Author: Fallton Havenstonne

Waking Up Early or Late

Fallton Havenstonne

Waking up early or late has relative meaning based on people’s schedule. Early for some people can be 7 a.m., while that time can be late for others if they need to wake up earlier (i.e. 6 a.m.). Thus, waking up early means before one is scheduled to wake up, and waking up late is after one is scheduled to wake up.

Waking up early or late in the morning has a tremendous affect on our attitude for the rest of the day. For me, waking up early is a struggle, but once I’m awake, I have a lot more time in the day. I feel that there is less pressure to finish things, and I’m glad that I can get a head start. Overall, I start the day off positive.

When I wake up late, I’m more rested, but ironically, I have less time in the day to accomplish things. I’m more hasty in my work, rushing to get things done. And when it’s close to the afternoon, half the day is already over, and it’s a race to get anything finished. Overall, I start off the day feeling rested, but then become anxious when I realize how much there is to do.

I prefer waking up early because I like to get started on work and writing early in the morning. In the morning, it is quiet, and it’s easier to concentrate. After I drink coffee, I’m fully awake and ready to start the day. With an early start, I feel that I can get ahead in my work, and can relax and take my time with the rest of the day if I finish things early.

Finishing a Book

Fallton Havenstonne

One of the things I struggle with when reading a book is finishing it. When I begin a book, it’s fun, exciting, and new. But if the book is not captivating or if it’s not resonating with me, I’ll start to lose interest (quickly) and won’t even finish it.

Even if I return to the same book after, say, a week, it’s difficult to dive back into that world. The only way I could finish a book that’s not gripping is to read it fast–racing to the finish line.

There is a window of time where such a book can hold my interest, and if I don’t finish it within that time frame, I won’t finish it all. It’s similar to the concept of marginal utility in economics: each time you purchase and consume a product, your satisfaction with it decreases overtime. I find this to be true when reading a book that doesn’t hold my interest.

At first, the book is exciting to read (maybe it’s because of the book’s ideas or it’s because the author is well known), so I’ll read a lot on the first day. On the second day, however, I’ll read 1/2 of what I read on the first day. On the third day, I’ll read 1/2 of what I read on the second day, etc. This will continue until I won’t even pick up the book and read it anymore.

If I’m reading a book that engages me from the start, it will the opposite effect. For example, on the first day, I might read 20 pages, on the second day, 30, on the third day 40, etc. And then there are times when I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the book.

When I examine the reasons for why I finish or don’t finish a book, the first thing I notice is that it has to be a subject matter or genre that I’m interested in. The subject matter/genre is of key importance, since it determines if a reader will even want to pick up the book in the first place. It’s the same with movies, since each person has their genre preference and they wouldn’t want to watch a movie that is in a genre they’re not interested in it. If audiences raving about it and it’s recommended by their friends, that person might give it chance, but that’s the exception, not the rule.

Secondly, the writing has to be clear and engaging (even humorous). If it’s witty and clever or paints the world with ease, then the writing will pull us into the story almost effortlessly. On the contrary, if the descriptions are overly long or the vocabulary/wording is confusing and unclear, I’ll disengage quickly.

Thirdly, the story should move at an even pace and it should have good character development. On the contrary, if the characters just move from one situation to the next without anything eventful happening, the story won’t feel worthwhile to read.

To determine if I might finish a book, all I need to do is read the first few pages of it. Within those pages, I can determine by the writing style if the story is gripping/captivating or not. Does it invoke mystery or wonder, or does it meander and go nowhere?

After I finish a book that I enjoy, I’ll seek out other books by that author. Why you might ask? Because I want to experience the enjoyment of reading that author’s prose again.

If the book wasn’t rewarding by the end (i.e. if it had a disappointing ending), I won’t look any further. In fact, the experience by the end of the book will be one of relief (or a long sigh), not joy or elation.

One of the most interesting things I experienced after finishing a book is when I discovered that that book was the only one the author had written (or maybe they only wrote two). And if it’s an amazing book, it makes me wonder what happened or why the author didn’t write more books?

One book in particular that I recall where this was the case was A Canticle for Leibowitz. It was a book that won the Hugo Award for science fiction in 1961. After I read it, I discovered that the author (Walter Miller Jr.) had only written one other book, and it was published years after A Canticle for Leibowitz.

For me, this shows how strong and powerful writing can be when it really resonates with the reader. We want seek out more prose like it, and it can inspire us to write as well.

Handwriting And Typing

Fallton Havenstonne

Nowadays, I write by hand when I’m brainstorming, making notes to myself, or jotting ideas on post-its. In this sense, I don’t write short stories or novels on paper. I have written chapters on paper from time to time, but that’s the extent of my handwriting stories.

I find it indispensable, however, to record my ideas on paper when working on a project. In addition, I draw lines/arrows connecting ideas, create mind maps/diagrams, as well as underline or highlight key ideas.

Typing on the computer is advantageous for many reasons. For one, it’s easy to edit and it doesn’t take up any physical space (in terms of paper, that is). It’s also efficient given all the editing and formatting tools that are available in the writing software, such as changing the font, size, color, etc. In a word, typing is so fast, efficient, and versatile that it has become the primary means of writing.

But let’s not set aside handwriting. It’s useful when we’re writing on the fly (i.e. jotting down a spontaneous idea on, say, a napkin or post-it), writing on the margins of books, and of course, writing when there is no electronic device at hand.

When writing by hand, I put down ideas regardless if I’m making mistakes/errors. Also, when writing on paper, I can fold it or divide it into sections to organize my thoughts. You can be creative with it, even tear it up into pieces and write words on torn bits so that you can organize the ideas hierarchically or linearly or however you want.

Typing is limited in this sense, since typing is on 2 dimensions and can only be utilitzed in terms of the parameters of the software. You can, of course, draw boxes and arrows and make diagrams in the computer if you wanted to make a mind map. But it doesn’t have the same immediacy as you have on paper.

But I digress. So back to the main idea: what are the benefits of handwriting?

Many years ago, I would write essays or stories that would cover the paper(s) front to back. They were full of spelling and grammatical errors, and sometimes, parts of it weren’t even legible.

But the great thing about the process was that I never looked back as I wrote. I kept writing because unlike typing on a computer, you can’t delete what you write unless you erase it. And who has time to erase when the words are pouring out rapidly?

The beauty of handwriting was that I could pen a continuous stream of thoughts without concern for errors or doubling back to edit the piece. After a writing session was done, there’d be a pile of pages to edit, but the point was to get all of the thoughts down.

When we look back at the writers of the past, it’s incredible to think that they had written their stories by hand. How many drafts did they write until they completed their final manuscript? It took dedication and discipline; it was a labor of love.

Typing certainly makes writing easy and convenient. Handwriting can feel like it takes forever as well as tedious to convey one’s thoughts. As aforementioned, I write by hand when I’m brainstorming or jotting down ideas. But I can’t imagine not writing by hand again. Although typing is efficient, it doesn’t allow me to freely write anywhere on the page–to write beyond the confines of the margins/borders.

Finding a Good Place to Read

Fallton Havenstonne

In the past, I mostly read on the couch, though I could read just about anywhere (even in the car). But more often than not, it had to be a place where I was comfortable and where I wouldn’t feel sore or achy after a long read. I would read for about a half hour or an hour, or until I finished a chapter or two. If I was really engaged in the book, I’d read for two hours or more or until I got hungry.

I couldn’t read with noise in the background. For example, if the TV were on or if there was music playing, I couldn’t concentrate in the least. The noise would distract me or grab my attention. The world that I was trying to create in my mind as I read would disintegrate into thin air. I needed silence to read.

For each person, there is a preference for a good place to read. For some, it might be at their bed or their desk. Some might even prefer to read outside, such as on a deck, porch, or even in the park.

More recently, as I was waiting for my car to be serviced, I finished a book on my iPad as I read underneath a tree. It was a calming and relaxing experience, since it felt nice to get some fresh air while I read.

I feel like I could read anywhere so long as I’m comfortable with where I’m reading at. Nowadays, I’ve been reading a lot more at my desk, since it’s also where I write from. I find that a really engaging books can pull me into a world that transcends time and space–and where I in turn, forget time and space as well.

Short Breaks

Fallton Havenstonne

When I take short breaks, I go outside for a walk to get fresh air or do something such as organize, clean, or exercise to get my mind off the thing that I’m struggling with. I do something where my mind is focused on something else aside from the story I’m writing so that I can get a new perspective on it when I return.

Once I do that, it’s as if I’m looking at the story from a new mindset. I’m suddenly able to fill in the gaps and clarify concepts. I might even get an epiphany that can change the course of the story and improve it.

It’s hard to take breaks sometimes because we want to finish what we’ve started. There’s a negative feeling associated with leaving something unfinished. It’s as if it’ll be worse off if we don’t finish it or that it won’t get done.

Perhaps it’s one of those things where we were taught from an early age that we had to finish our homework before we could take a break or get a reward (such as watching TV or going outside). If we say that we’re going to finish it later, the likelihood of us doing so will be curtailed by other things that come up throughout the day.

But with writing, taking a break can lead to creative inspiration and finding solutions. Writing requires a plethora of ideas, many of which won’t be used by the time the story/work is done (by work, I mean essay, letter, report, etc.).

In stepping away from a work, it lets new ideas formulate in a subconscious way. It’s as if we can see the whole picture again–the outline–the mind map–rather than a specific idea that we got hung up on.

There comes a point where something isn’t working and we can’t progress in our work. Instead of fixating on what we’re stuck on, we need to step away, to take a short break, so that we can see the other ideas that we unwittingly ignored.

When we return to our work, we might get that feeling of “why didn’t I think of that in the first place?” or “how could I have not seen that?” And the simple answer is that we’re not cognizant of the solutions/ideas until we stop what we’re doing and let them in.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Fallton Havenstonne

Would it be possible to express a picture in one word? How about two? How might that look like in a picture? Does a picture of a letter, such as the letter “a”, represent a thousand words? How about a picture of a number such as “0”?

This phrase is certainly a commentary on the speculative imagination of the viewer–the gaps they fill in when they look at a picture. The story (or stories) they create to make sense of the image and bring it to life, since the image is undoubtedly static–frozen in time.

A scenic image of a landscape may conjure thousands of words that describe the season or the atmosphere of that environment, but the picture evokes emotions as well. And it’s hard to describe any emotion with just words when it’s something that’s not simply read, but felt and experienced.

Words and images essentially have different functions. Words require us to think abstractly or to use our imagination to perceive a reality that’s separate from the physical world. Images, however, are a visual representation of thoughts and emotions. They are perceived directly without the buffer of words.

Images can be manifestations of words, and words can be manifested as images via the mind or art. Whereas the former provides the visual experience, the other asks us to actively create it.

Compare reading a 1,000 word description/caption of a painting to observing the painting. It’s certainly not the same experience, and I think the quote misses the point when we observe a work of art. Although we can come up with a thousand words that describe or provide a narrative for the image, it’s how we respond to it–in a visceral sense–that cannot be summed up in words.

Visualizing a Scene

Fallton Havenstonne

I tend to visualize a scene as I write, almost like staging a scene for a movie or play. Visualizing a scene helps me describe it in detail, particularly the gestures of the characters, the lighting, the objects and set pieces of the environment, etc.

A motif in my writing is the sky, particularly the time of day and the lighting cast by the sun or the moon. For me, it sets the tone, and I can visualize almost everything else as it happens. If it’s dark, I tend to write a scene more edgier. If it’s the morning, things are happening slower–calmer.

The pace at which the characters are moving also affect how I write a scene. If they are running, I tend to write it as if it were a chase scene. But if the characters are sauntering or moving at a slow pace, I give the characters a chance to talk or to explore the environment.

There are some authors that are very descriptive of the environment/scenery, and others that describe just enough so that you know what’s going on. When there are paragraphs or pages of minute detail, I’ll get lost in the text and lose focus on what’s happening. For example, if there is a ton of detail on the appearance of a character, I’ll lose track of what’s going on since I’ve spent a larger part of my concentration trying to picture/visualize the character.

I’d have to double back to figure out what the context was to put the information back together. But when too little description is given, I’m not sure how to visualize the scene or where the characters are geographically. It gives me the impression that the characters are merely cardboard, or that the scene is flying by without much there to imagine it lucidly.

There needs to be a balance, especially once a scene begins. As a reader, I want to be pulled into the world and to have a clear idea of what’s going on. Once the scenery is established, I feel it’s easy to follow the scene, and, perhaps, the rest of the story.

Dialogue

Fallton Havenstonne

Dialogue is one of the most enjoyable things to write, as it gives life to the characters. A lot can be conveyed in dialogue, including the attitude and values of the characters. Writing dialogue can be like an out of body experience, since the characters can communicate in a way that is unnatural or alien to the author but is completely natural for the characters.

Dialogue takes a lot of time and practice to get right, since I find that the characters might say contradictory things, and this raises the question of where they really stand on a point, or if they would really say such and such line. Dialogue can be nuanced when we look at how the characters pronounce words, their speech patterns, and if they pause during speech or speak in brevity or in long-winded sentences.

A lot has to be worked out in dialogue, but when it works, it feels natural and the characters take on a life of their own. Dialogue also helps us access the characters thoughts and feelings, as well as understand their motivations.

I find that each author writes dialogue differently. Cormac McCarthy, for example, doesn’t use quotations, which can make reading his dialogue puzzling when determining who the speaker is or if a line is intended to be dialogue. But once I got used to this format, I learned that each character has a distinct style to their dialogue (speech pattern), which illuminated who the speaker was, even when multiple characters are speaking. Perhaps that’s what authors are aiming for with or without quotation marks: lines that sound natural and real for each character.

I like dialogue where the characters are making a point, and where the other characters are debating with them. I also prefer dialogue that is direct and simple so that the story flows quickly.

Overall, dialogue should move the story forward as well as educate you as to who the characters are. When that happens, it makes what the characters say sound natural and give their voice distinction.

The Beast Soldiers And Other Stories

Fallton Havenstonne

The Beast Soldiers And Other Stories is now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. It’s a collection of 5 stories, one of which is a novella (The Beast Soldiers), and includes 4 short stories: Walkthrough, What Do You Wish?, Finders Keepers, and The Mage.

The Beast Soldiers is an action-packed science fiction story about humans that are genetically enhanced with special abilities. When they escape a transport, an agent (Lara Bergman) and Captain Reynolds track them down while they hide in Arlington, Virginia. Each chapter explores an encounter with the genetically enhanced humans through the eyes of unsuspecting characters. The last chapter is an exciting showdown with the most powerful of the genetically enhanced humans.

The other 4 stories are in the vein of The Twilight Zone with odd and inexplicable things occurring. I had a lot of fun writing these stories, as they are like vignettes–a world in themselves. In each story, the characters are faced with unusual circumstances and choices that turn their world upside down.

I hope you enjoy the collection of stories. 🙂

Get ready for a nonstop adventure in this collection of sci-fi and supernatural stories!

In Beast Soldiers, 3 genetically enhanced humans have escaped a top-secret transport, and it is up to Captain Reynolds and Agent Lara Bergman to track them down.

In the other stories, two sisters discover a life-changing secret, a realtor meets a unique cat, a man discovers a phone that grants wishes, and the world is on the brink of collapse after an invasion in a story where science fiction meets fantasy.