Why?

Note: If you get easily offended, don't read on. As this blog is also for rambling, I'm rambling about current affairs that I'm frustrated with. If you disagree, that's fine, just don't be rude about it and we'll all get along just fine. I'm always open for a healthy and civilised debate. 

I don’t understand violence towards others. Which makes this whole North Korea attacking America all the more ridiculous. Why? 

What purpose does it serve? What purpose does any attack on any country or person for that matter serve?

I’m beginning to wonder if it’s all about penis size comparison. My dick is bigger than yours thing. They’re using weapons of mass destruction instead of fancy sports cars. 

Tell me I’m wrong please? 

History has shown us that wars and fighting don’t lead to anything good. People only suffer. Generations suffer. 

The Holocaust happened over seventy years ago and people are still recovering. Heaven forbid anything similar should repeat.

Iraq and Afghanistan are going to suffer the effects of American invasion for years. What did the last 10 years serve? Did anyone’s life get better?

All the bombings on Westerners, in London, Bali, America and India and many others, are they making a difference to improving this world? 

Does North Korea really want to attack the US and then get bombed like Hiroshima? 

I’m sorry if I can’t fathom this in my tiny brain but I just don’t see the point of any sort of violence against anyone. I’m a person who doesn’t hold grudges and I easily forgive. I’ve had many wrongs done against me but I don’t hate these people. I feel sorry for them that they have to go around hurting others to make themselves feel better. That’s their prerogative. 

While I’m no angel. I’ve had my fair share of nasty in my life, not as nasty as some but nasty enough to dislike myself for it. Life has taught me that nothing is black and white or right and wrong. There’s a whole grey area that needs to be considered. 

It’s not about being gullible, gutless or walked all over. It’s about adjusting your way of thinking and realising that the world does not revolve around you. 

You are one in billions trying to make a decent life for yourself and your loved ones. You possess the same basic needs to eat, shit, sleep, have shelter and be loved. We all have that in common.

The rest, well the rest makes the world a colourful place. 

If you don’t like someone, stop bitching and just don’t associate with them.

If you don’t like another person’s country or culture, don’t visit or move there.

If you don’t like the politics of your boss, don’t work with them. 

If you don’t like what you read, pick up a different book or magazine. 

If you don’t like your neighbours religion, respect it but don’t practice it. 

Charles R. Swindall said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. If you’re having a bad day, make it better instead of making someone else’s worse. 

Yes, we all have a right to our own opinion but so does the person sitting next to us. So if having a civilized discussion is not your forte then choose a different pastime. 

It’s time the world grew up. It’s time we all grew up and took responsibility instead of blaming and attacking those around us. 

Slow Starts

I’m editing. At least I’ve started. 

The aim: short, snappy chapters of no more than three or four pages. 

Why?

Well, I’ve been reading a bit of James Patterson lately. And well, Mr Patterson is a master at his craft. He’s sold millions of books and is still going strong. His books are thick but the chapters are quick and each one leaves you hanging for more. 

The thing is, this editing gig is harder than I thought. I was aiming high wanting to edit 3-4 chapters each day. With full time job and a ton of other stuff on my plate that’s a huge ask.

Instead, I was sitting or lying in bed with the printed pages and a red biro, crossing out lots of text, putting in new stuff and rearranging the old, while my eyes were closing and I was drifting off to sleep by 9pm. Tired is an understatement. 

I’ve been working on the first six chapters for a week and a half now. They are still not where I want them to be. They’re certainly better than the original draft but a ton of work ahead remains. 

So, instead of suffering over six chapters I’m just going to keep going. If they’re 80% ok then I’m happy with that. The other 20% or so can be fixed once the entire novel gets a makeover and is 80% ready to go. 

This editing process is going to take a bit longer than anticipated. Maybe much longer. But if I stop putting pressure on myself and just move slowly from chapter to chapter, it could be fun. After all, it is my book. I can cut, reshape, edit and rewrite, put scenes in and take characters out wherever I like. 

Just one of the benefits of being a writer.

Wordless Wednesday

loving sunny days at the beach

Thou must edit...and edit again

Edit, thou must edit. 

I admit. Editing is not my forte. It’s probably my weakest point. 

Unfortunately, becoming a good writer without editing is like getting into the Olympics without training. 

You’re laughing. So am I. 

It just ain’t gonna happen. 

I’ve written over a million words over the past ten years. Probably three times that in the past twenty. 

I haven’t edited even 10% of those. 

How am I supposed to get better?

This year, I’m working on editing my writing. Rewriting. Posting on blogs. Sending queries to magazines. Reworking the novels I’ve started and stopped. I’ve got about three in my ‘Work in Progress’ folder. 

Photography Course

I bought a new camera recently.

The Nikon D5200.

I love it.

However, I'm not the most tech savvy person out there so my friend and I decided to do a quick photo course to at least get some basics down pat.

It was awesome.

In four hours, I realised using a fancy digital camera wasn't as complicated as I first thought.

I highly recommend Froggy Studios on the Gold Coast. They also do courses in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Here are some of the pics from the day.

Lethal Disposal

How do you know you’ve got a good story?

Sometimes I get these ideas. A sentence pops into my mind. A character. A theme. A scene. A short description. I think, yeah this could be fun to write about. I start writing. One page. One chapter. I get to 20,000 or 30,000 words and I stop cold in my tracks. 

What am I doing? This completely sucks. I put the manuscript to the side, mope for a couple of weeks and start on a different project. 

Frustrating or what?

Well, not this time. I managed to finish a 90,000 word manuscript last December. Yep, that’s about a 360 page novel if it went to print. Not that it will, at least not in the condition it’s in today. It sucks. I’m not just saying that because I’m my own harshest critic but because I really know that my first drafts reek of crap. Lots of poor dialogue, scenes that are all over the place and a story line that doesn’t transition smoothly from beginning to end. 

What I have discovered from this 90,000 word manuscript is that the concept isn’t too bad. It’s a high concept idea that could work if it gets reworked. Reworked, rewritten, revised. 

This years that’s the goal. Rewrite and edit the heck out of this manuscript until it’s ready for someone else to lay their eyes on it. 

I’m not starting any new projects - at least nothing novel length wise this year. Lethal Disposal (the only working title I could come up with) is going to get pruned and preened and before the year is out, I’m going to get a second opinion before chucking it in the trash. 

Moving Past the Wall

I’ve been facing a block these past couple of months. It’s felt like I’ve been standing in front of a wall with no doorway to the other side. The other side being my creativity. Instead there’s been an emptiness where the passion was. 

Some might call it burn out, I’ll call it laziness and being stuck in a writing rut. 

I’m not a believer of writer’s block. If you want to write that’s just what you have to do. Write. Sit ass in chair and type away on the Macbook or move the pen over the page, letter after letter, word after word until you build a sentence, then a paragraph and then something magical. 

There’s a gazillion and one topics to discuss and write about that at times it’s easy to lose focus. Too many ideas that don’t come to fruition can do that to you. It’s easy to ask questions - but is it good enough? Will anyone care? Am I going to be laughed at? Ridiculed? 

Sure all those are possible. 

But what if what you write touches someone at the core. Just one person. That’s enough to make what you’ve written worthwhile. Did it make you feel better to get it off your chest? You’ve done yourself a favor. 

Some people play a musical instrument. Others go running. If you’re thing is writing, then that’s what you should do. Just write. You can edit the crap out of it later.

What Do You Believe In?

Religion. It’s one of those taboo dinner table topics. You don’t want to be losing friends and creating conflict between loved ones when you try to tell them that they’re wrong and you’re right when it comes to God. Last night at a friend's place I decided to bite my tongue and keep quiet when I heard a religious individual disrespecting another belief system. But, I couldn't help myself here.

I don’t like that religion is a taboo topic. It just shows that people are incapable of having a mature conversation or debate on the subject which plays a significant role in millions of people’s lives. We all have a right to our opinion but at the same time we should respect the opinion of others and be willing to listen to different perspectives.

Religion is an organised group of people. Sometimes it’s purely spiritual, at other times it’s a business. In the end it’s a personal choice what you choose to believe and whatever that is, as long as it’s centered around love for yourself, for those around you and nature, then you’re free to do as you please.

What irks me the most though is when people feel they have a right to say that one religion is better or worse than another. Or when they start calling nature lovers Satan worshipers. Seriously, it’s time to do some of your own research instead of just sitting listening to some guy make a big spiel in front of hundreds. Just cause he’s up there doesn’t make him right.

Looking back at history most organised religions have gotten a bad rap for a group of people who became fanatical and used religions as a means of war. Think the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages executing women for believing they were witches, or the Islamists during 9/11, or the conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India. Unfortunately, most of this conflict is brought on by ignorance.

I don’t like religion per se. But not liking religion has nothing to do with not believing in a higher power, God, Buddha, Zeus or whatever you call him or her in your corner of this big beautiful globe. I’ve always been under the impression that a person is smart, but people, especially in an organised group become a little bit stupid. By that I mean they stop thinking for themselves. They follow others who are aren’t necessarily right nor is their goal one of goodness. Hence, all the strife that has been caused in the name of religion in the past.

There is one God. He or she comes under many different names. There’s no one right or wrong way in believing in him or her. But there are many methods. It’s one of those things that makes the world a beautiful, colorful and enriching place. Depending on where you were born and how you were raised will depend on your belief system. But it all comes down to one thing: treat others like you want to be treated. If we all followed this simple guideline the world would be in a much better place.

I’ve met people in my life who have completely different belief systems to my own. But the common denominator remains: love & respect. Love & respect for ourselves, love & respect for others, love & respect for our environment.

Do you think religion should be a taboo topic?

If you want to be a writer you need to write. There’s no secret. Sometimes it takes years to pay your dues, sometimes you get lucky. The truth is you won’t stand a chance at getting lucky if you (a) don’t write, and (b) never submit your work anywhere. Simple really.

I think it's time to start following the advice.