There are always stories in my head, but this week seems as good as any to keep track of what I am writing, here, on this electronic thing.
Okokuqala, kunencwadi yobunsumansumane engiphethaphethayo kwamanje. Le ncwadi ibizwa ‘Impi yeHlathi’, ikhuluma ngoSikhulumi kaHlokohloko ezabalazela isizwe seHlathi elwa noyise, uHlokohloko. Izoshicilelwa nguClockwork Books ngoNdasa nyakenye, kanye nezinye ezimbili, ophawini olusha lukaZazi. Ngaqala ukuyibhala le ncwadi ngo-2017, emva kokuyizekela abantwana bami iminyaka-ke. Kumnandi kakhulu ukubona amaphupho afezeke. Le ncwadi isifinyelele emagameni ayizi-4516, kodwa kusazokwengezelwa okunye.
Secondly, there’s a story bubbling underneath, that I started to write down fully last year when my family and I were writing every evening for half an hour. I’ve called it Huntress. So far, it’s sitting at 6470 words, and the lead character is a ±4000-year-old lesbian Lamia called Anna who encounters a coven protecting Johannesburg: the Order of St Joan.
Okwesithathu, okuqhubekayo nokuThintana nobumbano nokunye: kodwa lokhu kulufifi kwamanje ngenxa yomsebenzi nempilo. Kodwa kunamacebo, kunamathemba, kunesifiso sokuqhubeka nezinto eziningi. Ngokwami, okubaluleka kakhulu ukuthi ngenza amaqophelo, ngiwasakaze ezinkundleni zokuxhumana ezinjengalezi. Okunye, ngihlala ngimangele ngokubona abantu abasha beqamba ngobuciko obuphezulu.
And finally, there is the story that sits somewhere in the back of my brain, waiting for me to come back to it. There’s a cast of characters: Malachi, Marya and Jackson, the Alchemistress and the Observer and many more, all fleshed out in my head. It moves from Pietermaritzburg to Clarens and Johannesburg before ending up in Dlinza forest eShowe. It’s got otokoloshe, demon possession and magic. It’s sitting at 6640 words, and will probably be about 50 000 words at its fullest extent. Maybe more than one book. Maybe a big fat one. It’s called the Book of Malachi, after all.
Four irons in the fire! I think there’s room for more eziko.
Which of these stories do you want to see a sneak peek from?
A: Impi yeHlathi. B: Huntress. C: Thintana after-works. D: Book of Malachi.
uMabhengwane 
2 replies on “… am writing [28-11-22]”
Mabhengwane
1
I think you will need more than one life-time to get through what u are taking onâ¦.revising the DV dictionary (thatâs a few lifetimes at least), Homer, blogs, fictionâ¦!
I think it is a wonderful feather in your cap to be asked to revise DV. What a task and what a compliment.
2
Is it possible to have Thintana published on-line with parallel Zulu and English texts? There is an app which gives the bible on-line in side-by-side English and Zulu columns, so that one reads a verse alongside its translation.
The comparison is immediate and visual.
I find this to be the best way of teaching myself to read in isiZulu.
Indeed, for a self-teaching student this is my most helpful aid for learning and exploring vocabulary and grammar (used with an on-line or book dictionary and grammar).
3
I wish I had a fraction of your learning and proficiency in isiZulu but as I donât I welcome what u share in your White Zulu posts.
Keep on truckinâ.
In admiration and gratitude,
Mike Wilkinson
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Right. Here’s my reply: I have wanted to do Rosetta texts for a while, and my writing was like that for a while. I believe it really is the best way for reading to happen naturally with proficient adults.
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