A Brave New Plan

Just the third week into the new year, and I've decided to tweak my goal of reading one book a week for the remainder of the year.

For just over a month I was out of commission due to a series of upper respiratory infections and sinus infections with a tooth abscess on top. I began reading my first book, WWW.WATCH by Robert Sawyer shortly after Jan 1st, but it was a slow process. When you are down, it's difficult to complete things you know you need to. I rebelled, kicked and screamed all the way until early Monday morning Jan 20th when I finally completed it. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book (I did for the most part). It took 2 rounds of antibiotics only to determine the little buggers were resistant to it. That was 20 days being ill and no relief. It wasn't until I began a 3 day regime of Zithromax that the infection began to slow and I started feeling better. OCD and ADD hardly ever help the situation.

However, I did indeed finish the book in 2 weeks. Last year I picked it up and read the first 40 pages at least on 4 or 5 occasions. Even this late achieved goal led me to completion. So, goal setting really does work. Now for the tweaks I was talking about.

I intend to read (or listen to) at least 4 books in any given calendar month. This leaves me some leeway should I fall ill or some other series of unfortunate events occur. The lesser restrictions benefit the ADD part of me. I realize I made the initial goal of 1 book a week to combat the ADD. Oh well. Come on, throw me a bone. I'm still reading more material than I have in a long time.

The efficiency is much better overall. For example, should I finish a book 2 days before the "week" was over, I'd be uncertain about beginning another for fear that I could not complete it within the 2 days allotted. This caused more anxiety than what remaining time on the schedule was worth. With the new method I can begin that book anyway.

Have any of you tweaked a resolution or goal to suit your needs at the time? I'd like to hear from you.

Book-A-Week & Outline-A-Month

I'm sure the Blogosphere is bound to be buzzing like busy bee's considering this is the time that many will be posting their goals, resolutions, and projects for the upcoming year. This is a good a time as any to throw my lot in the mix and reacquaint myself to the Blogosphere. I've decided to undertake another New Year's resolution/challenge. This is but one of many, however, I would like to have some accountability for this one. And since it involves writing, I'll make that intention here.

I haven't been doing much writing or reading for that matter. OCD and ADD can do that to you. Couple that with being undisciplined and I'm a complete disaster.  It's a long and slow journey. Like the Chinese philosopher Laozi said  "A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".  

I am going to attempt to read at least one book a week during this calendar year of 2013. I hope that the practice will carry on to my remaining years. There is so much to read and so little time. For me, this seems like an olympic leap than a small step, however, because I'll be focusing mostly on the reading and the outlining (and exercise of course) I will push some of these other worries, burdens, and aspirations to a dark hidden crevice in my mind. That's right. I said aspirations. I have so much I want to do and learn and because of the OCD and ADD, it precludes me from this. So it stands to reason that this may actually help with my OCD and ADD since I'll be narrowing my focus by not taking on too much of a variety of things. Reading and Outlining/Writing Novels. That's all I'm about this year. To hell with everything else, I say!

I've already made some selections that I'll read for sure.  I'll post a tentative schedule soon. Feel free to comment about my choice of selections and the selections themselves. And if you would like to join me in your own Book-A-Week, let's get in touch.

I plan on reading from a fairly broad variety of both fiction and nonfiction books. Most of the fiction will be from the Science Fiction and Hi-Tech Thriller genres. There is some fantasy I want to delve into.  On the nonfiction side, I'll be reading mostly popular science and philosophy books. Those I have chosen or will choose will be books that I find relevant to the research I need for my novel and story ideas.

This week I'll be reading WWW:WATCH, the second of the WWW trilogy by Robert J Sawyer. The first I read about 2-3 years ago. I plan on finishing Sunday at the latest.

I'm also going to begin a nonfiction writing book, Where do You Get Your Ideas? by Fred White. I'm allowing up to 2-3 weeks to finish this one, although I'm shooting for 1-2.

My first day has now begun, but the week will usually begin on Monday and end on Sunday.

I'm also planning on completing one novel outline (detailed, if possible) a month. 

I hope to post more often in the future. I'll certainly have more writing related posts to share. 
So... if you'd like to join me on this adventure, I'll be happy to have you on board. 

Happy New Year to all and good luck with all your goals and resolutions...

Frank Bertrand writings about PKD on Scribd

Frank Bertrand has been a Philip Dick fan since probably before I was born. In the 70's and 80's he conducted several interviews with Phil, and has written extensively about him since Phil's death.

I read a few of his articles when I first had the "PKD connection" on 6-23-2002. I'll be rereading those articles and even more for the first time.

His writings can be found here at Scribd

I've got a lot of rereading to do so I can complete this memoir. I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you, Frank, for all the time and hard work you have put in for the PKD community.

My Memoir Kickstarter Project Launched

I've officially launched my Kickstarter project today. Kickstarter is a fundraising site for creative projects. In this model, one launches a project and sets a deadline to meet their funding goal (1-60 days). If the funding is not met then the project will not be funded. It is an all-or-nothing situation.  Rewards (usually in the form of the finished product, e.g. books, CD's, DVD's, ect.  The more you donate, the better the rewards. Also rewarding, is knowing that you will help someone fulfill one of their dreams, that they may not have been able to do otherwise.

My memoir, called Alienus Tempus, concerns how I manage mental illness and common and not-so common philosophical inquiries while trying to explain mysterious and remarkable events that concern the late science fiction writer, Philip K Dick.

If you happen to read this post, please take a look at my project even if you decide not to donate. That's okay... just so you know that one day this memoir will be available to everyone at no cost.  I want to get this story out. It's my dharma.

Doing Philosophy - A Short Summary

Doing Philosophy by George MacDonald Ross et al. is a great introduction to the study of, or doing of philosophy, which includes reading, taking notes, discussing and writing essays. It is aimed toward university undergraduates beginning their study of philosophy, but it can be applicable to anyone wanting to study philosophy, of which I belong to the latter.

I really enjoyed the section on Reading Philosophy as I found it more applicable for my immediate needs, and is in fact, the cornerstone to doing philosophy. Different kinds of texts are discussed. If that journal article has you stumped, it's okay; the authors claim that even professional philosophers sometimes need to read an article several times to understand it. They say that when reading about a subject, it is essential to review arguments both for and against an idea. When reading philosophy, you must be careful to read thoroughly, and not skim. No speed reading! They offer a "structured reading" guide which will enhance your experience. Reading philosophy poses many challenges, such as technical language and translation issues, just to name a few. The authors cover this adequately.

Applicable to university students, they explain how plagiarism can take many forms, and how to avoid it.

Included in the "Writing Philosophy" section are four types of sample questions that one may need to write essays about. They discuss how you should think about the issue or question.

I believe my having read this book will benefit me in my self-study of philosophy and can do the same for you, whether a university student or on your own.

Writing Longhand

Writing inspiration hits when you least expect it. Much of the time it catches us when we are away from our computers. Even in my one-room efficiency apartment I find myself not writing because my laptop is either off or in standby. Sometimes, I simply don't want to open my journal software program. I feel awful and lazy about this.

But I know this: I do want to write. I have to do something about this, now. I've decided that it's not absolutely necessary to have a digital copy of my musings. Therefor, I have begun to use inexpensive composition notebooks. I get them at 40 cents a pop at Walmart.

I've got a comp notebook for just about everything: my official journal, writing exercises, notes on books I'm currently reading, book reviews, writing topics, dreams, my WIP, blog posts, and the one I carry around with me all the time - "Writing on Hand" notebook. I'm sure I've either got more or I'll make more in the future.  I figure, if the journal entry is really important, I can always back it up with my journal program.

As a result, I've written about five to ten times as much as I normally do. It may be overkill, but hey, it works for me. There are other benefits to writing by hand, as well. Plenty of pros and cons for each.

Disclaimer: This post was written initially in longhand and then transcribed to Blogger

What method works best for you?

Hiking Trip

I'll be gone for the next 4-6 weeks while I'm hiking the trails from Pittsburgh, PA to DC. I'll only have my cellphone, so availability and ease of use for blogging will be difficult at best. During rests I'll be reading Jean Paul Sartre's "On Being and Nothingness". That's sure to add some weight to my pack. It's a work on existentialism, ontology, and phenomenology. It will make quite the challenge. Even students majoring in philosophy require much preparation just to begin reading this book. I've done all that time will allow, and hopefully will have some insight to share at my return.