There’s so much going on right now, going to keep this one short and sweet.
The Writing of the Fiction: Adapt and Persist
The most important thing–getting words down–has continued. Last week, I had about 3,700 words on my writing day. Of course, this didn’t come without some adaptation. For me, that means no more writing OUT. I usually go to a cafe, boot up the PC, settle in, and start to write. No more. Instead I grab a tea, a date and some chocolate and head into the “Man Cave.” Sometimes, I walk a little in a line (back and forth) to simulate walking to the cafe before I set down to work. It’s been a larger change than I thought, but putting consistent word counts behind it tells me it’s working.
With all this self-isolation I sometimes feel like Chomei chilling and writing in his hut (see below). But at the same time, I count myself very lucky to be able to do so.
New Covers for Digital Books Coming
In the biggest news this month, I am putting together my old manuscripts and getting them proper covers. When they’re done, I will be posting new e-books with the new covers in the Amazon Kindle store. That way, you should be able to get all my works in one place. Eventually, I’d like to have them in print somewhere, but right now this will have to do.
Reading and Research
I think, after life experience (jobs, relationships, travel, etc.) the most important non-writing thing for a writer to do is read. I’m really ramping up my “chill” mystical readings and a few other things during this crazy time. These have really got me thinking lately:
Ibn Arabi’s Bezels of Wisdom – This is part research, part personal interest. I used to struggle immensely with this one. But the introduction is great and it really unravels ibn Arabi’s thinking. If you can peel back some of the esoteric language there are some great sections here. It’s hard to explain. He’s not a “pantheist” but more similar to say, a Meister Eckhart in his vision of the Godhead. Interesting stuff that could be woven into a story somewhere down the line.
Chomei’s Hojoki – Love this. It’s about a guy who gets fed up with politics in “the capital” and decides to go away to the country and live in his “hojoki”: a ten-foot square hut. In this time of self-isolation and turmoil this book is somehow comforting.
Quantum Questions – Some of the greatest 20th century physicists share their thoughts about the conjunction (or conflict) between mysticism and science. I skipped the introduction in this case and headed straight to the Heisenberg and Schrödinger sections. Schrödinger, in particular, is a very keen philosophical thinker, while remaining a stringent defender of the scientific method. His chapter on “The Mystic Vision” was particularly brilliant. So much so that it’s got me looking into other stuff he wrote for a general audience.
Housekeeping Note: Blog Comments Allowed Again
Somehow, I inadvertently turned off Comments on this blog. I noticed earlier this year that comments weren’t happening any more. I checked the plumbing and realized I had inadvertently turned off comments! I have fixed this now, so please comment below or wherever else you like.
All for now, gotta run and write. See you next time!
Inside the Writer's Mind 