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Safe Places (Online)
September 3, 2013 3 Comments

Safe Places (Online)

I’m not a fan of Facebook. I like being able to stay in touch with friends in other places, and it’s a good place for my friends in the area to have a little message group for board game nights and other hangouts, but beyond that, I am not a fan.

It’s not Facebook’s fault. I know people blame social media, smart phones, and other things for a loss of time and a thinning of deeper thoughts, but the technology isn’t to blame — it’s the people who use it.

More to the point, how they use it.

Sick of My Own Causes

We’ve all seen political rants and shouts for a cause online by those we don’t agree with, but can the calls to action for even the things you believe in get old? I can only speak for myself, and the answer is a resounding yes!

I don’t eat animals; I don’t believe in any gods, but I don’t want to see a parade of slaughterhouse photos or angry atheist rants in my feed
. I’m not fan of Monsanto, but the same people who tell others to check Snopes before posting political rants apparently don’t check Snopes before posting rants about GMOs and other things. The very people trying to force a view are often the people who scream the loudest when the “other side” tries forcing a view — same tactics; different sides.

After awhile, I get sick of even causes I believe in because it’s all I see in my Facebook feed all day, even after hiding the worst offenders and creating groups with people who generally post positive things.

Politics and the cause du jour always seem to seep in.

Refuge Among the Madness

Google+ and Tumblr have become my refuge from the madness. They are two places where I can go online and walk away feeling good about things — inspired, even. Google+ is where I mostly see people into photography, podcasting, and new media. Tumblr is for art and some publishing stuff.

I’ve mentioned that I like Google+, Tumblr, and even Twitter more than Facebook, and most of the people I know don’t understand why. For me, having these safe places online, places where I can go to find inspiration and talk with people more concerned about making things than arguing, is a refuge. I see people sharing the efforts of their hard work on Google+ and Tumblr more than on Facebook and some other places online. It’s a reminder that most people with an Internet connection have an opportunity most of the world doesn’t: to make a better life for themselves if they so choose.

It’s sad that so many people spend their free time arguing and pushing causes online that only seem to bring them stress. Sadder still that they feel the need to share that with the world instead of all they could be…

Filed Under: Social Media
Labor Day
August 29, 2013 Leave a Comment

Labor Day

Labor Day: that day of rest from work. The day we celebrate the hard work of those who came before us by squeezing out the last bit of summer.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend is different for me. I typically take the Friday before off so I have four days to…do the work I love doing more than any other work.

I will log out of Facebook and not check email much. It is a weekend to focus on writing. This year, it will also be a weekend to focus on the podcast. It’s after midnight; it’s technically Friday, and I’ve spent the time so far editing 2 podcasts and preparing the show notes and graphics for the next 2 weeks. Outside of recording a couple more episodes some afternoon over the next four days, I get to put my head down…and write!

The Work

Normally, I write when I can. It’s rare that I have several uninterrupted days where I can focus on writing and little else. I will still spend time with my wife, but the rest of the time is about the work.

Writing is work. I’ve done a lot of different jobs in my adult life (construction, landscaping, warehouse/factory work, restaurants, many odd jobs, customer service, and a parade of office jobs), and through it all — no matter how hot, difficult, or stressful work has been — I’ve made time to write. This weekend is a celebration of that.

Those of us fortunate enough to get a long weekend deserve to spend it any way we please
. Most of the world does work they would not be doing if they were independently wealthy or if they could push a button and have their dream job. It’s a well-deserved weekend for those of us who have the time off. So enjoy the weekend, and do whatever it is you want to do.

Me? I want to spend it working on the best work there is…

Filed Under: writing
Chasing Things
August 29, 2013 Leave a Comment

Chasing Things

Statistics for this week’s Men in Gorilla Suits podcast about reality television are already good…even before my partner, Shawn Kupfer, has shared it with his followers. A recent podcast about movies was one of our most listened to shows to date. It seems clear people would rather listen to podcasts about television and movies vs. podcasts about health and things more philosophical.

Many would look at the stats and say, “Must make more shows about movies and television!” But there are already plenty of podcasts out there focused on movies and television, and we like talking about a wide range of topics.

It’s more important for us to do the show we like best — not the show that would get us the most listeners by chasing what’s more popular.

The Offer

I’m fortunate enough to know people who make a living doing the creative things they always dreamed of doing. Most of these people create comic books, video games, or work in book publishing. One of these friends offered to pass along my writing to editors he knows, except I don’t write the kind of stories this friend deals with (genre fiction).

Many people would hear about the offer and say, “Write a genre series, then! Duh!” but it’s more important to me to write the novels I like best — not chase after a possibility.

Chasing Things

I understand the logic behind chasing the thing that has the best chance of selling
. Success often leads to more success, and we should consider ourselves lucky to have any kind of opening to better things, even if it means not doing what we want to do. But when I think about the creators I like the best — when I think about some of the most revered creators of all time — they are the people who did their own things.

They didn’t chase what sold, and because of that, they became much more than a trend.

Filed Under: Creativity
The Importance of Silence
August 26, 2013 2 Comments

The Importance of Silence

It’s quiet right now. Sure, I can hear the air conditioner and my fingers tapping away on the keyboard, but for the world I live in, it is very quiet.

It wasn’t always like this…

Bring the Noise

I grew up in a world of background noise. A stereo was always on — including my own stereo, which was on even while I slept. Televisions were left on news stations or other things to the point the intensity of the volume increased to a roaring norm. (To this day, I find the sound of television in the background one of the most annoying noises on the planet.)

There was the sound of others: clanking in the kitchen, the thud of opening and closing doors, and heavy footsteps. Phones ringing; people talking.

Enjoy the Silence

There’s no real background noise in my life anymore. The TV is only on when my wife and I watch it, and we really don’t watch it much. As much as we love music, it’s not background noise. If my wife and I listen to music, it’s almost always with headphones. It’s only an audible thing for all when cleaning, when my wife does art, or when we deliberately sit and listen to something.

We move around the apartment quietly, conscious there is another person almost always in earshot who may be doing something requiring the concentration that comes with silence.

A New Kind of Noise

Technology is great, but with it comes a new kind of noise. While my smart phone is always silenced and push notifications turned off, if you text me, my phone lights up and I’m likely to look if I’m in the room with it. Just like that, I’m distracted.

A sweep of email or social media sites and I’m left with a to-do list in the back of my mind. (“Must get back to them and them and them…”) Sometimes I get an actual phone call, which isn’t new noise, but there comes with it an expectation from those who allow a parade of interruptions into their lives that people pick up at all times.

For many, there’s no excuse to not reach someone almost immediately.

Why I Like Silence

I write best when things are silent. If I listen to music, it’s usually something soft, meant to block out background noise. If I’m up early, there’s not even music.

But it’s not all about writing..
.

I like silence because it soothes me and leaves my mind open only to one thing at a time…if anything at all. When I speak of silence, sometimes I mean genuine silence; other times, it’s the background noise of a hike. I like the quiet of canoe paddles moving a canoe through water. I like the quiet sounds of distant thunder. Rain is always good; soothing, even.

Why I Don’t Like Noise

The sound of news anchors and pundits telling me to be angry about something goes much deeper than the sound in my ears. With the noise comes a tension that can stick with a person throughout the day. Maybe it’s a story that gets them to check their phone frequently to see what’s developed; maybe it’s something that makes them talk with others to see if they are just as mad about the story…and if not, why not?!

It’s the kind of noise that robs a person of the most important kind of silence: silence of the mind. It is from that kind of silence that great work begins. Read the writing of people who allow themselves to be constantly interrupted compared to those who embrace silence and it’s often clear the effect a quiet mind has on great works.

I don’t know if I will ever write a great work, but I know my odds are better if I write free from distraction and away from a loud and busy world around me.

 

Filed Under: writing
The Steps of Autumn
August 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

The Steps of Autumn

It’s still over a week away from September. Then…it’s weeks more until autumn officially begins. Longer still: actual chilly weather in Texas, which rolls in sometime around November
.

But it’s close.

There will be the September days over 100 degrees, but that doesn’t matter. Something changes when the calendar rolls to September. It’s the beginning of my favorite season…

It’s the beginning of my most productive season…

Each Step

Each autumn is full of steps toward better things: writing, health, and other loves. Each autumn is its own step, making up years of progress when I look back.

It’s not that I do nothing during other seasons, but there’s something triggered in me when the heat of summer falls away and I can hike without fear of dehydrating. Everything smells so crisp. The winds from the north all but demand you stop and listen.

We’re still months from seeing leaves turn color and fall from the trees in Texas, but that doesn’t matter. The moment the page of the calendar turns from August to September, the best stuff is all right there…

Filed Under: Inspiration
The Jar of Precious Seconds
August 19, 2013 Leave a Comment

The Jar of Precious Seconds

I’m in touch with a great friend on an almost daily basis. We talk about what’s up in our lives, writing, ideas for things…whatever comes to mind.

I’m lucky to have this friend. It’s a rare thing when a couple days go by that I’m not reminded that I have a goal to write daily, or that I have other things I want to do. These are the things we talk about, and because of that, it’s rare for a couple days to pass without stepping back and appreciating the effort I’ve made in my life to use my time wisely.

The Jar of Precious Seconds

When my friend and I talk about the stresses in life we choose to ignore, we say, “I can’t let that steal my seconds,” or “I’m not opening my jar for that.” We know what the other is talking about. The Jar is a metaphor for the time we have before we die — each second of our lives.

This friend and I don’t believe in an afterlife; our time right now is all we have. Outside of the things that come with being an adult (day jobs, maintaining homes and cars…things like that), we get to choose how those seconds are used.

The Empty Jar

There will come a day when the jar is empty of these precious seconds. It could happen before I finish writing this entry…it could happen in so many more years. But…there will be a day that my time runs out. It’s not that I weigh everything in my life against every option, but…when I die — when my Jar of Precious Seconds is empty — I want the majority of those free seconds to have mattered
.

I don’t want to look back and think, “Man, I spent a lot of time arguing online with people I didn’t even respect.” I don’t want to look back on all the television I watched. I don’t want to think of all the time listening to people say really crappy things about other people, instead of talking about bigger things.

Seconds Ticking Down

We all get to decide what we want to do with our seconds, and if getting drunk and playing video games is what you want to do as much as I want to write novels, that’s cool. I just hope people understand that it goes both ways: I’d rather write this entry after working on a novel for 35 minutes on a Sunday night instead of watching Breaking Bad. I’m sure I’d love Breaking Bad, but without ever watching an episode, I know I like writing or going for a walk with my wife even more.

So that’s what I do with my seconds…

The Power of One Second

There will be a second in my life when I take my last breath. I was there when my father took his last breath (I was 22). I was there when my sister took her last breath (I was 33). Just like that, a life ends.

But until that second comes, we all have so many seconds at our disposal.

It’s a powerful life when you realize that most of us are fortunate enough to be in control of what we do with the majority of those seconds. Why people don’t do more with them is none of my business. I can only choose to spend my seconds as I see fit.

Filed Under: Life Tagged:
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