Friday the 13th

While searching around the internet for some information on Friday the 13th films I discovered that there aren't any really good Friday the 13th sites out there.  Given the series popularity I would have thought the internet would have plenty of good sites devoted to it.  This really makes me want to create my own Friday the 13th website.  All of the good URL's are taken, of course, but maybe I can come up with something creative.

A Gothic Education

I'm working the late shift today and that means a lot of time to myself.  I like to use this time to work on creative projects such as my burgeoning vampire novel which I am currently calling "Servant of Dracula."  After many months of being stalled on the project I was able to make some headway today.  I think I really needed to get in touch with that part of myself that the story resides in.

Part of getting in touch with the darker side of myself has included time spent at Darkside University.  I didn't get to spend nearly as much time working on the Goth courses there as I would have liked last year.  I especially enjoyed working through the "History 101" course which gives a really good historical timeline of the goth scene, about half of which occurred when I was too little to really participate.  

Although the course is now ended the materials are still available so I have spent a good chunk of my time perusing the articles and videos there.  I often find my fascination for this lifestyle to come and go in waves, just as other aspects of my personality do.  I'm not quite schizophrenic but I'm definitely rootless.  Does that rootlessness contribute to a "gothic" personality?  I don't know but it will always be a part of me and so I will continue to learn more and try to contribute if I can to the goth community.

Failure - An Unguarded Moment of Self Indulgence

I generally pride myself on my ability to hide emotion, even to not feel it at all.  I would prefer to simply exist on pure logic.  Sometimes my mind betrays me though and I find myself crushed in spite of my best intentions.  When it happens I want to turtle up, to never put myself in a place where I will be vulnerable ever again. 

Logic dictates that this is not a plan for life success.  Those who achieve are those who can put themselves out there all the time, who allow themselves to be vulnerable and get hurt.  People who haven't worked as hard or done as much as me pass me by as if I'm standing still because they've done just that.  Why can't I?  Is it impossible for me?  Am I doomed to a life of miserable longing for things I have the power to do but never will out of fear?

Everything in my life contradicts.  Up is down, down is sideways, sideways doesn't even really exist.  It's smoke and mirrors this life is - a carrot tied to a stick held by some cruel rider on my back that will never let me catch what is right in front of me.  The only sensible thing to do is buck the rider off, kick his ass, and take the carrot. 

But this is all feeling, all mindless ranting.  It is to make me feel better and nothing more.  An outlet that somehow isn't enough and won't help but makes me feel like it will.  Damn feelings, damn you.

Sickly

Today I had a lingering headache for most of the day.  This turned into a migraine that made me feel sick at my stomach.  After some rest and some medicine I am feeling somewhat better but drained.  I'm not quite sure what the problem was but I know tension in my back and neck from exercising were a big part of it. 

This is a bit of a blow for me.  I have gotten into pretty decent shape over the past year but nowhere near the musculature of an average male.  For me the act of getting stronger is incredibly difficult and perilous.  It doesn't help that I can't afford enough protein to grow.

All of this brings me back to thinking about my course in life.  I cannot be strong but I can be intelligent.  Although that is what comes to me most naturally I have failed to make the most of it.  Why? 

I think many things get in the way.  Fear, for one.  Fear that my efforts will be wasted, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Romanticism, too, I think.  Sometimes I see things that are below my ability in a romantic light that makes them out to be better than what they are, so I stick with them.

So what do I do?

Writing As A Mission

Sooo, yeah, that whole New Year's resolution to blog more hasn't really gone well so far, has it?  Well, there's still time left in the year.

This week I have been on vacation at Disney World.   Not only was this trip magical for my kids (it was their first time) but it was also inspiring for me.  Writing is a form of magic, much like Walt Disney's preferred medium.  How great would it be to achieve my own dreams and share them with others?  Surely whatever it would take would be worth it.

I was thinking, however, that it is not enough to have dreams or to have hope that they will come true.  One must be driven, must see their dream as a mission.  Only a mission can give me the sense of purpose necessary to see my dreams come true.  Can I change the way I view my writing?  That is what I intend to find out.

Writing Production

I did not win NaNoWrimo once again this year.  This time I was actually going pretty good too.  Unfortunately I got really sick with some kind of upper respiratory thing (a very technical term, I know, but that's what happens when you avoid doctors like they are more of a plague than your actual illness).  It took me most of November just to get to feeling well again.

Even though I didn't make it to 50,000 words I did get a little over 10,000 words done and when I look back on 2013 I realized I actually did a pretty good amount of writing.  I finished a first draft of a fantasy novel I've been working on and got about 1/3 of the way through a first draft of a vampire novel.  Not only that but I've blogged more this year than in 2012.  That's not saying a whole lot but it's still a start.

Still, I want to get better in 2014.  My goal is to get my fantasy novel polished up enough people will want to buy it, get my first draft done of my vampire novel, and write a third novel.  Somewhere in there I would also like to write some short stories and be more consistent on my blog.  I'm thinking one short story a week and one blog post a week would be good.

Reflections on Self

As a new year approaches my thoughts turn towards change and improvement.  This has been a particularly reflective year for me.  Something has been missing.  My life feels like it is missing something, like I'm not living up to my potential.  I need to create a manifesto for my life and determine my focus for the coming year.

1) Focus on spiritual rewards rather than financial rewards.  This does not mean that I will ignore money but will not let it affect career or personal decisions.
2) Eat better.  This will be hard to do while trying to reduce debt but I must find a way to be healthier.
3) Meditate more.
4) Create and follow plan for financial independence.
5) Write more.  I am already doing this but need to make it more consistent, more a part of who I am.
6) Read for pleasure more.
7) Get more and better sleep.
8) Follow psychological best practices.