A Brief Pause / Happenings In The Outhouse 25-Sept-2020

I am currently around the 15,000 word mark on the fifth book in the Central Division thriller series.

But I am going to pause.  Briefly.

I have a contest to enter.

The Writers of the Future contest is a quarterly contest, and the deadline for the next submission is next Wednesday.  As of this writing, I am around 2,000 words into a new short story that I'll be submitting.

But be assured, once it's complete, I'm diving back into the thriller novel.  At first, when I realized the deadline for the next contest was coming up, I contemplated not entering.

Needless to say, I changed my mind.

Wish me luck!

Lessons learned from David Fincher's The Social Network / Happenings In The Outhouse 18-Sept-2020

Ideas are a dime a dozen, or so says the saying.  Most ideas turn out to be nothing without a power behind them to turn them into something tangible.

One can say that most ideas are crap.

But are they?  My feeling is that those who say it are covering up their own insecurities about failing to produce something while comparing themselves to those who did.

Over the Labor Day weekend, I watched The Social Network, directed by the amazing David Fincher.  I understand that the movie was based loosely on true events, and there is a scene in the film that struck me.  In the scene, the Winklevoss twins are speaking with the Harvard University president, pleading their case about Zuckerberg's theft of their social network idea to create Facebook and how it went against the college's ethics.  The president dismisses their claim and tells them that students at Harvard create ideas all the time.  He then advises them to move on and do something else.

In other words, create something else.

Earlier that day, I watched another program and someone in the show said, "Go show them the ropes."  That phrase of showing someone the ropes just wouldn't leave me for the longest time.  It kept rattling over and over again in my head.  I kept seeing someone being promoted and then, in the end, a noose is tied around their neck and they fall to their death.

Creepy, huh?

It's an idea.  I wrote down the idea, putting it away for another time with all the other ideas I have.  Will I get to it one day?  Possibly.  It may be a novel, a short story, maybe even a piece of flash fiction.  At this point, I have absolutely no idea--no pun intended.

But if someone takes this idea and makes a million dollars out of it, good for them.  I don't need any credit from it.  Because, chances are, my idea would've turned out differently than theirs anyway and they just made a better mousetrap.

Do something with your ideas.  If you seem to have too many, just pick one and do something with it.  Create.  Stop with the excuses.  The world needs you more than you think.

Also, don't horde ideas.  Share them if you wish.  Ideas really are a dime a dozen.  Be good at creating ideas.

What if I don't? / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Sept-2020

I've read from many time management gurus who proclaim that their way is the best way.

And, of course, I've spouted many of their anecdotes on this blog.  Things like, set up a daily (or weekly monthly) goal and set aside 30 minutes a day for X.  Sounds easy, right?

But something hit me last week: what if I don't?

Everyone is different.  On top of all that, we all go through various seasons of life, sometimes several in a single week.

What if I take a week off?  What if I don't write for thirty minutes today?  What if I don't finish the novel this month?

What if I don't . . . and fill in the blank.

I can't change what I didn't do tomorrow, but I can change what I do today.  And if something doesn't get done today, do it tomorrow.

Accomplish what you need to do in little baby steps, if you have to.  Let's say I only write for five minutes before heading off to work.  Good.  It's better than nothing.  What if I watch a movie instead of working on my craft?  In my creative world, even if it's not adding pages it may be giving me ideas for something.

Don't be too hard on yourself.  You can't change the past.

You can only control the future.

Take back your future.

Remember, if you need to do baby steps, do it.  If you need a break, take it.

Keep your eye on the ball / Happenings In The Outhouse 04-Sept-2020

Keeping this brief today.

With all that is happening this year, no matter the circumstance, always keep your goal in mind.  Work on your project in baby steps, if  you have to.

Every progress you make, no matter how small, brings you closer to your goal.

No, what you may have had planned for 2020 may not be completed.  But keep in mind, others are experiencing the same issues as you.  Why not urge yourself a little more and not quit.

Because where others may quit, be the one that plunges forward in spite of the chaos.

My gift to you / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-Aug-2020

I have a gift for you.  I told you about it a few weeks ago.  It's the first novel in the Central Division thriller series: Beholder's Eye.

 As you may notice, it is still not free on Amazon.  I would appreciate it if you would let them know this book is free on other ebook platforms, from Barnes and Noble Nook to Google Books and others.  Here's the link on my website, which has all of the ebook platforms it is on.

Thinking like a garage band or amateur chef / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-Aug-2020

Beginning artists/creatives start by learning the basics.

Painters don't go from paint-by-number to Picasso or Bob Ross just by the snap of the fingers.  It takes practice.  Learn, and master, the basics.  Then, you know where you can go creatively.

I've watched the Food Network for quite some time.  I'm always amazed at how such simple ingredients and techniques can create such masterpieces.  Again.  Practice.  Years and years of practice.  Sure, talent has something to do with it.  But you need to master the basics, to go from amateur kitchen cook to a full-blown master chef like Gordon Ramsey or Bobby Flay.

The same goes for musicians.  When I was in my teens, I wanted to be a rock star.  No kidding.  But then again, isn't that every kid's dream when they're that age, to be a star of some kind?  But I certainly couldn't start out by joining a garage band.  I needed to learn the basics of whatever instrument I chose.  In that case, it was the guitar.  Once the basics were mastered, then one could move on to more collaborative work with a garage band.  And even your most seasoned bands started out by playing in their garage for hours and hours on end, for years.

With writers it's no different.  You need to practice writing.  For years.  You also need to read.  Like musicians need to listen to music and painters need to study other painters, writers need to read.

Before an artist/creative can experiment in their craft, the basics need to be studied and mastered.  That's what makes a master chef instead of a garden variety kitchen cook.

Beholder's Eye is free / Happenings In The Outhouse 14-Aug-2020

Beholder's Eye, the first novel in the Central Division thriller series, is free.  Permafree, to be exact.  Click on this link to my website, to view your favorite ebook retailer--please note, as of this writing, it is not free on Amazon but if you click on the link of the Amazon page to advise them of the lower price (and where) it won't take them long to make it free.

I will expand more on this in the upcoming weeks on the strategy behind this move.