Stuff I Don’t Need

Fallton Havenstonne

With everything that’s been going on in the past few months, it has made me realize how much stuff I have that I don’t need. Not only that, it made me acutely aware that I barely use a large portion of the stuff that I have.

One example is clothes. Suits, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, polos, etc. For months, I’ve hardly used any of them–just a handful. For the most part, they sit inside drawers or rest on hangers–waiting to be used. And if I do use them, I only wear the ones I really like.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the stuff I’ve accumulated have rarely been used more than once. Books, movies, CDs, video games, etc. They sit on shelves or in boxes waiting to be opened and used. Last year, I did a purge of my belongings–getting rid of boxes of books, movies, video games, and clothes. It was a great feeling, especially since it cleared up space–made me realize that I could do without them.

Besides, why do I need to keep textbooks from college that I had purchased over ten years ago? Why would I reread a chapter or complete practice problems or questions from those books when they were solely used back then? And regarding technology books, they’re obsolete compared to the technology that exists today. Why would I reread chapters about dated forums and websites when newer ones have taken their place?

Anyway, I donated over a hundred books, especially since I never felt the need to reread them after so many years. It’s as if those books had a purpose at a particular time and place in my life, but no longer had a purpose today. The knowledge and ideas in them have been processed and absorbed. Now it’s time to move onto the next one.

Decluttering and reorganizing helps to free up space for newer things. Overtime, my preference and style changes, so there’s no need to hold onto the things of the past. The clothes I wore five or ten years ago no longer appeal to me. The same goes for the movies I used to like. They don’t have the same impact on me as when I first watched them. Since I already know what will happen, it doesn’t have the same element of surprise or suspense.

Of course, nothing is wrong with holding on to things that are important to us, or the things that we’ll use again. Whether they are records, games, movies, books, they have value so long as we invest our time into them.

The most important take away from decluttering and reorganizing is that we prioritize what’s important to us. Things that we hold onto that we don’t like or use is wasteful and takes up space. If we have other things going on like work, family, or if we primarily spend our time outdoors, the things we own should reflect what we’re in the habit of accessing or will use. Thus, there is a utilitarian value to the things we own, as well as a sentimental value.

Reorganizing and decluttering can be a hard, since we can be resistant to let go of things, but it is a necessary process to have more space and freedom.

Influential Books

Fallton Havenstonne

Influential books can inspire us to believe a certain thing, or even pursue something. As an author, influential books inspire me to read and write–encouraging me to find my own voice.

An influential book doesn’t have to be popular or well known, since it might only influence you or a small group of people. For me, books such as The Road, War of the Worlds, Cujo, Eye in the Sky, and The Lottery And Other Stories have had a tremendous influence on me as a writer. Why did they influence me you might ask? I’ll explain why below.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is a post apocalyptic story about a father and son who are surviving in a bleak and unforgiving world. McCarthy’s descriptions and dialogue put me in the characters shoes–made me feel the danger they faced around every corner. For me, the book encapsulates the kind of story I want to write where I don’t want it to end.

War of the Worlds has a simple premise: an alien invasion that humanity cannot defeat, but nature can. The story is gripping, tense, and H.G. Well’s writing is crystal clear, taking us through each moment–play by play–of the invasion. But it’s the idea of an unbeatable, unstoppable alien force that is the most influential, which many films and writers have explored. My novel, THE INVAS10N, is an example of this.

Cujo is an incredibly gripping story by Stephen King that explores a different kind of horror–a rabies infected St. Bernard. The opening chapter is one the best I’ve read that describes the varieties of evil that exists. The story is quite simple: a mother and son are trapped inside of a car during a hot summer while a St. Bernard stalks them. But it is the tension that Stephen King creates with this simple setup, where you don’t know if they’ll be saved in time, where her husband and the authorities are at a lost to find them.

Philip K. Dick’s Eye in the Sky, a group of people get zapped by a beam at a facility that transports them into the minds of the other persons. Each mind is a world that operates on the beliefs of that individual. For example, in one world, miracles are the norm (i.e. a vending machine that can duplicate objects). In another world, a house turns on the people and attacks them. It’s one of the strangest and surrealist things I’ve read, yet, it is absolutely fascinating and gripping to read.

Lastly, The Lottery And Other Stories, a collected work on Shirley Jackson’s short stories, has had a profound effect on me in writing short stories. Many of her stories have a setup where things start off normal until something completely bizarre happens. She wrote her stories with a twist, where things caught you by surprise.

The story Charles, for example, is about a kid who tells his parents about a classmate named Charles, who is causing mischief at school (I attached the link to the story title). The Lottery, her most famous story in the collection, is about a village where the villagers perform a dark lottery ritual. In each story, what appears normal slips into something odd or dark.

I can probably name more books that have been influential to me, but the five I listed are sufficient. Each author influenced on me in some aspect of literature and writing. Whether they inspired me in how I view storytelling, or on what ideas I can write about, these books have one thing in common: they inspire me to read and write.

Persistence

Fallton Havenstonne

It’s said that we must be persistent, but what does it take to be persistent?

It takes a courage and determination–an unwillingness to accept failure. To succeed and accomplish our goals, we have to be persistent. But what does that mean?

In a word, it means that we must not quit. Of course, failure and losing is a part of life–an unpleasant reality of pursuing anything worthwhile. Whether our goal is to create something, to finish a race, to win a game, or even pass a test that’s required for admittance, we won’t always win or succeed.

In the face of failure, it’s easier to give up–to call it quits. It’s as if the evidence of loss/failure is pointing toward quitting, yet, we refuse to do so. We must train ourselves to adapt–to improve and learn and grow to overcome the obstacle.

Persistence is really an attitude–a way of looking at something where it can be surmounted, where the end result can change if we don’t give up.

What does it take to succeed–to overcome an obstacle? Many books have been written on this subject. It’s said that it takes hard work, practice, learning new skills, improving our knowledge, etc. But even the best athletes make mistakes, even lose a game. But there are many more games to play, right? Just don’t quit. Be persistent.

Director’s Cut

Fallton Havenstonne

What is it about director’s cut that makes it different from the original film? A director’s cut implies that the original cut was not the “actual” vision of the director. It implies that the director didn’t get “final cut” for their film. Hence, a director’s cut is the film as they wanted it to be–unaltered, unabridged.

During the editing of a film, compromises are made, and scenes are removed or added to make it more marketable or profitable. From this perspective, the intent of the film is to make it more accessible to audiences, hence, profitable.

But years later, we come across a director’s cut that is being released on Blu Ray or DVD. That implies that the director’s vision wasn’t fully represented in the theatrical release. The director’s cut might be the original version before it was edited for theaters, or it might be the version they edited after the release. Why not? It doesn’t need to be marketed for theatrical release anymore. It’s made it’s money back.

Is the director cut a marketing ploy for more sales, or is it an attempt by the director to show audiences what they were missing–what they didn’t see in theaters? Perhaps both. Maybe a director’s cut is just a longer version of the original film. Maybe it has a different tone, or maybe it has more storylines or scenes in it.

Regardless of what’s different about them, director’s cut are important in the sense that it represents the director’s true vision–the unabridged version they wanted you to see. It goes back to the premise of the director as auteur–the artist of the picture.

Is Writing Worthwhile?

Fallton Havenstonne

Sometimes, I feel like I’m writing in a vacuum. It’s as if my thoughts and ideas don’t exist anywhere but in my own mind–let alone matter to anyone else. It’s as if the writing is begging for an audience, yet there is no one to read it unless you’ve garnered an audience.

It’s as if I’m writing to myself, as if my voice is just a voice inside my head. Although I know my writing will be read by someone, it doesn’t feel that way when I’m writing. It’s as if the words will just float out there in digital space–waiting to be read.

One of the hardest things about writing is just that: writing. It can feel discouraging, like your voice won’t be heard. I write for myself, but at the same time, I want my writing to be read. But to be read is a choice for the reader. It is up to them to decide whether or not there is something worthwhile in my writing.

Is it just that my writing is worthwhile to me? That my ideas are exciting or intriguing because I think they are? All I can do is hope that my writing won’t feel like it exists in a vacuum, that I’m writing is worthwhile to other people.

Besides, writing takes loads of time and energy–especially writing that’s been edited and rewritten multiple times. The process can feel isolating, where the work only matters to you, and you only. It’s so much easier to quit–to try something else that’s easier, where you’re not wondering if you’re wasting your time.

But maybe–just maybe–someone will find your writing as important as you do. At least that is what we hope for in anything we believe is important.

What to Listen to in the Car

Fallton Havenstonne

Whenever I’m going out for a drive, the question of what to listen to largely depends on my mood. One option is music. The other is talk radio or a podcast. And then the last is not to listen to anything at all.

If I’m in a meditative state, I won’t listen to anything so that I can mull over my thoughts. If I’m wrestling with a dilemma in my mind that is weighing on me, I’ll think about it until I find a solution. It can be anything from a story that I’m trying to work out or an idea, topic, or question I want to understand.

When I’m listening to music in the car, my mind is in a completely different state. I’m not reflecting at all, but moreover, enjoying the music and immersing myself in the lyrics and rhythm of the song. In some cases, it helps me to visualize the scenes in my own stories, as well as figure out the plot as I’m imagining it like a storyboard.

I listen to talk radio or a podcast when I want to hear what’s going on in the world or to educate myself on a topic. When I’m not in the mood for music or if I don’t have anything to think about during the silence, I’ll let the speaker engage my mind.

This brings me back to beginning where I mentioned that the decision for music, talk radio, or silence, was contingent upon my mood. It’s one of those things where there is no one right answer, but a choice that reflects my state of mind.

Flip Phone And Smartphone

Fallton Havenstonne

In my short story What Do You Wish, which I published in The Beast Soldiers And Other Stories collection, a man finds a flip phone on a bus that asks him what he wishes for. When I wrote the story, I was reminiscing about the time that I had owned a flip phone–how simple and useful it was without the bells and whistles we have today

Of course, a smart phone can do so much more than a flip phone can. A smart phone can store hundreds of apps, record videos, and allow video conversations (i.e. FaceTime), etc. In contrast, the flip phone was designed to simply make phone calls and to send basic text messages (without all the fancy emojis), and maybe open some basic games (I used to play Othello on mine).

About 15 years ago, I was driving down a dirt road to work and thinking to myself, “What if I didn’t have the phone [flip phone] with me? What if I had left it at home?”

Today, it’s unfathomable to leave the house with our cellphone. It would be like leaving our wallet or keys behind at home. We’ve become so dependent on our phone that we constantly check it for emails and the news, even relying upon it for directions (using the GPS) instead of using our intuition/memory.

As cellphones become more advance, they’ll be faster and have a lot more features added on, as well as improved functionality. But when I think about the time when flip phones were prominent, I’m reminded of a time when I hardly ever used the phone, when things were a lot quieter, when I could focus on reading and writing without all the alerts and notifications.

Reading and Writing Mode

Fallton Havenstonne

When I try and split my time between reading or writing, I cannot do both for very long. Whenever I’m reading a book, the story makes everything else fade away. If I’m writing, the story is what I’m pouring my energy into. In the latter case, reading a book becomes secondary or even put off to the side until I finish writing. I can only focus on one or the other.

Even when I try to do both, such as read part of the day and write the latter half of the day, this won’t last long. One of the two will win over me, depending on where my interest lies. I might stick to the half and half schedule for a week, but the following week, either I’ll be entirely focused on reading or writing.

I’m sure there are authors that have found a balance, where they’ve disciplined themselves to give each their due. So perhaps I’m speaking more for myself–this “all in” approach to reading or writing. I do find that the “all in” approach works for me to finish something quickly. If I’m “all in” in reading, I can finish a book in a day or two, which might’ve taken me two or more weeks if I took my time.

Conversely, a story that might’ve taken months or over a year to write, I’ll finish it in half the time. Because I’m giving it full my attention, thinking about it day and night, I can work on it uninterrupted.

For authors that like to write at a slower pace, reading and writing works for them because they’re not trying to finish their story at a face paced. Rather, they’re taking their time with each, allowing the story they’re reading to unfold chapter by chapter, and letting the ideas for their story to build overtime.

But for me, when an idea takes ahold of me, I like to run with it–even sprint with it. I write feverishly until I finish.

Staring at a Blank Page

Fallton Havenstonne

Staring at a blank page is like having a brain freeze. Your brain doesn’t know what to say, what to write, or what to think. It’s stuck. It can be frustrating, even discouraging.

It’s like you’re waiting for your mind to tell your fingers what to type. But once you get started, it feels liberating. Writing can be like a conversation you’re having with yourself, or it can be an out of body experience–a phenomenon where an idea takes ahold of you and you’re writing without knowing in advance what the words will be or what the end goal is.

You can write a lot if you don’t stop to think about what you’re writing. I find that once I stop to correct something or to find the right words, the flow dwindles down, and it’s hard to pick up the pace. It’s kind of like jogging and then stopping to check a message on your phone. It hinders the pace, the mental conversation stops, and you have to pick up where you left off.

For me, writing is about momentum, about getting the thoughts down before the hold of the idea let’s go. I don’t stop to fact check or refine the piece for clarity or remove errors during the first draft. Just like with jogging, you build up stamina by writing more and more each time. Whenever you’re interrupted, it’s hard to build that stamina up because there was a pause in the workout.

Whenever I stare at a blank page, I think of what I want to say, what’s on my mind. If I struggle to write anything, I make a list of ideas of things I’d like to write about. After I decide which one to focus on, I start with my initial thoughts on it. Then I add a sentence to it, and then another . . .

Wristwatch And Smartwatch

Fallton Havenstonne

For years, I’ve been wearing wristwatches on and off. I would go through periods that lasted months or years where I’ve worn one and not worn one. Besides, with smartphones, they’ve become the new pocket watches. It not only tells the time, but can perform a host of other functions that a wristwatch can’t.

But ever since smartwatches came out, they’ve made us consider whether we should wear one or a regular wristwatch. On a smartwatch, it can check our heart rate, track our footsteps, the display screen can be changed from analog to digital, and it can answer calls and send text messages. Lastly, they can even display our email and play music.

For some, however, it’s something to wear around their wrist all day. It might get in the way of one’s work or even be an annoyance because it is uncomfortable. And what is the purpose of a watch anyway? To tell time, right? So does a watch even matter? Why does somebody need to wear a watch if a cellphone (operating as a pocket watch) can do the same thing and more?

I’ll start with the reasons I like to wear a wristwatch. For one, I don’t want to draw out my cellphone every time to see what time it is. The more time I spend on my cellphone, the less time I’m spending reading, writing, enjoying the outdoors, or the people I’m conversing with. It pulls me away from my surroundings, from my own imagination and thoughts. I see the phone as more of a tool rather than something I should be spending a huge chunk of my day on.

Even reading a book on my cellphone is difficult. It strains my eyes, and I feel less able to focus or concentrate afterward. Instead, I use my cellphone sporadically–only when I need to. For example, if I need to make a phone call, send a text, use the GPS, etc., but these are instantaneous uses, not long drawn periods where I’m staring at my phone.

This is the reason I like wearing a wristwatch, and occasionally, my smartwatch. The wristwatch is simply something I can glance at to check the time. I’m not constantly looking at it, nor can I access any apps or make calls with it (which would be counterproductive if I’m working). I don’t have to ask people for the time or know if I’m late getting to somewhere. It serves a practical purpose which takes barely a moment of my time.

I find that a smartwatch is just useful as a wristwatch, though it has the added feature of receiving text messages and phone calls. But I think the decision to wear a smartwatch or a wristwatch depends on two things: style, and whether or not someone wants to receive alerts/notifications.

Let me start with the first: style. Style means just that: the style, or the design and the look of the watch. For some people, a smartwatch doesn’t have the aesthetics that they are looking for. Perhaps they like to wear a watch where they don’t have to activate it (i.e. turn it on or turn the wrist a certain way) to see what time it is. Another thing is that a smartwatch has to be charged regularly. For my smartwatch (Apple Watch), I find that I have to charge it almost everyday if I’m using it consistently. A regular wristwatch, however, has a battery that last months or years.

The preference for notifications is another major thing. If one is expecting a phone call or text messages, then it makes sense to wear a smartwatch. Without drawing out one’s phone, the smartwatch alerts them that they are receiving a call or a text. And without appearing conspicuous, they can just glance at their watch to see it. With a wristwatch, however, it’s obviously not meant for any type of electronic communication. It’s simply designed to tell time at a glance.

Despite the pros and cons of wristwatches and smartwatches, one might not need to know what time is or even want to know. Maybe a watch is unnecessary to them if they’re at the computer a lot or if there are wall clocks everywhere in their environment.

At the end of the day, just don’t be caught in the situation where you’re asking someone what time it is. I’ve been there before. Because you know what the response is: “It’s time to get a watch.”