out and we got properly introduced. She asked me what I did for a living and I told her I am a writer. She was like wow! That's cool with one eyebrow raised then she asked me if writers make money and I told her no we don't, then I offered her steemit and she refused it and went into the car. Why am I telling you this?

Writing is not a lucrative job. It is not something you do because you want to be rich. It is something you do because you love it, because it is a part of you that you cannot keep silent. The truth is that most writers have jobs with which they put food on the table and can indulge their fantasies.

For me writing is a way of life. I could be working as a roadside mechanic for all I care but I know that I am a writer. I was a writer before steemit and I will be a writer even when my hands can no longer tap the keys.

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That being said, it took joining steemit, for me to truly see what I could become, with the skill I have. Before joining steemit, my words have had some luck on some literary blogs, I had won an award, appeared on one or two anthologies; all in all, I have been treading the path laid out as the way with which amateur, average writers can take until they win recognition or publish a best seller.

Today I look at writing differently. I see that it is my duty to share my skills with the world the best way that I can and whether I get paid for it or not, the people I touch with my words are enough for me. I understand this because of steemit.

Besides that lesson, steemit has given me confidence in my writing. Before I joined steemit, nonfiction was a no-go area. I didn't even think I could write 500 words of nonfiction but now I am doing it. It might not read so great but I am getting there.

I am surprised at the overwhelming support my works of fiction has received. I have been curated by @curie for fiction which I had been ashamed to share before joining steemit. It is unbelievable!My confidence level is soaring.

Due to the fact that since I joined steemit, I have produced content every day except for two days, my writing, editing and grammar has greatly improved. I know that I have evolved a lot more as a writer, in two months than I had in the whole of year 2017.

Due to all this I have finally gathered the confidence and material to publish my first book. Yes, I intend to publish my book and I can do this because of steemit. On Christmas day last year, I had no thoughts on publishing but look at me now, just take a look.

People take me serious when I talk about writing. My parents take me serious and are glad that writing is giving me so much joy, and fun. My friends do not believe me. They think I am doing something illegal and they are praying for me not to go to hell. My younger brother @damiansessence is damned excited about it all.

Steemit has changed me. I do not mean financially for I do not believe that true joy comes from money. I mean the way I see life, the things I place value on, what I do with my time as well as giving me the opportunity to find myself.

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I cannot thank steemit enough. Joining steemit was the best decision I made in 2017 and I intend to leverage on the blessings to take my writing to another level.

I thank @ned and @dan for creating this platform, @damiansessence and @unlimited921 for introducing me to it and all of you who have supported me in one way or the other. I thank you.

Thank you for stopping by. Do come again. Peace

Photo sources:

First photo was sourced from Steemit

I edited the photo with my phone, infinix hot 5 photo editor as well as Logo Maker from Google Play Store.

Second photo was sourced from pixabay

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics

©@warpedpoetic