Umm...the Rebel Alliance against the Empire? Or the revolution against the impending zombie apocalypse? Oh I know, the revolution against the One Ring of Power and its dark lord? How come every time I think of "revolution" I think of some battle where the odds are stacked against a hero but the hero still finds a way to come out triumphant?
Okay so a revolution doesn't have to be an actual battle or war. Basically speaking, a revolution is some kind of social change (or one rotation for you science people). So what social change do I want to be at the forefront of? I have no idea...
The only thing that comes to mind is being at the forefront of the ebook revolution. The way people are accessing books is changing and it won't be surprising if print books disappear in the future. It makes sense. Ebooks are cheaper to produce, cheaper to distribute, eReaders can carry dozens of books at a time in a single eReading device, and interactive features can be imbedded in an ebook to offer a more immersive experience. Imagine a book that comes with it's own soundtrack that fits the specific page you're on. Or a book that links to a character's (real or fiction) social media page. What if a self-help book connects you to people in your community willing to help you out. Furthermore eReaders are becoming much more user-friendly and will get to a place where the screen will do zero damage to your eyes. I want my stories to lead the migration from print to digital books.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
What Difference Do You Want to Make?
That's a tough question for me. I don't think about this one enough and when I do I definitely overthink it. Let's try this approach...
I'm a storyteller and my most effective means of communicating is through writing. So I ask myself, what difference can a writer make? I'm no activist so spreading a message about some kind of political or social change movement is not where I want to go. I'm a creative writer, not too interested in the critical aspect of things, so high praise from literary critics doesn't hold much interest to me. I really enjoy reading fiction and hope that the stories I create will inspire a level emotional connection with characters and the same intrigue with plot development that I experience with a good book. Sometimes I experience more emotion through reading than I do in day to day life. Stories of real people and new ideas captivate me and cause me to pause and think "hmm, that's interesting. How do I feel about this?" I would also like to present/share ideas that gives people a new perspective to consider about things new and old.
Okay, so after thinking it through a little I guess I want to stir up dormant emotions and serve as a cerebral flint-strike which sparks new ideas.
I'm a storyteller and my most effective means of communicating is through writing. So I ask myself, what difference can a writer make? I'm no activist so spreading a message about some kind of political or social change movement is not where I want to go. I'm a creative writer, not too interested in the critical aspect of things, so high praise from literary critics doesn't hold much interest to me. I really enjoy reading fiction and hope that the stories I create will inspire a level emotional connection with characters and the same intrigue with plot development that I experience with a good book. Sometimes I experience more emotion through reading than I do in day to day life. Stories of real people and new ideas captivate me and cause me to pause and think "hmm, that's interesting. How do I feel about this?" I would also like to present/share ideas that gives people a new perspective to consider about things new and old.
Okay, so after thinking it through a little I guess I want to stir up dormant emotions and serve as a cerebral flint-strike which sparks new ideas.
What's Your Elevator Pitch?
And the question is:
"So what do you do?" - such a tough question because I'm tempted to answer with what I do to make a living (aka my job). Come to think of it, I've never really answered this question with something other than my job, probably because most people I come across ask "where do you work" instead of "what do you do?" But my job is what I do to make money, it's not what I do so this is a new thing for me. Time to give it a shot:
I'm a storyteller. I really like sharing my ideas and the ideas of others in the hope that people find them useful.
I could end the pitch there or I could add in the following:
Reading a good book is one of my favorite hobbies and I hope that one day the stories I create will connect with readers as well.
If they ask what kind of ideas do you share?
A wide range of topics but my favorites are about personal finance and physical fitness. They seem a little unrelated but in my experience the two really seem to tie together. When there's less stress about money people tend to be healthier overall. Do you find that to be true?
If they ask what are some of your favorite books?
I really like The Hobbit. But to be honest my favorite genre would have to be children's books like Harry Potter and The Rangers Apprentice. I especially like the work Rick Riordan does, he's the one who wrote The Lightning Thief. Riordan has a way of telling a fun story that also teaches readers about mythology.
"So what do you do?" - such a tough question because I'm tempted to answer with what I do to make a living (aka my job). Come to think of it, I've never really answered this question with something other than my job, probably because most people I come across ask "where do you work" instead of "what do you do?" But my job is what I do to make money, it's not what I do so this is a new thing for me. Time to give it a shot:
I'm a storyteller. I really like sharing my ideas and the ideas of others in the hope that people find them useful.
I could end the pitch there or I could add in the following:
Reading a good book is one of my favorite hobbies and I hope that one day the stories I create will connect with readers as well.
If they ask what kind of ideas do you share?
A wide range of topics but my favorites are about personal finance and physical fitness. They seem a little unrelated but in my experience the two really seem to tie together. When there's less stress about money people tend to be healthier overall. Do you find that to be true?
If they ask what are some of your favorite books?
I really like The Hobbit. But to be honest my favorite genre would have to be children's books like Harry Potter and The Rangers Apprentice. I especially like the work Rick Riordan does, he's the one who wrote The Lightning Thief. Riordan has a way of telling a fun story that also teaches readers about mythology.
31 by 31 Results
I set 31 goals to accomplish by my 31st birthday. How'd I do? Not too good! I chose to leave these goals alone last January when I was introduced to Dave Ramsey and began following his plan for personal finance. Basically, most of my goals were replaced by my pursuit to become debt free. In the long run, I think it will be worth it.
Regardless, here's a breakdown of how each goal went:
Regardless, here's a breakdown of how each goal went:
- Get my book, Hunters - Rising, published in print. Currently it's a free ebook available here - Didn't do this one, mostly because I'm playing around with some changes to the main character and haven't decided what to do with him.
- ePublish another book - Didn't do this one
- Enhance my book, Hunters - Rising. Still working on this. I have a map drawn up so I guess this goal was 50% finished...which is still an F
- Donate to charity - I guess this depends on how you define "charity." Does offering people advice count? How's about gifts to people and friends? Or is it about donating money to a cause? When I wrote this goal I meant donating money to a cause, so in that sense I did not complete the goal.
- Get involved with a group, whether it be online or in person - Did this one. I am a part of the BJJ Life blogging group.
- Contribute to Wikipedia - Did not do this either.
- Adopt a tsunami siren - Didn't even look into it
- Read “Aspects of a Novel” by E.M. Forster - did not read it, though I did read several other books
- Create and print a business card for myself - Did not look into it
- Teach somebody a skill - I've taught some people how to budget themselves, I gave a few swimming lessons, and I helped a friend build a resume.
- Volunteer - Failed
- Drink something from the top shelf - I had a shot of some fancy tequila
- Live each month on a budget - I budget myself every month and stick to it
- Read an author recommended book - Yes, I read the book Start by Jon Acuff, recommended by Dave Ramsey who is a New York Times best-selling author.
- Read a book about somebody great - I've read several things about Dave Ramsey, the guy is pretty great!
- Surf a wave - Nope, didn't try.
- Mix a tropical fruit inspired cocktail - I'm pretty sure I did this one using some kind of guava juice but I don't remember exactly what the drink was
- Win a medal in a jiu-jitsu competition - Nope, I didn't compete this past year
- Set a personal record in this year's Great Aloha Run - Nope, I injured my ankle a few months before the race and wasn't able to train at all. Although I am shooting for a personal record this year.
- Go star gazing, find the Southern Cross or some other constellation - Yep, did this one on Kauai where the sky is nice and dark
- Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition by submission - Didn't compete...
- Write for a magazine or newspaper - Still in the works...so another unaccomplished goal
- Do an obstacle run (Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, or similar) for time - Did not do this
- See a 20+ foot wave - I missed the big wave days at the beach. I did see a line of kids get mowed down by some 12-footers though, that was pretty funny.
- Eat pancakes from Boots and Kimo - Check, I ate them and they are very much overrated.
- Cook a seafood dish - I did not do this.
- Read a book by William Faulkner - I was too busy reading other things, so no.
- Read a book of poetry by Billy Collins - I read some of his work, it's really good even if you're not into poetry. He doesn't use overly artsy language, it's pretty easy to follow.
- Decorate my place with at least 3 pieces of art - I have a photo of a Van Gogh, a map of Middle Earth, and a poster of a zombie riddled with bullet holes (it was a target from a gun range), a piece of Hawaiian art, and a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge decorating my place.
- Read a grammar handbook - Did not do these thing...can't ya tell?
- Draft Hunters 2 - It is in the works
Saturday, October 11, 2014
What's One Thing You're Proud Of?
Writing an ebook. I spent almost 3 years writing, editting, erasing, re-writing, and researching that book. What I'm most proud of is actually meeting the deadline I set for myself. I wanted to publish the book before I turned 30 and I published it online through Smashwords a few weeks before I turned 30.
Writing a book was both fun and grueling. Creating the story and getting into the heads of my characters was really fun. Making sure all the events in the story were aligned with the central theme was also fun. Even crafting it in a way so that it can be a simple fun read or a critical read if you want to dig into it was pretty enjoyable. What was grueling was the editting. Making sure everything was written in the proper tense was tough, and I'm sure there are still plenty of errors I missed. I found a ton of typos too. I had to keep reminding myself that there's a difference between a good compositional writer and a good creative writer. I'm definitely on the creative side.
The book is called Hunters: Rising. It's the first in the Hunters series and is available to download here. The second book is in the making. I'm also playing around with a revision of the first book.
Writing a book was both fun and grueling. Creating the story and getting into the heads of my characters was really fun. Making sure all the events in the story were aligned with the central theme was also fun. Even crafting it in a way so that it can be a simple fun read or a critical read if you want to dig into it was pretty enjoyable. What was grueling was the editting. Making sure everything was written in the proper tense was tough, and I'm sure there are still plenty of errors I missed. I found a ton of typos too. I had to keep reminding myself that there's a difference between a good compositional writer and a good creative writer. I'm definitely on the creative side.
The book is called Hunters: Rising. It's the first in the Hunters series and is available to download here. The second book is in the making. I'm also playing around with a revision of the first book.
What Do People Thank Me For?
Holding the door open. I hear 'thank you' a lot for that. Giving a good effort when sparring. That's a cool one I get during jiu-jitsu training. We'll go at it trying to rip each other's limbs off or choke each other into unconsciousness and when time is up we thank each other for it. Sort of a reminder that we're actually helping each other get better and not actually trying hurt each other. Let's see, what else...
I get thanked by co-workers when helping them write a document, correspondence letter, or email. I've been thanked by friends for helping them write resumes. I've been thanked by family memebers for gifts. I've been thanked by friends for sending them chocolates from my family's shop. I've been thanked by my family for gathering honest customer feedback about their shop.
Hmm...what else. I've been thanked for sharing workout routines. I've been thanked for sharing running tips, teaching people how to swim, and for organizing outings with friends. I've also been thanked for saying thank you. This one probably happens most often because of the office environment I work in. It's courteous to say 'thank you' after each interaction and the most common reply is another 'thank you'. Funny how that works.
I get thanked by co-workers when helping them write a document, correspondence letter, or email. I've been thanked by friends for helping them write resumes. I've been thanked by family memebers for gifts. I've been thanked by friends for sending them chocolates from my family's shop. I've been thanked by my family for gathering honest customer feedback about their shop.
Hmm...what else. I've been thanked for sharing workout routines. I've been thanked for sharing running tips, teaching people how to swim, and for organizing outings with friends. I've also been thanked for saying thank you. This one probably happens most often because of the office environment I work in. It's courteous to say 'thank you' after each interaction and the most common reply is another 'thank you'. Funny how that works.
What Really Makes Me Angry About the World
All righty, I'm doing a blog challenge where I'm given some topics to write about. This is the first one. What makes me angry about the world? Tough for me to answer becuase I'm not an angry person. I guess what gets me is lack of grip strength. It sucks. I'll be lifting weights at the gym and my grip will tire out before the rest of me gets tired. It's especially irritating when going from deadlifts to bent-over barbell rows. My grip is so burned out after deadlifting that there's no gas left in my fingers or forearms to even hold onto the bar anymore. I can barely do a barbell row. And then pullups?? Forget that! I'd probably flop to the floor if I even tried. How am I supposed to get a stronger back when I struggle to hold what should be a light weight? And how am I supposed to have a firm handshake when I can barely squeeze a ripe avocado? Lack of grip strength...it's a curse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)