Switching Gears / Happenings In The Outhouse 31-May-2024

With all that's been going on these past few months, with cleaning out our basement and preparing for my youngest daughter's graduation, I found myself stuck on my latest short story.

So I switched gears.  An idea popped into my head one day, and I sat down to start writing it.  I have no idea where I'm going with it, no idea the genre, but I'm slowly working on it.

Keeping this one short today.  Hope to have more next week.

Proud Dad Moment Number Three #prouddad / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-May-2024

Today is yet another #prouddad moment.  My youngest daughter (not including a stepdaughter that is finishing up 7th grade) is graduating from high school today.  Mykayla has certainly grown into an exceptional young lady these past number of years.  A few weeks ago, she took home several awards and scholarships (much like her older sister Mariah), and by the end of the summer will be heading off to North Dakota State University with, so far, an undeclared major.

She has a very creative, determined mind, and is very talented when it comes to creative activities.  This past year for speech competition, she not only wrote on speech from scratch, for rewrote it in its entirety twice, and tweaked it here and there for the next few weeks thereafter.  She has blossomed in her theatrical skills too, and was a valued member of the drama team.

Her career interests are vast, and with an undeclared major the field is wide open for what she can accomplish.  Her other interests are also as vast as myself, from superheroes and Star Wars to Doctor Who and board games.  She is one of the kindest and appreciative young people I know, and is always quick to say "Thank you!"

Mykayla has been a type 1 diabetic since she was three, and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the subject.  Not only has she helped her older sister navigate this new world of diabetes since September 2023, she has given advice to her older brother who was a little younger when he got diabetes.

Her life will be interesting to watch as she will soon find her place in this world.

Cleaning House / Happenings In The Outhouse 17-May-2024

For the past month and a half, my wife and I have been cleaning out the basement.  Getting rid of old stuff that should've been thrown out long ago and organizing the rest for a more comfortable living space.

One of these areas is an office room.  I used to do the majority of my writing in that room, until circumstances with my late wife made it so I had to do it upstairs.

I have still been writing.  Right now, I'm in the beginning of a new tale, one that I have had the bones of in the back of my mind.  I'm at a point where I don't know where to go, but that's okay.  I'll brainstorm my way of out it, like I do all my other stories that I have gotten stuck in.

Control Your Calendar / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-May-2024

It is important to get control of your calendar.

Everyone is getting pulled in different directions, and with the advent of technology it seems like our time and attention is getting pulled even more.

It pays dividends to focus on one item at a time without distractions.  If you're doing your taxes, I wouldn't suggest watching a movie at the same time as well as washing dishes and playing your meals for the next week.  Even if you do one thing for an hour and take a small break, that's fine as long as you're doing just one thing at a time.

Also, multi-tasking and doing it well is a myth.  Trust me, there is research to back it up.  I won't link to any studies here.  If you don't believe me, look for yourself.

Learn what is important to you and put those things on your calendar.  Because if you don't control your time, someone else will.

Still Writing / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-May-2024

A lot of these posts seem to resonate the same: I'm still writing, I'm still working on short stories, I'm still . . . I'm still . . .

I'm not insinuating that my life is just a resolving door of doing the same thing, but in a way there are pieces of it that is.  And I'm okay with that.  I love writing.  I enjoy it immensely.  I love creating worlds and characters, putting them in situations and having them work itself out.

I am currently cleaning up a short story I had sent off and got some great feedback.  It has been months since I first wrote it, and I get it now.  I am cleaning it up.

I have nearly finished all of the stories that have been sitting on the backlog, and now I'm ready to send them out into the world.

Whatever your dream is, do it.  Keep doing it.