Category: Reflections

For all the books I’ve read and all the hours I’v put into reading them, I’ve retained such a small fraction of knowledge in comparison that it seems almost forgettable. Rather, the greater part of knowledge comes from first hand experience, practice and self-reflection. It’s as if reading merely exposed me to knowledge, but it was my use of the knowledge that determined if it stayed with me or not.

Whenever I read something for the sake of knowledge, that information stays in my mind for a short period of time. All the facts and dates I try to remember are useless unless I need to recite them or discuss them with someone.

The knowledge I’ve gathered from books, whether they are about history or science, are fuzzy and unclear. I remember bits and pieces, though the details have slipped away from my memory. I don’t remember any specifics with regard to where historical figures lived, nor what their family lineage was. None of it seemed important enough to remember.

I can recall which novels I’ve read, but not all of the characters in the books or what the plot points were. It’s as if that knowledge were pushed out for the next book, making room for it. The most I remember was the affect or influence it had on me.

As I look back at all of the books I’ve read, I’m acutely aware that I didn’t need to remember everything I read. No one is giving me a test on the books, let a lone asking me what I had read. It was all for me–for my experience to grow and to expose me to different ideas.

When I read a non-fiction book, I’m more interested in the ideas than of the all the facts in them. When I read a fiction book, I read it more for the pleasure of skillful writing, as well as the power of the narrative. Retaining every speck of detail isn’t really important. It’s what I took away from them that counts the most.

It seems that newspapers have become obsolete given how fast the news is being updated and how much news is out there. The news can be accessed on a cellphone, a laptop–on almost any electronic device. They’re not restricted to owning a paper copy. The digital world has made the news instantaneous–daily.

Years ago, I remember going to the bookstore and seeing a shelf full of newspapers from different publications. Now, we needn’t go to any store to read the news. It can be read online for free.

I’m sure some people still enjoy holding a newspaper in their hands and flipping through the folds of pages. When reading from a newspaper, they’re not distracted by ads or clickbait articles. Ads can be passed over with just a flip of the page. They can even circle things on the page, such as headlines, and fill in crossword puzzles if they wanted to.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of preference as to how a person reads the news. Newspapers are printed each day, but like with everything today, paperless communication is becoming more prevalent. And with that being the case, information is free–so long as there is internet access.

To read between the lines is to search for the meaning behind something that’s not apparent on the surface. I find that I read between the lines when something doesn’t make sense, when something sounds like a contradiction or is completely false.

I might pause and then double back to read the passage again. And if I catch something that sounds like a euphemism or sarcasm, I’ll read the book more closely–search for the underlying meaning in the work.

I find that this happens more often than not in non-fiction books rather than in fiction. In fiction, I’m not questioning the validity of the story, rather, judging the story on its own merits. The message of the story is told through the narrative itself, which boils down to the conclusion. Whether I agree with it or not isn’t the point. The point is that the message (or moral) is clear, and so I’m not reading really read between the lines.

But in a non-fiction book, I’m analyzing it more closely because the writer is proving an idea, making the case for an argument. They might list a page full facts to make their case, but does it follow that their conclusion is valid? Or is there a flaw in their premise, and therefore, the conclusion isn’t true?

When we read between the lines, we have to look at the subtleties–the underlying message behind the words. It’s easy to be mislead if we’re not reading closely. Reading between the lines really means knowing what’s going on.

Habits can be positive or negative, depending on how they affect our wellbeing and health. For example, getting up at a regular time is a good habit, but unhealthy foods is not. Habits can take a lot of effort to establish (such as writing on a regular basis), or be easy (watching hours of TV throughout the day).

We define the routines of our lives by our habits. It could be a habit to wake up a certain time of the day, to exercise, or to eat at a certain hour. Living by habits is efficient to keep us on schedule and to keep work patterns consistent. At the same time, bad habits can hold us back, keep us from growing or maturing (i.e. anything that inhibits responsibility).

But what happens when put the habit(s) on hold? What happens we try something that is, perhaps, random or spontaneous? It’s said that it’s good to try something new, such as to try a new foods, or visit/travel to new places. What if we broke the pattern?

Spontaneity, in this sense, can be good, since it broadens our knowledge and experience. Habits can stifle this aspect of our lives if we stick to them too rigidly. If we regularly eat the same food at the same restaurant, why not try something new? Why not step outside of our habits every now and then–outside our comfort zone? Maybe we’ll find something better–something we had no idea existed.

Solitude can be positive in our lives if it helps us be creative and productive, but negative if it’s holding us back from social interaction. In the latter sense, solitude is a state of misery, something that we want to get rid of. Solitude in this sense brings about a feeling of isolation and distance. We are social beings. Therefore, we need to talk and share our ideas with people–collaborate with them and learn from them.

On the other hand, solitude can be beneficial if it fosters creativity, productivity, self-reflection, reading, etc. Thus, solitude is something we need, as well as something we need to set aside. We need it to create, reflect, and imagine, but we also need to set it aside to be in the company of people.

Also, we must learn how to be in solitude–to be present in the moment. When we’re present in the moment, we can concentrate and focus with crystal clarity on our thoughts, feelings, and memories. We can reorganize them, shuffle through them, even make sense of them.

If we’re alone and we tune in to the TV or social media nonstop, we’re not allowing ourselves the opportunity self-reflect or to brainstorm. Spending time in silence can slow down everything, put things into perspective. The noise of the world will quiet down, and we can enjoy being still–even finding peace in that.

Solitude can be a good thing if we need that time to be creative and productive. Solitude is often seen in a negative light, because it implies that someone doesn’t have friends, or that they don’t have anyone to talk to. But in reality, solitude is what is needed to create art, to write, to read, and to work on ideas (unless it is in collaboration with people).

Even at work, some people prefer to work alone so that they can focus and get things done. It’s nothing personal against anyone. It’s how they operate–function. They need it to get into the headspace of ideas, and for novelists, that mental space where stories and characters come to life. If someone is an artist, they need solitude to draw, paint, and to fix or improve the minute details of their work.

Of course, absolute solitude is not ideal. There are times where we need a break, to talk with others, to learn from them or to relax in their company. Solitude is something we need to balance in our lives, something that we need to reflect on our goals, ideas, and projects. We can’t work 24-7, of course. We also need to enjoy life with family and friends as well.

Sometimes, I’m tempted to go back and edit my past work to make them better. It’s as if I’m not satisfied with my work, that it can be improved or fixed. If that’s the case, what’s to say that that won’t be the case every year? When will I ever be satisfied with my work?

Our work reflects a moment in time when we created something having a particular mindset and skills. Overtime, we grow and evolve, changing our beliefs, learning and developing new skills, and having more resources at our disposal (i.e. new software or better computers, etc.).

As a writer, I find that my editing skills improve with each story I write. I learn from my past experiences, my mistakes, and apply them to each new work. Being an author is a continual process of growth.

If I look back at my earlier work, I can probably find things I’d like to change–things I can reword, sentences I can revise, etc. But once the work is out there (i.e. published), I don’t think there is a need to do so unless there is an anniversary edition of the book. Overall, it doesn’t make sense to go back and change the work because in ten, twenty, or thirty years, I can always find things I’d like to change because my perspective isn’t the same as when I first created the work.

For a painter, it would be like going back to a painting that was made, let’s say, ten years ago, and fixing it up. Rather than letting the painting be what it is, let’s say they fixed the colors or the details of the objects within it.

But what if they changed more than that? What if they changed the painting such that it doesn’t reflect what they made prior? Wouldn’t it be a different painting–a different version of it at least?

It makes sense to touch up the work if it is falling apart, which is the case with antique paintings, but to repaint it or change it dramatically changes the context of the work itself. It doesn’t fully reflect the skill set and ideas that were applied in the original work. The same goes with past novels and stories. The context is lost when they are altered or changed.

Who really made the work then? As in my case, the me one year ago, or the me one year later? Is the work supposed to be in flux–always changing and never certain of what it’s supposed to be, or is it supposed to represent who we are and what we believed at the time we made it? And if not the latter, will we ever be satisfied with it?

It’s that time when we spend time with our friends, family, and loved ones. When we enjoy a home cooked meal and converse at the table–catching up with the time that has passed, all that has changed.

Afterward, we might play boardgames or watch a movie while munching on popcorn or snacks.

It’s a time to appreciate what we have, the company we have, and to eat lots of food as well.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

There are times when we’re not in the mood to work on something. Even if we’ve allotted ourselves a window of time to be creative, our mind simply isn’t there. It’s as if there is a dichotomy between our mind and body–a separation of wills.

There are many reasons why we might not be in the mood. It could be that something is on our mind, or we might be tired or hungry, etc. Our mood could be the result of biochemical reasons, as well as circumstantial ones. We might be upset or stressed about something, or another idea has taken ahold of our mind.

If I’m not in the mood to write, I won’t even fight it. I’ll give myself a break and come back to my computer when I’m ready and decompressed. I know if I’m trying to work on something when I’m not in the mood, it’s an uphill battle. It’ll get a lot less done than if I had waited to work on it later.

To turn my mood around, I might eat something or grab a cup of coffee. I might even take a walk to allow whatever I’m feeling or is on my mind to ride out so that I can focus again. Sometimes that is all it takes.

But when there is something pressing to address, I usually attend to that first before I start writing. It’s important to keep our priorities straight, to address the things on the top of the list first before we start being creative. It’s always a good thing to have a clear mind so that we can give our full attention to the creative process.

One frustrating thing about writing is not being able to focus. When this happens, we’re stuck on a page, not getting any words out. When our minds jump from one thing to the next, it’s hard to stay focused, to delve into an idea that we want to explore and write about.

Staying focused is hard thing to do when so many things are going on. Whether we’re distracted by our worries and thoughts, or things that are happening on the news or in our life, it hinders creativity, keeps us from creating.

I think there are only two solutions for overcoming not focusing. One is discipline–to build our endurance to stay focused on a topic/idea. This means having a schedule to write, designating a few minutes or an hour to keep the distractions out and focus on one thing. The other solution is to find an idea to be passionate about–one that we don’t want to leave or abandon, one that requires our full attention and thinking. When we’re passionate about something, we naturally gravitate toward it–give our time and energy to it.

But let’s say we are disciplined and we’re passionate about an idea, but we still can stay focused. In this case, perhaps it’s just a matter of having a workspace that is conducive to staying focused. Having a space (a workspace) that is dedicated to writing and productivity, a room or a space where it is quiet. I

Of course, other factors can be at play as to why we can’t focus. One can be tiredness, boredom, or the idea itself might not grab our attention to begin with. When we lose focus, it’s as if that idea has evaded us, and we no longer want anything to do with it. And when this happens, it might stretch out, hindering us from creating. And if it happens long enough, we don’t create at all. This is my worst fear about not staying focused.