What you see is a Maxpedition Fatty Pocket Organizer (Amazon), bought with the intent of developing an at-home EDC with pens, notebooks, pencil refills, eraser, knife, etc., so I can move upstairs, downstairs, outside, or to the floor with the boys but constantly have everything I need to write as much as I can and whenever I can. After all, EDC is supposed to be with you every day.

Now, what pens to use….?

(For the record, I think most “tactical” branded gear is kind of dorky for every day use. Some bags are cool if you move a lot and, obviously, this thing. But don’t be buying tactical conceal carry underwear if you’re a software programmer in Iowa. Just, don’t be that guy.)

I’m not operating at 1000mph. Heck, I’m not even operating at 10mph. Right now doing any kind of writing work, that’s not paid freelance work, feels like I’m brushing the dirt and leaves off a car that hasn’t been driven for decades and was sitting in a garage with a door that no longer works.

I know it’s only been a few days since I last edited Project: DEED’s 3rd draft, but I have other projects I should be giving some focus to that I’m not doing. After all, that’s the path for writers. You write the next thing.

I haven’t written the next thing.

I finished up another Field Notes this past Friday. As usual, I posted the notebook transfer over on Instagram

Exciting times, starting a new notebook. The joy of possibility to fill it with anything, but it’s always nice to have something that goes in it right away.

The process I’m using now is I have one blank notebook (usually Field Notes) that everything goes in, alongside a Field Notes Ignition edition (link) for daily tasks and weekly reminders. . Article starters for freelance work, shopping lists, story starts, editing notes, and so on. Everything gets transferred over to Microsoft OneNote at the end of the month that hasn’t already. This allows me to look back on what I thought was, clearly, a good enough idea to write down.

I wrote down some story ideas for Projects NESS and BIANCA. These bits are the lifeline, connecting me to novels and stories I started nearly two years ago. “Write the next thing,” they say. These books are the next thing, planned first entries in hopeful series if I ever finish them. If I do, then it would be pitching GREY, first in a series, finishing up edits on DEED, a standalone book, then finishing the first drafts of either NESS or BIANCA. I haven’t chosen yet.

I’m plugging back in, slowly, but certainly. And that feels good.

Thanks for reading,

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