Over a year ago, I didn’t know who this man was and how much he would impact on my thinking. If you didn’t know, Wendell Berry recently passed away on August 31st at the age of 92. He was a writer, farmer, and conservationist.
The first essay I read was Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer. It made me think of all the electronic devices I’ve used. The constant recharging, letting it run out of juice regardless if I used them or not, and finally leaving them in my drawer not used for months.
But it also made me rethink my writing. The countless hours of leaving my laptop and whatever writing app on but not a single word typed, the distractions of email and YouTube, and all the numerous electronic devices that supposedly helped me write whereas I could get a lot more done with just paper and pencil.
Therefore, I write with my notepad/notebook with pencil before typing my draft on my phone or laptop. I sharpen my pencils with a hand-cranked sharpener or pocket knife. I write during the daytime only and don’t sacrifice sleep. And I don’t fall for the next latest app or device that will supposedly help me be a “better” writer.
I bought the two Library of America volumes of Mr. Berry’s essays and hope to read all of them. I might buy his fiction and poems although I’m not a fan of the latter. While I’ll never have as much of his pinky of talent I’ll always remember to use technology judiciously and that paper and pencil/pen is best when starting to write anything.
Lately, I haven’t posted on schedule. Due to walking up earlier in the mornings to drop my son off to school, spending time with the younger one, and working on my recent projects I won’t post as often as I once did. I apologize for not keeping in touch with you. And I’ll try to post whenever I can.
I was never a morning person even when I worked as a private investigator. But I got used to it. Waking my older son up for school still takes getting used to but at least I’m not waking up at 4 to 4:30 am. Still, the idea of sleeping in sounds good right about now.
Which is why I don’t like recommending writers to sacrifice their sleep in order to write. I never liked that particular advice. I’ll take sleep more than a few minutes or an hour of writing. More rest is good.
When I was young, I thought writers sat at their favorite desk to write. On it, they had their typewriter or computer, along with messy sheets of paper and folders, and all their accessories. He or she would type uninterrupted for hours along with a cigarette in their mouth and a glass of their favorite poison on their desk.
As a stay-at-home dad with two boys I don’t have that luxury. I only have time to write within the calm moments between the chaos. I’m a field writer. What was interesting was I already learned and applied the lessons when I worked surveillance as a private investigator.
Maybe you’re a busy person who’s having trouble writing and finishing whatever manuscript you’re working on. So I’m writing a short ebook on how you can flourish and get things done while writing in the field. Once I finish it will be published on my Gumroad page and I’ll let you know.
Keep in mind, I’m also working on the new sci-fi series I posted about previously. Stay tuned!
I have a combination of cheap and good quality pencil sharpeners. The former I’ve bought from Dollar Tree and Target and the latter from the KUM brand. I also have a Bostitch hand crank version I bought for less than ten dollars from Facebook Marketplace. Despite the quality they all have one thing in common.
Whenever I sharpen my pencils the half is sharpened longer than the other. I have to fine tune to make sure the tips are even. However, the main risk was that I shave off a good chunk of graphite and it doesn’t take too long to resharpen again after writing a few sentences.
So the best solution was to buy a pocketknife and shave my pencils the good old fashioned way. I wanted a Made in the USA knife within my budget and found A.G. Russell Knives. I bought the CaseXX Sod Buster black folding knife for $44 and the CRKT Stokes sharpener for $16. The knife has a 3-5/8” blade and is 4-5/8” when closed. The sharpener is the size of a flashdrive that also has a large key ring, bottle opener, and seatbelt cutter.
After opening both packages I found the first dull pencil I could find and followed instructions from the book How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees. Not too shabby. So instead of buying disposable pencil sharpeners buy a good quality pocketknife and take good care of it.
Just don’t bring it at school, the courthouse, or airports.
If someone pointed a gun to my head and demanded I choose between giving up coffee or my obsession with red notebooks, I’d take the bullet. When you have a family, budgeting money is necessary. At the end of last month there was enough money for either two items.
It’s either two pounds of coffee or the red Zequenz Classic 360 Signature Series A6 Notepad 128 sheets/256 pages. So I waited until the next month to choose both, the right answer. I’ll give you more details when I finished my other notebooks.
In the meantime, I have three cold brew makers I need refilling.
Here it is! In my hands, the proof copy for The Package Trilogy. Looks and smells good. Going to read through it to make sure it looks good. I should make it public this Friday.
Last week I ordered my proof copy of The Package Trilogy from Lulu.com. I’m still waiting. As of this writing, it’s in North Las Vegas. I wished I chose a more expedient mailing service but I would have to pay way more. The waiting is killing me. I want to make sure the book looks good before making it public.
