A Non-Expert’s Guide To Writing

Three important lessons for people who are inspiring writers and have never done this before:

  • Get a unique story idea.
  • Plot it out.
  • Research and study the hell out of your topic and genre. 

A fourth lesson would be to stop focusing on all of those and just get to writing something. Anything. Please.

A Non-Expert Guide To Writing

Three important lessons for people who are inspiring writers and have never done this before:

  • Get a unique story idea.
  • Plot it out.
  • Research and study the hell out of your topic and genre.

A fourth lesson would be to stop focusing on all of those and just get to writing something. Anything. Please.

iA Writer

After several free trials, beta tests and tribulations I have chosen iA Writer as my tool to help me create stories I want to tell (not calling myself a writer or author yet).

The software for me had to pass several standards such as:

Cross-platform (Windows, iOS)

Inexpensive

Clean, simple and aesthetically pleasing.

No overwhelming amount of tools that I’ll never use

Mission accomplished.

Stay or Go?

When I noticed recently that the total number of photos stored
on my computer is almost 40,000, it seemed time to do some organizing and pruning. No problem right? Just get rid of the images I don’t want and look for the keepers.

So, what to do with pictures like
the one above? It’s probably not worth saving for the fact that it snows in Houston Texas once every ten years. Or that we only had enough snow to make this cute little guy on the top of our car. Look how cute that baby carrot nose is.

The photo features a brilliant blend of colors and an excellent bokeh and was shot three days before my birthday in 2009 at f/5.6 at 1/500 seconds on my old Nikon D90 with no flash.

Yes, I’ll keep it.

One down, 39,999 to go…

iA Writer

After several free trials, beta tests and tribulations of desktop writing software I have finally decided on my tool of choice. iA Writer helps me take notes and create the stories I want to tell (not
calling myself a writer or author yet).

The criteria I needed:

  • Cross-platform (Windows, iOS)
  • Inexpensive
  • Clean, simple and aesthetically pleasing
  • No overwhelming amount of tools that I’ll never use

Mission accomplished.

on the desktop ^

on the iPad ^

Stay Or Go?

When I noticed recently that the total number of photos stored
on my computer is almost 40,000, it seemed time to do some organizing
and pruning. No problem right? Just get rid of the images I don’t want
and look for the keepers.

So, what to do with pictures like
the one above? It’s probably not worth saving for the fact that it snows
in Houston Texas once every ten years. Or that we only had enough snow
to make this cute little guy on the top of our car. Look how cute that
baby carrot nose is.

The photo features a brilliant blend of
colors and an excellent bokeh and was shot three days before my birthday
in 2009 at f/5.6 at 1/500 seconds on my old Nikon D90 with no flash.

Yes, I’ll keep it.

One down, 39,999 to go…

image

Photo Archeology

My very first digital photograph back in November 2001.

When I was away at college I borrowed my father’s Olympus C2100. I loved the zoom and bokeh it produced. This had helped solidify my photography enthusiasm.

I discovered this when sorting through the archives and organizing the digital assets (DAM). Yeah, it’s simple, but we all start somewhere.

Photo Archeology

My very first digital photograph back in November 2001.

When
I was away at college I borrowed my father’s Olympus C2100. I loved the
zoom and bokeh it produced. This had helped solidify my photography
enthusiasm.

I discovered this when sorting through the archives
and organizing the digital assets (DAM). Yeah, it’s simple,  but we all
start somewhere.

Website | VSCO | Smugmug | EyeEm | Flickr | YouTube

8/8 GHR Check-in

Time to evaluate my progress for my Groundhog Resolutions, the 10th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that right after the end of the year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan and start on 2/2 instead of 1/1.

I’ll check back in on myself on 9/9

Fun-

Get another tattoo: Coming soon

More camping: It’s hot y’all. And the last attempt was off asphalt and sand dunes. Fall cant get here fat enough.

50 Books a year challenge: Up to 25. Halfway! Time to hit those books because…winter is coming.

Fitness-

Kickboxing: Tae Bo for the win

Yoga: Daily practice early in the morning really helps here

More 5 & 10k obstacle course racing: See above. It’s hot.

Consistent training: Dropping Planet Fitness in favor of a new gym here called Vasa. More amenities to keep my body interested in going to begin with. 

Consistent nutritional training: Work
in progress. I’ve dropped soda pop and going with water, soda water and/or beer. Less eating out too. Small victories.

Hashing:

Waiting on cooler. Got called out by Tulsa Hash House Harriers Mismanagement for it too. Will be paying for it when I’m back on trail.

Hiking: Taken
more than a few hikes this year and explored familiar and new trails.

Geocaching: Discovered a couple of quick park and grabs in some interesting places. 

Meditation: More and more necessary. My brain is so scattered with everything I want to do. This helps center me.

Creative-

Complete my book: I discovered some very interesting facts about the Khmer empire recently that will be crucial to my understanding and telling. Also coming up with more random ideas for stories. probably short stories all of them but eh. We’ll see. 

Photo essay on a topic I am passionate about: Currently shooting the Tulsa, After Dark series. Humans of Tulsa (HOT) is on hold. Haven’t been going out as much. Need to change this soon to keep the project going. 

Video log every month: Fail. Lack of interesting dialogue, forgetfulness.

Leave inspirational notes everywhere: Doing this at home in sneaky places for people to find is fun. Need to go public.

Year in photos album: 2017 is just there, waiting on me. Cannot wait to see what 2018 memories I’ll have at the EOY.

Shoot more film: Buy more film. Ain’t cheap!

Find my muse: Found her. Now how to use her?

DAM: Failing. This MUST change. A new camera can help me here with different file formats. I will discipline myself with this fresh start. But the previous decades of work? Overwhelming.

8/8 GHR Check-In

Time to evaluate my progress for my Groundhog Resolutions, the 10th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that right after the end of the year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan and start on 2/2 instead of 1/1.

I’ll check back in on myself on 9/9

Fun-

Get another tattoo: Coming soon

More camping: It’s hot y’all. And the last attempt was off asphalt and sand dunes. Fall cant get here fat enough.

50 Books a year challenge:

Up to 25. Halfway! Time to hit those books because…winter is coming.

Fitness-

Kickboxing: Tae Bo for the win

Yoga: Daily practice early in the morning really helps here

More 5 & 10k obstacle course racing: See above. It’s hot.

Consistent training: Dropping
Planet Fitness in favor of a new gym here called Vasa. More amenities
to keep my body interested in going to begin with.  

Consistent nutritional training: Work
in progress. I’ve dropped soda pop and going with water, soda water and/or beer. Less eating out too. Small victories.

Hashing:

Waiting on cooler. Got called out by Tulsa Hash House Harriers
Mismanagement for it too. Will be paying for it when I’m back on trail.

Hiking: Taken
more than a few hikes this year and explored familiar and new trails.

Geocaching: Discovered a couple of quick park and grabs in some interesting places.

Meditation: More and more necessary. My brain is so scattered with everything I want to do. This helps center me.

Creative-

Complete my book: I
discovered some very interesting facts about the Khmer empire recently
that will be crucial to my understanding and telling. Also coming up
with more random ideas for stories. probably short stories all of them
but eh. We’ll see.

Photo essay on a topic I am passionate about: Currently
shooting the Tulsa, After Dark series. Humans of Tulsa (HOT) is on
hold. Haven’t been going out as much. Need to change this soon to keep
the project going.  

Video log every month: Fail. Lack of interesting dialogue, forgetfulness.

Leave inspirational notes everywhere: Doing this at home in sneaky places for people to find is fun. Need to go public.

Year in photos album: 2017 is just there, waiting on me. Cannot wait to see what 2018 memories I’ll have at the EOY.

Shoot more film: Buy more film. Ain’t cheap!

Find my muse: Found her. Now how to use her?

DAM: Failing.
This MUST change. A new camera can help me here with different file
formats. I will discipline myself with this fresh start. But the
previous decades of work? Overwhelming.

image