Christopher Louis's Blog, page 21

Finished

I finished the edit on my second story. It was originally titled Visions of the Mind, but after the blast of inspiration that came over me the other day at work it is now called Pierce the Psyche. I’m giving myself the rest of the night off and tomorrow I will look into sending it off to be proof read.

Inspiration

Some times inspiration comes at the oddest times. During work today I was attempting to help a customer with something when a word on my monitor caught my attention and somehow I knew I needed to do something with it. I jotted it down so I wouldn’t forget and when I was finished with my customer, I looked at the word again and ideas started flowing and I think I found the replacement title for me second story. So what was the word - it was pierce. 

Deadline

I’m making great strides in my editing process. As of yesterday I made it up to chapter 10 (or page 145) in my manuscript. I’m setting myself a goal of getting it completely finished by the end of February. Though with pace I am currently going at it is possible that I will complete it before then, but to be safe I have given myself some extra time. I am definitely thinking it will be best to have someone else proofread it before I submit it to be published. I think I did an okay job last time, but obviously missed a few things. This is an incredible journey I am on and I am learning so much. 

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"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept..."

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh (via thominoz)

Wondering if it might be easier to retype the whole document...

Wondering if it might be easier to retype the whole document instead of attempting to incorporate my edits into the current file.

Got an awesome bow tie for Christmas and just had to wear it to...

Got an awesome bow tie for Christmas and just had to wear it to work today. It took about 40 minutes yesterday to get the steps down to actually tie it. This morning it only took 10 minutes.

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I received a wonderful gift today

I was deeply moved to read two reviews on Amazon regarding my book tonight. The two most recent reviews were positive, yet they also provided some good constructive feedback. The reviewers were moved by my story but noticed that there were some typos in the edit and they each stated they would have given me 5 stars instead of 4 had they not been there. In the past if I had seen that I would have freaked out and beaten myself up over it and probably told myself I was a failure. However, now I see the positive value in their comments. They are not doing it to be mean, they are being helpful and providing me with a wonderful gift. A gift that will help me make my next publishing experience an even better one.

I moved people with my story and if I take a few extra steps in the future, it will help ensure that my stories continue to touch people.

39

Tomorrow is my birthday. It is not just any birthday - it is one of those milestone birthdays; my 40th. I am not unhappy or depressed or fearful about turning 40. It is just a number. I remember as a kid thinking 40 was so old, but the fact is I don’t feel old. Sure, there are times my body aches in places it never used to, but I truly don’t feel old. This past year, my 39th year; I had experiences and made decisions that have made helped me grow creatively, emotionally, and spiritually. This is something that I haven’t experienced in a long time; and I welcomed it wholeheartedly. It just goes to show that we never stop learning, growing, and experiencing new things. So as I approach this milestone birthday I reflect on the many wonderful adventures I had this year and anxiously look forward to what lies ahead of me.