TV shows and books like The Last Kingdom and the Viking video game Assassins Creed: Valhalla fueled the fire for the first book in the series, Hefnd. Before I knew it, I was immersed in Norse mythology, gods, giants, Nordic chants, and music. I enjoyed imagining the story as I explored the lands of England and listened to the amazing soundtrack to that game. I began writing this story as an experiment using Kindle Vella to see if I could commit to around a thousand-word chapters weekly. I finished the story in ten chapters, but the story changed (improved) dramatically by the time it went on sale as a book.

With Path of the Hybrids, I found myself again immersed in Mythology, but also Genetic Engineering, reading (and sometimes listening) to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley while I sanded 2 x 12″ pine boards in 100-degree Texas weather to build our bookshelves.

The yet-to-be-named conclusion to the series is coming along nicely. As of this writing, it stands at over 22,000 words. I’m drawing inspiration from our trip to Norway, having a son, a sense of adventure, loss, and grief, and trusting that life works in ebbs and flows. Ultimately, it sorts itself out if you put in the work and allow the higher power, whatever you want to call it, to use you and your talents in its (His?) master plan.

I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you, not only for this series but for the future. There are a lot of projects in the works, which I will post about as they near completion. As always, feel free to email me or comment. Until next time.

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Write into the dark. Start writing without really plotting or knowing where the story is going to go, and let your characters tell the story for you. Once you finish, don’t rewrite. Sure, show it to your alpha reader, and fix any typos or errors, but don’t get stuck in rewrites. Put it out there on the market and leave it there.

Check out his books, but specially Heinlein’s Rules: Five Simple Business Rules for Writing 

Just write.

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You are sitting in front of your computer, typing away trying to curb the fierceness of your thoughts, when an urge to look up an online sale comes along. And you step on the breaks of a 100 mile per hour train to full stop to skip to the next open tab and look for a few seconds. When you cannot find the item you want quick enough, you jump back to the previous tab, but the train is not there anymore. It exploded, and it took the tracks with it. And you try to go back to the online store tab but you realize you don’t even really need the item, so you go to where all days go to die: Social Media.

No matter how scrambled your brain is, or how scattered your ideas, you can always head back to the purgatory that is social media and scroll your day away and feel, if not slightly accomplished, at least normal.

May I suggest an alternative?

With everything you do, ask yourself “what is the purpose of being here?” In this moment, why did I set out to do? When you opened the lid of your laptop, what was the plan? What compelled you to do it? Were you aiming for a productive morning of writing before you ended up on an online store and then on social media? Make it your life’s mission to protect that purpose at all costs. No one is going to tell you what to do. Every truly difficult endeavor is yours only to traverse. There are no parents, teachers or bosses pointing you in the right direction. You have to point yourself, to force yourself to walk the way.

Find some tips on productivity elsewhere on my blog. But always try to only keep at hand the tools necessary to complete the task you set out to do, and nothing else. One thing at a time is way better for productivity than all at once. There is no such thing as multiple priorities running in parallel. The word priority is derived from the Latin prioritas, meaning “first in rank, order, or dignity.” The word itself contradicts having multiple priorities. There can only be one priority.

Do less, better.

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When working out, there are a few ways to perform the same exercise routine. There is the light weight high repetition count, there is a high weight low repetition count, and then there is the no weight version. All of them have something in common: they allow you to pick and choose your difficulty level so you do not stop moving. Ever.

Apply this to all other areas of your life and watch your day blossom, and never remain stagnant. Wether you are in front of your computer, stuck on a complicated problem, or frozen in traffic, there is always something you can do to keep your brain or your physical being in motion. Get up from your desk and sweep the kitchen floor. Or go to the garage and reorganize it. Do something simple that you have been putting off. Those things claw at your attention and hinder your development in other areas of your life, it doesn’t matter how small a task it is.

When in traffic, why listen to the same songs you have been listening to for decades? Either go check out that album you have been meaning to check out, or listen to an interesting podcast. You are what your thoughts are, they say, so feed your brain with what you want to become. In order to make better decisions, you have to have better thoughts. The only way to have better thoughts is to feed your brain and body better food.

Si what if your neighbors or friends do this or that? Do you take advice from financially or mentally broke people? You know better.

Ask yourself this simple question: “If I was a person who ONLY made the right decision, what decision would I make right now?”, and then do it.

Fix your morning routine. Consider keeping a journal, and reflect upon these questions.

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