Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

Tell me a story, our reader says. Make me laugh, make me cry, carry me away.

My vision for what I want to become and the goals I’m focused on in 2023 to help me get there.

Trying something new. Since I’ve signed up for Cohort 9 of Write of Passage I’ve been introduced to a ton of cool ideas for writing online.

Michael Dean is the Editor-in-Chief at Write of Passage and he has this interesting section on his website called Logs. Logs are daily bits of ideas and thoughts that Michael captures - I think offline - and then lists them once a month.

I am a big believer that writing about what you know and sharing that writing through a newsletter has the power to change your life.

I see a ton of newsletters about writing, and many are very informative, but they’re also long. My newsletter is simple: three sentences to imitate and study, two quotes about writing to inspire and motivate, and one writing prompt/tip.

That’s it. Nothing fancy. I want readers to get in, get out, and get writing.

I came across the following quote by Maya Angelou. It got me thinking and reflecting on why I seemingly torture myself by writing, knowing that the chances of making any money or having any kind of career with my work is slim to none.

For the current project I’m writing - an adaption of a 14th century poem from the Arthurian tradition - I’m doing some light research on chivalry, the code of conduct knights were held to in medieval England and France. I thought I’d share what I’ve dug up and how I plan to use it.

You might have seen a statistic from the University of Scranton that shows 92% of people who write New Year’s goals don’t achieve what they set out to do.

That leaves 8% of people who do.

Guess which bucket I’m in?

Not this year. Not in 2022. Hell, I’m planning on making this the year I break through and gain some real traction towards achieving my goal of being a full-time writer.

Here’s how I’m going to do it.

It’s been awhile since I posted, huh? Geez, May 16th? I feel the whole world has changed since then and yet nothing has happened. I hope you, reader, are doing well. Hopefully you and your family and friends are safe, well fed, and have a home to call their own.

KNUCKLEHEAD is about the indie music scene and the kids who make it. That means there’s a lot of teenage angst and lyrical wordplay scattered throughout.

Getting closer to working on a detailed outline for my new musical drama pilot, KNUCKLEHEAD. I’ve never written a musical drama, so I really have no idea what I’m doing. But, I do know what songs have inspired me to write this script.

Holy mother of god is timing flying or what?

I swear I posted a review/preview blog post a few days ago, but it’s going on three weeks since my last post?

A ton has been going on in my life. A lot of exciting changes that I hope will bring me one step closer to my goal of becoming a full time writer. So, let’s get started.

It’s cliche to say, but this week was one of those weeks where I found myself by spending time in nature. I’m kinda like a poor man’s Thoreau.

Amongst the winding trails in the Sonoran Desert, I came to an acute realization that I over-complicate my stories. I make them more complex than they need to be. I add a bunch of shit that doesn’t belong. In short, I let my ego tell my stories instead of me.

Last night while I was working on my pilot I fell asleep on my computer’s keyboard. My eyes got REALLY heavy and WHAM! my head hit the computer. Out cold.

I think the best habit a person can do with their life is just to let things play out as they may. Speaking from personal experience, I get angry, depressed, frustrated when I can’t change my circumstances by mentally willing situations and relationships into existence.

The toughest part about any creative endeavor - writing, painting, music - is to not get stuck in your head. It’s so damn easy to over-analyze the shit out of what you’re trying to create that you lose sight of what you’re trying to express.

To create something is to express something that lies deep inside, something beyond words (intellect) and into the world of symbols and action (emotions).

Basically my only two blog posts this week are weekly reviews? Fine, it is what it is. But I promise to post more this week - however crappy the posts may be.

Yeah, I know. It’s weird to write a weekly review blog post almost two weeks late. But, dammit, I’m going to do it anyways.

Meant to post this last night, but after a full day of work, zoom school, and seemingly eight hours of my youngest screaming and throwing plastic trucks, I was drained.

But…

Yup, just as the title suggests: sometimes you just gotta quit.