Yesterday was among the coldest days on record for Okinawa, Japan, to include a light bit of snow (barely noticeable and only on the highest part of the island, to be fair–nothing like what some of you see on the regular in the States).
We will try to rebuild and recover.
Still, a chilly day inspires me to enjoy a nice warm soup and sandwich, something to beat the snow and fill me with joy. And my favorite combination is a bowl of robust and flavorful tomato soup, with what Panera Bread calls a “Big Kids’ Grilled Cheese.”
The sandwich is a thick toast triple-cheese parmesan-crusted taste of awesomeness with bacon in the middle. The soup that I’m making has been kicked up a notch with italian seasonings, extra garlic powder, and a sprinkle of southwest chipotle.
The start of a satisfied smile on my face
Since I have a swarm of hungry kids, there’s a pan of tortellini boiling to ensure everyone eats their fill. (Confession time: I want tortellini and the rest is pure justification.)
Yes, this is going to happen today.
The herbs count as a vegetable, right?
Bacon of course, plus some 5-cheese Italian sprinkled between two slices of cheesy Texas toast, then the top of the sandwich is dusted with parmesan and it all goes back in the oven to melt into delicious crispiness.
And since it wouldn’t be a reasonable facsimile of Panera without coffee… I’ve got a special pot of cherry chocolate coffee brewed up for me and the wifey.
When I self-published Diffraction, I had no idea how many hard copies I might need and guesstimated 15.
Those got claimed faster than expected. So I ordered another 12 after the 15 arrived.
But when people saw me handing out the signed copies, more friends said, “Me too.” So now all 12 are claimed before they even get here. And now I need to order more.
I never anticipated writing would be something I do for a living, so I’m realistic about the fact that 30 or 40 copies of a self-published book does not equal best-seller.
One of my goals for writing is to reach 20K words / month, preferably on the sequel to Diffraction. Between that, finishing my NaNoWriMo book, continuing Echoes on WattPad, participating in occasional Blog Battles, and maintaining a somewhat frequent blog, I have plenty of writing options.
Brandon Sanderson posts his word counts and percentages complete for various projects. That struck me as a great way to inject a little discipline or intentionality into my own writing–something I lack. I’m used to winging it, writing when I feel like it, for however long the mood strikes. But like many disciplines (dieting, exercise, learning an instrument, studying for school), a little organization and tracking can show you how much (or little) you’ve done.
I finished 50K in a month for NaNo. I chose 20K a month as a sustainable pace (given I have a full time job). And I thought, “This will be easy.”
Yet my word count tracker tells me otherwise:
It hurts to insert so many 0s.
I flew twice for work over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I spent Monday thinking “I’ll write some in a bit.” Then I spent pretty much all of Tuesday confined to bed with a terrible nauseating headache sinus combination of death. Still, the excuses don’t make me feel much better when I have to hit ‘0’ for that field.
Looks like I have some catching up to do.
A friend and former co-worker of mine talked for a while about getting an RV and sightseeing across the United States after getting out of the military. Sure enough, he and his family started their journey. So far there’s a week of updates from the trip.
Unique perspectives on places I may never go (or only visit once) interest me, and it might interest you too.
It’s a quote attributed to Steve Jobs. I found it in a book by Jeff Goins, called You Are A Writer, So Start Acting Like One.
I’ve been reading it in the winding line at the Postal Service Center, waiting to pick up packages that invariably contain anything but what I was waiting for. (My wife had fun with holiday shopping.)
Today I got my present in the mail:
Sometimes shipping takes a while!
And all but one of the books are already claimed. I got my signing pens ready!
Thanks to all who support in various ways – the Facebook shares, the GoodReads review, the “me!” responses when I post an offer.
This gets me going for the next book (the draft of which currently holds 5,600 words).
Blessings.
I’m always grateful for a little motivation from my friends and co-workers. Whether it’s the question, “So when’s book two coming?” or a simple, “I got a copy of your book the other day,” every little bit helps spur me on to put words to paper.
I’ll say I would write these stories anyway, because I do enjoy the process and the accomplishment. But it’s easy to wonder if anyone cares.
Then I get a text from an old friend:
“Guess what I got in the mail?”
He actually asked, “Think I can get the author to sign it for me?”
The answer of course is yes, gladly.
Another friend, whose feedback has been the most thorough and constructive, said to me, “I’m thinking of writing a story in your world.” He asked as though this was the most arrogant of requests.
I saw it differently. By writing a book, I’ve invited readers into a world that only exists in my head. Someone wants to play in that sandbox? That’s amazing.
And one of my long-time WoW buds is starting writing. I guess he figured if both Dave and his wife could knock out a book, then anyone can.
Motivation is everywhere… So I have no excuse but to get those words down. It’s a hardship but I think I’ll be okay.
So I discovered that roughly two months of NaNoWriMo pace at my “second job” / “jobby” is too much for me.
Yay! But also “OW! Thank God it’s over!”
I wasn’t about to miss out on November. I had a project bouncing around in my head since last November, waiting for its moment in the spotlight. The idea of psychic reconnaissance 30 years in the future proved to be a lot of fun for me to write. So 50,000 words later, Perdition is probably 80% complete. (I had some scenes I toyed with beforehand, and I have some gaps to fill in.)
On December 1st, I transitioned to my new goal–the “Christmas present to me” of completing and self-publishing my fantasy novel I’d written and revised off-and-on since 2008. Diffraction made it out the door laaaate in the evening of the Winter Solstice here on Okinawa, an appropriate timing for the struggles of the main character as an outcast and religious rebel in her community. Several friends bought copies, and a couple people read some of it on Kindle Unlimited. Then I ran a NYE giveaway and got 70 Kindle copies out there into the ether. Plus I have a shipment of paperback copies coming my way, with a few committed purchasers waiting.
It’s no break-out success but I’m happy with it.
What’s on tap this year?
1. Finishing Perdition. It would be silly to leave it on the back burner when it’s this close to done.
2. Critique my wife’s NaNoWriMo draft. Jem surprised me, our writers’ group, and pretty much everyone who knew how her progress had been going. A day into the event, an idea sparked her creativity and she started brainstorming. But with about 4 days left in November, she had maybe 10K words. So instead of giving up, she declared “I am doing this.”And she knocked out the 50K before the deadline. She did awesome, and as she’s my biggest supporter and fan, I want to be the same for her.
3. I hope to return some attention to short stories and flash fiction like Rachael Ritchey’s Blog Battle. I also want to get back to my Echoes project on WattPad, which has been ignored for the past two months.
4. Most of all, my goal is to return to the Bordermarches and pen another book in my fantasy world (I have six or seven planned, in different time periods). I hope to put Diffusion into public sales by Dec 21st. In fact, I took time last night to touch up one of the first scenes.
I figure if I could manage 50K in a month while forsaking almost everything else, then manage touching up and publishing a 140K word fantasy novel in the run-up to Christmas, then a goal of 20K words a month is reasonable. If I do really well, I’ll finish the first draft of Diffusion in time for Markday (Midsummer), which would be a lovely treat.
Hopefully, I’ll get to spend more time with all of you lovelies on WordPress along the way. I always enjoy reading about your journeys, wherever they may lead. Thanks for joining me on mine.
A friend posted a cartoon that caught my eye. The character looked over a list of resolutions and expressed frustration, knowing this year’s efforts – like so many others – were doomed to failure. Then he changed the list to negative versions. “Get fat. Become weak. Watch more TV.” That kind of thing.
The last scene has his son looking at the list, while he lifts weights and sweats in exertion. His son says, “You’re off to a horrible start on these, Dad.” And he replies, “I know.”
I like that.
I thought about 2015 and what I accomplished:
published three books available on Amazon and CreateSpace
regained an additional aircrew qualification in the military
Deployed to the Middle East for three months
flew 89 sorties in the fiscal year (October – October) — roughly 1 every 4 days
beat out the rest of my coworkers on flights (one friend made it to 85… the next highest had 20 less than us)
started a family devotion time with my wife and kids
knocked out 5 separate debts
crawled out of the unfit mess I’d gotten myself into
started a walk-to-run program after not running for about five years
reached my lowest weight in about 10 years
used my talents in professional settings – performing vocals for the Japanese and American anthems for a co-worker’s retirement and playing Christmas tunes for social hour at our squadron holiday party
Played and sang for the chapel while deployed
All that said, I know “the rest of the story.”
I struggled for years to put those books together and can’t shake the feeling they could’ve been better
I’ve dropped several balls at work that now need to be addressed
I’ve let my relationships with my wife and kids grow stale or routine
I’ve done the same with my faith
I continue to make terrible spending decisions based on convenience, impatience, and selfishness
We’ve added or increased a couple debts while eliminating others
I crawled back into the unfit mess by ignoring fitness while focusing on other things
I’ve gained back most of the weight I lost
I’m still not doing anything on a regular basis with the talents I possess.
So this year, I’m not making empty promises to myself about what I will or won’t do. Like the comic, my list is full of anti-resolutions–the bad answers to questions I ask myself whenever I consider what 2016 holds.
And I took a cue from a friend who recently posted a verse she chose for the year. My selection speaks to my frustration and my desire for better answers.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1co.9.24-27.esv
I look forward to what this year holds… not because I expect some “new me” to appear. I just want to find the one I know already exists deep down.
