• Bio
  • Blog
  • Film
  • Home
  • Join the Mailing List
  • Photography
  • Publications

J.W. Eberle

J.W. Eberle

Tag Archives: time to write

The Birthday Resolutions Achieve Excellence

10 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by Jonny Eberle in The Future, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

5K, arete, aristotle, balance, birthday, birthday resolutions, excellence, exercise, goal, goal setting, Greek philosophy, novel, peace, philosophy, potential, resolution, resolutions, running, stress, time to write, writer, writing, writing a novel, Writing Life

This year, I'm focusing on reaching my highest potential as a human being. No biggie.

Back in college, I read a lot of books by dead, old, Greek guys and I was surprised by how much their search for knowledge and meaning struck a chord with me. Aristotle in particular wrote that the highest achievement a human can reach is arête. This word is often translated as “excellence” or “moral virtue,” but my Classical Political Thought professor argued that a better translation was “reaching one’s potential.” To the ancient Greeks, living a life of significance wasn’t about being perfect, but about being the best person that you were capable of being.

As I turn another year older, I’ve found myself thinking about how I am working toward my arête, my greatest potential. With that in mind, I’m channeling Aristotle today as I write my annual list of birthday resolutions. Here we go:

Live in the Balance

This past year has been insane. My wife and I bought a house, remodeled said house while living with my in-laws, traveled to eight states, drove 2,000 miles, and dealt with personal setbacks. 2018 was a year of extremes. My hope for 2019 is to find peace. There will still be projects to do and tumultuous storms to weather — there always are — but I would like to see smoother sailing this year, with fewer unexpected twists along the way. My hope is to take time to enjoy the little things and to make space for much needed rest after a year of constant activity.

Run a 5K (for real)

Last year, I finished a 5K and it felt pretty good. But I ended up walking a fair portion of the course and after the race, I stopped running. Now, months later, I’ve let the endurance I built up slip away. I’m increasingly aware that my physical fitness is well worth the investment of time and sweat. This year, I’d like to recommit to that goal with the intention of running again and this time, running the whole thing from start to finish.

Carve Out Time to Write

Two years ago, I set myself a goal to complete a novel manuscript by the time I turn 30. It’s been a difficult challenge. I spent a year not really knowing what I wanted to write, and last year, personal and professional upheavals made it impossible to create a regular writing routine. I have roughly 75,000 words to write and less than 365 days in which to get those words onto the page. This year, I need to get serious about my writing and carve out dedicated time to get the work done.

Well, there you have it, my three step process for achieving my highest potential in the coming year. What are your resolutions and how do you keep yourself on track? Sound off in the comments!

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer in Tacoma, WA. His recent short story, How to Steal Copper Wire, was recently reprinted in Grit City Magazine, Volume Two. You can find him on Twitter or hanging around with literary types in seedy libraries.

Join the mailing list! You won’t regret it.

Writers Don’t Do Schedules

20 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

amwriting, commute, creative process, creativity, habit, inspiration, life, schedule, subconscious, time to write, train, work, writing, Writing Life

I have always struggled to keep to a schedule. For years, I was a chronic oversleeper and late owl. It’s only in my post-school world that I’ve managed to shoehorn my poor timekeeping skills into the rigid mold of “adult” schedules. It’s a challenge for me to keep at it. Waking up early in the morning, getting to work a little early (instead of rushing in late) and forcing myself to sleep at a reasonable hour. For some reason, my brain doesn’t like those things, especially when it comes to writing.

My creative powers wax and wane sporadically. Inspiration strikes at the oddest — and most inconvenient — moments. In the middle of a meal, on the way to work, my subconscious will produce a snippet of dialogue or the opening line of a short story. As much as I would like to put the world on hold in those moments, I have to jot it down in my notebook to revisit later.

For several months, I had a nice setup. I was taking the train to work and had 80 minutes a day to write. Over time, I trained myself to channel my creative impulses into that time frame. I was remarkably prolific, writing a novella, a three-act play and five short stories during my commute. I’ve never written so much so quickly.

I’m starting to suspect there’s something to this schedule thing. As much as the subconscious creative process yearns for freedom, I think it also secretly hungers order. It can be trained. You can teach it that these are the times when we go to work. Eventually, just like exercise or learning a musical instrument, you get into the habit of writing at a set time.

Now, I have a new job with a new schedule. Which means finding a new time to funnel my uneven creativity into meaningful projects. Thank goodness for Google Calendar…

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer and schedule rebel in Tacoma, WA. You can read his latest story on Creative Colloquy and follow him on Twitter.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy