The importance of fun.

It is cold outside. I've had to de-ice my car three times today and I live in the, mostly temperate, English county of Gloucestershire. My world is usually quite tame and placid. I can shut the weather away and settle down in my cosy apartment and write.

But out there something stirs...

It may be my imagination. I have this notion that the familiar environment I spend my days in is not all that it seems to be.

What if things were just that little bit different?

Of course I write science fiction so I am allowed to think in weird, wonderful and potentially strange ways. Some days I am migrating across dry grasslands, tracking mammoths with my fellow tribesmen. Other days I am locked in combat with ancient Roman gladiators or commanding my star fleet in the heart of a immense interstellar conflict.

All I need to do is write it all down.

My day job is fairly standard. I go to work. I eat. I pay the mortgage. I go home. I go to sleep. Finding time to live my alternative lives is sometimes rather hard. There are a few improvements I need to make so I can satisfy my imaginative compulsions.

I need to write daily. I don't do this currently. It is a failing I will correct. I believe that storytelling is a craft that has to be practised regularly. The brain has to be trained and re-trained to perform at its best. The effort has to be focused. Writing each and every day is not just about building up the word count but rather providing the writer with more opportunities to learn how to improve. It is discipline I lack but will strive to achieve. Wish me luck.

I also need to balance work and play. I work hard but modern life is stressful. I need to enjoy my hobbies and follow my heart with my writing. I am thinking that maybe I should try more adventurous avenues such as writing for the gaming industry. Not something I have done before but could be a good thing for me.

Exercise is important. I need to be fitter, stronger and more determined. I view creative writing a bit like sport. The mind and body both need attention. I have started to run again.

And finally I need to find time to be quiet. Day dreaming is vital. Let the brain rest and regroup. Stay fresh.

So 2015 is going to be busy. I have my plan and I am going to stick to it. I hope to publish some more short stories and make progress on some of my existing projects as well as start new ones. Above all I intend to work harder than ever before but also have more fun.

That last bit is the most important.

The end is in sight

I have been spending a rather long time writing my book.

Or should I say books...

Some of the ideas that have found their way into my story come from a long time ago. I can envisage periods of my life that have been light bulb moments. University was a place filled with creative potential. I studied physics but really I was learning about people.

I went through a phase where I was writing dozens of separate stories. It got a bit crazy and the plot lines twisted themselves together. In the end I made progress by doing the only sensible thing I could do. I combined the stories together.

Six years ago I started work on the book I now call 'Shadows of Earth'. It is mixture of characters, settings and ideas taken from over twenty years of storytelling. It gives me pleasure to finally see my ideas taken on a shape that can shared with others. The first draft is nearly complete. I can see the end. I will publish when I am ready but I do not thing that will be too far away.

Books are meant to be read. They need to be complete before this can happen obviously. I do not think any author should rush the process. I will not do this. Quality is important. On the other hand the moment comes when the story needs to be handed over to the readers. I am nearing this point with my story.

Please be gentle with it?

Changing times

Easter is a special time of year.

The seasons are changing. Here in the northern hemisphere spring is taking over from winter and the sunshine is pouring through my living room windows. I am loving every minute.

When I am grappling with a challenge that seems insurmountable I think of the natural world. Spring will always come. Winter does not last forever. Creativity always returns. I just need to relax and have faith.

This year has been my most productive ever. I am finally seeing my stories complete. I hope to finish a 'publishable' draft of my novel in the next few months. I am looking forward to sharing some more short stories. I am also researching some ideas of interactive fiction. Gamebooks are returning to the mainstream and I would love to write my own.

It is a pity there are only 24 hours in a day.

It has surprised me just how much work I can get done my being both focused and relaxed. One of the amazing things that have taken place in my life in the last 18 months is my ability to chill out and just let go of problems has significantly improved. My writing has flourished as a result. I know that I will get to live my dream of writing for a living. The ideas bumping around in my head are my guarantee. I have to continue to work hard. I have to keep learning and improving.

That is pretty obvious isn't it?

Have courage to write.

Writing is more than just a nine to five job.

It takes many years to be successful for most writers. This of course depends on what is meant by 'success'. For some people it is a lifestyle change and for other writers the opportunity just to be 'read' or to hold their book in their hand is enough.

I have been on this road for some long now. Even in my childhood there were moments when I knew where I want to be 'when I grew up'. I never did 'grow up' and I have not (yet) achieved my goal of being a professional author. It has taken a lot blood, sweat and tears to get as far as I have and I know there is so much more to do.

But I know what I want to achieve and I am getting there.

I won't bang on about my life story or my various creative projects. At least not in this post. This storytelling lark is hard old business. Us writers have to dig deep. The ideas have to be good enough. At least they have to good enough for ourselves to have the confidence to share them. And there is the rub. Confidence. The old saying that there is a book in everyone may or may not be true. The point is that if we want to be successful writers we need to 'get the book out'. Its takes time and courage.

So I hope to arrive at my destination soon. My day job keeps paying the mortgage. My dreams keep me going. I know I will get there. The vivid images I see when I am thinking about my books and my love of word smithing tell me that. I am sure the same is true for other writers.

There are only really three fundamental things I have to do. Firstly 'start' (done that), Secondly 'keep going' (doing that) and lastly 'finish' (nearly done that). That is all.

So have faith and get those books 'out'.

Facing the Gebeth

Long ago a read a brilliant story about a boy with amazing powers who was plagued by a terrible demon that threatened to possess him utterly and destroy everything he cared about.

Ursula Le Guin's tale of a boy coming of age by turning the tables on his own fears made a deep impact on me as I was growing up. I remember reading 'The Wizard of Earthsea' as part of my English literature classes. I understood the meaning then as I do now.

Face your fear and you will defeat it.

Now I am much older and maybe only a little wiser. I have been running from my own personal demons for far too long. Stress, anxiety and all the other gebeths have been hounding me for years. It is time to spin it all around and fight back.

I love stories like that of the boy from Gont. We may not speech the language of the ancient earth and we may not be able to command dragons but we all face battles with the dark spirits inside our hearts and minds. We must not let our fears grow out of control.

Ged finally won his battle when he accepted the darkness that was part of his psyche. In a way i must do the same. I am not perfect. I understand my limitations but too many years have been wasted.

Time to face my gebeth.