The Renewing Mind: A lapse in Vigilance

Yesterday I didn't post. It is the first real one that I have missed since I started this, 56 days ago.

As far as runs go, I think that is pretty good, but I still am a little peeved about the lapse. I think mostly it's because I don't really have a great reason for missing it. I just got caught up in other things and forgot. No good reason, just a little bit of absent-mindedness.

I think that is how sin usually makes it into our lives as well. Sure, there might be the one or two big things that you struggle with, the epic, titanic battles; but mostly, I feel like sin sneaks in when we are distracted by other things. It sneaks into the tone of voice I use when I am talking to someone, or into how I drive when I am rocking out, or how my pride peaks out when I am unconsciously judging people on TV. It is an insidious, evil ninja: if there is anyway to get in an mess up your life, it will find it.

Which is why we need to be ridiculously vigilant and why grace is so important. Grace forgives all the sin we have in our lives, even when--especially when--we don't know it's there. It frees us up to be vigilant about what we can see through the power of faith in Christ.

So, I'm not going to be too on myself for missing a day. I'll just start over and keep writing and hope that I slowly get better at it and that my progress somehow helps out someone else.

Sensitive Geek MAN: Why Writers Write

Its getting harder to write in this blog everyday. Not that it is actually hard to write, I'm pretty happy with how well I've been sitting down to write everyday. What's getting hard is thinking of things to write about.

I'll admit that some days are easier than others. There are times when ideas just pop into my head or situations occur that make it easy for me to have something to write about. Overall, though, it is slowly but surely getting harder to consistently have something in mind that I think is worth spending time writing about. Part of the issue is originality. I have this idea that everything I write needs to be original in some way; either I can't have written anything about it before or it can't be an idea that I think has been done to death. Really though, if I am honest, there isn't anything that is truly original anymore. Nothing new under the sun, as it were. The best I think most people can do is have an interesting outlook on some theme, not really come up with a new theme.

I think lack of true originality isn't so much of an issue, seeing as cultures and societies often need new writers to pick up the common themes. As much as I enjoy Shakespeare, he is not as widely read as I would hope him to be. So a newer writer comes along and adapts Shakespeare's work for the modern audience. Also, ideas need to be revisited. Even though equality, racial and gender issues, and questions about poverty are centuries old, we need to be reminded of them fairly regularly in order to make sure that we don't fall back into old, bad practices.

This is why the same general story can be told over and over with just some updates for modern audiences. People need to be reminded of old truths in new ways that are more accessible to them. That is one of the jobs of the writer: not just to come up with new stories and themes, but to revisit the old stories and themes for his modern readers.

Sensitive Geek MAN: Death of Dreams Intro (I missed a day)

Yesterday was the first day that I missed writing here.

I apologize for that.

Now you are probably thinking "well, that's no big deal, it happens." I agree, it does. Yesterday was busy and through all the craziness it got overlooked. We all have days like that and I appreciate your understanding.

However, one of the major reasons for this blog was to get me writing. Writing is one of those things that you need to do every day in order to really get in the habit of it and start progressing in quality. I have put off this 'dream' of writing for so many years, that I am hoping that working on something as simple as this blog will get me going on my other writing. So when I miss a day, even for good reason, I get a little nervous.

The reason I get nervous is ultimately because, in a weird way, Writing as a Profession is my last dream. Growing up, I had all these dreams of what I would do with myself as an adult, and I feel like one-by-one they have all been dashed. Writing is the only one that is left that hasn't really been eviscerated yet and I am afraid to lose it. That fear (along with some other things) has kept me from really pursuing it for all these years.

I suppose I think that if all my childhood dreams die, if none of my original wishes for my life come true, then I have failed as a person. I will feel like some last piece of hope or innocence or something will finally be gone, and I am afraid of the person I will be if that happens. I've seen how my other dreams dissolving in front of me has affect my personality, and there are a lot of things I don't like about the process.

So I write here hoping it will lead to writing elsewhere.
And today I will write 2 blogs, to catch up.
And the next blog will be about how on the Death of Dreams and how it is actually good.

Sensitive Geek MAN: Poetry Day ~ Menu by PETA

The last poetry day seemed to sort of work, so i thought I would do it again.
Now, I don't foresee this being an every week sort of thing, so don't get to attached to that aspect.
Also, I am going to continue the thoughts from yesterday in my post tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I apologize to vegans and vegetarians for this poem.

Menu by PETA

If I’d my way

Then everyday

I’d eat the meat of caribou

And tie my fate

Onto a plate

Of lightly roasted kangaroo

I’d think it fine

To nightly dine

On duck billed, web foot platypi

Upon some beast

I’d daily feast

To satiate my appetite

My vulgar pride

Cannot abide

To consume the non-quixotic

I’ll not be filled

Unless what’s killed

Is endangered or exotic

So serve to me

Some chimpanzee

With baked white-breasted guinea fowl

Some animal

Unusual

Like basted breasts of spotted owl

More pleasure does this fare allow

Than lowly, unprotected cow

Sensitive Geek MAN: Things I learned about writing from smart people.

Someone asked the other day if I had tips on writing. I only have what I have learned from others. Here's the summary.

First, just write. Don't over think it. People who want to write but don't write often don't write because they are too busy thinking about writing. Maybe you have an idea you need to write about, maybe you don't. Either way, if you want to or need to write, just do it. Get something down. Get a draft, work from there.

So you now have a draft. It is most likely a mess. Decide if you need to write a second draft now that you have  your ideas more firmly in place. If you think you do, do it quickly. If you don't, don't. Don't get hung up on the way things sound yet.

Ok, now you have your ideas down. Now correct glaring grammar errors. Not all of them, just the really horrible mistakes that are making your thoughts less coherent.

Next, edit out things. First, figure out if there are redundancies in the document. Not restatements, redundancies. Take them out. Then figure if you can make certain ideas more concise. Figure out how to use words more efficiently. Using fewer words to say something is always better as long as it doesn't sacrifice understanding. Finally, see if you have any parts you are hanging on to just because you like them. Be brutally honest about whether you need them. If not, take them out, no matter how much you love how they sound.

Now check your spelling.

Now do the in-depth grammar check, but remember this: Grammar ultimately is a secondary component of writing. More important than grammar is clarity. Your reader must be able to understand what you are saying (that isn't always accomplished by using more words, by the way.) If fixing some technical grammar error makes the sentence difficult or unintelligible, change it back. Grammar is supposed to serve understanding, that's why it exists.
Also, some things we were taught were bad grammar are either accepted now or really have always been accepted. The dangling preposition is a good example of this.

At this point, if you have time, put the document down and walk away. For at least an hour or so, a day or so if you can do that without getting lazy. Then read it again and see if you still like how it sounds and is clear. Remove things and edit as needed.

Now give it to someone to proofread. Remember that a proofreader is there to tell you if they can understand what you are saying in the document or to catch errors you missed,  not to tell you whether or not they like it.

I know this sounds like a lot of work. Don't let anyone fool you: Writing is work. It can be fun and rewarding, but it is work. You can get better at it and make the process pretty quick once you get the hang of it, but writing well is something that takes effort.

Most of the time it's worth it.