Thoughts Behind Certain Rules / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-May-2023

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I went to a Kenny Chesney concert at a nearby town.  It was a great time.

One thing I noticed prior to walking into the arena were the rules regarding prohibited items.  There were the usual things that made sense.  No weapons or outside beverages/snacks or explosives.  No animals (excluding service animals, of course) or illegal drugs, etc.

One stuck out: no video cameras or recording devices.

Huh?  Nearly every person in the building has a video camera/recording device.  It's called . . . a cell phone.

The very first concert I went to was Motley Crue in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  In order to get inside, everyone was patted down.  I had a retainer case (I had recently gotten my braces off) in my front pocket and the security guard pointed at it and demanded to know what that was.  So I showed him.  Nothing nefarious at all.  There were similar signs regarding recording equipment.  Not long later, I did obtain a bootleg copy of the same Crue concert that happened a few nights before.  I don't know the story behind it, but it was interesting that it was still recorded.

A few nights after the Kenny concert, we went to another concert at a local casino.  I noticed the same signs about recording equipment.  I pointed it out to my girlfriend.  We chuckled, and commented that everyone in the place has one of those in their pocket.

Some rules are fine.

Others . . . for the love of God, eliminate them.

Rebranding And Brief Pause To WIP / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-May-2023

A large local employer in my area is going through a rebrand.  Rebranding what they stand for and what they do, how they want to be perceived by customers, vendors, and even employees.

Even if you are a solo entrepreneur or artist, your brand is just like this.  John Grisham is known as the legal thriller author.  Stephen King is known as a horror author.  J. K. Rowling is known for Harry Potter.  J. R. R. Tolkien is known for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.  Despite all of these authors writing outside of what they're known for, that is their brand.

Your brand also reflects what one does on social media.  If you are politically sided on one end of the spectrum or always known to be contentious, that's your brand.  If your brand is that you are a genuinely nice person, then so be it.

What do you want to be known for?  What will be said about you at your funeral?

Think on it.

And live your life to fulfill that.

On a side note, I am slowing down my work on my current work-in-progress.  I am taking two online classes (three weeks in total for each of these two, and both are being taken at the same time) I achieved from a Kickstarter about cold cases and modern cases from a fiction writing perspective, and it's eating into a little of my writing time.  But that's okay.  Because it's only going to make my writing that much better.

Adapt And Overcome (Makeshift Chopsticks) / Happenings In The Outhouse 12-May-2023

The other day at work, I brought leftover pot roast.  My girlfriend had made it a few nights earlier, and it was amazing.  But when I opened my lunchbox to retrieve the leftovers, I discovered something was missing: no plasticware.  No fork, knife, or spoon.

Nothing.

Across the room, near the coffee pots was a container of stirring sticks.  I grabbed a few, and used them like chopsticks to eat my lunch.

I adapted to the situation, and overcame.  I succeeded.

Oh, sure, I could've used my fingers and ate like a pig, but I didn't.

When many are hit with obstacles, their first instinct is to curl up in a ball and whine.  Don't do that.  Think to the positive.

Another example occurred just the other night.  My youngest was doing her homework and had to write something.  But something happened that caused her work to get lost.  It was no longer retrievable.  She asked me, "Dad, have you ever had this happen?  What did you do?"

My answer was simple: "It happens all the time when I'm writing.  Maybe not a software glitch, but I may get stuck.  So I go do something else and come back to it.  Or think of it as a fortune, because I'll write something better."

You know what happened?  She wrote something better.

If you hit obstacles, think of it as a blessing and come up with a solution.  A better one will present itself.

Closer And Closer To Done / Happenings In The Outhouse 05-May-2023

It seems like I've been saying this for quite some time, but I am getting closer and closer to finishing my current work-in-progress.

Closing in at 84,000 words, my feeling is that it may be around 90,000 by the time it is done.  Which is quite long for a Middle Grade novel, but the story is what it is.  It wants to be told.

Shake It Off / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-April-2023

You find yourself tossed into the bottom of a well.  Then, shovelful after shovelful of dirt is thrown in.  You are trapped.  What do you do?  Let yourself be buried?  Or use the dirt to rise yourself out of the hole?

In other words, shake it off.

From time to time, things will happen that will throw you off your game.  It happens to everyone.  Shake it off and move on.  Figure out a solution instead of just complaining that nothing can be done.  I heard someone say once, "If you bring me a dead cat, you better bring me a shovel."  In other words, bring a plan for your situation.

When my late wife was diagnosed with leukemia back in April 2011, it would've been easy for me to throw in the towel and say I quit!  But I didn't.  I double-downed on my writing.  When her illness progressed over the years from the side effects of her transplant, I will admit that I had some dark days.  Then, in early 2018, I turned everything over to God.

I did put things in God's hands many times over the years, but for whatever reason that was a turning point for me.  When her illness took a massive turn for the worst in May 2019, leading to eventual passing in January 2020, I did take a step back a bit.  I still wrote, but not as much as before.  I took small steps.  I knew when my head wasn't in the right place.  So I'd take a small break and either watch a show or read.  When I was able to join the local gym, I took solace in improving my overall health.

I looked for solutions.

I shook off things, and moved onward.

Life is never easy.  But it's how you react to it that matters.

Something New / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-April-2023

Once my current work-in-progress is complete, I am going to do something completely different.  I don't know if I'll follow this for the remainder of the year or just for a few months.

For the longest time, I have written nothing but novels, with the occasional novelette/novella sprinkled in.  Now, I am going to write short stories.

My goal: write one short story a week.

Even with my hectic schedule, I am still going to try this daunting task.

Currently, I am at the 80,000 word mark and it seems to be coming closer to done.  I'm crossing my fingers that I share more on this project in the upcoming weeks.

Trash Talk / Happenings In The Outhouse 14-April-2023

What do others say about you when you're not around?

You may answer this with, "I'm sure they think I'm a good person" or "Oh, I don't know, but I'm sure it's good."

No matter what the true answer is, how are people speaking about others when you are around?  Do they trash talk others?  If they do, chances are, they do it to you too.

There is an old adage that says, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it."  Maybe instead of speaking trash about someone you may disagree with, let's try remaining silent.  Let's try stepping in their shoes and seeing what life is like.

What would you like others to say about you?  Start with you and place the rest in God's hands.