Indie Authors | CW Hawes

Indie April Suggestions – Part 4

RH Hale

Today, I’m showcasing my fourth author for Indie April: the incomparable and supremely talented RH Hale.

Twitter has been a good source for finding talented writers of truly amazing books. My reading life has been enhanced many-fold by these wonderfully creative people.

RH Hale is one of the most talented of the literary finds I’ve come across. And I’m so thankful I did.

Her two books

Church Mouse: Memoir of a vampire’s servant
and
Church Mouse (Book 2): The Change

elevate the vampire novel to a new height. Yet these books are more than just vampire novels. For Rona Dean, the human servant, the watch dog for these supremely deadly creatures, tells us her story. And by doing so, we are given an insight into what it’s like to live on the knife-edge of terror day in and day out; and, through this daily exposure to terror and incredible horror, we see Rona, the church mouse, change, grow, and eventually earn the respect of the monsters she serves.

Gothic novel? Or are these books a coming of age story? A tale of macabre terror? Or a philosophical treatise on what it truly means to be human?

Perhaps Church Mouse is all of these, and more.

Ms Hale’s storytelling is superb throughout. We are given atmospheric descriptions of places, and mood evoking pictures of settings. Her characters are alive, real. You can touch them, feel with them, feel for them.

Her command of the novel form is equal to that of the most mature of writers. Her words mesmerize us, evoke deep feelings in us, touch all of our senses — they let us see and experience Rona’s world.

These two novels are simply brilliant. They are gothic masterpieces. They are among the finest horror literature being written today. They rightly belong next to the classics: “Dracula”, “Carmilla”, and “The Vampyre”.

Simply put, Ms Hale is one of the finest indie authors writing today. She is nonpareil.

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon US

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon US

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon UK

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon UK

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Canada

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Canada

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Australia

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Australia

Church Mouse, Book 1, Amazon Germany

Church Mouse, Book 2, Amazon Germany

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

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Indie April Suggestions – Part 3

Matthew Cormack

My favorite form of the post-apocalyptic novel is the cozy catastrophe.

My introduction to this sub-sub-genre was with the classic novel Earth Abides by George R Stewart.

That introduction was 30+ years ago, and I immediately fell in love with the book. But at the time I was unaware that there were others like it. Because back then there was no internet and easy information.

Years later, I learned that Earth Abides was merely one example of an entire sub-genre of post-apocalyptic fiction called cozy catastrophes. And boy was I happy!

In my opinion, Matthew Cormack is the cozy catastrophe writer par excellence. His Piranha Pandemic universe is an awful place, but one filled with hope that a better world will eventually rise up and replace the one that died.

To date, there are 3 novels set in his post-apocalyptic world:

Don’t Dream It’s Over

Ganbaru

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns…

All three are superlative examples of the cozy catastrophe. They portray with stunning realism the collapse of society, and how people will react to the loss of everything. And in true cozy catastrophe fashion, he shows how people will try to re-organize and rebuild society.

The books are standalone, so you can read them in any order.

Don’t Dream It’s Over was the first book published. It’s the story of one survivor of the apocalypse. It is the best novel in epistolary form that I’ve read. It is also one of the best in-depth character studies I’ve read. The book, quite simply, is brilliant.

Ganbaru is the story of what happens when a small peace-oriented community comes into contact with an aggressive and belligerent group. The results aren’t pretty, to say the least. An exciting novel that will keep you on the edge of your chair.

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns… is a prequel novel, as it tells how the pandemic came about and describes, with horrifying realism, the collapse of civilization.

As the origin of the pandemic is hinted at in Don’t Dream It’s Over, I suggest you read the books in the order above. You’ll see the state of things after the collapse from two perspectives, and then read about the collapse as it happened.

As a writer, Mr Cormack is a master craftsman. He knows how to tell an exciting story. He knows how to create believable and realistic people. His world is well-thought out and hangs together.

I can’t say enough good things about this “Sunday writer”, as he refers to himself. All I can say is that I wish every day was Sunday.

Treat yourself to the best cozy catastrophes being written today. Heck, the best post-apocalyptic fiction being written today. This Indie April acquaint yourself with Matthew Cormack. You’ll be glad you did.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Indie April Reading Suggestions – Part 2

Richard Schwindt

Welcome again to Indie April!

This month I’m promoting the work of 13 authors who have impressed me over the years with writing that lingers in my memory. Lingers in a good way, that is.

Last Friday, I presented to you Crispian Thurlborn. Today, Richard Schwindt, who is no stranger to this blog. He is an accomplished writer, who produces non-fiction, fiction, and humor. In this post, I’m focusing on his fiction.

My first foray into his oeuvre, was the book Herkimer’s Nose. And I immediately fell in love with the book. It remains among my favorites.

Herkimer’s Nose has everything: well-drawn characters, an imaginative and creative story, sea monsters, ghosts, spies, monster hunters, and, of course, humor. What’s not to like?

I read first and foremost for the characters. And Richard is a master craftsman when it comes to creating characters that come across as real people. And even if they are somewhat over the top, they are believably so.

Humor is another thing I enjoy in a good book, and Richard Schwindt doesn’t let you down in the humor department. He’s a funny guy and will tickle your funny bone with his dialogue, character interactions, and sometimes the scene itself. He’s given me plenty of hearty laughs, and who doesn’t need that?

Aside from his extensive output of therapy and self-help books, Richard writes mysteries, occult detective, humor, horror, fantasy, and literary fiction. All are excellent reads that do not disappoint.

The Death in Sioux Lookout Trilogy

Chris Allard is a worthy addition to the ranks of the amateur detective. He’s a disgraced social worker, who finally finds work in the remote town of Sioux Lookout. He also finds murder.

The three short novels that make up the trilogy are

Death in Sioux Lookout

Minnitaki Lake Mystery

The Vermilion River Murder

Filled with richly drawn characters. These books are not only murder mysteries, they are a look into what it means to live, and also to die.

They are mysteries done right. There’s also a one volume edition.

Tony Price: Confidential

I love the occult detective genre, and Tony Price is a super occult detective. The three novellas that comprise this trilogy are just the right length to tell the story and maintain the creepiness factor.

Tony Price is a burnt-out social worker who sees monsters. In fact, he might even be a monster magnet. He also knows how to deal with monsters, as any occult detective worth his salt does.

Get the anthology volume – Tony Price: Confidential – because you will want to read these back to back. They’re that good. There’s also a prequel novella: Ottawa: Confidential. And you don’t want to miss Tony’s first monster hunt, so get this one, too.

Dreams and Sioux Nights

There’s one other book I’d like to highlight. Not only because it shows a more serious side of Richard Schwindt, but because it is just doggone good.

That book is: Dreams and Sioux Nights.

The book is a collection of short stories. But don’t be put off by that. Because the 5 stories comprising the collection are amongst the best you will ever read. Yes, they are that good. I kid you not. This is top drawer literary fiction.

Dreams and Sioux Nights concerns people and people are what Schwindt does best. Within the pages of Dreams, you will encounter people who are very real. With issues that you yourself may have had to deal with. They are moving, touching, thought-provoking. This book may just be Richard Schwindt at his best.

Richard Schwindt has something for everybody. He’s one of the foremost indie writers today. His writing is of such a high caliber that he truly deserves to be a bestseller. That he’s not reflects on the state of the marketplace and not his quality as a writer.

Take a look at his Amazon page, and treat yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Richard’s Amazon pages

Canada

Australia

Germany

And here is a recent interview with Richard by Rox Burkey, who is one-half of the team that writes The Enigma TechnoThriller series: https://roxburkey.com/the-real-richard-schwindt/

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Indie April Reading Suggestions — Part 1

Crispian Thurlborn

Welcome to Indie April!

Every year, I solicit independent authors/publishers (aka “indies”) to recommend books for me to read, and if I like them, to promote.

My caveat is that I don’t want bestsellers. Nor any book ranked in the top 300,000 on Amazon. And they must be self-published. Small press does not count, as that is just downsized traditional publishing.

If you have any suggestions, please put them in the comments.

This month, I’m adding blog posts promoting 13 authors who have impressed me over the years with writing that lingers in my memory. Lingers in a good way, that is.

These writers are not bestsellers. Although they should be, and would be if we lived in a fair world. But, alas, we don’t. Their writing, though, is top-notch and will entertain you. That much I can guarantee.

Crispian Thurlborn

First up is Crispian Thurlborn, who is truly an author par excellence. He is a master craftsman. A meticulous craftsman. He does magic with words.

He writes stories that will chill you and impart a subtle terror that lingers long after the story has ended. He also writes stories filled with whimsy and humor.

All of his published work is top drawer.

Today I’d like to focus on his short novel, A Bump in the Night. It’s a ghost story, of sorts. It’s a philosophical story, of sorts. It’s sad, yet ends well. It’s filled with humor. And the prose would make Dickens envious.

It’s a tale of two ghosts who try to stop their friend, Mr Bump, from fading away. But the best laid plans of mice, men, and ghosts… Well, you know, Mr Murphy and his law even transcend the grave.

A Bump in the Night is not a tale of terror. Yet, in a subtle sort of way, the story confronts us with death, that thing which terrifies us all.

The book is one of my favorites. But then all of Mr Thurlborn’s work can be listed amongst my favorites. He’s that good.

So this Indie April, do yourself and Mr Thurlborn a favor: buy his books, enjoy them, and review them. Both you and he will be very happy.

Here are links to his Amazon pages:

Canada

Australia

Germany

And if you subscribe to his mailing list, you’ll get the chilling story “Wednesday Girl” for free! It is very good.

Watch for Part 2, which comes out Tuesday.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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2020 Reading in Review

We are now into a new year. All the tumult of 2020 is in the past. It is now simply memory and will eventually fade away. Today is Twelfth Night and marks the end of the Christmas season, and the beginning of Epiphany.

And even though the events of 2020 were the cause of a lot of angst for many, 2020 was a good year for me as a whole, and a very good year as far as reading is concerned. From the pens of 52 authors, I read 52 novels and novellas, 41 short stories and novelettes, and 13 works of non-fiction.

Of those 106 works, 38 were by independent author-publishers. Which is about 36%.

However, that doesn’t mean I supported the megalithic big corporate publishers with the remainder of my reading.

Of those 68 remaining works, I purchased them used, received them as gifts, obtained them for free, or they were published by the small press.

I do not, and will not support the big corporate publishers. They are not the author’s friend. Not unless you are an author who makes piles of money for the company. Then you pretty much get what you want.

The bulk of my fiction reading was mystery and horror, which seems to be what I’m gravitating to in my old age.

Of the 52 authors I read, fiction came from 45. And of those 45, 15 are no longer with us.

I put little stock in “Best of” lists. They are either a display of the compiler’s personal tastes, or they are compiled to promote a political agenda. Neither of which may match my own tastes and interests.

Of those 45 fiction authors I read, 8 very much impressed me with the quality of their writing. Those writers were (in no particular order):

Click or tap the names to be taken to their Amazon pages.

Each of the above writers will give you maximum entertainment value for your buck. You won’t go wrong by buying their books.

So what types of books do these guys write?

If you like spine-tingling horror, there’s Ray Zacek, Lex Allen, Andy Graham, and John F Leonard.

If you like lots of action and adventure, with a hefty dollop of suspense and terror, there are William Meikle’s books — and they’re all good.

A versatile and difficult to categorize writer is Richard Schwindt. He writes humor, mysteries, occult detective, urban-type fantasy (not sure what else to call it), and non-fiction. And everything is good.

Another versatile writer is Caleb Pirtle III. He writes non-fiction, historical novels with lots of mystery and a dollop of romance, and espionage thrillers. A superb wordsmith.

I don’t know if these guys are the best — but I found them the most memorable of my 2020 reading. And hopefully you’ll find them the most memorable of your 2021 reading.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Six Years

The Cover for Justinia Wright #8

Six years ago this month, November 2014, I self-published 4 books: The Morning Star, Festival of Death, The Moscow Affair, and Do One Thing for Me.

I set sail on the sea of the independent author-publisher, and I have not looked back.

Being an indie is tough — because I, the author, am also the publisher and have to do all the business and marketing end of things, as well as write the stories.

Nevertheless, I would rather sell my soul than become a slave to a publishing house — large or small. I love the freedom of being my own man. And IMO, freedom is what it’s all about.

During these past six years, I’ve seen indie authors come and go. I’ve seen indie authors start with nothing and become bestsellers. And those folks give me hope: if they can do it, so can I.

Over the past 6 years, I’ve published 3 series totaling 22 books; and 7 miscellaneous novels, novellas, and short stories. I’ve had 2 short stories and an article appear in anthologies, and a short story published in an zine.

In addition to the above, I publish a weekly blog and occasionally write exclusive stories for my mailing lists.

For me, writing and publishing is a full-time job, and it’s the best job I’ve had in my nearly 7 decades on this planet. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life from this point forward.

And if all goes well, I’ll get to celebrate year 6 with the publication of To Right a Wrong; the eighth book in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator series.

And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate, because Tina and Harry are my favorite children. I love writing the wise-cracking humor, the sibling rivalry, the thrilling chase scenes and shootouts, the commentary on life in the Minneapple, and the hunger-producing meal descriptions.

So raise a glass of your favorite libation with me in celebration of living life your way and living your dream.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

(And you can find all of my books on Amazon!)

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The Business of Being Indie — Part 3

Some Things I’ve Learned

I published my first 4 books in November 2014 and followed up with 2 more in December 2014.

Quite honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. And I shamefacedly admit that I believed in the magic wand. That just by putting my books up on Amazon I would make piles of money, and in a couple years could buy my Rolls-Royce.

Then reality hit a couple, three months later when the sales fell off to nothing.

The School Of Hard Knocks taught me once again there isn’t a magic wand. TANSTAAFL. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. For a moment there, I forgot and believed in free lunches.

But not anymore. Reality is a Harsh Mistress, to paraphrase Heinlein.

Today I’m sharing with you some things I’ve learned over the years. I’m naturally skeptical. But I, too, have been suckered by those promising me that their snake oil works where all the others have failed.

So here is a list, in no particular order, of things I’ve learned.

1. The Self-Publishing world of today is very much like the pulp fiction magazine world of yesteryear. Study the writers and publishers from back then, apply what you learn, and the study will pay dividends. There is nothing new under the sun.

2. Fiction readers, for the most part, want entertainment. Scare them. Make them cry. Make them feel good. Give them an exciting adventure. If you can do that, you’ll have an audience.

3. Your story doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough. The vast majority of readers aren’t looking for The Great American Novel, they merely want to be entertained. They just want to have fun.

4. If you want fast money from your pen or keyboard, write non-fiction. Something in the self-help area. Non-fiction is the second largest book market after romance.

5. If you want fast money writing fiction, write only in the most popular genres. Right now these are romance, thrillers, and urban fantasy.

6. Start your mailing list before you publish your first book.

7. Pick one or two social media platforms and build a following before you publish your first book. And that goes for setting up your website, too.

8. Your book cover is advertising copy. (And foolish me thought it was about the book!) It must tell the potential reader what genre your book is in. So don’t be original. Be a copycat.

9. Your book’s blurb is advertising copy. Don’t tell the potential reader what the book is about. Tell them how they’ll feel reading it.

10. The one indie rule for success that has not changed is write lots (and fast), and publish often.

11. Publish a novel, or at the very least a story or novella, at least every three months. More frequently is better.

12. Write in series. Standalones, with rare exception, don’t work well in self-publishing. There are lots of ways to structure a series. Here are four:

1. 1. The multi-volume novel. Think trilogy. Think Lord of the Rings. Think the Kurtherian Gambit. One main story arc stretched over 3 or more novels.
  2. The Series Character. Think Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe. Or Lazarus Long and Jules de Grandin. Or Columbo and Star Trek on TV. Each episode is a standalone, but they all tie together.
  3. The Same World/Universe. Standalones work better if they are all set in a single world, and perhaps have recurring characters show up.Trollope’s Barchester series started this approach. Lindsay Buroker (writing as Ruby Lionsdrake) used it for her SF Romance novels. And there are others.
  4. The idea or object series. This was a favorite of H. Bedford-Jones. He’d write standalone stories and what tied them together was a theme or an object that appeared in each story. One series chronicled the fictional history of a famous emerald. Another the history of ships. And another famous heroes.

13. Don’t waste money on an editor. They are after all only human. I’ve seen too many professionally edited books rife with errors. Today’s AI can proofread and line edit with ruthless efficiency. I’ve become a convert after using ProWritingAid.

14. And if you are having trouble with the overall concept of your book, have a couple fans read it over and tell you what doesn’t work. After all, they buy your books. An editor probably doesn’t.

15. Beware the “expert”. Why? Because most aren’t. They follow the very old saying: read three books on any subject and you are an expert. Which means you might as well read those 3 books yourself. After all, the books are probably cheaper than the course the “expert” is selling.

Fifteen things I’ve learned. And I’m sure lots more learning is on the way.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time — happy reading and writing!

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The Business Of Being Indie—Part 1

Indie authors are actually independent author/publishers. And quite frankly, while many, if not most of us, are decent writers — nearly all of us are poor businessmen. In other words, we suck at the publishing part of our business.

McDonald’s

We think of the restaurant with the Golden Arches as a fast food eatery. But McDonald’s primary concern isn’t burgers and fries — it’s location. Their primary concern is real estate: buying the best location in an area. Because the best location will bring in the most traffic — and traffic translates into burgers and fries sold.

Success Stories

I like reading indie success stories. I find them to be a source of inspiration and encouragement. If they can do it, why can’t I?

And there are some very significant indie success stories. Mark Dawson, Michael Anderle, Nick Stephenson, Joanna Penn, Craig Martelle, Diane Capri, to name a few.

But there are also success stories we don’t hear about very often, such as PF Ford, Patty Jansen, and Lindsay Buroker.

If the above mentioned authors can make significant money from their pens, why can’t I?

Roadblocks

There are, though, significant roadblocks on the road to making a living from telling stories. Let me point out two.

Ignorance. Yep, lack of knowledge. Specifically mail-order business knowledge.

Because, whether we realize it or not, whether we like it or not, we indie authors are, at the heart of it all, mail-order businesses.

How do your readers get your books? By snail mail or email. Very few of us are in bookstores. So if your readers and mine get our books by mail, we are mail-order business persons.

To succeed, we need to get rid of our business ignorance and learn the ins and outs of mail-order business.

Belief in the Magic Wand. Most of us think that our business model goes something like this:

Write book —>Wave Magic Wand —>Thousands of Sales

However, we soon find out that there is no magic wand. We write our books, publish them, and ask ourselves why isn’t anyone reading my Great American Novel?

Generally speaking, people don’t read our books because they don’t know they exist. With millions of indie books published on Amazon, how are readers going to find my book? Because Amazon is a business too. They are going to drive traffic to the books that sell and will therefore make them money. The infamous Amazon algorithms see to that.

There is no Magic Wand. We have to go to work and drive traffic to where our books are. Which means we have to find the traffic, our potential readers, and get our book in front of their eyes. This takes work. There are no Magic Wands. There is just work or excuses for not working.

These two roadblocks kill off most indie authors. Because writing for a living has always been difficult, with few being successful at it. And nothing changed with the advent of ebooks.

Tune in next week to find out what work we have to do in the hope of getting eyeballs looking at our books.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading and writing!

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To Write Is The Thing

This past weekend, I got a big shock, a sad shock: one of my favorite indie writers, Ben Willoughby, is hanging up his pen. He’s taking down his Twitter profile and pulling his books off of Amazon. I encourage you to get his books while you can — you won’t be sorry. He’s a doggone good writer.

Buy Ben’s Books!

For nearly 5 years, I’ve been an independent author/publisher. And I’ve had a blast. I’ve loved every day of the adventure.

However, along the way, I’ve seen writers drop out for sometimes unknown reasons. None of those writers were bestsellers, and perhaps the lack of financial reward convinced them that they had better things to do with their time. And that is a decision only they can make.

In the end, the writer himself or herself has to decide if telling stories is worth the effort or not.

In the case of Mr Willoughby, I’m very sad that there will be no more new books from him. But I have to respect his decision that his time can be spent better in other pursuits. After all it is his time and not mine.

But it is just a tad frustrating for me as a reader, when a good writer, such as Mr Willoughby, quits writing, leaving the field to writers who are much inferior. Writers who are often on the bestseller list. Which completely baffles me, by the way. How does a mediocre at best writer get people to buy his or her books by the truckload? In a world full of unfair things, that is perhaps one of the most unfair. Mr Willoughby should be on the bestseller list, and it is very sad that he is not.

For me, though, writing is the thing. I cannot imagine any other life. And at my age I have lived a life or two. I hope to heaven, I die with a pencil in my hand putting words on paper. And that after I crossover, I pick up that pencil and continue writing.

As I’ve noted before, I don’t make much money at this. Last month was the best month I’ve had in a year. I made 30 bucks and change. And there are better writers than I, who don’t even make that much. Which is a very sad commentary on those of us who are readers.

In some ways, I see myself like the old prospector in the movies panning for gold and hoping to strike it rich. If I don’t keep at it, I definitely won’t get rich.

On the other hand, is such a pittance worth all the effort? I can only answer for myself, and that answer is yes.

From 2001 to about 2013, I actively published my poetry. And I did it the traditional way, submitting to print and online magazines. I was fortunate enough to achieve a bit of renown, and to pick up an award or two, and even pick up a couple bucks.

The truth is there is no money in writing poetry. Yes, there is the exceedingly rare individual who for a short period of time is popular enough to make some money. But that popularity doesn’t last and the person fades away.

Writing poetry is truly a labor of love. You have to find satisfaction in something other than money. And for over 10 years I did. But then I felt I needed a bigger canvas on which to work, and as I was nearing retirement I wanted to live my dream of writing fiction full-time. And I am living my dream. I write full-time. I just don’t make a full-time income.

Once I realized that in order to make money at this writing gig I needed to have money, money for websites, money for bookcovers, money for various services, money for advertising, I realized that unless somebody took me under his or her wing and promoted the heck out of my work I was not ever going to get on the bestseller list. Because I just don’t have money to risk on the business end of self-publishing. I’m retired and on a fixed income.

Reality sucks, but realizing what reality is has helped me to adjust my attitude from fantasy to something more realistic.

And I am content, at least for now, at where I am at. I don’t have money to pour into advertising, I don’t have the money to get fancy-schmansy bookcovers like the bestselling guys have, I don’t have money to pay other people to do all the stuff that I don’t want to do just so I can spend all of my time writing. I am a one man band and I have to live with that reality.

And I am okay with it.

But if other writers do not want to put up with the crap and decide that they have other things they would rather do then spend hours producing work that virtually no one buys — I cannot blame them for leaving writing behind. After all who wants to do a thankless job forever, especially if you have other things on your bucket list that you want to do?

I am just sorry to see the good ones go, because that leaves me just a little bit poorer.

I wish Mr Willoughby well. I am thankful that I got to know him, that I have his books on my Kindle app, and that I can reread them at my leisure.

Now you can do him a favor by buying his books and giving him a nice goodbye present. You won’t be sorry. He’ll be gone and you will still have his wonderful books.

Buy Ben’s Books!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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On the Shortness of Life

A little over a week ago, I learned of the death of a fellow indie author. I did not know Laila Doncaster, except in passing. We exchanged a few words now and then on Twitter, occasionally retweeted each other’s tweets, and that was that.

Her first book of a projected series was published on May 1st. Her bio on Amazon speaks of looking forward to an early retirement. And now she’s dead.

I am saddened. Very much so. A person looking forward to the future, an exciting future, and now there is no future. She’s gone.

Every now and again someone will chasten me for my attitude towards my writing. The sense of intense urgency I have to put pen to paper.

I am driven to produce as much as I can, as fast as I can, and get as many copies of my books into as many hands as I can.

I’m told I shouldn’t feel so driven. I’m told I shouldn’t be looking over my shoulder for the Grim Reaper, while my pen is scratching out page after page of words.

All I can say in response to these well-meaning folk is to quote Seneca: “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”

Or to paraphrase: I might die tonight — I need to write today. After all, only I can write my books; and I have many score begging to be written down.

Seneca’s essay, On the Shortness of Life, needs to be required reading. It is the antidote to the carelessness with which most of us approach life and live life — which is the most non-renewable of resources.

I’m 67 years old, and I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I’ve wasted most of the time given to me in this thing we call life.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer. However, it wasn’t until I was 37 that I actually, in all seriousness, began to act on my desire instead of just dabble. And it was another 11 years before I began to see the fruit of that action.

According to the actuarial tables, I have another 10 years to live. That’s not a lot of time. And anything can happen between now and then to shorten those 10 years.

Seneca wrote:

It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.

There’s some comfort in that advice, yet how many of us know how to use our time and not waste it? I confess I’m still struggling with that one. But here, too, Seneca has some advice for us:

No activity can be successfully pursued by an individual who is preoccupied … since the mind when distracted absorbs nothing deeply, but rejects everything which is, so to speak, crammed into it. Living is the least important activity of the preoccupied man; yet there is nothing which is harder to learn… Learning how to live takes a whole life, and, which may surprise you more, it takes a whole life to learn how to die.

In other words, it is unproductive busyness, unproductive worry and anxiety, unproductive lack of focus, unproductive preoccupation with things that don’t matter that rob us of the one thing that does matter — irreplaceable time.

It is the life lived deliberately that is the fruitful life. It is the focused life that is the productive life. As Rainer Maria Rilke advised the young poet: once you’ve decided you must write, then you must structure your life so that nothing gets in the way of writing. Harlan Ellison put it more cryptically: “Writers write.”

I might beat the actuarial odds. My mom was 80 when she died. My dad is 87. His mother died in her 90s, although the last few years she was debilitated by a stroke, and his father died a month shy of his 103 birthday. But I can’t bank on it. Which means I have to write today.

As Seneca noted:

…the man who … organizes every day as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day… Nothing can be taken from this life, and you can only add to it as if giving to a man, who is already full and satisfied, food which he does not want but can hold.

Living deliberately is the key. And when we do, life — no matter how long or short — is time enough to accomplish great things.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy and productive living!

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