Tag: Steve D

March Write Day: Fresh Start

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

Much has happened in the last month and a half which (mostly) explains my absence from this site. Primarily, I was laid off from my job last month and have been interviewing for a couple of new roles in the meantime. The family is doing well, and I’m confident I’ll land a new job soon.

And if not… we’ll see.

Being laid off, while not fun, presents an interesting opportunity. I had been burned out and overly stressed at my last job for quite some time. More than anything, I have felt relieved since leaving. It has given me a chance to think about all the things I haven’t had much brain space or time to pursue for the last year or so. Writing, music, exercise, community work, alternative career paths.

So, this Write Day post is a bit of a fresh start after this recent hiatus. I’m not going to bother with my last set of goals, which I posted before Thanksgiving. Instead, I’m going to outline where I’m at for the moment, and how I’d like for this interim period to go before I start a new job — whether that’s in two weeks or in two months.

Areas of Focus for the Time Being

Meditation

I’m attempting to meditate more regularly after not really doing much of it for several months. My current strategy includes two short sessions: the first to set my intention, focus on breathing, and clear my mind. The second is to allow for reflection, and I try to provide guidance to myself with a question or a challenge that’s ahead of me for the day.

Exercise

This has been a long-standing and under-achieved goal of mine for… too long. Now, with additional time on my hands, I’m taking the opportunity to just figure out what I want from an exercise routine. I know I need to exercise. I just need to do it in a way that is motivating and enjoyable.

For now, I’ve settled on alternating guided yoga flows with weight-lifting at the gym. The difference from my previous gym habits is that I’m designing a routine that assumes I only go to the gym about three times per week. As a twenty-something, weight-lifting had made up nearly the entirety of my exercise. Now, as a late-thirty-something, I want to focus on mobility and flexibility as much as strength, and I think I’ve come up with a basic routine to strike that balance.

Settling family care items

I’m not going into detail, but I’m in the midst of handling some financial changes for my dad. It’s been a long time in the making, and it will take quite a load off my shoulders once all is settled in the next few weeks. I would have been doing this even if I hadn’t been laid off. Now, I’m actually able to focus on it.

Community engagement

I need to get involved locally. I’ve had this burning drive to do so for the last year or more, fueled in equal parts by restlessness in my own world and rage at the state of the wider world. I’ve reached out to one local organization where I have a connection, and while they’re not seeking volunteers at the moment, I expect to get involved with them later this year.

Until then, I would like to put in some volunteer hours with another local organization. This will depend on when I start a potential new job, but I know that it will also keep me active and cure some of my restlessness.

Completing two home projects

I need to build some damn shelves in my shed, and I need to install a double-end bag so I can get back into some boxing training (part of my ideal exercise routine). Each project should only take a couple hours, so I’m hoping to have one done tomorrow or Friday.

Plotting the best course for writing

I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing: why I want to write, what I want to get from it, whether and how I want to publish. The bones of a plan have begun to take shape in my mind. I think I know which stories I want to focus on — largely the same ones I had been.

I think I also now know how I want to go about publishing. Primarily, I want to do it myself, not just in the self-publisher print-on-demand way, but in sourcing more dedicated printing services to stay off the big platforms. I don’t know what exactly this will look like, or even when I will be able to put real time into it, but one thing is certain. I know that this idea feels good, and that’s enough for me.

Fresh Start

This post ended up being quite a bit longer than I anticipated, but I suppose it was overdue. I definitely want to get back to posting here regularly. I have a backlog of book reviews to publish, and I haven’t written a haiku in weeks.

That’s it for now, though.

Steve D

Book Review: THE LAST VIKING and the rhythm of narrative history

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, ReviewsLeave a comment

I am woefully behind on posting book reviews, which is perhaps a good thing. It means I’ve at least been keeping up with my reading. So here goes an attempted book review for a book I finished almost a month ago.

I listened to The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada by Don Hollway on audiobook, and it reminded me of the pleasing rhythm of well-constructed narrative history.

King Harald Hardrada was, as Hollway argues, the last great figure of the Viking age of Norse history. After his older brother, King Olaf of Norway, is killed in battle, the young Harald embarks on a wild life’s journey that takes him opposite corners of Europe, until his death in 1066.

Hollway uses a combination of historical sources and dramatized dialogue and exposition to weave together this history of Harald Hardrada’s life. His open discussion of his sources (or lack thereof, at times) and their veracity lends credibility to his understanding of Harald’s life. We have to take the information we have about a person who appears larger than life. Hollway then builds a narrative and life journey fit for a figure who appeared to be legendary in his own time.

To open the book, Hollway cleverly sets the scene for the battle of Stamford Bridge in England, 1066, where King Harald Hardrada of Norway met King Harold the Saxon, of Wessex.

Before the battle begins, Hollway winds the clock back to Harald’s youth. Following the death of his brother, the book follows Harald as he makes his way down the Volga and ultimately to Constantinople, becomes embroiled in the imperial court, and escapes as the reign of Constantine II collapses.

Harald then returns to his homeland and attempts to conquer parts of Sweden and Denmark from his seat in Norway, before finally embarking on his expedition to conquer England. This framing leads to a surprisingly climactic end for Harald, in which Hollway deservedly places him among the most influential figures of his time.

The Last Viking is an excellent read for anyone interested in the early medieval period of Northern Europe or the Byzantine period. For me personally, this book tugged at multiple threads in the history of side of my brain, and only reinforces my growing obsession with the early-Medieval period in Britain, and now Scandanavia.

Steve D

Book Review: THE BRIGHT SWORD

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, ReviewsLeave a comment

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman is a deeply intimate retelling of the Arthurian legend, of the rise and fall of dynasties, and of the meaning and power one person can hold over kingdoms, countries, and his dearest friends and relatives.

I picked up this book on Audible without any prior knowledge of it, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Grossman pulls all of the legends of the Arthurian tales – Bedivere, Gawain, Gallahad, Lancelot, Morgan, Morgase, Guinevere, and many others – and brings them into a grounded story of the final days of Arthur’s reign.

Without giving away any spoilers, Grossman does a great job of blending the main plot with flashback chapters to explain how each of the main characters got to where they are in the story. This structure served to drive the narrative forward while helping contextualize and humanize the larger-than-life figures one expects to meet in a tale of Arthur.

The story’s use of both fae and Christian mythology was fascinating and only added to the world-building. This is a true high fantasy tale, and the author (as he admits in his note) takes some liberties with historical accuracy.

This is all fairly smooth in the actual reading; the overarching plot and abundant appearance of magic mean there are no illusions about this attempting to be historical fiction.

Would definitely read again, as well as Grossman’s other novels.

Steve D