Hellllllllooooooo Otterites!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted… Didn’t want you guys to get too spoiled with my over abundance of posts.
Nah. Just kidding.
I was working on the book. As you know, Frannie and I are budding authors. He’s working on his first novel, and he’s just sent the most recent revision to me and Marty for another look. That’s my current read by the way. Hope to finish before I go back to work next week.
I’m working on my first fiction book. I’ve actually finished the first draft of a couple of non-fiction books already. While I’ve been away from the blog, I finally finished the first draft of my novel. It came in at just a hair over 150,000 words which means I’ve got a lot of trimming to do. That’s a bit large for a first novel, and you always write more the first time through than what you end up with. At least in word count. I know I’ll be writing a lot of new stuff to replace what’s in it.
Writers have a common trait. First drafts are almost always crap. However, the thing to remember is that it’s crap compared to the final result. Stephen King, my favorite author and master of the craft, writes crap first drafts too. But only compared to what the final book looks like. Why? Because he’s damned good. At his skill level, he could probably take his first drafts and get them published. His first drafts today are probably light years ahead of his early published works.
Why is that?
Because anything worth doing is worth doing badly.
The corollary to that is that anything worth doing badly is worth doing again and again until you can do it well.
That’s mastering the craft.
Listeners to the podcast know that we’re big admirers of people who excel at their craft, no matter what it is. Writers, artists, speakers, coders, leaders, accountants, husbands, fathers, wives and mothers.
All of these roles are also crafts that we can get better at.
One thing that strikes me is that these roles, and probably all of them, are about how we relate to and interact with others. Yes, even writers and artists, because we create for others to consume. Sure, we create because we have things inside that need to be expressed; but we also have to share it. Otherwise our art is self-centered, narcissistic twaddle. Even art therapy has an audience. It’s trying to tell yourself something.
All of these roles are things we do with or for others in some way. They’re forms of communication and service. My role as a husband is directly related to another person. Can’t be a husband without a wife. I can’t be a father without children. Just as I strive to improve my writing craft, I’m trying to improve my husband and father craft. We usually don’t think that way. Writing is a skill and an art form, but so is being a husband, father or even friend.
We can and should strive to improve in these areas too. Every role we have in life is also a craft that can be mastered. Some roles will be insignificant compared to others. There’s definitely a hierarchy here. The ones at the top are the ones where we need to level up our craft.
That’s the thrust of my focus this coming year in 2022. I’m working in leveling up my craft in several areas of my life.
That means I’m paying attention to how I’m going about things. How I speak to people. How I treat others. What I do for them, willingly and not so willingly. Am I half-arsing it or am I putting forth all I can in that role?
Paying attention is the first part. We can’t improve what we’re blind to after all. I’m going to focus on certain roles to improve my craft in above all others, even while I pay attention to all of them.
- Husband
- Father
- Deacon
- Writer
- Artist
These are the five roles that impact my life and the lives of others more than any other, except my role as a Child of God. I see these, especially the first three, as supporting roles of that one. By becoming a better Husband, Father and Deacon I will become a better Child of God.
Writer and Artist are part of this list because they’re part of my personal identity. I’ve always thought of myself as an artist and storyteller, so I’m working getting better at these two aspects of story-telling. I like my art to tell a story, or be a snapshot of a larger story.
I also think that dedicating oneself to leveling up in certain areas will have collateral effects on the rest of your life. By improving in these areas, I will improve in other areas too.
So, Otterites, I challenge you to pick some roles in your lives to level up your craft. You’ll be the better Otterite for it and so will everyone else in your life.
