Here we are ten months into the year and I feel like I’m not much further along than I was this time last year. But let’s take a look back and compile my accomplishments.

WORDS WRITTEN

My work in progress (WIP) is still untitled

somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 words written, maybe more

88 emails (ideas) compiled, and that number is growing

Slowly researching a few topics to add some level of logic and truth to my WIP

BOOKS READ

Below is a list of books along with a brief thought or review on my reading experience.

  1. The October Country by Ray Bradbury: A pure joy, couldn’t put it down.
  2. The Left Hand of Darkness by  Ursula K Le Guin: A patient 200 pages before the last 100 pages sucks you into to the relationship of Genly Ai and Estraven.
  3. The Virtues of War by  Steven Pressfield: A visual account of the Man, the Myth and the Legend.
  4. Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation  by John Ehle: A part of American History that is slowly being swept under the rug. Some of the same government tactics are still being used today. A great read filled with a lot of information.
  5. The Origins of Creativity by  Edward O Wilson: Interesting.
  6. Dear Father, Dear Son by Larry Elder: I immediately sent a text to my Dad that read “I Love You”
  7. The Catcher in the Rye by  J.D. Salinger: I understand why it’s a classic, but I don’t agree.
  8. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy: Simple and elegant yet brutally picturesque. I couldn’t put it down. More insight into what makes a man than expected.
  9. The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel:  An interesting read; not what I expected and pleasantly surprised. The tale of a man who knew the world wasn’t for him. The quote Polonios, “To thine own self be true.”
  10. Iron Gold by Pierce Brown: Did this book really need to be written? The original Trilogy was perfect so I came into this very hesitant, although, there is one beautifully stunning chapter involving Romulus au Raa, I teared up.

Now I’m trying to figure out which book to pull from the shelf and read next.

SOURCES/REFERENCES/INSPIRATION

Storm Writing School

Brian Paone

The Elements of Style

Photographic Central

PHOTOGRAPHY

Over the passed several months I’ve been diving deeper into the world of photography. My camera of choice is the Pentax K-01 but I recently purchased the Pentax K-50 for my wife and have had some fun with it. I also have a Canon G10 that is an excellent point and shoot type camera. I’ve also dusted off my Pentax K100D Super for fun and to let the kids have a go at it. I find that it’s nice to have another creative outlet other than writing.

WHAT’S NEXT?

What does the future hold? More of the same as stated above. I’ll continue to work towards writing more and compiling more ideas; both in digital format and the classic pen to paper format. I’ll collect images (written) and decide whether or not they add to the story. More research, always work towards accuracy. I’ll continue to work on fine tuning any skills I have in writing. Write and then submit a short story for publication, hopefully the work will be accepted, if not, hopefully I learn from the experience. Take more pictures. And never stop creating.

If you’re still here, thank you for your time. Get out and create.