Thursday, May 24, 2012

A Positive Habit

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Balancing Thursday!
Introducing, Gunnar C. Garisson

I am a 42 year old Engineer, Construction Manager and small business owner. I recently suffered a severe injury while on a rooftop that all but cost me my career. After about two days of feeling sorry for myself and getting bored senseless by television, I remembered that I was also a writer who suffered years of "If I only had time to write" syndrome. It was then that I remembered one critical fact: writers write!!! They don't try to "fit it in" when it's convenient, as there will ALWAYS be something in the way... believe me, as a father of two, I know this to be true above all else! The sky is blue, you'll eventually die, and there will ALWAYS be something in the way! Solution... hmmm, yeah... that part. Well, it seems obvious to me that there are only two workable scenarios, regardless of who you are, or what specific challenges you face in your life. You can adjust your environment to fit your lifestyle... or you can adjust your lifestyle to accommodate your environment! Bingo! Door number two, please!

For me, this was a no brainer. After the injury, we quickly spiraled downward from living in a large home on 5 acres to being crammed, dogs, cats and children into a 36 foot pull behind trailer where there is absolutely no privacy or even desk space. I made two changes then and there that changed my life for the better and have since then helped me to produce two novels out of a trilogy, as well as a myriad of freelance work. I downscaled my operation to a laptop, and I started waking up at 3am every single day! Ironically, all the "night owls" at my house are completely asleep by then and I also get the benefit of harnessing the period of post-dreamstate haze that lends itself so well to the type of surrealistic, cutting edge science fiction and fantasy that I love to write! I simply got sick and tired of trying in vain to find a niche in the chaos where I could consistently write in peace and quiet! Peace and quiet... yeah, right! As any family man (or woman) can attest, there is no such thing! Children, God bless 'em, are quite simply the loudest, most demanding full time job imaginable, and anyone, male or female, that doesn't think of homemaking as a stressful, full time job, is being very naive! The trenches of construction were a vacation by comparison! At least there you had the benefit of being able to punch out and call it a day!

Getting up at 3am has worked out great for me, and isn't anywhere near as hard as it sounds. Even just getting up a couple hours earlier than normal and using the time to work on writing is a huge productive jump in the right direction! It really amounts to simply creating any kind of positive habit that one can. A steady habit, however seemingly insignificant, will often enough turn the tides from wishful thinking and being an "aspiring writer," to full blown productivity and realization of one's dreams. This is also a far better and less exhaustive route than trying to find the time at the end of one's day when your mind is cluttered, fatigued, stressed, and you are fading off toward sleep. Of all the different time slots I've tested, this works the best for me, plain and simple, and believe me, I've been pushed around the clock in an effort to find solace enough to write at all, much less steadily enough to self produce two full length novels, and dream up a third!
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About The Author
Gunnar Garisson is an old soul, warrior poet living well out of his time in modern society. In addition to writing full time, he spends a vast amount of creative energy designing off-grid, self sufficient homes, medieval weaponry, music and a better and stronger horn of mead.
He has a passion for the wilderness that was instilled at a very young age, and is a devout member of the church of the highest peak he can find. Alongside years of multi-disciplinary Martial Arts training and an Engineering degree, he is an avid swordsman, and can often be found deep in the woods sparring with his brothers, steel on steel. He enjoys loud motorcycles, small animals, and riding pretty much any kind of board, but his deepest love will always be family.
Only without the bonds of family are we are truly alone....
For current, up to date news, new novel release dates and ordering info, as well as contact information, visit:
     
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www.gunnar-garisson.com
contact@gunnar-garisson.com

Author of Critical Mass
eBook link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49222
paperback: https://www.createspace.com/3755949
 Planeshifters: Critical Mass, Book: II
eBook link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/136124

A free, chapter by chapter clickable preview for both novels is available at:
http://shape-shifter.hubpages.com/  starting at: http://shape-shifter.hubpages.com/hub/Author-Introduction-to-Critical-Mass

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