Ruyi's World of Books & Stories

 Oladele Dada. It was dawn. The chilly dust-laden wind formed dense fog on the road. The rocky hills and the tall trees made Ajewole a beautiful town. The birds sang aloud, and clanging of stainless dishes in the neighbourhood suggested human activity was at its peak. Humans had begun to move to their various destinations. Adunni had trouble with child bearing and her husband was worried. Then she booked an appointment with her doctor. After several tests, the doctor suggested the couple be patient and that she will surely get pregnant. Not long after, Adunni was pregnant. After several months, Adunni was delivered of a boy. The women in her neighbourhood, alongside the children, sang and danced to her home to celebrate with her. Her husband, Fredrick Olagbade, thanked the Lord and named the boy Juwon.     As Juwon grew, his mother had another child whose name was Olakitan. Juwon was intelligent and his parents were struggling to make ends meet. As poverty st...

In the past, I have often blamed President Muhammadu Buhari’s speechwriters and handlers for not looking closely at some of his speeches and comments before they get to the public because these sometimes create unnecessary tension or exacerbate it and in many cases make him appear petty and unstatesmanlike, even when he possibly means well. But his national speech delivered on the morning of Monday, August 21, 2017, is such a short speech that I cannot lay the blame of its poor content and delivery on anyone else, but the President. It is a speech that truly captures his mentality and idea of the nation and the opposition and what we are getting from it isn’t encouraging. This very speech could have been delivered better without changing the purport or purpose. All he wanted to say or what he should have said is basically this: Nigerians are one and every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his or her legitimate business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance. While...

There was a poor weather that wrecked havoc on the sea and upon the gray waters of Guzah. But just as the wandering clouds rested on the bosom of sudden death, a ship which had struggled all day on the sea, bubbling with Makundah pirates, anchored at the shores. Happy that they had survived the madness of the raging storm, they chanted victory songs and shot several bullets into the quiet hands of the night. A ladder was let down. One after another, the men clambered down and waded waist-deep through the water to land. Apart from weapons and ammunitions that they held, they had victuals and treasures. The night was cold and the multitude of glowing insects paraded the forest. An ambitious rider who is not conversant with the forest might take them for a wild cat waiting to walk a body to hell. After they had gathered, they set off in a file into the forest behind their leader, Mukande, a wicked dwarf, whom they feared as a god. Carefully they were looking to every direction to ma...

There are simple techniques you can use to improve your business book that has nothing to do with magic or intrigue. Use these tricks to motivate, engross, and inspire your readers. You know that magical feeling you get when you’re reading a book you can’t put down? The words draw you in and you’re lost in the pages. As you settle down to write your own book, you want your readers to have that same sensation, right? Excited, absorbed, and so engaged they’ll recommend your book to everyone they meet. But here’s the problem – you’re a business person, not an author. You can churn out blog posts when you need to, but crafting a whole book so it flows like a dream and persuades your readers to take action is something you’re struggling with. It’s not surprising. The only long-form writing most of us have done was our assigned essays at school so many years ago – and one big difference between those essays and your book is that your teacher  had  to read them. No one ha...

Not the best of times. It was dark and cruel. He could feel the evil wrapped in the warm hands of the evening. Away from the filth of the city, drowned in the corner of the abyss he called home, Fred was disgruntled. Some nights are heaven. As a lover that keeps you warm, you want the enjoyment forever. On the other hand, some nights are hell crushing a prey on her corridors. Sinking blows until the prey succumbs to her brutality. It is a miracle to be in hell and still survive her tongue. It was a long night. Only if Fred could sleep or put himself out of his misery, will he shine again. There is no hope for the poor soul who cannot conquer his demons. Then he rolled out of bed and his legs carried him to his rickety chair and table. He sank into the chair, leaned forward on the table and lowered his head. The uncertainty was biting hard and it had swept across the country. Those who once boast of three square meals are now battling to survive. The numbers were not favorable and t...

Gospel musicians can innovate, form a band, play at weddings and events, source for help, sponsorship, get a job, and go to a church that can afford them if they want to be a full time church musician. God has had people in the music ministry before the invention of tape recorders, cds, and modern music platforms. Sell your song on cds, iTunes, Cdbay, mtn Plus, etc. Stop lazying about in the name of ministry. Find out ways to make money. Do n't rely on church offerings. The same goes for pastors. Jesus didn't need full time musicians to open the eyes of the blind and do other miracles. We don't need musicians on full time if we cannot appreciate them with a basic salary. Let them work and come to sing at their free time. If you have a committed musician, help the person, pray for the person for favor and raise funds to help them do albums and some promo. IF YOU THINK GOSPEL MUSIC IS HARD, PLEASE TRY SECULAR.  I have some famous musicians as my fri...

Lots of us write short stories. But when we think of making money from our writing, we tend to get hung up on the idea of publishing a novel—or, better yet, a series of novels. Short stories are ways to explore new ideas and techniques or are giveaways for our email newsletter readers, but they don’t pay the bills. Not so fast. For a long time, short stories were actually a fiction writer’s best way to break into paying work, and they can still form a strong part of your author career. Selling short fiction into paying markets nets you exposure, new readers, and, oh yeah, some cash! Sure, most literary magazines and fiction markets don’t pay a ton, but it never hurts to add another tool to your kit, giving you another distribution channel and a way to bolster your professional career. There are new literary magazines opening all the time, especially online, and so it’s impossible to come up with a definitive list of all the paying markets currently accepting submissi...