On Writing

So I’m not feeling well, and I’m ahead on a lot of my school projects, so here goes. I’ve done posts like this, but not one that is going to be quite as in-depth as this one.

The question is… why do I write?

I think my goal is, at the surface, something similar to that of most people: my own entertainment. I write for myself. I write because there are things I would like to read, and nobody knows what I would like to read better than I do. And so I ask myself questions. Is there more focus on plot than intensively realistic characters in what I’m reading? Then I write stories with relatable and realistic characters. Are there too much “teenager saves the world” kinds of storylines? Then I write one without as much at stake. Is there not enough POC representation in the books I’m reading? Then I write one that has lots of it. Is there too much concentration on merely entertaining the reader and not enough on making them think about their own life and society? Then I write something that makes the reader think.

And that’s where I have to go a bit past the surface. I think if I get to the heart of why I write, it gets slightly egotistical. I like to think that I can truly change people’s minds. Seriously, I do. I act like I can make society think about itself and its wrongs if I write it as it is, showing all the faults in grisly detail. Maybe I can. I don’t really know. I like to believe I can make people walk back into reality and think about what would happen if they kept living their lives as mundanely as they do. I’d like them to question everything. And most of all, I’d like to imagine that I, a short, scrawny dude from Upstate New York who’s never done anything of consequence, can change people’s minds with a some words on a page.

That’s why I chose my pen name as it is. I do it not as a lie, but only because I like to write as politically incorrect as possible, and I don’t feel like people tracking me down on Facebook to give me hate mail.  So, the name Gabriel Penn was concocted, because Gabriel is a both messenger and warrior angel according to the Bible. I would like to be that: a warrior for what is good and a messenger to those doing wrong. And I’d like to do it all with pen and ink, per se.

I think it all comes down to what a writer, or any kind of artist, is meant to do. Writing surely must entertain, or nobody would read it. But aren’t we called to do more as artists? Are our works not supposed to change society, or at least represent it as it is? And maybe we can do the former by doing the latter, who knows? I’d like to think we could. So entertain your audience. Write epic fight scenes. Paint beautiful lacework or pure abstraction. Write tales of dragons or aliens or 19th-century romance. Construct sculptures that take twenty minutes for people to realize what it’s supposed to look like. Write stories of vampires, ghosts, ghouls and demons. Draw original, goofy characters or hyperrealistic celebrities. Write about everyday life, for all I care. But to end it there, that would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Do more! Be more!

We bear a massive burden as artists. When you make art, the audience hangs on your every word of your pen and stroke of your paintbrush. When you make art, both poor and rich, both commoner and royal, are all equal. So whatever you’re going to say, make it count.

Thoughts on Being a Better Person

Ironic timing for this. Just after doing one of the Blogging 101 exercises, I was forced to think a bit. It was shortly after I commented on a writing/personal blog linked here. (Speaking of which, you should definitely check the blog out. It seems to have lots of blogging potential.) She talks about her simple goal to just become a better person over the next few months. I even commented that by…

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Thoughts on Being a Better Person

Ironic timing for this. Just after doing one of the Blogging 101 exercises, I was forced to think a bit. It was shortly after I commented on a writing/personal blog linked here. (Speaking of which, you should definitely check the blog out. It seems to have lots of blogging potential.)

She talks about her simple goal to just become a better person over the next few months. I even commented that by the intent to become a better person, she’s already on her way. But it made me think a bit over my personal life. I know the purpose for this blog. I know the purpose of my book. But do I know my own purpose right now? And do I really want to become a better person?

It may seem like an odd question. At least deep down, I think everyone wants to be a good person, even if we aren’t naturally good. But what am I doing to better myself today? That’s a lot of italics, I know, but roll with it for a little bit.

That’s a lot of italics, I know, but roll with it for a little bit.

I realize that I ought to be always trying to better myself. Obviously I will never become perfect, but if I know I have faults, I have to at least try to correct them. I think I had come to a point where I wanted to become a better writer and blogger, but not actually change myself. But now I think I will start giving it a try again.

So how does one change themselves? As I told the blogger who inspired this, it starts with the desire. But there is more to the story. We Christians have a saying regarding self-improvement. Paul says it in Philippians 4:8. It goes like this.

It is similar to the Buddhist eightfold path. In fact, I’ve even openly referred to it as the Christian eightfold path in front of friends. So when you are making a decision, you must think. Is it:

• true
• noble
• right
• pure
• lovely
• admirable
• excellent
• praiseworthy

That’s a long list, I know. But it looks really cool in list form, so I thought I’d put it like that. Anyhow, I have made a determination. When I make a risky decision from now on, I will go through this verse, this eightfold path, in my mind. If even one thing cannot be checked off, I should at least rethink the decision.

Now, this does not mean that people cannot enjoy fighting or reading a good fantasy battle. If it is for good reason, such as protecting their family, friends or country, then it is admirable and praiseworthy. It does not have to fit all the requirements.

So, what are you doing to better yourself today?

Think about it.

Finding your Style

So, it has happened. I’m slowly beginning to find a style. I mean that in both the sense of life and of writing. I was thinking about this yesterday, as I pulled out some of my favorite pieces of writing that I’ve written in a long, long while. I wondered why I enjoyed writing them so much – those specific ones. I figured it out. It was that they came naturally to me. They were written like I…

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Finding your Style

So, it has happened. I’m slowly beginning to find a style. I mean that in both the sense of life and of writing. I was thinking about this yesterday, as I pulled out some of my favorite pieces of writing that I’ve written in a long, long while. I wondered why I enjoyed writing them so much – those specific ones. I figured it out.

It was that they came naturally to me. They were written like I would write them.

For so long I have tried to be someone else. I tried reading books and modeling my work after successful authors. I watched popular people in my years at college and tried to follow in their footsteps. But it wasn’t working out for me? Why? Because it wasn’t me.

I have found that my best work comes in the close-up. In writing, it’s the intimate, one-on-one moments where I can shine. In life, I enjoy myself best with a group of three to four people, even better one-on-one. So in a way, I didn’t have to find a style at all. I’ve just realized what it already is. And that makes it so much better, and people enjoy it that much better.

Moral of the story: don’t apologize for who you are. That’s all you can really be happy as.

Yup. Emotional and sappy blog. I make those occasionally. I’ll avoid them in later days.

Muses and Motivation

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you probably guessed this post was coming. Today’s post is a question regarding your muse, your motivation. What is it, really?

The simple fact is that, if we are writing, something put us to that point. It may be the encouragement of a father, a mother, a brother, a sister or a friend, but something is driving us to write and write and write some more. But I…

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Muses and Motivation

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you probably guessed this post was coming. Today’s post is a question regarding your muse, your motivation. What is it, really?

The simple fact is that, if we are writing, something put us to that point. It may be the encouragement of a father, a mother, a brother, a sister or a friend, but something is driving us to write and write and write some more. But I find that, even when I’m almost out of reasons to write, I find something inside me driving me to push on. Whether it is some mad writing demon or God Himself I cannot be sure.

So what pushes you? What started you off, and what keeps you going even when it’s hard? Because it is hard. Sometimes you’ll look at your work, no matter how much you’ve done, and want to toss it in the trash. Sometimes you do. Sometimes something takes it out of the trashcan and looks at it again.

What, or who, is your muse?

A Rebuttal

Just a moment ago, I made a very depressing blog post about how I have become distressed over the very thing I want to enjoy. While it is true, I would like to make a rebuttal.

I love writing. I love my book, and I love all my followers – every single one! I have no need to have more twitter followers than I already do. I have no need to have thousands of people liking my things every second. I have no need of more Facebook fans or more views per week. I don’t need any of that.

Depression will get to me at times. It’s true, and it’s something I can’t ignore. There will definitely be times when I don’t want to write, I don’t want to talk about writing and times when I most certainly don’t want to blog about how awesome it is and how to do it better. But neither the highs or the lows define me.

But regardless of whether I want to do it or not, the muse stands beside me and waits. Because the simple fact is that writing is a part of my life. Through writing I have gained friends I could never have gained otherwise, many not even from my own country. I strive to write, day in, day out. Sometimes its great, sometimes its awful. Sometimes its depressing and sometimes it makes me feel more alive than I have ever felt.

And what can I do to keep me going? What can I do to make it better? I can answer this question for myself. The only thing I can do to keep me going is to keep on doing it.

To my fellow writers, I say this:
Write when you are happy. Write when you are sad. Write when it embraces and when it crushes. The world is not always sunshine and roses, and your writing doesn’t need to be either. Write when it hurts to write. Write when your pen flows easy. Be sure to take a break on the occasion. Drink some tea and lay back in your comfy armchair. But when you are done, write again! One day you may look back, and you will say that you are glad that you did it even when it was hard, because beauty was made in the midst of rubble.

Just write. And I assure you, you will feel better for it.

Wondrously Normal

First draft of the novel goes up tomorrow for those who requested it! Can’t wait, although sadly I can’t remember all of the people who wanted it. So sad. For those who didn’t, look up the Facebook page sometime.

I have to admit something. Nothing extraordinarily epic, awe-inspiring, or even really worth writing a blog about actually happened today. But that’s okay! Because some days are indeed, quite ordinary. And that’s quite all right, honestly! I think the simple fact is… that sometimes its the ordinary moments in life that can leave an unordinary print on the dirt road of our own lives. So let me tell you about one of those footprints that was made today.

Today I got the chance to babysit my little five-year-old niece. It was totally awesome. It makes me want to be a dad all the more than I already do. I do, a lot, but I’m all about the no-sex-before-marriage thing (not that I’m going to demonize those that aren’t). She’s a little darling, but like every little child her age she can be a rascal. That’s okay, though, that’s just kid stuff. Every kid has to play in the mud a bit, knock over breakable furniture, jump on the bed, because that’s part of being a kid! I hope I can appreciate it almost as much should I become a parent.

I say should, because I live with the realization I could die at any second. Who knows, maybe I could go to sleep and not wake up in the morning. Anybody could! Those worried about that are either in a bad spot or just not living life the right way. Carpe Diem, my friends. Spend your life wisely, you’ve only got one shot at it.

I know, perhaps I refer to my book too much, but this is a writers blog as much as it is a personal one. To be honest, I think I hit it pretty well in one section of the book in particular. (There’s a scene from TFIOS that says something similar, but I do not own the book nor do I think I could find the scene it on Google if I tried.)

“Are babies who die in the cradle less than lords who rule over cities? No. Are the lame worse than the walking? No. I was equal, even if no one else saw it, maybe even something more. Life is life, it all matters […] no matter whether you do something grand with it or not. So I’ll still believe in you, even if no one else does.”

-Zenti, Dark Soldier

And so do I also believe in you! Call me ignorant, call me naive, but I have a faith in people that perhaps most people don’t. I see potential in even the darkest of souls because I know that it’s not what you’ve done, not what others have done to you, but what you do with your life now, in the present, that defines you. We don’t all have the chance to be a change the world, but we do have a chance to change ourselves, because we’re just wondrously normal like that.

So take hold of your own pen. Write your own story. In the words of Confucius, “every journey begins with a single step”. Take it today.