Vlog Post - 10.09.2014

New Vlog post for October 9th, 2014.

Happy Holidays from Experience Points!

Hello readers! It's been a while since I've updated the blog, so here's a quick recap of the last few weeks, as well as some minor plans for the near future.

The holidays have been busy and hectic as I bounce from one part of the family to the other, balancing work, work, writing, friends, family, and girlfriend. In actuality the business is a blessing and I welcome it with open arms. I am very fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life, even if scheduling can get stressful at times.

I have been continuing to work on three different projects at once, as is my way, while also throwing down the groundwork for a new pet project in the future. The print format of the Round 10 Core Rulebook is at a solid start, but it will not be ready by the end of the month, as originally expected. I think, when it comes to releasing books, I'm going to stop posting my expected release dates, as I can never seem to stay on top of them. Additionally, I am tightening up the writing of the first adventure module for R10, Operation: Heavenly Discord, which should be ready for digital download in the near future. And finally, I am starting to revise and piece together the sections of the Zimildran Setting Module for R10, which should be ready for publication sometime next year. Add to this the fact that I am also developing a second tabletop game that may or may not see release, as well as trying to balance every other aspect of my life, and I hope you can understand why my blog has been so silent as of late.

As for the future, I've said this before, but it is something that needs to happen and I plan to hold myself more accountable from here on out. Unlike years prior, I will be holding myself to a set of resolutions for this coming new year. Where once my resolutions were abstract and difficult to define, such as 'be a better friend' or 'be more creative', this year I plan to make the resolutions concrete and easy to track. Also, they will be recorded here, in my personal journal, and posted on my fridge at the apartment, so that I will always be well aware of their importance. As resolutions in years past have been about myself and my relationships with others, these ones will almost entirely be about me and my work, with Round 10, online publishing, illustration and game development. I am excited to share the resolutions with you when they are finalized!

As always, thank you so very much for your continued support and readership. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or criticisms about the blog, Round 10, or my writing in general, please email me at lostlegacyrp@gmail.com. Check out my Current Creative Projects page to see what I'm officially working on, and keep up to date with all of your Round 10 needs at the Round 10 Website, Round 10 on Facebook, and by getting Round 10 from RPGNow!

What is a Writer who doesn't Write?

Wow, browsing the Vlog posts is an interesting pass-time. It's like a facial hair gallery. Anyways, it's been a while since I made a text post, so here's my attempt at channeling my inner writer. Who, as you may well know, I am trying to bring out again.

My focus for my future has changed, yet again. This blog was started to help follow my drive for teaching and becoming an English teacher. However, with certain circumstances these last couple of months, mainly my financial situation, the educational hoops, jobs changing, family emergencies, theater productions and closing in on Round 10's final stages of production, my drive and desire to teach has been curbed in light of what is more readily viewed as 'real life'.

Summer Resolution

You know, I should just do away with my proposed blogging schedule. I'm not sticking to it at all.

Anywho...

I went on another late-night walk a few days ago, before this bout of rain and wind hit central Minnesota. I actually left my headphones at home, for once, to allow myself time to really think, rather than drowning out my thoughts with music.

I realized that, as is my norm around this time of year, I was becoming quite restless. Desires and drives were building up in me, causing my satisfaction to dip and my lamentations to rise. I saw time as something slipping away from me, as days wasted and relationships waning, and there was little I could do to reverse any of it. I wanted to call people and talk to people for no reason other than to do it. I wanted to play my drum outside again. I wanted to go on a road trip. I wanted to turn my life on its head, make decisions before I had time to think about them, and live my life, even if only for a short while, on the edge of my seat.

Sitting back and thinking about it all now, I feel that it isn't so much that I want to shake my life up with some random event or some big decision. Lord knows big changes are coming soon enough, anyway. Rather, I want to ensure that I feel good about how I spend my time overall. And the one way for me to feel good about my time, hands down beyond any doubt, is to spend it with people I care about, friends and family.

And so that is my "Summer Resolution." Consider it an expansion to my New Years Resolution (which was to be a better friend, brother, uncle and son, for anybody keeping count). For this summer, I am making it my goal to create more memories, take more pictures and do more with other people.
So if you're reading this and you know me personally, hold me to it. I've been known to hit stretches of complacency, times where I'm content just sitting at home doing next to nothing, and then I always regret those times later. I want to limit those times as much as possible this year, and again, if you know me personally, I want to be with YOU more this summer.

Now to get back to work on Round 10...

You Can't Take Everything (or Everyone) With You...

This is primarily going to be one of my sappy, self-reflective posts, so please bear with me.

As most of you are aware, this week marked the end of the semester for me. Monday was the official last day of class, and Wednesday was the first of my two days of finals. I found I was struck with a stronger pang of grief than I originally expected. I've grown somewhat close (which for me means that I've shared a lot of laughs and some minor extracirricular activities) with a handful of people, including the majority of my Acting class.

I've talked about how I connect with people in previous posts, but allow me to go over this again. Years ago, I used to be free with my happiness and optimism, and I used to approach everyone as if they could be a life-changing friend for me. I poured everything into friendships and I tried to do everything in my power for those people. It didn't matter if we shared a brief, friendly conversation or if we hung out consistently for multiple months, I probably considered you a close friend.

Then I had a period where this openness and willingness to connect so freely with people came back to bite me, and it ended up hurting me. So I backed off, and kept people at arms' length. Sure, I didn't let other people hurt me during this time, but I was hurting myself, stifling my extroverted self and forcing a more introverted lifestyle. It was difficult at first, but it got easier as time went on, and eventually it became all I knew.

Yet, in the last two years now, I've really been working on getting back my old self, the self that I was years ago. I wanted to be the Nick that people wanted to be around again. I wanted people to enjoy their time with me, and I wanted people to know how much they mean to me. I have had a few friendships and relationships these past two years that have been instrumental in making this transition, yet a week such as this proves to me that things won't always be easy.

We finished our last performances in Acting class, and I lingered for a moment or two, but ended up leaving quite quickly, quite abruptly, with very little said to anyone other than a couple of passing goodbyes. I got halfway down the hall to the exit, and I stopped myself. I turned back around, went back to the theater, and made up some excuse in my head of a question that I had to ask the instructor as the real reason for my return.

Unfortunately, when I arrived again, most of the other students had gone, and I had missed my opportunity to give a more suitable farewell. Now, I found, I felt even worse.

This seems such an elementary thing for me, but now all that is rolling around in my head is the fear that I may never see some of these people again. That is a reality I'm going to have to face, but it's not one I'm proud of accelerating.

As I have been saying, time and again, I am moving forward. Forward with my life, forward with my career, forward with my creativity and forward with my relationships. Unfortunately, the other side of that positive coin is the fact that as I move forward, I am forced to face the realization that I can't take everything with me, that I can try to stay in touch with as many as possible, but I will lose contact with most of them, and it kills me.

It kills me because I think of the people who I was once close to that I don't hear from, or don't reach out to, much any more. People who I keep telling myself I need to call, need to contact, but I either don't or can't.

This Friday is my last final, in Public Speaking, a class in which I have made some simple connections with a few people, though not as major of connections and with not as many people as I would prefer (mainly because other than one or two moments, I didn't put much effort into it, probably out of a fear of the inevitable future). I think I will do what I can to offer a bit more of a satisfying goodbye to these people, something I may segue into my requesting they see the play that I will be in this summer.

I am a better friend than I have been this last week or so, I know it. I just have to act like it.

Changing the Game

Things have been moving at a very definite pace for me these last couple of weeks. I made some big decisions, the nature of which I can't really get into yet, but that will be changing the course of my life for at least the next year or two. It's both exciting and frightening, but I know that these are decisions that had to be made, considering my future goals and my current direction.

On a smaller scale, I made a tough choice about my personal belongings today, selling a good number of old video games for past - and current - generation systems. They were simply sitting on the shelves or in drawers, collecting dust and not seeing any use, and since I had to spend extra money on phone repairs and dropped some more cash into Round 10 (necessary cash, that is), I've been a little tight on funds.

But creativity is one of my strengths, and being creative with how I spend my money is a skill I've been tempering since January, thanks in no small part to the guidance of my sister. And it's something I'm going to have to get better at, looking at the road ahead.

I am nothing if not a work in progress.

This Big Lake Has Got Me Feeling Anxious & Lazy

Decided my post today would be a poor attempt at poetry. Sorry about the scheduling delay!

Alright, it's time to clear away those temptations and dust off those notions, ignore your hesitations and challenge your devotions. Shake up those foundations you let settle, look back on your creations right down to the letter. You let your distractions get in the way of your plans, you've been looking at the downside so let's start again.

Lefts and rights, ups and downs, keeping your head through the smiles and frowns.
A walk under the sun isn't always so bright, but strolling under the moon doesn't always feel right.
A pocket full of plastic still comes up short but creative success is attained with support,
so tighten the belt and sharpen the number two, push uncertainty aside, you've got work to do.

The world's unlocked the door and cracked it open some more, but your shoe's all scuffed because you've been here before. Your art is a chore and your ego is sore, you're in the big leagues now but you're too chicken to score. And after all this, what's it really for? Pride? Honor? Principle, or something more? Would anyone notice if you closed the door? In a market full of Cores, who needs one more?

You have been here before. But this time is different.

You're lost, aren't you? There's no rhyme to your reason, you hang on too tightly and then change with the seasons.
You make up your mind with the certainty of weather and you tend to fall apart after every get-together.
But finding happiness in life begins with a thought, and if you refuse to smile then you've already lost.
You're not going to give up before you even started, afterall, you've seen worse, and even when you departed
from this path for which you packed you backtrack to the fact that this has always been your knack, no matter how abstract, exact, or sidetracked the fact of this track is that it's about your impact, not your plan of attack.

So the next time you're tempted to turn your back, or worse to simply let yourself drift off-track,
do us all a favor and snap yourself back. This far in the game you can't afford to slack.
I know it'd be easier with a little more change, and I know it'd be nicer if you could share the stage,
but choices and terms led you to this point, and whether alone or not you shouldn't disappoint.
You've made promises before, now it's time to see them through. Not to your family or friends, you only owe it to you.

Don't second guess me on this. You know I'm right. Forget the cold apartment and the flat sheets at night.
One fish at a time if you're going to fry 'em right. Even if there's bigger fish out there, this one's in sight. You've been going too long on catch and release, and now the sun is going down and you still need to eat.
So reel this in with patience, stay true, and you'll be fed for the night and tomorrow's brand new.
One fish at a time is my advice to you, and who knows? Maybe someday that fish will find you.

ISBNs and Barcodes

Just purchased the ISBNs and the barcodes for the Round 10 Quick Start Guide and the Round 10 Core Rulebook, meaning that the QS Guide should be available for free download within the next few days! Meanwhile, work on the Core Rulebook is nearing completion, though the June release date may be a bit ambitious, and it might have to get pushed back to July, simply to ensure it is complete and ready to go.

I've gotten a few questions about what sort of programs I am using for putting the book together, since I am self-publishing. I started using simple Microsoft Word for the rulebook, and after it's first draft was complete I moved it into Scrivner for basic layout editing and revising. Scrivner is great for layout work, it's cheap, and it allows me to achieve the look I want with the pictures I have. For the cover I've used Photoshop Elements to put together the images that were made by my illustrator, logo designer and typographic artist, as well as adding in the cover credits and (now) the barcode.

Not really much to report on other than all of that. I've been spending a lot of time both on Round 10 and on my schoolwork, as we're approaching the end of the semester. Blogging may be dropping down a bit for the next week or two, so I apologize to my more regular readers. Please, bear with me!

The Illusion of Progress

This past Sunday was an interesting day for me. It started off with me visiting my parents briefly, I vented some of my frustrations and discussed upcoming events with them, and then headed into town to pick up groceries. I returned to the apartment, started my laundry, and sat down to work on my research paper for my Interpersonal Communication class. It promptly started snowing, and heavily, outside, and I knew that I was confined to the apartment for the remainder of the day.

I finished the paper within about an hour, spent some time talking with my roommate about our summer plans, graduation, and other topics, and then sat in front of my computer to work on Round 10.

And I sat there, and stared at it, yet couldn't bring myself to type anything out. Nothing was coming to me. Here I was, the whole evening ahead of me, a mountain of time that could allow me to make tons of progress on Round 10, and all I could do was stare at the document blankly.

And then Monday came around, and between classes, in the matter of an hour and a half, I started and finished three different sections in the rulebook, fingers hammering away faster than they had in a while. Yet I did this in the college cafeteria, rather than my own kitchen as was the case on Sunday.

I realized that the change of environment was what did it. It offered a change of pace, a change of scenery, which dramatically affected my writing. I realized that, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, that I am fearful of my own stagnation in life, and the simple change of scenery was enough to kickstart my writing juices, oil the gears in my creative mind, and get more work done than I had seen in a long time. It was an illusion of actual progress, with me fooling my creative brain with the idea that I was in a different place, at a different time in my life.

That simple illusion, that simple head fake, was enough for me to temporarily forget about the stresses of the direction and pace of my life and to focus on the task at hand - my writing.

Here's hoping I can continue to make it work.

Literary Burp: Personality & Purpose

The following post is a thought or musing of mine that I just wanted to get recorded. These sort of thoughts filter in and out of my head constantly, and I'm of the mindset that if I don't acknowledge their existence, then I may as well have never had them in the first place. And every thought deserves its due attention, even if its a random one such as this.

When growing up I had a very different experience. I'm the youngest of four, and primarily grew up with my sister, as my other two siblings were considerably older and thus occupied a different lifestyle than I did. When they were listening to music and driving vehicles I was playing with Legos and acting like a dinosaur. Growing up, I've always seen how different I was than the rest of my family. I had an unashamed, unbridled and unquenchable thirst for the unknown. Concepts like outer space, the ocean, trackless desert and the deepest recesses of nature were all notions that held great sway with me. These were places that people only talked about or wrote about, but didn't go to. These were 'true' places, untouched by the hand of man and operating without his interference. These ideas, even if I didn't know how to articulate them at the time, intrigued me beyond compare, and were manifested in my love of such things as dinosaurs, Star Wars, the Marvel superheroes and other fantastic stories.

This passion for finding the amazing in what others rarely even thought about set me apart, at least in my eyes, from a lot of people I knew growing up. For all of my head-in-the-clouds, fantasizing and day-dreaming antics, my father was at least that engulfed in practicality. He showed a love of old comics and stories from his youth, but he is a man of concrete facts, of a world that's written in black and white and runs by the word of God and the letter of the law. Where he would try to determine 'why,' I would only muse 'why not?' As I grew up I found that I inherited his unshaking resolution in the truth of the world, in the presence of God, and in the important role religion plays in our lives. Yet I wasn't about to let this 'certainty' of faith, morality, and the way of the world limit my desire to seek the unknown, to continue to walk down paths others dismiss as fantastical, and to continue to keep my head in those beautiful clouds.

What is this post all about? I don't really know. I started out with one thing in mind, but it as changed in these few paragraphs. I guess it is an introspective analysis of myself. If there is one thing I do, and frequently, it's question why I think the way I do, why I feel the way I do, and why I act the way I do. I still feel like I am still learning who I am, and I feel like the only way I will ever truly learn about the world around me is to first understand that there is much I don't know, even about myself.

We all search for the concrete answers in life, or we think we have found them, or we plant them for ourselves to find. We rarely question them, some of us never do, and we are happy knowing that the sky is blue, the sun will rise, and tomorrow will always follow today. But not me. I'm not content with merely accepting the world, or my existence in it, at face value. I am here for a purpose, as is everyone, and I will never learn what that is unless I leave my mind open, unless I accept the fact that the concept of 'truth' is a human concept, and that I will only, in my entire life, learn a mere fraction of what is considered as truth. In short, there is much more going on in existence than I can ever hope to experience, to learn, to know.

Tough it Out

I've noticed that my hands have been dry recently. Considerably dryer than normal for this time of year. Normally I'm one to deal with it, knowing that it is something that will correct with time, that eventually the air will saturate as we move out of the dry winter weather, and my cracked, sore hands will be right as rain. Yet I've found that I've been having trouble toughing it out this year. My hands hurt, and for once my generally stubborn approach to this has been challenged. Why don't I just use some lotion and stop forcing myself to deal with unnecessary issues?

I'm starting to feel the same way about other aspects of my life. I've been avoiding change, even changes I fantasize about, simply because it will require me to "give in" or "change up" what has been working for me for so many years.

I don't like making ripples in the water, at least not in what could be perceived as a negative sense. One thing I try to be conscious of is my own ego, as it has been known to get out of hand. For instance, all throughout the last two days, my peers in my acting class have had nothing but profoundly positive things to say about my performance this past Monday. Then the time came for people to perform their monologues in front of the class, which we were to have memorized by today. Yet I remained silent, and did not stand up to give my own, under the guise that I had not memorized it yet.

Why did I do this? Why shy away from what others have pointed out to be one of my few talents? Is it a fear of not meeting expectations? Somewhat. Whenever people say to me "you're really good at that," it makes me feel a bit more pressure around whatever that is. I both love and hate the compliments. However, I think it is also because I was getting so many compliments, and I didn't want that to go to my head.

So when it comes to other people, doing things with or for others, I love making ripples. Hell, I'd be ecstatic if I could turn it into a whirlpool. I'd rather be remembered as someone who lived his life for the benefit of those around him, and not as someone who only does things for himself.

So when I think about these changes that I hope will one day come about, I can't help but feel that pang of distaste, a dissatisfaction at myself for having those thoughts. While routines have come to bore me, and while I know that in order for me to be happy with myself I need to make changes, I worry about leaving others behind, leaving a role that so many have come to expect me to be in. I worry about letting people down, to an extent.

And so do I tough it out? Do I go another month, or do I say 'to hell with it' and just start applying the lotion? It's a hard decision to make, and it is one that plagues my thoughts these last few months...

"Needs Improvement"

I had a good conversation, albeit a short one, with a coworker recently about writing and inspiration, and I found that all of the advice I was giving him were things that I needed to remember to do.

I told him to write daily, to set up a schedule if he could and to stick to it. I told him that when he sits down to write, to just write, and to not go back and edit. I told him to get the entire manuscript down on paper before he actually begins to fix errors or inconsistencies. And as I was saying all of this, I just felt like a big hypocrite.

I am a writer. Right? Aren't I? What have I written recently? Anything? Other than a few passages in my roleplaying book, I really haven't written much in the last week or so. What right do I have to call myself a writer, if I don't write? And on what grounds should I be giving advice when I don't do it myself? "Trust me, this works. But I don't do it."

Sometimes my own complacency staggers me. I understand, more than most, the importance of enjoying every day, of finding happiness in the little things. I know that if I constantly focus on things about myself that make me unhappy, like my complacency, then I won't ever be happy. But at the same time, I know that there are a lot of things about me, as a person, that I need to correct. Like my complacency.

I've been focusing so much on my optimism, on my friendliness, and most importantly, on being not only open to new experiences, but being an instigator of new experiences in others, that I fear I've lost track of other things that I need to keep tabs on. I am a work in progress, with a big, fat "Needs Improvement" stamp on my forehead. That's not me being cynical, that's not me being self-defeating, and that's not me throwing a pity-party. It's a fact, and I hope to God that I never feel otherwise. The minute I stop trying to better myself, then I've already lost.

College & Graduation

This last week has been quite a boring one for me. After the excitement of the road trip with my gaming group, and the 3:00am Dance Central party on Saturday, my activity has dropped considerably. I wake up, I go to class, I have some fun with friends at CLC, I go to work and play catch-up on my list of tasks, then I go home and either play Starcraft II or watch YouTube videos until I drift off to sleep, only to start it all over again the next day.

I suppose it's to be expected. I mean, after such an engaging weekend I should be okay with allowing myself some downtime. But at the same time, I'd rather have the excitement of the weekend carry over into my daily routines, rather than drop off completely. And then this morning I was sort of slapped in the face with a realization.

It's March. Graduation is coming up, and I have things I need to do.

In order for me to get my AA at the end of this semester, I need to have my AP transcript submitted to the college. Since the last time I took an AP test was in 2006, my transcript has gone into what the AP board calls the "Archives". Basically, for me to get those credits to the college, I need to jump through extra hoops and spend a little extra money in order for the people at CLC to go "Oh, yes you have taken all those classes."

Once that is all done, I will be all set for my AA (finally) and can start looking at my teaching degree a bit more closely.

So this morning saw a bit of a fire lit under my butt, thanks in part to my roommate and in part to a friend from my Acting class who was asking me about my plans after this semester. I printed the AP transcript release form, filled it out, and now just have to fax it and a check to the AP Board and wait for them to fax the transcript back to the college. I'm cutting it close, but that's sort of my style.

It's both exciting and frightening, being this close to my AA, on the cusp of uncharted territory (for me). The thoughts of what is happening after plague me, now. Thoughts like worrying about costs of going to an actual college, about being able to manage online classes, about if teaching is really the career I should be pursuing, and about how seriously I should be pushing forward with my book at the same time. Yet, despite all of my worrying, and despite all of my anxiety, I need to keep this momentum going. I know that once my momentum drops, it's hard to get up again, and I can't afford to put my future off any longer.

Progression

This past Thursday, February 28th, I found that my pursuit of independent publishing and game design got a bit easier. My life-long friend, Sean S., asked me how interested I would be in pursuing a partnership with him. Round 10 is coming along, and he wants to move forward in a way that would take what I am building as a brand, and explore all manner of options for it as a business. Tabletop gaming, blogging, podcasts, etc. With an enthusiastic response, I told him I would glady join forces with him to create the foundations of a game design team and company. However, I did caution him that Round 10 is, far and away, my main focus right now, with all of the work I've been pouring into it. He understood, and offered his help where it was needed, and as it fit into his schedule.

That lit a bit more of a fire in me when it came to working on the Round 10 Core Rulebook, and the following evening I sat in front of my computer for nearly five hours hammering out the statistics, values and information for tons of additional aspects to the book. It's filling up nicely, and while I still have some distance to go before it's ready to be published, it is certainly making headway. I am excited to get it out there and in the hands of those awaiting it.

I'm excited to bring my love of tabletop gaming and expand it beyond simply the Round 10 RPG System, and I know Sean is equally so. We both are of like minds, that this endeavor, this pursuit, is a way for us to feel good about how we're spending our time, to feel satisfied with a creative project that will help make the more routine days that much easier to get through. And once Round 10 gets established and off the ground, and the brand becomes something more than simply a logo and word of mouth, we'll really have some opportunities to explore our interests, and bring the games that we want to play to life.

Too Much Wasted Time

My last couple of posts have been about time management in writing, and how to better hold yourself accountable for your time. I realize that the majority of this blog has been in and around various bits of advice when it comes to pursuing your career, yet I stopped and thought about that for a minute. Here I am, unpublished, distracted and as amateur as you can get, and I'm posting advice about how to become a better writer. That's more than a bit pretentious of me.

That being said, in an effort to shift the focus from me providing less-than-substantiated advice to me providing a window on my own experiences, I will start posting about my own writing habits, what I'm planning to do, and why. I've already talked about my love of journaling, so consider this blog an extension of my journals, one that is open for public viewing and feedback.

I've recently come under an undeniable feeling of restlessness when it comes to my career choice and my daily habits. I attribute part of this to the fact that I recently turned 25, an age that sort of slapped me in the face, forcing me to realize that I am an adult, no doubt about it. However, I cannot help but feel that part of it is because I am working in a job, and have been working in a job, that doesn't satisfy what I want out of a career choice.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job. I work with some very wonderful people and have had incredible memories. Some lasting friends have been made in the retail world for me. Yet, as I approach my 8th year, I cannot help but consider my level of personal satisfaction with my daily work, and I am disappointed with that assessment.

I'm faced with the feeling that the last few years of my life have been far too complacent, and now I feel like I need to work that much harder in order to make up for the lost time. I recently spoke with my parents about this feeling, and my father gave me the advice "I felt the same way at your age, but I stayed in the grocery business and I feel it worked out well." To his credit it certainly did, and I'm glad he made the choices he did in his life. However, something about this restlessness tells me that it goes beyond an aging man attempting to hang onto the openness and opportunity-filled days of his youth. I feel like there is no reason why I should be allowing myself to feel this way, and that I can turn it around if only I spend the time doing so.

It's a difficult realization to come to, and even more difficult to put into action, but it is my plan to do so. It is my hope to advance my career and my interests every day until I reach the point where I am satisfied with what I am doing. When that happens, I will be able to look at other aspects of myself and my life, and what I can do to better them.

When I spoke with my mother I told her that "I'm tired of just satisfying people, and I want to start actually helping people." And that is as close to the truth about my feelings as I've ever been able to vocalize. I'm tired of working in customer service, putting my people skills and my communication talents to use with a flimsy facade of making a difference. I want to actually make a difference. I want to help people learn, realize their potential, open their minds and view the world in different ways. This is why I landed on teaching as a career, and I feel like it will be the career of choice for me as my life moves on.

The real challenge, for me especially, is to stop letting time move around me, and instead start moving with it.

Daily Habits

Whenever conversations have taken a turn towards one of my hobbies, such as writing, sketching, or even Game Mastering an RPG session, it isn't rare for people to say something along the lines of "I'm a terrible artist," or "I can't write at all," or even "I could never run an RPG." I can't help but chuckle at these statements because of how misinformed they are.

Writing, as with most hobbies, isn't something you're born with. Anybody can learn how to cook, how to sing, how to play the guitar, how to skateboard, and how to write. These are skills, and it's true, while some may be born with natural talents in these areas, anybody can learn how to do them, and to do them well.

The key, and this is where most people fail, myself included, is consistent practice.

We live in an age of instant gratification. When I was growing up, it was common to wait minutes for a webpage to load, even if it was all text. And it was what I did. I'd click the link, and sit and wait while the page slowly came into view, often reading the information as it showed up on screen. Now, if the page takes longer than ten to fifteen seconds, most people close out and try again, or look for a different page. We are accustomed to instant information, to finding what we need as fast as we can hit the 'Enter' button, yet it is my firm belief that this technology is being poorly misused. Yet that is a subject for a different blog post.

If you want to get better at something, anything, all you need to do is practice it. Work it into your routine, schedule your time around it, make time for it and hold yourself accountable to it. Whether its physical exercise, budgeting, academic preparation, or creative writing, all you need to do is be willing to devote the necessary time.

I have these skills in sketching and writing because I did them when I was young. I started as a child and kept the hobbies up throughout my prime development years, into high school, and after. Now, in my adult life, I find that I don't continue the hobbies as often as I'd like, and because of this my confidence in them has fallen. I can still sketch, but it takes me a while before I feel good about my artistic abilities to hammer out portraits and character concepts like I used to. I can write, but it takes a few days of straight fiction writing before I feel confident about my ability to tell a story.

Turn your desire into action and start writing daily. Keep a journal, and carry it with you at all times. I know how this sounds, and I know that a lot of us who aspire to be writers think "keeping a journal is amateur stuff, I'm ready for more than that." I know this because I thought this way just a mere year ago. However, I have since decided to take my own advice, and it has done wonders for my ability to get my thoughts out on paper. It has made me a better literary communicator and a better verbal communicator. There really is no downside to having a daily journal.

Writing also requires an acceleration period. This period varies in time from one person to the next, but generally you can expect it to be around thirty minutes. You can't sit down and expect to start writing your novel right away, and you can't expect every session to be equally effective, at least not at first. Having a daily journal, and writing in it for at least thirty minutes prior to working on your manuscript, is the perfect way to get your creative gears turning, to kick-start the part of your brain that works on literary communication, taking abstract thoughts and turning them into words on a page.

The same goes with any skill you put into practice. Instead of jumping right into your workout, stretch for a short while beforehand. Instead of starting your piece of artwork right after you get done with your work shift, instead sketch a few scrap drawings in a notebook. We want everything we do to be perfect the first time, yet that is not realistic. In fact, that frame of mind is a hindrance to achieving our true potential as artists. Recognize that consistent, scheduled practice is necessary to becoming better at something, and then go out and schedule that practice.