Alexis

Author: arham

  • Why We Need Stories More Than Ever

    Why We Need Stories More Than Ever

    In a world overflowing with noise and uncertainty, stories remain one of our most powerful sources of meaning. They remind us that we are connected — that our joys, fears, losses, and hopes echo across borders and generations.

    Stories slow us down. They open windows into lives we’ve never lived, teaching empathy without preaching. They challenge us, comfort us, and remind us that transformation is always possible.

    As Moungo River, I see storytelling as both art and responsibility. Every narrative carries pieces of culture, memory, and truth. When we write, we offer others something to hold onto — a path, a mirror, a question, sometimes even a healing.

    The world changes, but our need for stories does not. And so we continue to write, one word at a time, like water moving toward the horizon.

  • Where Stories Begin: My Writing Process From Spark to Page

    Where Stories Begin: My Writing Process From Spark to Page

    People often ask where my stories come from. The truth? They rarely arrive fully formed. Instead, they begin as something small — a line of dialogue, a scene glimpsed from a bus window, a childhood memory resurfacing at the right moment.

    My writing process follows three stages:

    1. The Spark
      A moment of inspiration — sometimes loud, often quiet. A question, an image, a feeling. I capture it immediately.
    2. The Deep Dive
      I explore the emotional truth behind the idea. I research, imagine, and wander through possibilities until a story begins to form.
    3. The Sculpting
      Drafts become clearer through revision. Language sharpens, structure settles, and the story finds its final voice.

    Writing is discovery and discipline, intuition and craft. Each piece reveals something new about who I am and what I’m learning to understand.

  • The Power of a Name: How “Moungo River” Became My Creative Identity

    The Power of a Name: How “Moungo River” Became My Creative Identity

    Every writer carries a world inside them — memories, places, echoes of the past, and dreams of the future. When I chose my pen name, Moungo River, I wasn’t just selecting a signature. I was claiming a space where my identity and my art could meet.

    Names hold power. They are anchors, mirrors, and invitations all at once. For me, “Moungo River” symbolizes continuity, depth, and flow — qualities I want my writing to embody. A river never stops moving. It adapts, it carries, it transforms everything it touches. As a writer, I strive to do the same with stories.

    Choosing a pen name also allowed me to step into a creative persona — not to hide who I am, but to express it more fully. Under Moungo River, I feel free to explore themes of memory, identity, culture, and human struggle with more courage and clarity.

    In many ways, my pen name reminds me daily of why I write: to carry ideas from one mind to another, just as a river carries water from one shore to the next.