Bill Conrad's Blog - Posts Tagged "goals"
How Writing Affected My Life
My big life goals were to become an electrical engineer, get a job, and have a family. Writing did not play a part in these plans, yet stories rattled around my bonkers mind from an early age, and I thought that it would be fun to write something after I retired.
Life does not always go as planned, and being unemployed three times certainly deterred me from my goals. The first round lasted only a month, but it frightened me, and I had to do something about it. So, I created a notebook full of ideas to plan my future.
I wanted to organize my thoughts on business ideas and employment goals. Then, analyze everything to determine the best chances for success. This list of ideas included becoming a big-time author, and I wrote a summary (about a paragraph) for each story idea so I could evaluate the opportunity.
With this tool, I planned to get rehired and start a business in my free time. I did not include writing a book because it would take too much time. Everything was going according to plan, but life threw another curve ball. I was working for a company called Sundstrand (a division of United Technologies Corporation). They had three divisions (cheap, average, and high-quality) that made the same product. It made good business sense to eliminate the middle player. In hindsight, this decision was foolish because it led to a billion-dollar Airbus lawsuit. United Technologies Corporation settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
This second round of unemployment (technically not unemployment because I was working part-time) lasted a year, and I needed a side activity to keep from going crazy. I had recently attempted to start a business and needed a break from that nightmare. So, I wrote a book because I knew it would be easy money. I began without knowing the reality of publishing, marketing, or proper book structure.
Since that chaotic beginning, I have gained many skills and self-publish four books. It has been five years, and I thought it would be interesting to see how this effort affected my life.
Improved writing skills are the most prominent change. The flaws jump off the page like rocketships when I look at my past documents. Now, my sentences are more straightforward and more grammatically correct.
The downside to my new skills is that I spot errors in other people’s work. Before my writing adventure, I found it amusing on the rare occasions I spotted a mistake. (I cannot recall seeing an error in a professionally published book before I started writing.) Now, errors upset me, and I look down on unskilled authors. Is this bad? Yes.
Writing now occupies much of my time due to the many hours of self-editing and self-promoting. That is time I cannot get back, but what if I could time travel? Would I recommend the path to myself? Hmm. It is clear that I will break even with this venture, but I answer yes. While there have been many negatives, the positives have outweighed them.
My speech has also improved because I think more about what I will say. I also focus more on other people’s speech and often think of better/clearer methods. My family and friends have all commented on the improvement.
While watching movies, I couldn’t care less about acting, cinematography, and special effects. Instead, I focus on the plot and critically analyze it. This approach reduces entertainment but provides valuable information. Why? A movie allows me to visually see how a plot unfolds, which is not possible in a book. I also like to think about fixing a lousy plot; recently, there have been so many.
Sometimes, I fantasize about random people I see walking by. It’s fun to mentally describe their appearance (to develop excellent character descriptions) or guess their thoughts. Sometimes, I even put them into a plot I make up on the spot. Is this creepy? Probably.
Writing has made me more liberal. I want people to be happier and am more willing to be part of the solution. This comes from my desire/empathy for my characters to succeed. It might also be out of the passion for a positive plot.
I have a more worldly view because my characters travel. Therefore, I research other cultures, geography, flights, and currencies.
I am more outgoing online, including sharing my views, discussing critical writing topics, asking for advice, and promoting my books.
Last, I met many authors and became pen pals with two. I certainly would not have done this before my writing adventure.
Until writing this, I had not analyzed all the changes. Writing has indeed affected many areas of my life. So, let me ask myself a question. Do I think these changes are common among authors? I would guess that 75% of the changes I experienced are standard. But making up plots with random people? Only a crazy person like myself would go that far.
You’re the best -Bill
December 20, 2023
Life does not always go as planned, and being unemployed three times certainly deterred me from my goals. The first round lasted only a month, but it frightened me, and I had to do something about it. So, I created a notebook full of ideas to plan my future.
I wanted to organize my thoughts on business ideas and employment goals. Then, analyze everything to determine the best chances for success. This list of ideas included becoming a big-time author, and I wrote a summary (about a paragraph) for each story idea so I could evaluate the opportunity.
With this tool, I planned to get rehired and start a business in my free time. I did not include writing a book because it would take too much time. Everything was going according to plan, but life threw another curve ball. I was working for a company called Sundstrand (a division of United Technologies Corporation). They had three divisions (cheap, average, and high-quality) that made the same product. It made good business sense to eliminate the middle player. In hindsight, this decision was foolish because it led to a billion-dollar Airbus lawsuit. United Technologies Corporation settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
This second round of unemployment (technically not unemployment because I was working part-time) lasted a year, and I needed a side activity to keep from going crazy. I had recently attempted to start a business and needed a break from that nightmare. So, I wrote a book because I knew it would be easy money. I began without knowing the reality of publishing, marketing, or proper book structure.
Since that chaotic beginning, I have gained many skills and self-publish four books. It has been five years, and I thought it would be interesting to see how this effort affected my life.
Improved writing skills are the most prominent change. The flaws jump off the page like rocketships when I look at my past documents. Now, my sentences are more straightforward and more grammatically correct.
The downside to my new skills is that I spot errors in other people’s work. Before my writing adventure, I found it amusing on the rare occasions I spotted a mistake. (I cannot recall seeing an error in a professionally published book before I started writing.) Now, errors upset me, and I look down on unskilled authors. Is this bad? Yes.
Writing now occupies much of my time due to the many hours of self-editing and self-promoting. That is time I cannot get back, but what if I could time travel? Would I recommend the path to myself? Hmm. It is clear that I will break even with this venture, but I answer yes. While there have been many negatives, the positives have outweighed them.
My speech has also improved because I think more about what I will say. I also focus more on other people’s speech and often think of better/clearer methods. My family and friends have all commented on the improvement.
While watching movies, I couldn’t care less about acting, cinematography, and special effects. Instead, I focus on the plot and critically analyze it. This approach reduces entertainment but provides valuable information. Why? A movie allows me to visually see how a plot unfolds, which is not possible in a book. I also like to think about fixing a lousy plot; recently, there have been so many.
Sometimes, I fantasize about random people I see walking by. It’s fun to mentally describe their appearance (to develop excellent character descriptions) or guess their thoughts. Sometimes, I even put them into a plot I make up on the spot. Is this creepy? Probably.
Writing has made me more liberal. I want people to be happier and am more willing to be part of the solution. This comes from my desire/empathy for my characters to succeed. It might also be out of the passion for a positive plot.
I have a more worldly view because my characters travel. Therefore, I research other cultures, geography, flights, and currencies.
I am more outgoing online, including sharing my views, discussing critical writing topics, asking for advice, and promoting my books.
Last, I met many authors and became pen pals with two. I certainly would not have done this before my writing adventure.
Until writing this, I had not analyzed all the changes. Writing has indeed affected many areas of my life. So, let me ask myself a question. Do I think these changes are common among authors? I would guess that 75% of the changes I experienced are standard. But making up plots with random people? Only a crazy person like myself would go that far.
You’re the best -Bill
December 20, 2023
My Writing Aspirations
A friend recently asked me what I hope to achieve by writing books. I told him my goal had changed from making an incredible profit to breaking even with my editing costs. Yet, there must be more to it. Do I desire fame, recognition, and respect, or do I want to put something on my resume? I noodled this for a day and thought it would be interesting to share my bonkers thoughts.
I did not start writing to become famous. I want the opposite. People running up to me asking for an autograph would freak me out. I am a normal guy who does normal things and prefer that my work speaks for me. For example, I designed many electrical products that are still being used by thousands of people. That success is my quiet reward, and I hope my books fall into this category.
As much as I hate to admit this to myself, I already know I will not be a mega-author. My books have had enough exposure that buzz should have been created. And I am good with this fact.
Instead, I anticipate my success will be a slow burn, meaning that more readers will discover me over time. Hopefully, they will leave some good reviews, and I might sell enough to at least come close to breaking even.
What about something to put on my resume? I have resume entries for my books, but I am not looking for a fiction writing job. Raw creativity is complex, and writing every day can be very stressful. So, why the entry? Hey, anything to put me ahead of the competition?
What about my legacy? I do not think authors do not leave much of a legacy unless they are in the top 0.001%. In their day, they get mildly noticed while they keep publishing. There is less interest when they pass, and their books end up in landfills. I strongly suspect I will end up in this category.
Still, it thrills me when I see my books for sale or read a good review. I take pride in my creations, and it is comforting to know that I have achieved my goal of publishing.
My answer is that I enjoy writing and continue because of this enjoyment. But what if my books took off? Then, my worst fears would come true. I would not be able to haggle at the swap meet. “How much do you want for this rusty wrench?” “Hey, you are that famous author. $100.” “Dang!”
You’re the best -Bill
March 05, 2025
I did not start writing to become famous. I want the opposite. People running up to me asking for an autograph would freak me out. I am a normal guy who does normal things and prefer that my work speaks for me. For example, I designed many electrical products that are still being used by thousands of people. That success is my quiet reward, and I hope my books fall into this category.
As much as I hate to admit this to myself, I already know I will not be a mega-author. My books have had enough exposure that buzz should have been created. And I am good with this fact.
Instead, I anticipate my success will be a slow burn, meaning that more readers will discover me over time. Hopefully, they will leave some good reviews, and I might sell enough to at least come close to breaking even.
What about something to put on my resume? I have resume entries for my books, but I am not looking for a fiction writing job. Raw creativity is complex, and writing every day can be very stressful. So, why the entry? Hey, anything to put me ahead of the competition?
What about my legacy? I do not think authors do not leave much of a legacy unless they are in the top 0.001%. In their day, they get mildly noticed while they keep publishing. There is less interest when they pass, and their books end up in landfills. I strongly suspect I will end up in this category.
Still, it thrills me when I see my books for sale or read a good review. I take pride in my creations, and it is comforting to know that I have achieved my goal of publishing.
My answer is that I enjoy writing and continue because of this enjoyment. But what if my books took off? Then, my worst fears would come true. I would not be able to haggle at the swap meet. “How much do you want for this rusty wrench?” “Hey, you are that famous author. $100.” “Dang!”
You’re the best -Bill
March 05, 2025
