Dave's Thoughts for 2024

The New Year is done, we're nearly three weeks into 2024 and I'm already strangely productive. I felt it on the first of January, in fact, though perhaps it had been building since Christmas. Regardless, I entered the New Year with positivity and, more importantly, PRODUCTIVITY.

The first thing I would like to emphasise is that this is NOT in any way, shape or form, any kind of New Years' Resolution. I don't do that shit, as everybody that does invariably breaks their Resolution, no matter what it is. "I'm gonna quit smoking" Yup, sure thing. "I'm gonna lose weight" No, you're probably going to put more on. "I'm gonna be a nicer person" No, you're just as big a prick as ever. That sort of thing. Resolutions are just words. Words without action are meaningless. Unless written. But then, writing is an action is it not? Anyway, getting way off topic here...

Whatever the reason for me feeling extra productive, I didn't really care. Rather, I simply decided to roll with it. I immediately (upon the clock striking midnight on the 1st) set several alarms throughout the day, from Monday to Friday. These are labelled as follows:

9:00 WRITE SOMETHING! NO EXCUSES! GET TO FUCKING WORK!

12:00 Lunch

1:30 Video editing (I am also dipping my toes in the waters of YouTube)

4:00 GO FOR A FUCKING WALK! NO EXCUSES!

You might have noticed that there are two distinctly aggressive and uncompromising entries and two that are a little less hostile. What can I say, sometimes I don't feel like lunch and I don't always have video editing work every day. Writing and walking, however, are a must for each and every day. Hence the insistence, and NO EXCUSES!

Now, as for what this means for what I'm doing right here, on Vocal...

First and foremost, I will continue with as many challenges as I can. I would like to win the Grand Prize for one of them, one day. Or all of them, every time. Getting Runner-up that one time has me salivating for more! Plus, not going to lie, the money would be helpful!

Secondly, updates for my non-Vocal creative endeavours, in the event that people show interest. Read on for a little more information...

Third, I will try to engage more with the Vocal community. I haven't been as active as perhaps I should, but that is purely due to my own psychological palaver that I am working through. Impostor syndrome, that sort of thing. I'm sure you understand!

There is a novel coming. It is currently sitting at just under 30,000 words and has, to date, my favourite protagonist that I've come up with. She's great, I can't wait to introduce her to you all when I'm finally done. It's sort of an Electropunk Fantasy heist/detective sort of thing with plenty of shenanigans and fun times while also exploring powerful emotional experiences and certain mental health conditions such as PTSD. It's equal parts moving and horrifying, at least from the perspective of the poor sod that has to write it!

In any event, though we are only three weeks deep into the year (Not even that, quite, at time of writing this!) my productivity levels have been skyrocketing. I don't know where the Hell it's coming from, nor do I care. It's here, I'm working. That's all that we need to know right now! It's more than enough to go on.

As for the walking, well... I'm overweight and unfit. I would like to live long enough to finish my current novel, maybe a few more. Okay, I NEED to write a LOT MORE. This means I need to not be struggling to breathe if I do something like, say, get up out of my chair and move into another room in the house. Okay it isn't quite that bad, but I definitely needed to do something about it, and now I am. I have a nice oval down the street from where I live, and from the 31st (Yes, technically I started the walking part last year!) I figured one lap to begin, then the second week two laps. This week...? Well I've had to go out and about a few times. As such I have only managed one trip (so far) to the oval. The intention was for three laps, but I must have just zoned out or something. By the time I made it home my step count was high enough that I might have even managed five laps without noticing.

Writing and walking. If I can keep these two things up, I have a wonderful foundation to work from. I can then add to these. In fact, I already am. I am involved in a short film project with some friends, both writing and acting in it. That's a fascinating experience, and one I cannot wait to explore in more depth.

All told, it's shaping up to be a fascinating and productive year. Have we finally passed through The Troubled Times? Who knows? All I know is that I actually know what I am doing, and while this is incredibly rare, it is most certainly not unwelcome!

Thanks for reading this, I hope it has inspired you either to write, to walk, or to do whatever it is that you desperately need to do that you just aren't doing. You know what that thing is. DO THE THING! NO EXCUSES!