Writing

Goal Post

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Hey Kids,

Hit the gym this morning.751-1120-FootballGoalpost

It felt good.

I asked my sweetie how come when it feels so good, do we resist and not go to the gym?

We have no answer.

Cold is now settling in. The ride to work had a number starting in the 30’s; 36 I believe. We might be down to freezing in the morning. Despite the frozen hands and danger of ice, I love riding no matter the temperature; unless there’s snow on the road.

Today parts of the valley had snow on the ground. Luckily it was the west side and not the east, where I live.

Heading back to the gym tomorrow. Late start to work so we’re going to get after it.

Great writing session this morning. It’s amazing how even I don’t know the details of the story until I write it. I remember now why first drafts are so much fun!

I think I rambled on enough for now, my eye lids are slamming shut. So glad I have the goal to write every day or else this blog post never would’ve been.

PSA: Set goals and stick to them.

 

NaNoWriMo: 6,600/50,000

Day 254

If I Were A Rich Man

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Hey Kids,

I whined a little last night about being poor. So it’s only fair to take account of those things in which I am rich:rich man

I have 5 kids. And although our relationship is a little one-sided, I have five human beings I get to love unconditionally. No matter what, my heart feels for them. I think of them. I have 5 people for which to cheer through life. I love those kids and I always will.

I have a super wife. It’s unbelievable to have someone who is always on your side, always there to encourage me, and always there to lean on. If I had nothing else, she would be enough to feel as rich as the Prince of Brunei.

I have two motorcycles. Some people are saying, “So?? I have 5”. OK, that would be pretty awesome; one for each weekday. But I know it wasn’t very long ago I was saying, “Man, a bike would be so cool”.

I have this sense of confidence. Maybe that sounds arrogant, but that goes with confidence. I just know that I can pick up my game at any time, do anything that I have to do. I’m not afraid to bet on myself. Somehow, someway I’ll survive. I’ll make it.

I’m mechanically minded. I can figure stuff out. I was taught at an early stage of my working career to ask when something shows itself as a problem: what would I be afraid of if I was that thing? Believe it or not, that works in a lot of situations.

I’ve found a place in life where I get to do what I love: to write. I love writing and I’m not too bad at it. I’ve written for a national magazine, and now I write for myself. I’m so lucky to live in a time where being an independent writer is not only possible, it’s the favorable way to do it.

Speaking of writing, NaNoWriMo is going well. I’m a little ahead of schedule and going to try to steal whatever time I need to get my words down early in the month. I worry about Thanksgiving weekend. It’s fun to watch this story I’m writing come along. As of right now, there’s a good chance this will turn into a book that I might actually release.

I guess that’s enough “I love me” for now. I think it’s just good to remind myself how good I do have it and things are only as bad or good as you want to see them.

 

 

NaNoWriMo: 5,300/50,000

Day 253

Quit. I do not.

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Hey Kids,

Day two of NaNoWriMo is passing into tomorrow and I’m still on track. I finished Chapter two this evening and might go back to work a little longer after I finish this post.

Today was a challenging day for me. I realized once again how poor I am. I’m not dirt floor poor but it sucks when you realize the money is too short to cover all the bills. Now I have to ask, what bill collector gets the meanest, who charges the most on penalties, and more importantly, who can shut off what service.Goodbye_Quitter

But that’s life in the lower middle class these days.

It’s OK. I know things will get better. It’s why I keep working and earning. One day it’ll pay off.

I believe if you work hard, for you, whatever you do, for the sake of your benefit; it pays off. Maybe not always in being a millionaire but it makes you a better person.

I’m working at my computer and all around me others sleep. I don’t wrong them, but this is how I know I’m going in the right direction. I’m doing something worthwhile and that is why I’m still doing it. And one day I hope to do this fulltime.

Until then, I’ll keep plugging away at the day job, the blog, and my writing projects.

The only one that can quit and fail me now, is me. And I’m not going to let that happen.

 

NaNoWriMo: 3400/50,000

Day 252

50,000 or Bust

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Hey Kids,

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month.

This event is held every November and the rules are simple.tumblr_mvlcokDhGQ1qc0c3bo1_500

Write 50,000 original words between November 1st and 30th.

It’s an average of a little less than 1700 words per day for 30 days.

If you submit 50,000 words before midnight on the 30th, you win. If you don’t, you don’t.

Or as I see it: if I don’t, I lose.

I participated in 2010, 2011, and 2013. All wins. I considered myself too busy last year. Maybe next year, I said. It wasn’t worth the risk of losing.

Again this year, I began to say the same thing. Way too busy. Too many irons in the fire. Two books in the process of editing. No way to get more writing done. I don’t want to not win.

It sounded familiar. I was losing without even trying. I’d rather not win by not writing enough than lose by default.

So I’m in. I started today and have about 1400 words written so far. I’ll get back to it tonight.

I have no intentions of losing. And at the end of this month, I’ll have the base of a new novel.

“If it needs to be done, do it.”

I’ll keep you up to date.

NaNoWriMo: 1455/50000

Day 251

Thoughts on the Way Home

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Hey Kids,

I passed an open field among the uppity houses of Federal Heights of Salt Lake City. On the fence hangs a sign that reads “No Dumping.” Such an odd sign. I pass many fields in my travels and never once have I ever thought, “Hey, maybe I can dump my garbage here.” Or my yard clippings. Or my dirt tailings from the pond I’m building. Whatever. Is this really a problem? It must be because the sign also quoted the city ordinance forbidding the practice; I assume. I’ve always been of the thought that there are too many signs and people don’t need to be commanded on every thing. Maybe I’m wrong.

So we saw the movie The Martian last night. It was late when we got home and went immediately to bed so we really didn’t have a lot of discussion of the movie. Great movie by the way. Rolling down the road I wondered, given the training of an astronaut, would I survive? I’m kind of a stubborn old bird. I wonder if I’m as resourceful as I am stubborn. That would be a question interesting and scary to know. I know I strain the odds of traveling safely every time I throw my leg over the motorcycle seat, but I assume I’ll be fine no matter what happens. Arrogance or Ignorance? I don’t know, but I really don’t care either.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

There a short stretch of road that crosses City Creek canyon. City Creek is the creek that flows out of the mountains and right into downtown Salt Lake. Don’t look for it, it’s under the roads and buildings now. But it was the creek that the pioneers used to grow their first crops when they first arrived. City Creek Road, drops out of the residential area, descends down the east side of the canyon and travels up the canyon a bit. It then does a U-turn, crosses the river and ascends back up the west side of the canyon towards the State Capitol. It’s a cool little change of scenery. It is also the border of city and the mountains. Traffic flows from east to west as the other side of the street is reserved for joggers and pedal bikers. Today, as I had the bike at near idle doing the 25MPH limit, a coyote emerged from the trees right on the side of the road. He paid little attention to me and had his attention more fixed on how to cross the road to get down to the river. He was very healthy and a beautiful animal. It reminded me just how wild, the edges of Salt Lake City really are.

Those are the kind of things I think about on the ride home.

 

Day 226

Plugging Along

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Hey Kids,

I’ve read a quote attributed to Stephen King. It reads:

“Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard either emotionally or imaginatively is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing to do is shovel shit from a sitting position.”

I’ve not been shy to say I’ve been struggling with finding the right path for my current work in progress. I think of quitting but keep plugging at it. I wonder if I can really write, if I’m fooling myself, if anyone even cares.2012.4.writing

And then today I received an email from a reader.

“I flew to Florida last week and was mesmerized by your book the whole time! Finished it during the flight and loved it!!! You are a fantastic writer with the ability to describe things such that they come alive in one’s mind. Great Job!”

I think I’ll keep plugging.

Day 171

10 Days Vacation

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Hey Kids,

Today is the last day of what was 10 days away from the day job.

When I return to the grind tomorrow, I am sure many people will ask how they were spent, what I did do, and did I bring any souvenirs back with me? The answer will not be as expected.

I did not visit any faraway place. I didn’t knock out any to-do list, and I visited as few living people as possible. The fact of the matter, I spent most of the days off, at home, with this laptop, writing.13 - 1CAAGXQAX

My company were my characters that spent many re-do’s, change of story lines, and redefinition of arcs.

My places of visit were the scenes that I arranged and re-arranged, many times over- near to the point of scene revolt.

My hours of work were as much as my battery would hold out. My time in between: thinking about it.

What did I bring back as a souvenir? A clear refreshed image of what I want to do for the rest of my life.

It was a great vacation.

 

Day 160

 

Cool Summertime

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Hey Kids,

80° Right smack dab in the middle of the summer. July no less. It even snowed in Wyoming.

I know there are some crying foul. My sweetie is one of them. Her Texas blood requires as many 100°+ days as possible and being in Utah, she best get stocked up in July. I, however, am rejoicing in the short repose from the heat.

Writing Pool Side

Writing Pool Side

Today I sat at pool side and experienced a double bonus.

1) Without Hell’s Breathe beating down upon me, I didn’t sweat all over my laptop and mouse, or gum up my touch screen. I got work done and didn’t have to drink 5 gallons of water.

2) There were near no kids swimming in the pool. The last couple of cool days and the very cool night has turned our pool into an ice bath (according to one young fellow who attempted the icy waters). I don’t mean to be a Grinch but I felt aristocratic to be working next to an unused, peaceful pool.

I understand that this cold front will give way to mid to upper 90’s in the next two days and that’s OK. In the spirit of counting my blessings, I am loving this weather!

 

Day 155

Working Vacation

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On the deck, "working"

On the deck, “working”

Hey Kids,

Today was Monday and it was awesome.

I spent today writing.

I had vacation time from my day job I needed to take. So I used my option to take a vacation. My vacation consisted of spending the day at the apartment and writing.

I worked most of the day picking out words, fleshing out characters, and developing storylines.

It was one of the best days ever.

Do I think I should be a full-time writer?

Since I took a vacation to play one, I think yes.

Find a job you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.

 

Day 154

Head Down

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Hey Kids,

Keeping your head down.

It’s a term I learned recently. It means staying focused, working hard, and not allowing yourself to be distracted.

Even though I learned the term, it hasn’t meant that I’ve put it into practice as much as I’d liked. But I keep trying.

My goal is to write a lot of books and unlike the movies that portray the writer’s life as do nothing but stroll on the beach, drink coffee and wine, and then, when the muse should decide, disappear into a study alone to write beautiful prows as it flows out of your brain and through your fingertips and on to the keyboard, creating words as fast as you can narrate. You print the night’s work, reading and chuckling to yourself as you bathe in the last page and final cleaver words. Sent off to the editor, you begin packing for the world wide book tour, where adoring fans will fan you with palm fronds in between your readings and their ovations. It’s not exactly so, at least based on my experience.

Writing does mean a lot of time alone, yes; but it requires dedicated work. A lot of it

Writing is hard. Not hard like digging ditches for a living, or pouring cement. No, it’s hard in that you must take a thought, turn it into words that someone else can read, and arrive at near the same thought with which you began.

OK, that’s not the hard part. That’s the craft, the fun part.

The hard part is in not letting things get in your way of forming those words (which takes more time to edit, than to write). I’ve posted before that unless you are being paid directly for your efforts by look_a_distraction_design_by_eecomics1an overseer, many people give the effort no respect. Sometimes, it’s the writer who doesn’t respect the time.

Phone calls, texts, posts, drop-ins, family functions, TV, movies, drives, etc. They all distract.

When you keep your head down, you see none of the distractions. Your eyes, pointed down, are focused on what’s at hand. Your body forms a shield about you, bent forward there’s only forward to go. You move ahead. Progress becomes assured. Progress moves you closer to completion and success. And success leads back to focus.

I apologize ahead of time to my friends and family. But I’m important to me and my head’s got to stay down for a little while. I’ll play hard and be with you all when I am. I’ll need breaks. But when I’m at work, let me work so hopefully I can drop your head down while you read the best damned books ever.

 

Day 149