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Thinking

Omniwriter

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Omniwriter

Trying out something called Omniwriter for the Mac. It seems to have the kind of “no-nonsense” type of writing environment that I’m looking for. Although, I could probably get something like this by spending lots of time tweaking settings in a more robust authoring application, the minimalistic view is quite comfortable.

Add to that I can turn sounds on and off, add my own soundtrack to the mix (manually in the background), and I think we may have the beginnings of a good relationship here. White I was writing this, I opted to go with my own music/playlist in iTunes, and I think that will play out well, though the ambient sounds that come with the software are quite pleasing.

When I write, I realize how much I am drawn to it. Also, when I don’t write, I realize how much I am drawn to it. I have heard it said that if you aren’t sure whether you’re called to a particular thing, stop doing that thing and see if you can live with it that way. I seem to start and stop, but always end up coming back to it.

In the end, it may be for no one but myself. Should that be the case, I think I’m okay with it. It helps to get my inner voice onto paper, even if it is only helping me sort through my own thoughts. There is great value in that for me. I find it even becomes something of a dialogue between me and the writing, and I know that my thoughts get sorted quite a bit better when they are talked out.

Sort, sort, sort… 🙂

Thinking

When You Really Don’t Want To

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Maybe it’s like anything else you do when you don’t want to, but somehow it feels different. If you’re committed to something, you follow through with it, right? Or at least you should. But not writing? Man, I can think of 1,249,844 reasons to just skip it. Blogs abound, news articles pour in, opinions explode from every corner of this little world… so no one will notice if I don’t! After all, there aren’t really that many people paying attention, anyway. It’s not like someone else is holding me accountable to write.

But it’s a goal this year, it’s something I want to improve upon, and it’s one of those things that I’m just going to have to grind out. Other things are more fun to grind out, though. Earlier this morning I was working on a rewrite of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing… that seemed like more fun. It seemed more tangible and meaningful.

For the moment, this seems like work. It even feels like a cop-out. Writing about writing is sort of like cheating, no? But I’m forcing myself to do it. Are you still reading? How much more do I have to write before you get bored and click your Stumble Upon button or head back to Facebook?

No photos, no witticisms, no profundity. Just this. When I really do want to, I’m a lot like my son. I stall. This whole post I’ve been stalling. Stall… stall… stall… schleuph!

Thinking

Done With Small Fonts

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eyechart

So sue me. I’m done with small fonts. Maybe I’m getting older? Well, that’s for sure… I can tell by the style of clothing I wear that never changes (examines attire).

Another reason? I actually have one. I’m trying to make the blog more about the content of the blog than about all the things you can learn about me. I’m tired of visiting sites, including my own, that have a zillion things to know about the person.

Don’t get me wrong, I like an About page. If I want to know more about you, I’ll click your info page and check it out, maybe get more info on who you really are. But if you’re a blogger, a writer, someone trying to communicate, then I just want to hear what you’re saying. Quit it with all of the accolades and the links and the ads and the… oh wait, some people are doing this to make money… I digress.

You may notice the lack of a side-bar with a long list of blogs I read and things about me. I think I’m starting to care less about all of that stuff. If I visit my own site and I’m distracted by it… “Oh, I need to tweak that… oops, gotta update that link!… oh, that picture is getting old.”… and the list goes on.

So, here I present content, the substance of what I’m trying to do is front and center now.

Not only that, but it’s easy to read. 🙂

This post was composed in Windows Live Writer on a Windows 8 (EIGHT) machine.

Everyday Stuff

2012 Wisdom Quest–Part 2

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myles-the-wiseI’ve always thought our dog, Myles, has a wise look about him. His full name is Doctor Myles Spencer, because for some reason it seems to fit him when we got him a few years ago. He’s my official mascot for this year’s Wisdom Quest.

Recently I turned off the blog and all of my social media pages, save for Twitter, so I could clear out some mental space. I’m hoping that was a wise thing to do… just turn everything off for a while. Ever wish you could pull the plug completely and never go back? 🙂

The second part of my quest for wisdom this year involves scheduling music creation sessions. I’m not there yet with a regular schedule, but I’m taking some steps in the right direction. Sometimes I like to look back before heading forward. I’m one of those guys who uses the past to provide perspective for what might be coming. Speaking of the past, I rearranged the Music page to include all the work I did on my joint album with Jason Rekker, called Distance.

I’ve been listening to these songs, and you can, too if you like. I’ll provide download links in the not-too-distant future, as well, because I’m not holding out hope of making any money off of them. Hearing my own youth and immaturity as a writer and singer in these songs is motivation for me to push myself to do better.

Following up on my first goal for the year, having a focused approach to writing, with set goals, I’ve decided on a few things:

  1. I’m going to write at least once per week, if not more, on this blog. Many times in setting goals, I go too far and set myself up for failure. If I’m going to stick with it, I need something attainable. Ever hear of S.M.A.R.T. goals?
  2. Even if it isn’t earth-shakingly profound, I’m still going to write. I mean, isn’t that part of it? How shall I improve I do not practice? It doesn’t matter if a particular blog post isn’t going to win me the Pulitzer. That will probably never happen to me, anyway! So why waste too much time thinking about it? Just write! Right?!
  3. Reading is part of writing, so I’m going to weave these two goals together. My reading goals are now set, as well, so I intend to improve as a writer by observing the writing of others, and to write about my observations in return. These goals will assist each other.

That’s it for now! In my next Wisdom Quest post, I will be writing about my 3rd goal for 2012, establish more regular reading habits.

– Chad

Everyday Stuff

2012 Wisdom Quest–Part 1

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IMG_0567Following up on my last post, Thoughts on 2012, I planned to write a post on each of my four focus areas for the year. Under a banner of seeking wisdom and understanding, I plan to write, create music, read more consistently, and accomplish professional development. In order, this post will be part 1 of 4 of my “Wisdom Quest.”

Today I received some goodies in the mail. My father-in-law and his wife were kind enough to give me Amazon gift cards for my birthday (12/01) and Christmas. Using them I purchased, among other things, a Moleskine planner, one from their exclusive Peanuts line.

The idea of reverting to a paper planner is something my friends might think is a bit odd for me. I am, after all, an I.T. guy! But I find this theme of writing continues to crop up in my life. As I considered my New Year’s goals, I initially wrote that I would have less involvement with technology. Then I realized that it wasn’t technology I needed to pull back from… it was the manner in which I consumed data.

IMG_0569Over dinner the other night, I talked with my friend, Jon, about all of the data streams in our lives. We can get data in so many easy ways. It’s in the newspaper, on the web, our computers, our phones, billboards, screens at the mall, our email, our TV’s, our tablets, and more. And within each device there are thousands of separate data streams available to us!

The problem isn’t in the availability of data, it’s in how we receive and process that information. And it got me to thinking about parenting, too. I don’t want to just impart data to my son. He can get that anywhere! Anyone (or anything) can provide data to him, but my role is to bestow understanding.

How does writing come into this big picture for me? Writing in my journal or planner, or even short pieces like this, cause me to slow down and think. If I take some time to slow down, to turn off all the data sources for a period of time, it gives me moments of reflection, a necessary break from rushing streams of information.

IMG_0566Taking a calendar and looking through it reminds me how long a month is, a week, a day, and I see how they work together to form the structure of my life. It takes my eyes away from the screen, and it becomes something in my hands to touch, to remember, to remind me of the natural flow of things. I’m very much looking forward to using my new planner to help me walk in wisdom through my life this year. Too often my life has been more about taking in data, rather that dealing with it wisely. Thankfully, God provides me wisdom when I ask:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

Do you think writing and setting goals for your writing is a good way to slow down and add wisdom to your life?