MAYA ANGELOU – A life that inspires

1928-2014

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

I encountered this true statement by the late Maya Angelou, before I became familiar with her writings. One of the most distinguished women of our time, Dr. Angelou was a renowned novelist, poet, dramatist, filmmaker and actress. She was also an influential civil rights activist and educator.

In her lifetime, she won three Grammy Awards, the presidential medal of arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal Award in 2008. Wow! Isn’t that the dream of many creative personalities?

In 1993, President Bill Clinton requested the literary icon to compose a poem to read at his inauguration. She wrote “On The Pulse Of The Morning,” which she read live at the event while millions around the world watched.

Her memoir, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” first published in 1969, became a huge success. Time magazine has named it one of the ‘100 best non-fiction books of all time.’ With 30 bestselling titles and many honors and awards, she is definitely a woman to study.

Since her passing in May 2014, I have been intrigued by her inspiring life. I have read so much about her and discovered what made her such a successful person and influential writer.

Here are some lessons I garnered from her story.

She read and studied voraciously, mastering French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Fanti, a West African language. Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. 

LESSON

Take it or leave it; you cannot be a great writer if you are not an ardent reader. Read works of great authors.

 

She said in an interview with Noah Charney on the Daily Beast:

“I keep a hotel room in my hometown and pay for it by the month.
I go around 6:30 in the morning. I have a bedroom, with a bed, a table, and a bath. I have Roget’s Thesaurus, a dictionary and the Bible. But I’ve never slept there… I’m usually out of there by 2. And then I go home and I read what I’ve written that morning, and I try to edit then.”

 LESSON

She took advantage of her mornings, which to me is the most productive time of the day. Serious writers set out a time to write, in a quiet place, away from distractions. Writing is serious business. It is not an activity you slot into your schedule when it’s convenient. If you want to be as successful as the likes of Dr. Angelo, you have to work it as a job and not a hobby.

 

She was also a diligent and committed writer.

She says: “Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it’s right, it’s easy. It’s the other way round, too. If it’s slovenly written, then it’s hard to read. It doesn’t give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.”

Her works are mostly a reflection of her childhood and other life experiences. Perhaps that’s what makes them so heart touching, so life-changing.

LESSON

When writers write from their hearts, from strong and sincere emotions, readers respond from their hearts too.

I can’t conclude this article without this final question Noah Charney asked Dr Angelo, especially now that she has passed.

What would you like carved onto your tombstone?

[Laughs] “I did my best, I hope you do the same.”

LESSON

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Let’s do our best to leave a lasting legacy, a worthy foot print on the sand of time.

Enjoy God’s Exceeding Grace

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