Commander, Command Thyself

COMMANDER, COMMAND THYSELF A couple weeks in the past I made some New Years Resolutions, publically, right here at Fantasy Author’s Handbook. So farâ€"an entire 9 days into 2018â€"of these three resolutions, I’ve completely nailed two. I instantly stopped snacking, removed most meat and all processed sugar from my food regimen, and I even have not seemed again. Though I want I could say I immediately felt higher… well… it’s a course of, but a process I’ve begun in earnest. I’ve also read, cowl to cowl, two complete books for pleasure up to now in 2018, placing me a smidge ahead of schedule on my aim of reading, on average, a book per week. Okay, they were quick books, and certainly one of them I can’t say I notably liked, but I read them. I am spending more time reading. So then what of the third and at least equally important resolution? I WILL GET BACK TO WRITING IN So, 2016 sucked. It was a tricky 12 months for my little enterprise for a couple of reasonsâ€"and none of it had anything to do with the election, and so on. It took me the lion’s share of 2017 to dig out of that, but it got here at the expense of my very own writing. And just like I fell into the easy lazy thing with reading, I’ve filled my flagging-due-to-ill-health workday power with work, leaving no time or energy or the psychological will for writing. Well, okay, not no time, per se, however undoubtedly not almost sufficient time. So again to writingâ€"and writing lotsâ€"for me. A few modifications to my business will assist that alongside, however still, that is going to come back all the way down to a selection between TV I’m not really all that enthusiastic about or writing. Advice for writers? Write. It’s the primary principle. How have I accomplished when it comes to writing more in the first week and a half of 2018? Awful. What the hell! Most daysâ€"no writing in any respect. Not acceptable! So what to do? How about taking a few of my very own recommendation? That looks as if a fairly good place to start, so I went back and located this post from August 15 of final yr, my cap to a protracted sequence of posts analyzing Henry Miller’s advice to authors. Reading over these ten commandments once more, I discover I can nonetheless stand behind each last one, 100%. So then, what the hell am I doing not following them? If I can convey ice cream, sweet, and burgers to a complete halt from in the future to the following, and say no to an hour of TV here and there to learn extra, why can’t I take one other hour or so of TV off to write? No purpose. Of course I can. So I’m going to do that: I’m going to use this space not to publically shame myself or somethingâ€"there’s no reason for thatâ€"however to assemble assist, even when solely in my imagination, from the community of different writers out there, many of you additionally, possibly, struggling to get your personal writing back on observeâ€"or on monitor in the first place. Let’s make this an irregular collec tion of posts, updating my work on this decision to put in writing more, taking every of my own “commandments” so as. That means this week, it’s: PHIL’S TEN COMMANDMENTS OF WRITING (AFTER HENRY MILLER) 1. Work on one novel at a time till finished, while also writing the occasional poem, quick story, article, and weekly weblog publish. I know exactly what that novel isâ€"the novel I’ve been ruminating over for, actually, years now. I’ve filled a full notebook with worldbuilding and character notes. I’ve already written a couple of scattered scenes, and the whole thing is a minimum of semi-formed in my head. I know what the theme is. I know who the hero is, and who the villain is, what they want, and what they’re prepared to spend to get it. I have simply sufficient define to get me began. There’s no cause not to dive in and write the rattling thing. So that’s the novel. Blog posts, too? Checkâ€"you’re studying one proper now! Poetry? I promise to put in writing on right now! Short tales? I owe Pro Se two more jungle pulp stories and a minimum of one shall be carried out this month. This is it, Fantasy Author’s Handbookers… I’m writing once more, damn it. Hold me to that! â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans Holding you to it, Phil, and I’ll beta whenever you’re able to rock and roll. Working with you in the course of the WD Worldbuilding class final 12 months was a spotlight for 2017 for me. The novel I was revisingâ€"and from which I drew material for the classâ€"is making the rounds. That means I have to be focusing on revising the second one and worrying much less concerning the one “on the market” and the one which comes next (I may need extra fingernails left that means). I enjoyed your Ten Commandments of Writing collection of posts and need to implement most (all) of them myself. You aren’t alone on this journey. That’ll be me slogging alongside on the path. You know, the one with none fingernails.