S.K. Thomas's Blog, page 2
September 1, 2016
Secret of a Writer
I thought about leaving this page blank. Once you, the reader, had scrolled to the bottom of the page, I would've had a statement like, "Art is never finished, only abandoned" or "there are no secrets because the internet explains them all."
There is really only one secret writers know and this secret has a way of haunting even the most confident. And that my friend is, "Any creative piece exists in a state of uncertainty and is never finished."
Now, the reader has this fantastical scenario all built up within themselves. They imagine a writer passionate to create exactly what our mind's eye tells us to put on the page as it magically conjures up a masterful piece of work and we breathe life into the most mundane. However, for the person that created their piece, it never really feels finished.
"Writing is work--there's no secret. - Sinclair Lewis
It's always a challenge to keep oneself from tinkering, as a writer changes and has edited. We could easily do this until we keel over from exhaustion. Hollywood does this all the time, an alternate ending for a movie, just in case they change their mind or the audience changes it for them. I've even known songwriters to have a song that hits the top of the charts, although, when they listen all they can hear is the mistakes they didn't catch before. All creative individuals suffer from this secret.
So where does it end?
There are times when we simply have to walk away. A writer can tweak anything for as long as humanly possible, but when do you feel finished? If you are a perfectionist, when is it considered perfect? And if a writer has honed their craft for more than a decade or two, how does that person not want to go back and call a do-over on some of their first works they ever created?
We have to get past this obsession. Aim for completion rather than perfection. Release it when you're ready and know it's as complete as it can possibly be. Even after release, try and stay away from it unless there are major issues to rectify.
As a writer, hold on to your sanity and take it all in with a grain of salt, because in the end, the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
You have a thought, let's hear it. Leave a comment.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
There is really only one secret writers know and this secret has a way of haunting even the most confident. And that my friend is, "Any creative piece exists in a state of uncertainty and is never finished."
Now, the reader has this fantastical scenario all built up within themselves. They imagine a writer passionate to create exactly what our mind's eye tells us to put on the page as it magically conjures up a masterful piece of work and we breathe life into the most mundane. However, for the person that created their piece, it never really feels finished.
"Writing is work--there's no secret. - Sinclair Lewis
It's always a challenge to keep oneself from tinkering, as a writer changes and has edited. We could easily do this until we keel over from exhaustion. Hollywood does this all the time, an alternate ending for a movie, just in case they change their mind or the audience changes it for them. I've even known songwriters to have a song that hits the top of the charts, although, when they listen all they can hear is the mistakes they didn't catch before. All creative individuals suffer from this secret.
So where does it end?
There are times when we simply have to walk away. A writer can tweak anything for as long as humanly possible, but when do you feel finished? If you are a perfectionist, when is it considered perfect? And if a writer has honed their craft for more than a decade or two, how does that person not want to go back and call a do-over on some of their first works they ever created?
We have to get past this obsession. Aim for completion rather than perfection. Release it when you're ready and know it's as complete as it can possibly be. Even after release, try and stay away from it unless there are major issues to rectify.
As a writer, hold on to your sanity and take it all in with a grain of salt, because in the end, the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
You have a thought, let's hear it. Leave a comment.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
August 25, 2016
Digital Age
Angela Maiers said it best: Writing is something you live, and it doesn't matter how you get it written as long as it gets done.
I came to the realization, in this day and age, how spoiled we truly are. We live in a digital age where everything is instantaneous. Life moves at an expeditious rate.
Imagine, for a moment, those authors who paved the way before us on their trusty typewriters. And then imagine as we receive our manuscript back from an editor with all those bright red marks we accumulate during a typical editing session. I’ll do one even better, go back even before whiteout was invented. No wonder the suicide rate for those authors who came before us was at an astronomical rate, as they were secluded away from civilization or drank themselves into an early grave.
Now, in this digital age, we can switch paragraphs around and add an excerpt to our liking with a simple cut, copy & paste technique. A quick click of a delete button can remove errors as we navigate any written obstacle with ease.
We are so very privileged to connect with other authors and writers any time we want thanks to many forms of technology. Writer Cory Doctorow once said: The single worst piece of writing advice I ever got was to stay away from the Internet because it would only waste my time and wouldn't help my writing. This advice was wrong creatively, professionally, artistically, and personally.
Our words, are our power; the stories we tell and how we tell them will define our place in the digital age.
Simply post a comment to start a conversation.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.
I came to the realization, in this day and age, how spoiled we truly are. We live in a digital age where everything is instantaneous. Life moves at an expeditious rate.
Imagine, for a moment, those authors who paved the way before us on their trusty typewriters. And then imagine as we receive our manuscript back from an editor with all those bright red marks we accumulate during a typical editing session. I’ll do one even better, go back even before whiteout was invented. No wonder the suicide rate for those authors who came before us was at an astronomical rate, as they were secluded away from civilization or drank themselves into an early grave.
Now, in this digital age, we can switch paragraphs around and add an excerpt to our liking with a simple cut, copy & paste technique. A quick click of a delete button can remove errors as we navigate any written obstacle with ease.
We are so very privileged to connect with other authors and writers any time we want thanks to many forms of technology. Writer Cory Doctorow once said: The single worst piece of writing advice I ever got was to stay away from the Internet because it would only waste my time and wouldn't help my writing. This advice was wrong creatively, professionally, artistically, and personally.
Our words, are our power; the stories we tell and how we tell them will define our place in the digital age.
Simply post a comment to start a conversation.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.
August 18, 2016
Curious Creative Complexity
Happy end of summer to everyone! With back to school and schedule changes once again, I've decided to rerun an older article but it's a goody. Have a great time for those of you who have kids and stay tuned for next week's blog article.
The circuitous definition of complexity is to characterize someone with many parts where those parts interact with each other in a multitude of ways. There is no absolute definition of what complexity means according to Wikipedia. Yes, you read that right, so in other words sky is the limit as far as your curious creative complexity goes as a writer and author.
Creative thinking is influenced by many factors as they come together and intertwine in each one of us. And according to researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "creative people show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."
So what does that mean to all us writers and authors out there creating these intricate story lines and complex characters weaving every detail in and out of each other with mighty taps on our keyboard?
It means you have everything you need within you to be that creative genius you're critical to find. It's all there. That smart and wise side of you that knows where the story is going instinctively and shares the deepest insights with rational, sound judgement. Along with the naive and childish side to make the story interesting and fun with visionary thinking. Creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.
It means, like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos.
As a curious creative complex individual, there is also a painfully self-doubting part of us that wonders if we've captured on paper what we imagine in our minds, if we did it justice and others can connect. This plagues some truly gifted and talented individuals. Yet, there is always a silver lining when one taps into their wildly self-confident side each and every creative individual possesses. Tap in it, be secure in your own creations. Find that excitement and positivity for what you've thrown out into the universe and share with others. Embrace what makes you who you are, a curious creative complex individual.
Simply post a comment to start a conversation.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.
The circuitous definition of complexity is to characterize someone with many parts where those parts interact with each other in a multitude of ways. There is no absolute definition of what complexity means according to Wikipedia. Yes, you read that right, so in other words sky is the limit as far as your curious creative complexity goes as a writer and author.
Creative thinking is influenced by many factors as they come together and intertwine in each one of us. And according to researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "creative people show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."
So what does that mean to all us writers and authors out there creating these intricate story lines and complex characters weaving every detail in and out of each other with mighty taps on our keyboard?
It means you have everything you need within you to be that creative genius you're critical to find. It's all there. That smart and wise side of you that knows where the story is going instinctively and shares the deepest insights with rational, sound judgement. Along with the naive and childish side to make the story interesting and fun with visionary thinking. Creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.
It means, like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos.
As a curious creative complex individual, there is also a painfully self-doubting part of us that wonders if we've captured on paper what we imagine in our minds, if we did it justice and others can connect. This plagues some truly gifted and talented individuals. Yet, there is always a silver lining when one taps into their wildly self-confident side each and every creative individual possesses. Tap in it, be secure in your own creations. Find that excitement and positivity for what you've thrown out into the universe and share with others. Embrace what makes you who you are, a curious creative complex individual.
Simply post a comment to start a conversation.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.
August 11, 2016
Guest Spotlight: The Curse of Being Different by Ksenia Anske
The first stories I wrote, I wrote in my head. I was five, maybe six. At the time I didn’t know that’s what it was called, “writing stories.” I was escaping reality. Writing pulled me back from the dead. I wanted to kill myself, one foot in the grave, gazing in, longingly, but my therapist said, “No. Don’t do it. Write.” So I did, and that unlocked something, something that soon became a torrent. Writing became my lifeline. Therapy is what writing is to me. Dark beginnings to happiness. Can you call it a career? I don’t know. I call it life.
So without further ado, I present:
The Curse of Being Different by Ksenia Anske
The more I read, the more I meet with other writers and talk, the more I realize that what I write is so different from what I see written around me today, that it makes me want to weep from terrible loneliness. I'd like to relate to someone, anyone, talk the same language, but my writing process is so strange (rewriting each draft from scratch every time, anyone?), my reading tastes so bizarre (Russian novels but in English, books written by writers long dead, absurdist stories of all kinds), my pastime so devoid of typical daily activities (I don't read news, I don't watch TV, I don't go anywhere, I don't party), and my business practice so against everything that's sane and practical (giving e-books away for free, not checking my sales, not aware of any numbers for that matter), that even among other writers I often feel like an outsider.
There are moments of doubt that grip me so hard, I think I will break. I have come across only one personal story that assured me that it's okay to be me. There are others like me. I read this Haruki Murakami interview by the Paris Review and I felt relief. Murakami said that he's a loner, he doesn't belong to any writing groups, he doesn't go anywhere, he doesn't see people, he gets up every morning very early at the same time, goes for a run, then comes back and writes. It sounded exactly like my days, except I write as soon as I wake up and do yoga before bed.
Illustration by Henn Kim
When I doubt myself, I wish I had someone to talk to about this, not just a friend, but another writer who is like me and who can tell me I'm okay. I'm fine. What I do is perfectly normal. For me. I don't have to change. To adapt. I can keep being me, because if not, who else is there for me to be? No one. Me is all I have.
And so when feel terribly lonely like this, I write to you, my readers. You tell me it's all perfectly fine, I'm good, I'm okay, and I get a little bit better. But I still miss it, this connection, this friendship, and who knows, maybe I'll never find it. I see it online here and there, writers meeting, writers critiquing each other, writers sharing things that only they understand, and I sometimes try to enter such conversations, but I often don't get what they're talking about and say the wrong things, so I stopped doing it. I also understood that although social media is free for all, it doesn't mean that I'm invited anywhere I want. I try to join sometimes out of desperation, and it reeks too much of high school, you know, that annoying girl who stops by a gaggle of friends and says something totally off the wall and smiles, waiting for someone to say something, and everyone is quiet, string at her, thinking, "Go away. Stop making a fool of yourself. Can't you see we don't want you?"
I tried it all. I tried several writing groups. They were too slow for me. I tried meeting with writers for lunches. We had nothing to talk about. In my four years of writing I had only three encounters when I felt like our souls joined in a song, but in one case the meeting was a chance one, and the writer is like me, a loner, so scheduling something is difficult. In another case the writer is so busy that we get to meet very rarely, though I treasure every time. And in the third case I have more hope, I get to see my writing mentor at least once every few months, maybe more often. Still. It's not enough.
What is this? I don't remember having this need a few years ago. It seems to me I'm going through some kind of breakdown lately? I don't know. But I'm suddenly doubting everything, my book ideas, my writing process, everything. And I need someone's hand to hold mine, and I guess there isn't one.
The problem here is, I'm not a commercial writer. I mean commercial in the sense of traditionally published and selling author who is able to live off of writing alone. I haven't gone through the rigorous process of making a book ready for publishing. That's why many people call my stories raw. They are raw. They are half-baked. On top of it, I have never formally studied writing. And on top of it all I have never formally studied English, just took classes to pass TOEFL and then later some classes in college, that's all. So I'm like wild grass that's stubbornly trying to push through a layer of asphalt that's sitting on its way to the sun. I push and push and push, not knowing writing techniques they teach you, character development, plotting, world building, writing for a particular audience. Damn, I don't even know the proper terms to describe to you what I'm missing! I'm a wild offshoot trying to make it in the world where wild offshoots get picked off like weed. They're unsightly, loud, uncomfortable, they get in the way.
I guess there must be others like me out there, there must be, we just have to find each other. So I try. I try once in a while to pick up an indie book and almost every time I put it down after reading a few pages. They don't teach me anything new. Worse. I can see things that should've been edited and I can't keep reading. You often suggest me indie books like mine, but I don't read the kinds of books I write, I read very different books. My tastes are strange and very specific. Often I can't find what I'm looking for in the indie pool so I read traditional. Once in a while I'll try to find my kind of indie book again, but the amount of time I spent looking for it exhausts me. That's the roadblock we have as readers. How do we find excellent indie books? Where are they? There is no filtering mechanism except awards and reviews by readers, and there are usually not many to make a book noticed. I once tried reading indie books from bestselling Amazon lists and the like, and I again couldn't read them. Not my themes, not my stories. It's like a dark road with a dead end. (If I ever find a solution to this problem, I'll tell you. Or if you have found a solution, please share. I'd love to know where to look.)
I'll keep moving forward, of course. I have no other choice. In that I have a great privilege of being financially supported by my partner. Royce, without you none of this would've been possible. If I didn't have money to live on, I wouldn't of been able to write my books just the way I want to write them.
Where does this all leave me? With my stories. When I'm lonely, I dive into my stories. They keep me sane. They make me happy. So I'll keep chipping away, chipping away, stubbornly, hoping one day I'll break through and see the sun and bloom.
I love you.
To find out more about Ksenia Anske, follow this link for her books and other information: http://www.kseniaanske.com
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
So without further ado, I present:
The Curse of Being Different by Ksenia Anske
The more I read, the more I meet with other writers and talk, the more I realize that what I write is so different from what I see written around me today, that it makes me want to weep from terrible loneliness. I'd like to relate to someone, anyone, talk the same language, but my writing process is so strange (rewriting each draft from scratch every time, anyone?), my reading tastes so bizarre (Russian novels but in English, books written by writers long dead, absurdist stories of all kinds), my pastime so devoid of typical daily activities (I don't read news, I don't watch TV, I don't go anywhere, I don't party), and my business practice so against everything that's sane and practical (giving e-books away for free, not checking my sales, not aware of any numbers for that matter), that even among other writers I often feel like an outsider.
There are moments of doubt that grip me so hard, I think I will break. I have come across only one personal story that assured me that it's okay to be me. There are others like me. I read this Haruki Murakami interview by the Paris Review and I felt relief. Murakami said that he's a loner, he doesn't belong to any writing groups, he doesn't go anywhere, he doesn't see people, he gets up every morning very early at the same time, goes for a run, then comes back and writes. It sounded exactly like my days, except I write as soon as I wake up and do yoga before bed.
Illustration by Henn Kim
When I doubt myself, I wish I had someone to talk to about this, not just a friend, but another writer who is like me and who can tell me I'm okay. I'm fine. What I do is perfectly normal. For me. I don't have to change. To adapt. I can keep being me, because if not, who else is there for me to be? No one. Me is all I have.
And so when feel terribly lonely like this, I write to you, my readers. You tell me it's all perfectly fine, I'm good, I'm okay, and I get a little bit better. But I still miss it, this connection, this friendship, and who knows, maybe I'll never find it. I see it online here and there, writers meeting, writers critiquing each other, writers sharing things that only they understand, and I sometimes try to enter such conversations, but I often don't get what they're talking about and say the wrong things, so I stopped doing it. I also understood that although social media is free for all, it doesn't mean that I'm invited anywhere I want. I try to join sometimes out of desperation, and it reeks too much of high school, you know, that annoying girl who stops by a gaggle of friends and says something totally off the wall and smiles, waiting for someone to say something, and everyone is quiet, string at her, thinking, "Go away. Stop making a fool of yourself. Can't you see we don't want you?"
I tried it all. I tried several writing groups. They were too slow for me. I tried meeting with writers for lunches. We had nothing to talk about. In my four years of writing I had only three encounters when I felt like our souls joined in a song, but in one case the meeting was a chance one, and the writer is like me, a loner, so scheduling something is difficult. In another case the writer is so busy that we get to meet very rarely, though I treasure every time. And in the third case I have more hope, I get to see my writing mentor at least once every few months, maybe more often. Still. It's not enough.
What is this? I don't remember having this need a few years ago. It seems to me I'm going through some kind of breakdown lately? I don't know. But I'm suddenly doubting everything, my book ideas, my writing process, everything. And I need someone's hand to hold mine, and I guess there isn't one.
The problem here is, I'm not a commercial writer. I mean commercial in the sense of traditionally published and selling author who is able to live off of writing alone. I haven't gone through the rigorous process of making a book ready for publishing. That's why many people call my stories raw. They are raw. They are half-baked. On top of it, I have never formally studied writing. And on top of it all I have never formally studied English, just took classes to pass TOEFL and then later some classes in college, that's all. So I'm like wild grass that's stubbornly trying to push through a layer of asphalt that's sitting on its way to the sun. I push and push and push, not knowing writing techniques they teach you, character development, plotting, world building, writing for a particular audience. Damn, I don't even know the proper terms to describe to you what I'm missing! I'm a wild offshoot trying to make it in the world where wild offshoots get picked off like weed. They're unsightly, loud, uncomfortable, they get in the way.
I guess there must be others like me out there, there must be, we just have to find each other. So I try. I try once in a while to pick up an indie book and almost every time I put it down after reading a few pages. They don't teach me anything new. Worse. I can see things that should've been edited and I can't keep reading. You often suggest me indie books like mine, but I don't read the kinds of books I write, I read very different books. My tastes are strange and very specific. Often I can't find what I'm looking for in the indie pool so I read traditional. Once in a while I'll try to find my kind of indie book again, but the amount of time I spent looking for it exhausts me. That's the roadblock we have as readers. How do we find excellent indie books? Where are they? There is no filtering mechanism except awards and reviews by readers, and there are usually not many to make a book noticed. I once tried reading indie books from bestselling Amazon lists and the like, and I again couldn't read them. Not my themes, not my stories. It's like a dark road with a dead end. (If I ever find a solution to this problem, I'll tell you. Or if you have found a solution, please share. I'd love to know where to look.)
I'll keep moving forward, of course. I have no other choice. In that I have a great privilege of being financially supported by my partner. Royce, without you none of this would've been possible. If I didn't have money to live on, I wouldn't of been able to write my books just the way I want to write them.
Where does this all leave me? With my stories. When I'm lonely, I dive into my stories. They keep me sane. They make me happy. So I'll keep chipping away, chipping away, stubbornly, hoping one day I'll break through and see the sun and bloom.
I love you.
To find out more about Ksenia Anske, follow this link for her books and other information: http://www.kseniaanske.com
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
August 4, 2016
Feel the Love
Last week, Michael Hebler had a great guest article about how not to drown your passion. But what if you give yourself time to do other things and that passion is still waning? How do you stay motivated to keep moving forward?
This writer field as it is has us all saying, "I want to know what love is, for our creativity." To feel the love from others can be few and far between even with support from peers.
The secret: writing itself is not hard. It takes practice, time to hone skills and being open to learning curves. But the hardest part is to hold on to motivation that gave you the ability to start in the first place. This passion that burnt so strong in the beginning before the trials by fire came and then left nothing but embers. It's then the symbolic 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' takes place and when a writer finds the strength to keep progressing.
We can get so focused on the task at hand, we forget the big picture. There are times imploring us to take a breath, stop for a moment and think things over. To remember why we started this in the first place and read between the lines, if you will.
There's nowhere to hide to experience only the good in writing. If only that were true. In life as in writing, there's pros and cons to any adventure. We must learn from the hard times as well as the overall celebratory times. A lot of attention is spent on supporting indie authors, but honestly, we should support any writer or author in our industry. It doesn't matter how far along an author is or if just beginning, every person still needs support and a helping hand. It is of utmost importance to support and give any help we can for each other as we are on this tour together.
I've never felt competition from any other writers: solely respect, kindness and yes, love. In the end, if a writer is truly meant to write then the fun and love of writing will be found again.
Any thoughts on the topic? Comment below for your voice to be heard.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
This writer field as it is has us all saying, "I want to know what love is, for our creativity." To feel the love from others can be few and far between even with support from peers.
The secret: writing itself is not hard. It takes practice, time to hone skills and being open to learning curves. But the hardest part is to hold on to motivation that gave you the ability to start in the first place. This passion that burnt so strong in the beginning before the trials by fire came and then left nothing but embers. It's then the symbolic 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' takes place and when a writer finds the strength to keep progressing.
We can get so focused on the task at hand, we forget the big picture. There are times imploring us to take a breath, stop for a moment and think things over. To remember why we started this in the first place and read between the lines, if you will.
There's nowhere to hide to experience only the good in writing. If only that were true. In life as in writing, there's pros and cons to any adventure. We must learn from the hard times as well as the overall celebratory times. A lot of attention is spent on supporting indie authors, but honestly, we should support any writer or author in our industry. It doesn't matter how far along an author is or if just beginning, every person still needs support and a helping hand. It is of utmost importance to support and give any help we can for each other as we are on this tour together.
I've never felt competition from any other writers: solely respect, kindness and yes, love. In the end, if a writer is truly meant to write then the fun and love of writing will be found again.
Any thoughts on the topic? Comment below for your voice to be heard.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
July 28, 2016
Guest Spotlight: Drowning My Passion by Michael Hebler
My guest blogger this week is Michael Hebler. Life wasn't always about the written page. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Michael had a career as a international film publicist, working on multiple titles for Walt Disney, Pixar, Lionsgate, Lakeshore Entertainment, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, as well as the 2013 Academy Award® Best Foreign Language film, "La grande bellezza" (The Great Beauty). Sounds exciting, right? Currently, in his spare time, Michael also enjoys volunteering in his local community.
So without further ado, I present:
Drowning My Passion by Michael Hebler
I am no longer a “full-time” author, and admittedly, I’m relieved. Lately, I have been losing the passion as a writer, so I decided to get a job as an event coordinator, something I love to do almost as much as writing when writing was exciting to me. Something about the organization, energy, and the inspiration or enjoyment that people walk away with fulfills what writing cannot. Perhaps it’s a left-brain/right-brain thing.
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, I aided in organizing junkets and red carpet events as a film publicist. Today, I organize monthly symposiums for a popular real estate and financial education company. Just this last weekend, I sat in as a student on a 3-day basic training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company I work for required that I get an idea of where our students came from before they signed on to be our students at symposiums. I found the information taught at the event so powerful that many times I forgot I was there to learn as an employee and I actually focused on learning as a “real” student.
After that weekend, and after I had been bitten by the real estate bug, my mind became flooded with new story ideas and my passion for writing returned. When writing, I spend a lot of time at home. I rarely visit with friends or family or do anything social because I’m afraid I would be “wasting time” when time could have been better spent writing (in case you didn’t know, writing a book is a looooong process). Ultimately, when I attended my company’s event, I had been forced to step away, have my eyes open, and gave my imagination a rest. I never realized I had been drowning my creativity by not allowing it to breathe for more than a couple of moments.
To writers, non-writers, investors, hourly, salary, artists, astronauts… if you were like me, just exhausted by something you had once been passionate about or think of a hobby as more of a hassle, give yourself the time to step away. Try doing something that would take approximately three days to a week. Don’t drown your passions as I had. They need to breathe, otherwise, they could die.
To date, Michael's publications include the first four (of six) books in his Chupacabra Series: NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA, CURSE OF THE CHUPACABRA, LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA, and DAWN OF THE CHUPACABRA, a couple of short stories, as well as his first publication, THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS, a holiday picture book for believers of any age.
Find more about him & direct links to his books at:
http://www.michaelhebler.com/
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
So without further ado, I present:
Drowning My Passion by Michael Hebler
I am no longer a “full-time” author, and admittedly, I’m relieved. Lately, I have been losing the passion as a writer, so I decided to get a job as an event coordinator, something I love to do almost as much as writing when writing was exciting to me. Something about the organization, energy, and the inspiration or enjoyment that people walk away with fulfills what writing cannot. Perhaps it’s a left-brain/right-brain thing.
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, I aided in organizing junkets and red carpet events as a film publicist. Today, I organize monthly symposiums for a popular real estate and financial education company. Just this last weekend, I sat in as a student on a 3-day basic training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company I work for required that I get an idea of where our students came from before they signed on to be our students at symposiums. I found the information taught at the event so powerful that many times I forgot I was there to learn as an employee and I actually focused on learning as a “real” student.
After that weekend, and after I had been bitten by the real estate bug, my mind became flooded with new story ideas and my passion for writing returned. When writing, I spend a lot of time at home. I rarely visit with friends or family or do anything social because I’m afraid I would be “wasting time” when time could have been better spent writing (in case you didn’t know, writing a book is a looooong process). Ultimately, when I attended my company’s event, I had been forced to step away, have my eyes open, and gave my imagination a rest. I never realized I had been drowning my creativity by not allowing it to breathe for more than a couple of moments.
To writers, non-writers, investors, hourly, salary, artists, astronauts… if you were like me, just exhausted by something you had once been passionate about or think of a hobby as more of a hassle, give yourself the time to step away. Try doing something that would take approximately three days to a week. Don’t drown your passions as I had. They need to breathe, otherwise, they could die.
To date, Michael's publications include the first four (of six) books in his Chupacabra Series: NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA, CURSE OF THE CHUPACABRA, LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA, and DAWN OF THE CHUPACABRA, a couple of short stories, as well as his first publication, THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS, a holiday picture book for believers of any age.
Find more about him & direct links to his books at:
http://www.michaelhebler.com/
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
July 21, 2016
Summer Dreamin'
Summer Dreamin'. Most assuredly in life, one thing will lead to another and one can never be sure where it will take them.
Summer rages on. The kids are out of school and more activities start to happen around the house at all hours of the day. Days are longer, so more time is spent outdoors for most and translates to writing lags. As summer progresses and temperatures soar, procrastination sets in or a vacation gets in the way of allotted writing time.
So, when you aren't able to get work done or insistently let the summer spirit bring on procrastination...do you dream of writing? After all, Eugene Ionesco stated, a writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.
There is an old adage that being busy does not always mean productivity and this adage is never more apparent than during the summer. It's of major importance to enjoy this time with friends, family and kids during these summer months, when more people are willing to slow down and spend more time at play. But, can you relax or do you dream of writing?
When I'm not able to write for a while, I dream about it. I dream as far as my imagination will take me. I think about the greatest outcomes, my wildest dreams. I dream beyond what I've already done. You get what you expect from life.
I am realistic and do know the history of most writers, but there's this childlike quality in me that cannot be quelled as I know and believe that anyone can create or dream up whatever they would like and make it a reality.
I will leave you with this great quote for thought:
All men and women who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. -
Orison Swett Marden
What do you think? Leave a comment.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
Summer rages on. The kids are out of school and more activities start to happen around the house at all hours of the day. Days are longer, so more time is spent outdoors for most and translates to writing lags. As summer progresses and temperatures soar, procrastination sets in or a vacation gets in the way of allotted writing time.
So, when you aren't able to get work done or insistently let the summer spirit bring on procrastination...do you dream of writing? After all, Eugene Ionesco stated, a writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.
There is an old adage that being busy does not always mean productivity and this adage is never more apparent than during the summer. It's of major importance to enjoy this time with friends, family and kids during these summer months, when more people are willing to slow down and spend more time at play. But, can you relax or do you dream of writing?
When I'm not able to write for a while, I dream about it. I dream as far as my imagination will take me. I think about the greatest outcomes, my wildest dreams. I dream beyond what I've already done. You get what you expect from life.
I am realistic and do know the history of most writers, but there's this childlike quality in me that cannot be quelled as I know and believe that anyone can create or dream up whatever they would like and make it a reality.
I will leave you with this great quote for thought:
All men and women who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. -
Orison Swett Marden
What do you think? Leave a comment.
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
July 14, 2016
Guest Spotlight: Writing Nothing On Nothing by Suri Ben Noah
Suri Ben Noah is our guest blogger today. He calls himself a not so creative writer, non-poet, blogger and novelist.
He is based in Madras Tamil Nadu, India who has been writing verse since the age of 12 and has a portfolio of creative work spanning over 2000 poems, 100 short stories and 3 novels as well as a book on philosophy.
So without further ado, I present:
Writing Nothing On Nothing by Suri Ben Noah
I was once motivated by Charles Bukowski -
whom I admire for writing fearlessly;
to attempt writing about nothing
for it is almost impossible to write about nothing.
What is this nothing that he talks about?
Didn’t he get his daily ration of stout?
Though I can stay without writing anything
I just can’t write on a theme of “Nothing”
But Bukowski has challenged
My thoughts have now come unhinged
for nothing begets nothing
and writing is all about thinking something
Thinking crazy thoughts may be
but yet thinking like the restless sea
Though I would like to stop thinking
and float effortlessly in a sea of nothing
I am happy to write nothing you can read
So I shall bring you up to speed
In my case, nothing does beget something
For it has given me this verse I’m a writing
Stilling the mind and thinking nothing leads to nirvana
While in my lingo wearing nothing is also nirvana
So nothing is the most important of anything
Therefore let us today think nothing about nothing.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
You can also connect with Suri on
Googleplus: https://plus.google.com/+SuriBenNoahc...
~AND~
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/OFF-BEAT-COLLE...
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
He is based in Madras Tamil Nadu, India who has been writing verse since the age of 12 and has a portfolio of creative work spanning over 2000 poems, 100 short stories and 3 novels as well as a book on philosophy.
So without further ado, I present:
Writing Nothing On Nothing by Suri Ben Noah
I was once motivated by Charles Bukowski -
whom I admire for writing fearlessly;
to attempt writing about nothing
for it is almost impossible to write about nothing.
What is this nothing that he talks about?
Didn’t he get his daily ration of stout?
Though I can stay without writing anything
I just can’t write on a theme of “Nothing”
But Bukowski has challenged
My thoughts have now come unhinged
for nothing begets nothing
and writing is all about thinking something
Thinking crazy thoughts may be
but yet thinking like the restless sea
Though I would like to stop thinking
and float effortlessly in a sea of nothing
I am happy to write nothing you can read
So I shall bring you up to speed
In my case, nothing does beget something
For it has given me this verse I’m a writing
Stilling the mind and thinking nothing leads to nirvana
While in my lingo wearing nothing is also nirvana
So nothing is the most important of anything
Therefore let us today think nothing about nothing.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
You can also connect with Suri on
Googleplus: https://plus.google.com/+SuriBenNoahc...
~AND~
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/OFF-BEAT-COLLE...
SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog.
Keep in touch with the blogger/author:
Website: http://www.skthomasauthor.com
Twitter: @skthomasauthor
Member of Goodreads, LinkedIn & Google+
July 1, 2016
Bonus Post: This Man
He came unexpectedly in the dimly lit darkness. Charming and self-assured he drew me in with his kind and impassioned way. His voice soothed as it left calm in its wake and rippled onto me like a phantom blanket that provided warmth and peace. Hypnotic, as all else faded away.
This man invaded: my mind fixated, my heart left infatuated and my soul infiltrated. Time moved forward and he was there. He found his way into my heart. Nurture and care were experienced through his patience and teaching. His consistent and unwavering strength proved my trust. The role he plays in life left me wanting to be a better person. My head swirled in the gravity the universe left abound around us.
I was not in control and had to get away. I was confused and scared. I hadn’t been looking for anyone, yet he fell in my lap. I didn’t want to wrap him in my problems, but there he was and I couldn’t resist him. He felt like an old friend, yet I didn’t know him at all. I was adamant he wouldn’t capture my heart.
My eyes and ears fell onto reminders of times shared with him. Pictures of yesterday made me smile. This man left me in a dreamy state as I thought of what was. Love for me was gone long ago until he showed what real love could be. I tried to flee, only to question why I would run. He opened my eyes to so much more than I ever thought possible.
Together, submersed in our secrets and truth, we serve a purpose for one another in a metamorphosed existence.
This man, I can think of no other.
Stay tuned for a new guest blogger on July 14, 2016.
http://www.skthomasauthor.com for all things SK Thomas
This man invaded: my mind fixated, my heart left infatuated and my soul infiltrated. Time moved forward and he was there. He found his way into my heart. Nurture and care were experienced through his patience and teaching. His consistent and unwavering strength proved my trust. The role he plays in life left me wanting to be a better person. My head swirled in the gravity the universe left abound around us.
I was not in control and had to get away. I was confused and scared. I hadn’t been looking for anyone, yet he fell in my lap. I didn’t want to wrap him in my problems, but there he was and I couldn’t resist him. He felt like an old friend, yet I didn’t know him at all. I was adamant he wouldn’t capture my heart.
My eyes and ears fell onto reminders of times shared with him. Pictures of yesterday made me smile. This man left me in a dreamy state as I thought of what was. Love for me was gone long ago until he showed what real love could be. I tried to flee, only to question why I would run. He opened my eyes to so much more than I ever thought possible.
Together, submersed in our secrets and truth, we serve a purpose for one another in a metamorphosed existence.
This man, I can think of no other.
Stay tuned for a new guest blogger on July 14, 2016.
http://www.skthomasauthor.com for all things SK Thomas
June 30, 2016
What Happens When...Your Imaginary Friends Lock You Out
Every so often no inspiration appears. I might have a piece of the puzzle but can't quite click it together to make it whole. Time to take a break?!
We, as creative people, are complex or even 'crazy'. No way around it, so might as well dwell in it. I choose to believe the 'complex' version as I have articles from reputable professionals to prove it.
Writer's Block. Those days or months when the page glares back at you because it's totally white and your mind idles just as blank. Your imaginary friends are holding back and have declared vacation. They hold picket signs and demand some rest. Then the pitter-patter of little feet are heard as they run across the gateway of said imagination right before the slam of the imaginary door rings in your ears. And the finale, the thud of an imaginary deadbolt being slid into place.
Writers discuss, complain and whine about this often. Unlike others, its weird when we don't hear voices. That eerie silence really freaks us out. I had my doubts about this so-called 'writers block' in the past or I refused to give it the attention it deserved. I mean, our imaginary friends don't need to know and what they don't know won't hurt them, right?
When I started my third book, I scribbled all inspiration as it came in little bits over time. Confident I would look back over these notes and see the plot and characters come together without a hitch. To my horror, it was a confusing, jumbled mess. Instead of a great book idea, it seemed to be scribbles of a madman. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to write horror genre with a madman in it. Nor was I planning to make a bomb or threaten the president.
So, now what? Not to worry. These hiatuses are about mental health. Anything to escape for awhile to obtain a fresh perspective. Your imaginary friends are giving you the best gift. Before you know it, they'll be back to feed your imagination with tons of great ideas again as you say, "Already, but I was just gonna..."
But in true creative spirit, you will secretly be thankful
and excited to get on with it.
Leave a comment, voice an opinion and start a conversation.
http://www.skthomasauthor.com for all things SK Thomas
We, as creative people, are complex or even 'crazy'. No way around it, so might as well dwell in it. I choose to believe the 'complex' version as I have articles from reputable professionals to prove it.
Writer's Block. Those days or months when the page glares back at you because it's totally white and your mind idles just as blank. Your imaginary friends are holding back and have declared vacation. They hold picket signs and demand some rest. Then the pitter-patter of little feet are heard as they run across the gateway of said imagination right before the slam of the imaginary door rings in your ears. And the finale, the thud of an imaginary deadbolt being slid into place.
Writers discuss, complain and whine about this often. Unlike others, its weird when we don't hear voices. That eerie silence really freaks us out. I had my doubts about this so-called 'writers block' in the past or I refused to give it the attention it deserved. I mean, our imaginary friends don't need to know and what they don't know won't hurt them, right?
When I started my third book, I scribbled all inspiration as it came in little bits over time. Confident I would look back over these notes and see the plot and characters come together without a hitch. To my horror, it was a confusing, jumbled mess. Instead of a great book idea, it seemed to be scribbles of a madman. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to write horror genre with a madman in it. Nor was I planning to make a bomb or threaten the president.
So, now what? Not to worry. These hiatuses are about mental health. Anything to escape for awhile to obtain a fresh perspective. Your imaginary friends are giving you the best gift. Before you know it, they'll be back to feed your imagination with tons of great ideas again as you say, "Already, but I was just gonna..."
But in true creative spirit, you will secretly be thankful
and excited to get on with it.
Leave a comment, voice an opinion and start a conversation.
http://www.skthomasauthor.com for all things SK Thomas
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