Waking up and writing ideas

I woke up in the night and I had trouble falling back to sleep. It happens sometimes. I cannot remember the dream that caused me to wake up, but once awakened my mind wouldn’t shut off. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t stressed out, or anything. There wasn’t a particular thing which kept me awake. Although, sometimes it is stress, or it’s something I am fretting over; however, not this particular time. In-fact, I don’t recall anything which would have kept me awake.

Usually when I awake, it is because the dream was weird or because of a nightmare. Sometimes, go to my laptop and jot things down in the hopes I could write about it later – This is what I am doing now except never jot the idea down, but I managed to remember my thought that could write about the fact that I awoke and that this occurs sometimes.

As a writer, jotting down ideas as they come to you is an important tool in an author’s arsenal. I am sure that many a horror or fictional stories derived from ideas from the author’s nightmares, or dreams. Dreams/nightmares are one of my tools. Another tool is riding transit. For some reason, I write better or more easily while taking transit. One other tool I use is observing my surroundings and watching people. This comes easily to me because I have always been a “people watcher.” I watch people while sitting in a cafe, or on a bench or the grass at a park or at the beach.

This craft of writing is strange.
—Robert Confiant 17 April 2019

My time

It’s been too long since I have written here. I am afraid I let my “fitness blog” get the better of me.

About the fore mentioned blog, I haven’t written much of anything else which of one truly knows me makes sense as I am ” an all, or take it kind of guy.” I have always been this way. I have many interests, but only so much time. Plus, I can get easily distracted and get absorbed into one thing, which is why YouTube wastes so much of my time; such that, I have forsaken watching television, or anything else for that matter.

I am changing my physical well-being, so I might as well use the same method to help me be more productive and actually do stuff instead of wasting time with YouTube, or other internet stuff. As of right now, I am making a commitment to myself to do more “stuff.” As a result, I can be more productive. I need to start showing physical results with how I spend my time.

Learn stuff, read stuff, write stuff, clean stuff, I need to show anything for all the extra time I have away from work. After all, work allocates a lot of free time. I rarely, if ever work overtime. I have all this free time, but I have was it. I don’t have anything to show for it.

So, a new course is warranted. I have started a new healthier lifestyle; albeit slow and steady. But, it’s working. I can do the same about my spare time. I can plan to be more productive without burning myself out mind you. I can take it slow and steady like I am doing for my health lifestyle change. I can strive to write more, read more, or to learn that which I wish to learn. I can be more productive.

It’s time for me to do this.
—Robert Confiant 10 April 2019

My writing fulfills a need

I am reading over stuff on social media. One just has to shake one’s head over some of the stuff that gets posted. Life can be stranger than fiction sometimes.

I have the opposite issue. Most of the time, my life is hum drum, boring and not of interest. A lot of the time, it’s get up, go to work, come home, eat and later go to bed. Even most weekends, I hang out, surf the net, clean my messy condominium, and write on my blog. Lately, I have managed to squeeze some workout time at the gym.

You will notice my life is boring which is why I read and write. I read on the bus to and from work; at least when I am not writing for this blog. Writing, now there is my saving grace. My writing helps alleviate this feeling of mediocrity. It helps fulfills a need, or an urging that would otherwise leave me wanting more from life.

Lately, my writings consist of writing for the two blog sites which I maintain. I haven’t done much in the way of poetry, verse, short stories, or the book. Still, I am pleased with what I am doing when it comes to my writing. Could I be doing more? For sure, without a doubt l could, and I should be doing more.

Overall though life is good. I met up with friends over the weekend that I haven’t seen for quite some time. It was a terrific time, and until then, I never really knew how much I missed, and need them in my life.

I am a social butterfly. I hate to drink alone, so if I do go to a pub alone, I always sit at the bar. It doesn’t take me long before I am chatting with the person sitting beside me. One time, this strategy back fired on me. The guy snapped at me when I tried to start up a conversation. I told him, “Go sit in a corner table somewhere next time. The reason most people sit at a bar is to not feel like they are drinking alone.” I asked him, “Why he bothered sitting here if he didn’t wish to socialize?” He finished quickly finished his drink and left. Not that I go to bars much anymore, but I made my point.

Anyway, here I am taking transit to work and writing this to post to this blog. All is good.
—Robert Confiant 18 March 2019

Plan for the week – writing

I was only going to take Thursday and Friday off this week, but then I decided to take the whole week off as I had the time, and quite frankly, I could use the time off. It has been crazy busy at work and it really hasn’t slowed much, and I don’t see things slowing down in the foreseeable future.

I am not doing to much. I am going to write and to rest. I have an eye appointment early in the week, but that’s it. I am going to write and rest. I afraid, other than the two blogs I maintain, I haven’t done much writing. It’s about time that changed. I am not “stuck” per se, but I have procrastinated long enough. I do not have writer’s block or anything similar. It just feels like a task lately. I am not sure why. I find doing these two blogs to be more of an interest.

Why do writers tend to procrastinate? I am sure I am not the only one. I find this writing craft to be very strange. Some days, the task of writing is very difficult; while other days, it flows very easily. I am finding it easier to write on the blog than it is my next book. Perhaps this is because of the reaction that writing on the blog provides. The number of views and/or likes is like a stimulant. It keeps me writing. The novel writing; however, does not provide me with this immediate recognition. Perhaps the reason I find it difficult to stay with the book is because this acknowledgement is missing. Either way, I know I must get back to writing the book, if I wish to complete it.

The trials of writing.
—Robert Confiant 3 March 2019

Writing ideas

Some of my best writing ideas come either when I am in bed, or riding on transit. When I am in bed, I don’t always get up and not them down (I think I will change this as I miss out on some juicy titbits). A few of these ideas might lead to nowhere in the long term, but a few might lead to some gems.

I woke up last night a few times with the same idea in my head. I never jotted it down while I was in bed, but because I woke up numerous times, and because it was the same idea, I never forgot it (This is unusual; I almost always forget). I noted it after I awoke. I am taking this as a sign that I need to follow this through as far as it will go. It will mean a lot of research and a lot of note taking and story and character development, but I think it will be worth it. If successful, it will be a novel of epic proportions, and my biggest work to date. I still have other works I wish to complete, so I am talking years here (My very long term project).

This writing for a living is an odd venture to take up. I do it because I love to write. I may never be famous, but I enjoy the craft. It took me a long time to find my vocation, but I truly found what I love to do. Everyone should find their passion which make this 9 to 5 existence bearable (One needs to exist, but one doesn’t necessarily have to stick with one aspect of living).

The issue with writing is one never knows when they’ll get an idea, or urge to write which is why I keep a writing app on my phone. If I am in the middle of something and I get the urge to write, then I can note it down, and edited later. As I said, “I do a lot of writings while taking the bus as I have a solid hour to write without any interruptions.” The truth be told, “I get a lot of work for my blog done while taking transit.”

So that’s what is up with me, what are you working on, if anything? It really doesn’t matter as long as you find your passion. If you can find your passion and make it a career, then it’s all the better.
— Robert Confiant 22 February 2019

Article on plotlines

As a writer, I am always on the lookout for interesting articles (sometimes books) on improving one’s writing.

I have discovered an interesting video on Youtube which discusses the importance of plotlines. This is directed to screenplays, but it is relevant to storylines as well. Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLXwzj59mnM.

The video uses the example of the movie “Hidden Figures.” If you haven’t seen the movie, then I highly recommend it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I.

—Robert Confiant 10 February 2019

Somethings one cannot voice or write about

For those readers who write on blogs, have you ever come up with on idea or story for your blog, wrote it down, but never published it? I have.

When such occurrences happen, do you consider this omission to publish a detriment to your writing, or a kindness in keeping quiet, very similar to, “A lie of omission?” I do.

I must confess. I write a lot of personal topics. I am very open about myself and my life at the chagrin of some of my family. Because of this, I try to protect the people in my life as much as possible. I try never to name names or exact circumstances (under most circumstances anyway). It is this need to protect the people I love and care about that I do not publish every thought or article which I have thought of and/or jotted down in my writing app.

writing

Is this akin to the idea of “A lie of omission?” I believe so; however, I do so because sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes the truth hurts so much as to tear friendships and family apart. Thus, I keep such thoughts to myself.

My brother, who was in town on business, and I had dinner and two drinks each. While at dinner we compared the crazy price of housing between Vancouver and Toronto areas. After dinner while walking back to his rented car, he observed how easily I got winded easily and he stated as such; he also noted that I gained a lot of weigh. I wasn’t upset but agreed. I went on to explain I that I was working on it and I had lost nine pounds. Later, after he drove me home to the condominium, he came up to see it. He stated that it was kind of small, but a least it had a balcony that we could sit out on (I never mentioned that I personally don’t sit out there much as I dislike heights).

There are some truths some people can voice; there are still other truths which others would rather not hear. When does one know when is it safe to voice the truth and when to keep one’s opinions to oneself? That is the question.
—Robert Confiant 31 January 2019