What is your story? / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-Oct-2018

I saw this sign at the doctor's office a few months ago.  Oh, how the words to this rang true to me.

For those who have read this blog for quite some time may already know this, but for those who haven't my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in April 2011.  Even though she is still in remission after all these years, the affects of her treatments are still present to this day--her poor eyesight being the more dramatic.

Yet with all the setbacks, cancer (or anything horrible that affects your life) is all but a chapter in your entire life.

What is the story you want to tell?  What is your legacy?  Don't let cancer or diabetes or a poor family background or (fill in the blank) define the rest of your life.

Review goals daily / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-Oct-2018

Aside from my lifelong goals, I have broken down my goals into a two-year plan as well as a quarterly.  I write out new goals at the beginning of each quarter, depending on what I accomplished the previous quarter, but I suggest reviewing those goals daily.  Put them up where you can see them.  Because it's easy to forget about them.

This is exactly what occurred to me this past summer.  Yes, I got lazy and forgot them.

Now, I didn't exactly forget them.  I still wrote, just not as much.  In fact, the current work-in-progress then stagnated and stalled altogether.

Then I got the energy to start a new story and I'm currently around 7,000 words into it.  I don't know if this will be a novelette or novella, depending on the word count, but it's been fun so far.

Keep your daily goals in sight.

Review them.  Add to them, if needed.

But always push yourself to complete them.

Refreshing ideas / Happenings In The Outhouse 12-Oct-2018

An odd thing happened a few days ago.  As I was reflecting on what I had written--and not published--so far, I looked at the four novels sitting in the proverbial trunk.  Three are horror and one epic fantasy.  I have plans to publish the epic fantasy and two of the horror novels, but only after completely rewriting them.  I will use what I had written before as an outline--yes, you know I dislike outlines, but trust me on this one.

My very first novel--a deer hunting zombie horror story--was not one to be placed in the publish pile.  Then, it occurred to me that the fictional town it was written in had a few other novels set in the same town.  I have not written these, but I do have ideas for them.  Then, a what-if occurred to me: what if I placed all three in the same saga-like series?

BOOM!

I'm optimistically cautious with this, for the first novel had so much wrong with it.  I will bet, when I come around to it, only twenty-five percent of it will remain.  I am a much better writer now, and I have confidence in my skills to also make the story better.

As of now, it may be 2019 or 2020 by the time I get around to it.  At the moment, I am currently 5,000 words into a new story.  I plan on finishing it by the middle of next month at the very latest.  When it comes closer, I'll share what I can with you.

Definition of a small town / Happenings In The Outhouse 05-Oct-2018

I grew up in a town with around 2,300 people.

I went to college (for 5 years) in a town of a little over 11,000 people.

I currently live in a town with around 1,400 people.

Forty-five minutes away is a town of over 56,000 people and an hour away from that town is another with around 120,000-plus.

Yet, when I read articles or listen to podcasts, and they mention small towns, these generally range around the last two: 50,000-plus.

Sorry to disappoint you but these are not small towns.  When there are malls and multiple McDonald's locations and Starbucks (or two or three), they are not what I consider small.  Even my old college town was not small in my opinion.  I've lived near town where, if you blink, you might miss the town.  Seriously.

Now, I'm just having a little fun here as well as a mini-rant.  There is a true crime podcast called Small Town Murder, where they really do focus on what I consider small towns.  A few may skirt the edge of my definition, but by and large they do a great job.

I know, I know, those who live in cities would call towns like Fargo, North Dakota, with over 120,000 people small.  I do not.

And that is where we have to agree to disagree . . .