Sunday, November 11, 2012

Seeking peace...

It seems that I am following a theme here, but that's okay.  I tend to write about what's on my mind and in my heart.  I don't have many people following this blog, but the ones that I do have, I really love and appreciate.  If you read my blog, and you like what you read, why not follow?  Why not even comment?  It will certainly make me happy, and you know it will make you happy too.

There are times when I struggle to feel happy.  Even though I feel that we can choose to feel happier, there are often things that hinder making that choice.  Sometimes I struggle because my life situation is not what or where I would like or need it to be.  Other times, it is because there are people that I love who are struggling and that makes me sad.  Sometimes, it's simply that the chemicals sloshing around in my brain are not sloshing the way they should. 

It's funny because there are times when I feel happy or content when I have every reason not to.  I don't get it, but I take it when it comes and I run with it.

One thing that I used to do a lot of is reading.  I have not read anything for pleasure for a very long time, and I wonder if I still can.  Part of the reason is my masters program... 'nuff said.  Another reason is that I am working on a novel, and I don't want my story 'corrupted' by other literary influences.  That is, I don't want what I am reading to creep into what I am writing.  I am starting to revise my thinking on that, though.  I miss reading, and the feeling of peace that often comes from doing so.  Yes, sometimes I do it purely just to escape, and that is alright.  Other times I read for the simple pleasure of reading a good story.  These two reasons might seem the same, but there are significant differences.

So I think I will both write and read, and see where that takes me.  It's funny how this post started out one way, and seemed to end in a completely different way... but then again, maybe it's not...

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Back in the saddle...

I sometimes find myself at a loss for words, and those that know me would find that hard to believe.  Well, the proof of the plum is in the pudding as they say, and my online silence has been very plum like.  'Nuff said.

I have had the opportunity to spend the last year and a half with my daughter and I have been both spoiled and blessed.  I will soon be returning to the workforce and I will be leaving behind the freedom of well... freedom.  My daughter and I would frolic through the forests, or play in the park.  On cold days we would play games inside, or watch a movie or two.  In many ways I was able to live a childhood that I never had, and I am grateful for the wonderful bond I have made with my daughter.  I am trying to live the words of the late great Doctor Seuss, "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."  I know that I was given a gift, and I will always cherish it. 

Having said this, I am struggling somewhat with the change that is taking place in my life, but I know that change is relatively short.  Nothing ever stays new, time passes and experiences become familiar until they are like a pair of comfortable shoes that are holey and worn, but feel ever so good on our feet.  However, this can only happen if we give it the chance.  That doesn't mean that change will be easy, it just means that with time it ceases to be change, and it becomes the norm, the regular, the way things are and have been.  So it is normal to feel uncomfortable with change and newness at first, because like those shoes, they need to broken in.  This may mean blisters and soreness at first, but there will come a time when we will find it hard to remember what it was like without it in our lives.

I don't want it to sound like I have mastered this.  There are times when life is so difficult that I feel that it may become almost unbearable.  Sometimes, I would do anything to make the hard things in life go away.  I wish that I could say that I face all my problems with my chin up, back straight, and a glint in my eye, but I would be lying.  There are times that I feel like curling up in the foetal position in the dark, sucking my thumb and waiting for the daylight to come.  I am fairly positive that we all have those moments, so I can say this unashamedly.  This does not mean that I do so because then that would be letting life crush me and that is never an option.

What I can say is that I will do my best.  I will stumble, I will feel afraid at times, but I will also feel joy, excitement, and the exultation of overcoming difficulties.  I may fall off of the horse at times, but as often as possible, I will climb back in the saddle...

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Just a quick note...

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have not abandoned this blog.  It has been one of the craziest summers of my life, and between coursework, family, and being gone until 9:30 pm every night, I never had the time to take a deep breath, let alone write.  Yes, I know these are just excuses, but they are valid ones.  Be patient... you will be glad that you did...

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Communicating...

I have decided to do a series on proper and healthy communication.  I know, I know... you want to know why.  Well, I was hoping you would ask.  (If you hadn't, I wouldn't have anything to say here would I?)  We all communicate, but most, if not all of us do not do so as effectively as we could or should.  I am almost positive that you... yes you, have either misunderstood others, or have been misunderstood yourself.  Well, that can all change... if you want it to. 

The reality is that we are communicating non-stop.  Yep, all of the time... and yes, we even communicate in our sleep.  Now, I'm not saying that you are like me and wake up to find a room full of eager listeners making notes on what you said while in dreamland... I kid you not, it has happened to me, but that is a story for another time.  I merely suggest to you that a keen observer can tell how you are sleeping by, well... observing you, and that my friend is one thing that you communicate while under the Sandman's influence.

Now, back to your original question.  If we learn how to communicate effectively, we can improve so many aspects and areas of our lives.  I promise that effective communication can even save your life.  So, I will talk about everything from making clear emotive statements, to doing perception checks to ensure that your message has made it across clearly. The list of things I will cover, is actually going to be quite extensive, so by the end of this series you should be a professional communicator.

As a writer, one of the most important things that I do is to communicate through my writing.  I will be covering some aspects of this, but to be honest, there are so many blogs, books, and beb pages, (actually, web pages but I was going for the rule of three and a nice round of alliteration...), that discuss this undeniably important part of the writer's craft, that I feel I would just be muddying the waters by foraying into that particular jungle.

I need to make it clear that I will also be posting other stuff as well.  As I stated in my last post, I have some exciting things planned.  I will still be musing, pondering, and wondering just like I have been doing from the get go, but smattered in between my mental wanderings, on a fairly regular basis, I will present different series on things like communication, writing, the five sigma discovery of the Higgs Boson, etc.

So until then, remember who you are and what you stand for.  Don't take any wooden nickles, or shove beans up your nose...

Mike

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Directions...

I feel like an absentee parent.  I have given birth to a beautiful bouncing baby blog, I have watched it grow, and nurtured it along the way, and I have felt pride in the friends that it has made as well as the people who have supported it as it grew.  However, the last couple of years have seen it grow lonely, unnurtured, and silent.  I have made a few attempts to try and revive it, but, unfortunately, those attempts were meager at best.  I used to be proud of what I created, and I would share it with everyone, but now....

Well, that's all about to change.  I have big plans for my little blog.  I will be keeping with the general theme of musing, etc; however, I will also be adding a few new things.  Writing has again become a very large part of my life and I want to reflect this in my blog.  So I will be blogging about writing, writers, books, publishing, and all manner of writingish stuff.  I will attempt to procure guest writers for my blog, interviews, and all sorts of wonderful goodies.

If you want to participate, please drop me a line either as a comment, or in an email.  If you have something that you would like me to blog about, please do the same. 

I am currently working on a new novel, and even though much of my "free" time is spent on that, I will be endeavouring to revitalize, renew, rework, and re... re... re... well, re-reing this wonderful creation called, "Life's like that..."  So please come along and join in the festivities, the learning, the revelations, and the wonder that is my blog.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Hello... I am a writer...

It has been almost a year since I last posted on this blog. I have started several posts, but for some reason or other, I never actually got around to posting them. I miss the blog, though, so it is time for me to get back in the writing saddle.

I am going to be making a few changes to the format of this blog, however. I am writing again, and so I will be blogging about writing. I will also be looking back at my life and some of the things that I have learned, and I will be sharing some of these things as well.

Anyway, on with the show, so to speak.

There are two times of the year that I feel a stronger need or desire to write, and those two times would be the spring and the fall. I don't know why, and I have never really tried to figure it out. It just happens this way, and I accept that. I have been chomping at the proverbial bit for the last few weeks, and I have actually started writing something. I will tell you more about that later.

There are a few things that come to my mind when I start writing, but there are many things that don't. Let me share some of the don'ts with you.

First, I don't sit down and plan or plot out my story. I'm what you call an edge of the seater, or seat of my pantser type writer. In other words, I write as I go. That doesn't mean that I don't have an idea as to where I am going with a story, it just means that I don't sit down and outline it or plan it to the nth degree. I let it come out at its own pace and in its own time. This keeps the story fresh and alive for me. I have attempted to plan out my writing in the past, and I found that once I plotted out the details, etc, the spark was gone because the story had been told. This leads me to the next don't.

I don't talk too much about the story I am writing. Every story has a spark that keeps it going as it is being written. It is what drives me to write the story, it's like a need for the story to be told. If I tell the story verbally before I write it down, the spark is gone and the story is out there so it no longer needs to be told.

I don't edit as I go, and I don't go back and edit earlier stuff. Editing to soon can ruin a story, and if you are not careful it can take over and become the focus. That is, you can end up spending more time trying to get the story perfect than getting the story out. This doesn't mean that I don't make minor changes, or fix problems that I notice while I am writing. What it means is that when I sit down to write... I write. There will be time to make changes later, but if I don't finish the story, there will be nothing worth editing.

You may have heard others say that stories have a life of their own, and to a point this is true, however, they only come to life through the will of the writer. Whether or not you feel that the story drives you, or the other way around, it is you, the writer, that is bringing the story from its pre-existent state into a realm of being... a world where it can be experienced by others... our world. This is creation in its truest sense of the word, and that is no mean feat.