Start of a New Chapter

Fallton Havenstonne

The start of a new chapter in a book should pull us into the story. It should keep the tension and suspense of the last chapter present–activate the unknowns of the plot to engage our curiosity–to keep reading.

When this doesn’t happen, it’s as if the writer is just going through the motions, isn’t even trying to grab our attention. This might work well in a book that has dramatic cliff hangers, but not for stories where it starts off with a completely new scene where nothing dramatic or tense is happening.

Even though the first few lines of a new chapter should set the tone, there should be something unsettling or intriguing about it. It’s fine to describe the setting and the atmosphere, but it should be followed by something gripping–throw us into a conflict. Once that happens, we’ll keep turning the pages.

Personally, I don’t want to dog-ear the start of a new chapter, which is what I usually do. My rule of thumb is to read a chapter or two before taking break. When I’m bored or disinterested, I’ll forget all the details–the character names, the locations, etc. But I’ll keep reading if the new chapter is powerful enough. In that case, the story is playing like a movie inside my mind, and it’s one of the great pleasures about reading.

Sasquatch Mine And Other Stories

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In this collection of short stories, get ready for four stories that explore how strange and mysterious the world can be.

In Sasquatch Mine, a cancer causing pollutant has contaminated the world’s water supply. Years later, Landen is desperate to find clean water, especially since there’s barely any left. One night, he follows a man that knows where to get it. But will Landen survive the night in Sasquatch Mine?

In The Robber, Lacy’s day turns upside down during a traffic stop. In The Invaders, Earth’s last hope rests on a man with a special ability. And in Impulse, a robot has some unusual idiosyncrasies.

My new short story collection, Sasquatch Mine And Other Stories, is available on Amazon. It has 4 short stories including Sasquatch Mine, The Robber, The Invaders, and Impulse. Happy reading!

Cause and Effect

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Cause and effect is something that is essentially common sense to us, something that is seemingly self-evident. But years ago, I read a book by the philosopher David Hume called An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding that challenged this notion.

His argument was that cause and effect was a habit of experience, and therefore, cause and effect weren’t in the actual objects or events themselves. To say one object caused another to move, for example, was just a pattern of experience we’ve become accustomed to. There’s nothing to say that it will always happen. So if that is the case, wouldn’t that mean the objects outside of us didn’t have any firm qualities, since they are contingent upon our experience?

That was Hume’s point: objects outside of our experience have a nature that is unknowable.

But we could counter this by arguing that experience is simply a means of knowing the outside world (not an end in itself), just as a microscope is a means of knowing the microbial world, and that cause and effect is inherent in the way the universe operates, since our reason has determined that to be so. Similarly, Newton’s Laws of Motion describe the rules that govern, or are inherent, in the way objects move and react to each other in the universe. Thus, experience isn’t everything. We need our reason to figure things out too.

Even though our experience gives us access to the world, we make sense of it by the principles and laws that govern it. These principles allow us to understand the world and to make predictions and calculations about it (i.e. how long it takes to get from point A to point B, how much weight a bridge can hold, etc.). If we denied the validity of reason, we couldn’t operate or function in the world, since we wouldn’t know truths that exist and can be applied universally.

Satisfied With Our Work?

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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?

Thanksgiving

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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!

Not in the Mood

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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.

Not Focused

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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.

Wasting Time

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So often we hear this phrase, “wasting time.” But what does that really mean? How do we waste time?

Wasting time can mean time that is loss by not doing something productive. Time that could be spent creating rather than being idle or lounging around. It could be used to describe someone who is wasting time by not completing a task or a job. They could be “wasting time” on their cellphone or on social media. Or they might be distracted and doing other things instead of what they’re supposed to be working on.

But we must ask why that time is being wasted? Is it because that person isn’t interested in the task/job, or do they just prefer working on something else?

Regardless of how we use our time, that time can never be replaced. Yesterday cannot be relived. The months and years that have elapsed cannot be re-experienced or revisited. That time is gone. The years we spent in our twenties, thirties, etc., are chapters in our lives that we can only discuss in hindsight. They are inalterable.

Wasting time only has meaning in the present tense or in the future. To say “I wasted time yesterday” has no meaning, really. That time that transpired yesterday is just a reality now. Perhaps it makes more sense to say “don’t waste time” rather than saying “I’m wasting time.”

But why even say the phrase “wasting time” to begin with? We know that time is short–it’s something that is lost forever once it passes. For example, the time I took to write this post will be lost forever. But with the hours and days or years we have left to live, the question is how to make the most of it–to appreciate every moment we have.

Writing For Sanity Sake

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When I don’t write, I feel as if something is missing–kind of like my day is incomplete without it. I might go for a day or two without writing, but if more than that, I will feel like my creative drive is shutting down–that the ideas that came with it will be lost forever.

And if that happens, I feel like I will go insane (in a figurative sense, of course). It’s kind of like wandering around aimlessly–without purpose. Or to put it another way, bottling up emotions that have nowhere to go. Eventually, they’ll come out negatively, such as in frustration or sadness.

And when I’m at that point, I’m just going through the motions, not thinking about anything deeply or analytically. My voice and ideas aren’t being heard. But with writing, it is an outlet for the creative side of our being, just as painting or playing music is an outlet for an artist or a musician. They are not themselves without expressing this nature.

There have been years where I’ve gone without writing, but I was doing something else that was creative or productive instead. For example, there was a year when I just focused on reading. I wrote very little that year, but I felt I had another outlet for my creative side. I didn’t feel incomplete.

For each individual, there is something that they have a yearning for, something where there is a drive to accomplish a creative goal, whether it is a book, a painting, a song, a website, etc. If we don’t allow ourselves the time to create, we feel restless, anxious, even sad or empty. It’s as if we’ll lose our minds if we don’t do what we feel called to, and the creative ideas that are associated with them will disappear.

So back to the title of this post, “Writing For Sanity Sake.” What this really means is that writing isn’t really about money, fame, popularity, or even being 100% right about something. Rather, it’s an obligation to a creative need–to express the ideas and emotions that are within us so that they exist in reality. And once it exists, it’s as if we’ve added something new to the world.