My new science fiction novel is available on Kindle now!

Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped me through this one. It was a lot of fun to write, and I can’t wait to see what you guys think of it.

This one asks an important moral question. Do the ends ever justify the means? The characters of the story each have their own answer to this question, and they act accordingly, which creates a lot of tension within the Esslar star system. The tension builds and builds until it needs to release. But will the tension gradually deflate? Or will the star system pop?

I love the plot of this novel. It took a lot of turns that I even didn’t expect. The characters were fun to write. I had intentions for them in the beginning, but the more I wrote, the more they took on lives of their own.

With this novel, I learned how to write without an outline. It was really fun to dive into a project without much planning. I had a blast writing without limiting myself to a pre-established plot. I made sure to follow some kind of structure, but it was still very freeing.

Then came the editing, which was harder than it was with Liar’s Legacy. I had to rearrange some scenes, take out others, and add new ones. There were many inconsistencies, including a dead character showing up at the end because I had forgotten I killed him off.

But everything was fixed in the edits. All-in-all, the editing process was much easier than it could have been. I could have gone completely off course and derailed the entire plot at any point. But the story remained mostly consistent throughout the drafting phase, so it wasn’t a total wreck of a first draft.

I learned a lot while writing this book that I hope to share with all of you. I learned about improvising a story, I learned how to write faster, and I learned how to create meaningful plot-twists.

This novel was a ton of fun to write, and I hope you have fun reading it! The Kindle edition is available here, and the paperback edition will be available later this month.

This book is the beginning of a new series, but it can be enjoyed on its own as well. Many of the plot threads are tied off nicely at the end, but the story doesn’t end here.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy Fossil. Have a fantastic day!

The post Fossil Is Available Now! appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

The following is the original short story that my new novella, The Eorum Chronicles: The Shadowman, is based on. I wrote this for a writing contest when I was 13. I lost the contest, but that did not discourage me from writing more stories set in the world of Eretor. I grew up with this world and these characters, and now I get to share them with you! But this is not the definitive edition of this story! For that, you’ll have to read the new novella, The Eorum Chronicles: The Shadowman, which is the first in a series of novellas centered around Eorum, my favorite character in my original Eretor stories. Enjoy!

Eorum and the Shadow Man

The king of Ándras was concerned with the news that this villager had brought to him.

“So, let me get this straight,” said the king. “Shadow people are attacking the southern villages, taking your people, turning them to shadows, and your weapons can’t stop them?”

The villager vigorously nodded his head. His eyes were wide with fear. “And they’re taking the people to the Lost City.”

The king needed to do something about this. He needed to send someone to find the source of these shadows and stop them. He needed someone who had seen the impossible. He needed someone who had done the impossible himself. He needed a warrior who had traveled the land and had seen things that the king himself could only imagine.

The king turned to his messenger. “Send the boy.”

***

Eorum was spending the night at a hotel in a city after his last adventure in Brevis. A mine had been invaded by some rock golems that an evil sorcerer had brought to life, so the dwarves called for help, and Eorum answered the call.

There were many other adventures and quests that he went on before this, like the trolls in the forest of Lignus and the gangs in the northern villages in Ándras. He had gone to the City in the Mountains, which was in the northern regions of Eretor, to seek rest. That place was, apparently, where everyone knew him. So he went to the south-western regions of Ándras, and that’s when the dwarf messenger came to get help for his people.

Eorum was exhausted. He was tired of playing hero. He knew that was his dream, to become a hero, but he didn’t want to run around all the time, saving everyone’s skins. He took off his armor and lay down in bed when there was a knock on the door.

“Excuse me,” came a man’s voice, “but is this the room of Eorum?”

The man sounded like he could barely contain his excitement. He was, it seemed, very familiar with the tales of Eorum.

“Here we go again,” Eorum muttered to himself. He opened the door. “Yes, this is Eorum. What do you need?”

“My name is Charles,” said the man excitedly, “and I’m a messenger for the king.”

“Which one?” said Eorum.

“The king of Ándras,” said Charles, a little embarrassed.

The king of Ándras? It’s been a while since he’s needed anything from Eorum.

“What does he want from me?” asked Eorum.

“He wants you to find out what’s going on in-” the messenger shivered, “in the Lost City.”

The Lost City. Of course he’s afraid of the Lost City. Everyone thinks it’s haunted.

Eorum had been in the area without anything scary happening. It was just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. “Alright,” said Eorum. “I’ll pack my stuff.”

The messenger told Eorum what he was up against. Sentient shadows that take whoever they can to the Lost City then turn into shadows. Eorum had already checked the surrounding area a long time ago, just in case there was someone (or something) living in the ruins. There was nothing except for a small group of goblins who immediately turned and fled at the sight of Eorum. They didn’t know who he was, they were just afraid that he was a knight sent to arrest them.

***

After a week, Eorum made it to the Lost City. He stopped his horse, Wind Rider. There were no trees to tie Wind Rider to because the Lost City was in the great Desert of Harénae, so Eorum tied Wind Rider to an old and withered shrub.

Eorum crept quietly into the ruins of the city. Suddenly, the shadows were upon him! They just seemed to have come from out of the ground.

Eorum swung his sword at them, but the blade went right through them without any effect whatsoever. Then the shadows spoke to Eorum in unison. The voices all sounded abnormally deep.

“Eorum, a legend from Ándras.”

“How do you know my name?” said Eorum.

“I know everyone’s name,” said the shadows, “for I am all knowing. I am the Shadow King. I speak through these shadows because I am too weak to leave my sanctuary. Soldiers, bring the boy to me.”

The shadows began to advance on Eorum. He started to run but ran into two more shadows. They had trapped him. Eorum began to swing his sword hopelessly, but there was nothing he could do.

The shadows took Eorum’s sword, picked him up, and brought him to the remains of Town Hall. There, in the governor’s chair, sat a black, shadowy form. The Shadow King.

“Who are you?” asked Eorum. “Where did you come from?”

“Allow me to tell you,” said the Shadow King. “My story began fifty years ago. I traveled here, but I was weak from my journey. I found this place. It was abandoned, so I made my home here. Not long after, a young man wandered into this domain. He appeared as though he was scavenging the ruins. I told him that if he followed my commands then I would give him all the glory that he deserved. He came to me, and I took his shadow. The glory that he got was being the first soldier in my army. I then used his own shadow to destroy his body. I no longer needed it and I didn’t need anyone knowing of my sanctuary. I used his shadow to bring more and more people to me. I’ve been taking shadows for years. Soon I will have enough to raise an army and conquer Eretor. I will have my revenge on the races who banished me and my people to Infurus.”

That caught Eorum’s attention. “What? You were in Inferus? You couldn’t escape that place. That’s impossible!”

“I escaped thanks to Black Veil. It took me three hundred years, but I managed to find a way to escape that hideous realm. Now I will have my revenge on everyone who put me in there. The elves, the dwarves, the men, and everyone else will become a shadow. Now, if you will just kneel before me, I will take your shadow to add to my army. It’s quite painless.”

The shadows hit Eorum in the back of the knees, and he fell. But Eorum was too focused on what the Shadow king said about Inferus to pay very much attention. How could anything escape Inferus? Inferus was a realm created as a prison for monsters. If one monster could get out, who knew what else could return to the world of Eretor. Also, what was the Black Veil that the Shadow King mentioned?

Eorum looked to his left absentmindedly. There was an old skeleton lying on the ground next to him. It was holding a sword made of black metal. That couldn’t be a Shadow Sword could it? Those hadn’t been made since before all of the Shadow Men were banished to Inferus. Well, the skeleton looked pretty old, and the shadows wouldn’t be able to pick it up. Plus, what other choice did he have?

Eorum rolled to his left and quickly grabbed the sword. The surprised shadows took a second to react, but then they began reaching for Eorum. Eorum swung the sword at their arms.

It was a Shadow Sword. Probably the last one in existence.

The shadows’ arms dropped to the ground and disappeared. Eorum slashed at the other shadows coming for him. Two more shadows disappeared.

The Shadow King started shouting at Eorum. “No! Get him. Get him!”

The shadows were quickly advancing. Eorum’s new sword sliced through the stale air. Shadows disappeared all around him. Eorum couldn’t keep this up for much longer. He looked at the Shadow King and had an idea.

Eorum started making his way towards the Shadow King, clearing the way with his new sword as he went.

“No. What are you doing?” said the shadows. “Get him. Get him!”

Eorum sliced at the Shadow King; the Shadow King disappeared. All of the shadows around Eorum froze. Without a real Shadow Man to project them, the shadows couldn’t function. They disappeared exactly as Eorum expected.

Then Eorum remembered something. Something very important.

He picked up his other sword while sprinting over to Wind Rider. After a few minutes he was hurriedly shoving the Shadow Sword into his bag and jumping onto Wind Rider’s saddle. He turned the horse around and sent him into a full sprint.

This was why he had to keep playing hero. Because of very important moments and discoveries like this. This was why he had to keep adventuring and traveling Eretor in search of monsters to defeat and people to save. This was why being a hero was his dream growing up. He had to get back to the king of Ándras. He had to warn him.

The gate to Inferus was opening.

The post Eorum and the Shadow Man | The Original Short Story appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

The sad truth is that we’ll probably have more ideas than we’ll every be able to write, which means you’ll have to pick the ones you want to write most. It’s up to you to find your best ideas and put pen to paper.

But how do you pick the best ideas? How do you know which concepts are filled with the most potential? How do you know which ones will sell the best?

Alright! It’s anecdote time.

I was trying to read the second book of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I love Sci-Fi action stories (which would explain the stories I write), and I had been wanting to find some solid novellas for a while. Besides, the concept was interesting enough. A cyborg security unit goes rogue and has to keep it a secret from the humans it works for. I was intrigued.

I read the first one and thought it was okay. It was passable, but it wasn’t anything great despite what everyone else says. Then I got to the second one, and I couldn’t even get halfway. The main character annoys me so much, and the whole story was flat-out boring, not to mention the language. I put it down and decided not to read the series anymore.

Around the same time, I decided to dip my toes into the world of manga. For those that don’t know what manga is, it’s Japanese comic books. That’s it. They became really popular in the United States some time ago along with anime, and I had some friends who enjoyed it, so I thought I would give it a try. I started with a series called One Punch Man which is about a superhero who can defeat any of his enemies with a single punch. I gave it a shot.

When I read the premise, I expected it to be fun and entertaining. I didn’t expect it to be funny, exciting, and filled with deep thoughts on the purpose of life and finding a reason to keep going. It was really interesting and a ton of fun.

This plus an essay from a collection called How To Write a Novella In 24 Hours by Andrew Mayne got me thinking about finding story ideas, which inspired this post. Which ideas are best? Which ones will stand out? Which ones will people think are too weird?

It turns out, people will read and watch anything if you market it well enough and tell a good story. The ideas are the easy part. It’s turning those ideas into coherent, logical, exciting, and meaningful stories that’s hard.

From what I’ve seen, I’m not sure there are any bad story ideas. Only poorly executed ones. You can write about anything you want as long as you tell the story well. Don’t write off ideas because you think other people won’t like them or they won’t sell well. I know I’ve thrown away plenty of ideas because I thought they would make me look too weird or too nerdy. But I am weird and nerdy. Those ideas are mine, and I should be proud of them. There’s going to be people who don’t like them, but those are my ideas that I enjoy and I’m excited about.

Don’t ever throw away a story idea because you think others won’t like it. I promise you, there will always be people who don’t like what you write, even with your “safe” ideas. But if you write the ideas you love, I can also promise that your passion and your excitement will bleed through the page and fill the reader up with excitement and passion as well. It’s contagious. It doesn’t matter what people say you can or cannot write about. Write the kind of story you enjoy writing. It will always be better if you do.

So, learn how to tell a good story. Understand grammar and sentence structure. Study how to plot a story. Read about what you should or shouldn’t include in a story. Learn, learn, learn… write. Because there’s no better teacher for writing stories than experience. Then, when you understand how to craft a good story that people enjoy and you receive feedback from others, then you can write your crazy idea that’s never been done before.

Write whatever you want! Feel free, and don’t be shy. Just have fun with your work. Which of your story ideas is the greatest? Andrew Mayne puts it best when he says that the greatest idea is the one you’re writing now.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Which Story Ideas Are The Best? appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

But many beginning authors struggle with discovering new ideas, and every author has had to tackle writer’s block at least once. Our imaginations seem to run dry. We can’t think. We can’t dream of new plots or imagine how the lives of our characters continue. It seems to be a common struggle. But there is a quick and easy solution to both new ideas and writer’s block: asking questions.

This is the most effective solution I’ve seen during my journey learning as a writer. But I’ve discovered a method for asking questions. There is an order for which questions you need to ask when.

Inspiration

We begin with asking questions to inspire an idea. This can be anything, but I like to ask questions about people and situations I observe personally.

Look at the stranger in the restaurant next to you. Notice the nice, expensive looking steak he’s eating. Now, what if he was a cop? How can he afford to eat such an expensive meal on his own? Where’s he getting the extra cash? Has he taken on another job? Is the job legitimate?

Now look at the young man on his phone near the entrance, constantly glancing at the doorway. Who’s he waiting for? Why? What’s the purpose of their meeting? Does it have something to do with the dirty cop? Does he have illegitimate business with the cop?

Ask questions. Be observant. Look at the people around you. Ask questions inspired by the first question, or your answer to the first question. What if your phone started talking to you on its own? What if the stressed guy next to you suddenly asks for your help? What if a map fell out of your grandpa’s old journal?

You can see how these questions can inspire new stories. The core idea manifests itself. Be observant! You might miss your next bestselling idea if you don’t.

Fleshing out

Now that you have your core idea, it’s time to keep it going. Ask questions about your idea. Who’s the employer of the dirty cop? Why is he meeting with a young man in a nice restaurant? What are they meeting for?

The more questions you ask about your core idea, the more fleshed out the idea will be, and the better you understand your own story. The better you understand your story, the better you can grab your readers on the first page and hurl them through your plot. Readers want a story they understand.

But that doesn’t mean your reader has to know all the answers right off the bat. If that were the case, mystery novels wouldn’t be as immensely popular as they are. The reader only needs the essentials, and this can be shown through action.

It’s also good to make your reader ask questions about your story. Then they’ll be curious about what happens next.

For instance, you might start a story with a dialogue between two characters.

“Hey, there’s another dead dear rotting by the woods.”

“Put it with the others.”

This causes the reader to ask questions that you already know the answer to because you already asked the same questions. This piques their curiosity. Why is there a dead dear? What killed it? Why does this seem so common? Is there a dear plague?

These questions keep the reader wanting more. They’re curious about what the answers might be. As long as the questions are interesting (probably more interesting than some random mammal carcasses), then your readers will be interested.

But this can go too far, sometimes. The reader should always get an answer at some point in the story. And don’t save all the answers until the end. If the reader never gets answers or if the answers never come until the very last page, then the reader will be confused, and they’ll do the worst thing a reader can do with your book: put it down.

The answers should keep flowing. Again, you shouldn’t give the readers all the answers at once, but the reader also should not be confused. For instance, when you begin a murder mystery story, you can open the first chapter with the murder, but then there will be two questions presented to the reader. The first is who killed the victim, the second is who is this main character, and why do we care about him. (I suppose that was three questions, but it’s close enough.)

The answer to the first question can be withheld until the very last page, but the answer to the second can not. There are temporary questions that the reader needs answered quickly, but there are also bigger questions that the author can take longer in answering.

Writing the plot

Now that you have your story fleshed out and your readers are intrigued by your long-term question and the answer to your temporary question, it’s time to get into the plot of your story.

Essentially, the plot is a bunch of temporary questions stringed together like breadcrumbs for the reader. But how do you ask the reader questions? You ask yourself, first.

How do the characters get out of this situation? Do they get out of this situation? Is he going to get the girl? Who’s sending these mysterious letters? Who’s side is the masked figure on? Why isn’t the bad guy attacking? Do they know the hero is unarmed?

Every story starts with a question and ends with an answer, as does every event that occurs in a story. Think of it like a TV show. There’s a bigger story that the whole show is leading toward, but there are tons of episodes that bring the audience to that conclusion. There are a lot of big questions the episodes introduce and, at the end of the season or even the show, answer. But each episode has its own set of questions.

For an example, let’s look at the episode “Blue Spirit” from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the episode, two of the main trio get a sickness, and the main character, Aang, must heal them before they continue their journey. The questions that this episode continues that were introduced in the first episode are “How is Aang going to learn water bending?” and “How is Aang going to defeat the Fire Lord?” But the smaller question introduced in this episode is “How is Aang going to heal his friends?”

Aang begins his task. He meets with an old lady who tells him he has to get some frozen frogs to heal his friends. Our question is answered.

But while getting the frogs, Aang is captured by the Fire Nation. This turn of events introduces another question. “How is Aang going to escape?”

While Aang tries to answer that for himself, a mysterious figure hidden behind a blue mask appears and rescues him. Our previous question is answered, but again, we have a new one. “Who is the masked figure?”

The figure and Aang battle their way out of the Fire Nation prison. While they’re running away, the masked figure is knocked down by an archer. Aang brings him to safety and removes his mask to find that Zuko, the young Fire Nation prince who has been his enemy from the very beginning of the story, was the one who rescued him.

Now, all our questions relating to the episode are finished. But as Aang’s friends recover and they resume their journey, the audience is given one last question to be answered later in the story: “Why did Zuko rescue Aang?”

So, as you can see, all stories are a bunch of questions and answers to those questions that lead to other questions. I used the Avatar illustration because that sentence can seem confusing on its own. So, ask yourself questions, make the audience ask the same questions, and give satisfying answers that make sense.

A good example of how not to answer questions given to the audience is The Last Jedi, the eighth Star Wars movie and, arguably, the worst one of the series.

In the previous movie, we’re introduced to a whole new cast of characters and find them in the midst of a new conflict. It presented the audience with a lot of questions. Who is Snoke? Why did Ben Solo become Kylo Ren? Why is Luke hiding in isolation on an island? Who are Rey’s parents?

The next movie decided to answer all of these questions rather than wait to save maybe one or two for the last movie of the trilogy. But that isn’t even the worst part. The worst part is that none of the answers are satisfying, which was a decision praised by critics as “subverting expectations,” but criticized by fans as disrespectful and stupid.

Who is Snoke? It doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.

Why did Ben Solo become Kylo Ren? And why is Luke hiding in isolation on an island? Because Luke sensed what Ben could maybe, possibly become, and decided the only option was to kill him (instead of like, I don’t know, talking to him or something). Ben defended himself and struck back by killing everyone else at the Jedi temple (except Luke for some reason), burning the temple, and running away, where he met Snoke. Luke responded to the situation by hiding on an island and waiting to die.

Lastly, the question everyone wanted answered. The question people on the internet had been asking each other since the previous movie released. The question everyone had an opinion on or a theory about. The question that had to have a satisfying answer. Who are Rey’s parents?

Nobodies. Losers. A nameless couple who sold their own daughter for drinking money. What affect does this have on the story? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

You can tell me all you want that The Rise of Skywalker fixed that fault by making Rey actually the granddaughter of Palpatine. But that was not the intention the writers had when writing The Last Jedi, and Disney cannot make me happy by changing their mind.

All ranting aside, my point is that if you’re going to present questions to your audience, make sure the answers are satisfying and have an affect on the story and your characters. Make your characters react to the answers, whether in a positive way or a negative way. Have the answers change the plot of the story.

Who’s the spy working for the villains? The hero’s closest friend. The hero is obviously going to have some kind of reaction to this that changes the plot and changes the character.

Who are the hero’s parents? The villains. Now your hero must grapple with whether he is good or bad. Must he answer for the sins of his father? Or can he redeem his family name by fighting his parents and doing the right thing? (Yes, I know that’s what J. J. Abrams tried to do in The Rise of Skywalker, but The Last Jedi already happened, and it was far too late to go back.)

Conclusion

Questions are what make stories interesting. A good story can have a fun plot that we’ve seen a million times before and fun characters that aren’t challenged in any meaningful way. But a great story takes those familiar plots and twists them up. It questions the plot, making the reader question it as well. It adds things that have never been seen before. The characters are affected by the twists and turns of the plot. The twists are personal to the characters, and they are challenged because of them. The answers to questions often cause characters to come up with other questions. These questions are what provoke a reader to think about your story long after the final page is read.

Stories that make me ask questions always grab me by the shirt and drag me down the rabbit hole. That’s why I enjoy authors like Orson Scott Card, C. S. Lewis, and Isaac Asimov. They ask questions, and their answers are always very interesting and thoughtful. Questions and curiosity get me much more invested than anything else, and I want to find more books that make me ask questions. Maybe yours will be next.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Ask, And You Shall Recieve appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

“Commander Alex Parker and her crew had been traveling through space for months, their anticipation mounting with each passing day. Their spacecraft, the Horizon, touched down on the scorched surface, kicking up clouds of dust as the engines powered down.

“The team donned their protective suits, shielding themselves from the planet’s harsh environment. As they stepped out onto the planet’s surface, the oppressive heat immediately enveloped them. The air was thin, and every breath felt like a gulp of hot sand.

“Their mission was to gather samples and explore the region for any traces of life. Equipped with high-tech scanners and communication devices, they set out on foot, leaving the Horizon behind.

“As they ventured deeper into the arid expanse, they stumbled upon strange rock formations that towered above them like twisted fingers reaching for the sky. The rocks emitted a faint, otherworldly hum, filling the explorers with both awe and unease.

“Commander Parker led her team towards a massive crater that lay in the distance. Its dark depths seemed to beckon them forward, and they couldn’t resist the urge to investigate. As they descended into the crater, the temperature dropped, providing some relief from the relentless heat.

“Deep within the crater, they discovered a network of underground tunnels. Glowing moss lined the walls, casting an ethereal light that illuminated their path. The explorers followed the tunnels, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.

“Suddenly, they stumbled upon a hidden chamber bathed in an iridescent blue light. In the center of the chamber, a shimmering crystalline structure stood tall. It pulsated with energy, casting prismatic reflections across the room. The explorers approached it cautiously, feeling a mysterious power emanating from within.

“As they reached out to touch the crystal, a surge of energy surged through their bodies, transporting them to a different plane of existence. They found themselves in a realm where time and space intertwined, a realm inhabited by a highly advanced alien civilization.

“The aliens, known as the Xelonians, were a peaceful race who had mastered the secrets of interdimensional travel. They had witnessed the arrival of the Earth explorers and were intrigued by their presence.

“Commander Parker and her team were welcomed by the Xelonians, who communicated through telepathy. They learned that Geryon had once been a vibrant planet teeming with life, but a catastrophic event had rendered it uninhabitable. The Xelonians had survived by harnessing the energy of the planet’s core, using it to create pocket dimensions where life could flourish.

“Moved by the Xelonians’ plight, Commander Parker shared Earth’s knowledge of terraforming and ecological restoration. The Xelonians, in turn, offered their expertise in interdimensional travel, promising to aid humanity in exploring the vast reaches of the universe.

“After days of exchange and exploration, Commander Parker and her crew bid farewell to their new alien friends, their minds brimming with newfound knowledge and hope for the future. They returned to the Horizon, carrying with them a small sample of the Xelonian crystal and a renewed sense of purpose.

“As the spacecraft lifted off from Geryon’s surface, the explorers gazed out at the planet from above. They knew that Geryon would forever hold a special place in their hearts—a symbol of the unknown, the resilience of life, and the unending possibilities that awaited them in the great cosmic expanse.”

This whole short story was written by the AI program called ChatGPT. Pretty crazy, huh?

This new technology has been circling the internet a lot recently, and many writers are worried. Will they still have a job if this technology continues to develop? When AI starts writing complete novels, will we be able to sustain our business? When does it go too far?

But fear not, fellow authors! If you guys are sci-fi nerds like me, I bet you noticed how uninspired and unoriginal this story was. It was fun to read, sure. But it lacked the passion, heart, emotion, inspiration, and originality found only in stories written by people. Bots can only go so far. Programs cannot have feeling or passion. They cannot be inspired. Will Marvel movies eventually be written by AI? Maybe. Will we ever get stories like those of Ted Chiang or Orson Scott Card written by AI? No. We definitely won’t. Why? Because those authors were inspired by other stories written by different authors, and they used that inspiration to create something new. Meanwhile, AI takes other stories by other authors and, instead of being inspired by them, assimilates them and manipulates them to create something much like what has already been made.

AI cannot create anything new. AI will never create anything new. But people can.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Why AI is Not a Threat to Authors appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

I have been far too comfortable lately. I’ve been lazy, relaxed, and restful. When I decided all that was going to change, Nintendo decided to release Gameboy games on the Switch, and I’ve still found myself having a hard time getting off the couch.

These distractions (video games, social media, even books) are crippling me. I’m allowing them to take over my life and keep me from writing the stories floating around in my brain.

I watched a couple of episodes of a new National Geographic show called “Limitless,” where Chris Hemsworth pushes his limits and puts his physical and mental strength to the test. It’s about breaking boundaries and getting out of our comfort zones, and I found it very inspiring. It reminds me of a song from the mid-2000s called “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot. The words of the chorus continuously remind me of the position I’m in. “We were meant to live for so much more, but we lost ourselves.”

I’m stuck in a rut. I need to get out. I’m waiting for someone or something to grab me and force me to get out, but I realize now that it isn’t coming. I need to get myself out. It’s my fault I am in this mess, and I’m sure there are a lot of others in the same boat.

A survey was taken of 2,000 Americans. Only fifteen percent of those 2,000 people have reported starting to write a novel, and only six percent have gotten halfway (Melore, 2021). Clearly, I am not the only one who has this problem.

Many of us would rather do the easy thing than work to get what we want, but we all have a purpose. God has blessed us with gifts and talents, and our responsibility is to use our talents to serve others and worship our Lord with our gifts. Jesus said it would be hard, and it will be. We’d rather do what is easy than do what is right, and it’s time we (including myself) change that.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

Sources:

Melore, Chris. (2021) More than half of Americans think their life is worthy of a book deal. studyfinds.org. https://studyfinds.org/writing-books-life-worthy-of-deal/#:~:text=A%20recent%20survey%20of%202%2C000,a%20completed%20novel%20(8%25).

The post Comfort or Success? appeared first on Elliot Kessler.