Obsessiveness & Creativity

Thursday Thought
September 22, 2016

Creating Ideal Series of Events

Internal Determination for the Perfect Plot

I enjoy writing. This blog is an example of how much I enjoy it because you don't usually just do create any fine art for free. There's something more that I appreciate better than the writing of what I hope my audience receives as inspirational and thoughtful posts, I drive such enjoyment from writing fiction. There's something about creating a story or even less than that... Thrusting a newly created character into an alternate universe sometimes eerily similar to ours. From that point you paint their backstory, giving them depth into their past and drives into their future. 

There are plenty of movies and books that have inspired me to write a whole story based off of minuscule parts... An exchange of words or glances traded or feelings felt. Where I find most inspiration for writing is within my own mind and the experiences it interprets from the world around me. Pretty vague I know, but imagine with me... I invest a piece of myself, my morals, or my experiences into certain characters, perhaps a little bit into all of them, that's how I figure out their mechanics of existence. 

When creating plots and writing fiction, I can envision a single scene with great clarity and detail. So within that single setting of time and space and within that capsule of exchange between characters, it all comes together... Where I struggle is the trajectory goes from that point forward. So bear with me as I continue to write singular scenes that may hopefully provoke numerous questions that have will little follow-up in future posts. As the writer, I ask that you please bear with me as the creation and development will not stop. Ever.

Currently, I am perfecting about three to four different stories each with what I hope to be a unique plot. Sure themes or storylines may be shared, but I hope that what they provoke from you, the reader, is much stronger and more authentic than what others may create. Enjoy with me each piece of me that I create, for those who care about me can understand the man underneath better with each excerpt and interpretation. 

I will continue to write. I am in search of those heavy-hitting scenes and powerful writing that not only provokes great feelings from the reader but also from myself when I read it again. Those chills when something strikes you deep in the heart, but it enters in the form of words fed through your eyes and processed by your brain. That heartbreak you'll feel or a great smile you'll wear or even the faces you'll make to mimic a character's expressions or feelings, that's what I pursue as a writer. I'll be damned if I don't conquer that pursuit. 

Here's to Heroes

Wednesday Wander
September 21, 2016

Who are Heroes? What's Heroic?

Merriam-Webster: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

There are heroes of literature, they rule in fiction and possess powers of greater magnitudes than any normal human in real life. This character-type is often idolized because we see then in portions, all of which are controlled to carry a certain savory tone that we learn to crave. Each unimaginable feat or epic deed they accomplish with us as their audience, our astonishment grows and magnifies our admiration of them while diminishing the wonderful acts of everyday humans in all kinds of situations. If we only reviewed the highlight reels of a human's life, we could portray them as this epic being who was responsible for defeating the odds and rising against much more powerful forces.

This can be you, the hero. Actually, you should be the hero in your own story.

None of us mortal human beings are perfect. It's actually what makes us so wonderfully exciting and horrifying at the same time. We might screw up or we might have tragic flaws that could end our ambitious journey, and if those blemishes on our character don't make our plot turn for the worst then it's an enchanting story to follow along with. 

Would your story be worth the read? Are you that character that a reader (such as yourself) could fall in love with? Questions worth a second of reflection and penny's thoughts. 

As you live out your own adventure, you must remember that not everything will make the cut into your memoir nor can it fit into comic panels. Those around you will always remember the big moments and the little feelings that you provided while you were on your flight path. At the recollections, those who care will turn in memories of you performing awesome or awful things, most of which won't be spoken because that would just be impolite. Wise folks advise that we should make our stories worth writing about... Our lives should be worth smiling about in reflection and warm the hearts of loved ones in any moment. 

Acting on Ambition

Tuesday Take
September 20, 2016

“To feel ambition and to act upon it is to embrace the unique calling of our souls. Not to act upon that ambition is to turn our backs on ourselves and on the reason for our existence.”

- Steven Pressfield -

A quote from Pressfield's book Turning Pro, there are many things that he writes that I agree with, many of which are actually about writing and fighting the resistance that boils inside us. 

Now in regards to those howls from the far reaches of your soul, those cavernous halls of your core... That's the hunger, ambition, desire to do more and to strive to realize our best selves. Some have louder callings than others, unfortunately, there are others who lack any calling at all. Why do we have these secular and human feelings when in reaction to a calling so spiritually emotional? That's a tough question, perhaps it's based on the connections between the physical and the spiritual or it's just the power that the soul has. 

Nonetheless, ambition is a powerful potion and a wonderful precursor to work. If neglect of your ambition is persistent throughout life, then you shall be investing in your own decay and your life is to produce little of real meaning. Billions of people in the audience, they're all waiting with baited breath to see your great performance, whether you are ready it or not, it's going to be a spectacular display, neither you or I should miss it for the world. 

Defeat is a Decision

Monday Mountain
September 19, 2016

Defeat Does Not Just Happen to You

Those are harsh words. Suck it up, buttercup. I do not mean defeat like losing the last breath of life out of you, I mean defeat as in that sinking feeling when you give up. It happens to all of us at some point, mostly as a child. It's not until you gain a level of maturity when you acknowledge that the fault lies on your own shoulders. Think about it this way: as a kid, you would fall down and perhaps scrape your knee, well at that point when you start to cry for yourself because of the pain, that's when you become defeated.

It's just worse to become defeated when you get older because you gain so much more power, intelligence, wisdom, and spirit. As the number of days you've lived grows, you should grow in all of those facets so the likelihood of you being in a situation with unfavorable odds decreases. Admitting you're overwhelmed is your first step backward, at which point you may as well just give up. Sure, there are lots of things that may daunt your courage, that doesn't mean they should stop you. 

Over a series of events in my adulthood, a lot of unfortunate things have happened. I've been pushed to my limits. I've had the metaphorical wind taken out of my sails. I've resided in low valleys. I've swum in waters deeper than I am tall. I've been burned on passions. I've experienced a lot of feelings and situations where the decision about defeat was put on my shoulders. Not every situation was left in victory, there were times when I accepted the defeat because I could not carry on.

At this point now in my life, I will say no to defeat. I've tasted that sour solution to my sorrows and I must say, my heart prefers the burn of the prolonged struggle. I cannot tell you whether you should resist defeat, that decision lies purely within your heart. For myself, I will fight and persevere in order to rise to the top of every mountain I climb. For my loved ones, I will offer my hand to them so that they may too realise that they can rise above the agony of defeat. Nonetheless, every defeated person has willingly accepted, it is never handed to them. Be strong my friends, it's always better once you decide it will be.