Traveling always reminds me of writing and WildernessPunk, or is it telling me I should be writing some WildernessPunk? I was a bit pleased with my WP jumpstart last summer and my writing jumpstart in general. As I have mentioned before, while the rest of the world worked on unfinished projects and novels during Covid, I did the opposite and almost quit writing during the pandemic. Yep, I’ve always been one to buck the crowds, or perhaps a backwards man.
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This pause has passed for me, however, for as I experienced the closest thing to writer’s block I’ve ever felt while trying to finish the last book of my 10 book Eternal Aftermath Series, I have now neared the completion. This book has been on hiatus for over two years. I shouldn’t give myself to much credit-I’m not done yet, but finishing a project I started in 2010 won’t hurt me.
Currently, however, I find myself waking up early in an attempt to get words on screen before my family follows suit here in our little hotel room in Silver City New Mexico. I’m not on some epic, change your life, trip. Nope, just more to throw some chaos and variety into my boy’s Fall Break.
Yet what is chaos really, and is it a positive thing? Obviously, chaos is too chaotic to be good all the time. Ha ha. Entropy is more like a force of nature which can give you the best day of your life or leave you wracked and ruined. The question is, can we control chaos? Perhaps control is the wrong word, it might be better to ask, can we use chaos as a positive tool to aid us, and increase our life’s enjoyment levels and productivity?
I often see it work, or should I say not work, the other way. We all wish to have a good time, but often people in my generation try to stay loose and keep things more open ended, like preparing too much for an event which is selling out. Yeah, this would be fine if we were all immortal, lived 2000 years, or didn’t have one of our friends move to another state every six months. In this world, I, at least, prefer to maximize my chaos with a technique one could call Organized Chaos. Yep, I know I might have pissed off a few readers with that one but hear me out.
Say you have an event coming up. I don’t care if it is asking people over to BBQ, trying to get your buddies to meet you at a show, or planning a kid’s birthday party, I feel the event itself injects chaos into the world. Why? Because if you’re aren’t doing something different, then your chaos level is low. What’s more chaotic; staying at home on a Saturday doing some of the same things you did last Saturday. or heading out and doing anything else or creating some difference in other people’s lives by having them get out of their ‘same ol’ by heading to your place?
Yeah, yeah Captain Obvious, so what?
This is where Organized Chaos comes in. So, if we can agree, going or doing something different is more chaotic than doing the same ol, and agree we want to maximize the fun of anything we plan to do, Organized Chaos is the best way to get this done. No, I don’t want to go with the flow and hope for the best. Sure, I enjoy chaos, but being surprised by how badly things go is not something I’m into.
Again, we only have so many days on this planet, if I’m planning something, I need for it to go as well as possible. I want to come in strong and give it my best shot. I’m being chaotic by creating this event out of nothing, but if I’m going to the trouble to do so, I want to do it right. Being half assed isn’t the same as chaotic.
Allow me to explain. Say I want to invite people over for a feast. The last two Saturdays I just hung out and did chores, so inviting people over is much more chaotic than what I could do. I don’t mean to get all mathy, but let’s just say an average weekend has a chaos value of 100 (Come on we’re always doing something weird (I hope)) Now let’s say for each person who comes over to my feast the chaos value is increased by 50 and I invite 10 people.
100 + (10 x 50) = 600
So, in general, I have a chance to increase my Daily Positive Chaos sixfold.
Daily Positive Chaos: The beneficial aspect of increasing the variety one experiences which heightens the productivity and joy for an individual during a 24-hour cycle.
Now let’s imagine that instead of being somewhat Lawful and planning this well (yes I said it) I just assume the chaotic threads of the universe will just flow my way and only 4 of the people I invite actually show up.
100 + (4 x 50) = 300
So, although my slacker attitude about getting things done could be labeled chaotic, for I was leaving the attendance to fate, the results are not. In fact, I have lowered my Positive Daily Chaos by 50%.
Am I going to have a better camping trip just rushing through a store to buy hotdogs and chips, or will we all lounge in luxury if I purchase and prepare some special dishes? If I’m visiting someone who’s going to be working during the day, will it help to coordinate with them what activities are being planned where they live so they can share the best ones with you? Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons with a DM who was just trying to wing it?
My point is, (yep, I have one) good times can become a strange dichotomy of sorts. One must act lawfully, plan, and plot in order to increase the success of your chaotic endeavor. Stronger Chaos out of Law.
There you have it. Enjoy your next picnic.
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You can grab some of my fiction here, which I promise has nothing to do with this.
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WildernessPunk 