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Revision & release for 2011 & 2012: Good, bad & get ready

Anthony StClair — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:42 +0000

2012 Theme: Revision & Release

Inspired by Chris Guillebeau’s annual review and the 2011: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE AWESOME review from {r}evolution apparel, I realized I should step up and do one too.

Sometimes a few months can feel like its very own year. The last half of 2011 certainly felt that way for me. And now, with 2012 underway, January alternates between flying fast, and ticking long and slow. Still, 2011 was packed with good and bad, and I know 2012 will be too. Here’s what I’m also working to be ready for…

2011

The good

I quit my job and set up shop as an independent writer and editor. Hooray!
Became co-chair of Mid-Valley Willamette Writers.
Blogged about once per week, and re-organized my website to work in more information about my copywriting, social media and online marketing services.
Drafted my novel and set up my own publishing company for travel fantasy books and urban fantasy stories.
Met awesome colleagues at the 2011 Willamette Writers Conference.
During November, wrote both a 50,000-word novel for NaNoWriMo, and blogged daily for the BootsnAll 30 Days of Indie Travel project.
Had a baby. Oh, yeah.

The bad

Part of being an expectant dad is you can’t get individual health insurance. Turns out your unborn child is too much of a risk. We had to take on the extra cost of being in our state’s high-risk insurance pool in order for me to have health insurance coverage while my wife was pregnant. Welcome to the USA.
I often still feel too closed-up when blogging and sharing ideas, projects and plans with my readers. My default has too often been to clam up, instead of singing out. That will most likely always be a work in progress, but I’m trying, dang it, I’m trying.
Stumbled a lot on various things for my business. There are contacts I’m making now, that I probably could’ve made months ago. There are things I probably could’ve put in place ages ago, but didn’t. At least they’re in play and underway now.
Realized that I really, really suck at writing short stories. My structure and understanding of the “why” of the story need a lot of work.

2012

The get ready

Saw the other night that Antsaint ranked tops in Google for “craft beer writing” and “craft beer writer”. Wow. (‘Course, this stuff changes all the time. But still.)
Writing a freebie story for Rucksack Press and getting the word out for travel fantasy stories coming 2012.
Talking with more people for copywriting, email marketing and social media projects. There’s nothing like working with awesome people, and I’m glad to be working with more of them.
Looking hard at a Kickstarter campaign to fund costs on my first books. Working hard to earn the trust and interest to make that happen with my readers.
Publish 2 books. Now that I’ve had some time to get distance from my novel and short story collection, it’s time to come back to both projects. My theme for 2012 will be “a year of revision and release”. I plan to get at least 2 books to market this year: my novel, and a short-story collection.
Be a bad-ass dad. As I type this, my wee son is strapped to my chest in a Moby Wrap. The whole baby-wearing thing? I dig.

Excited to find out

It’s going to be an interesting year. There is so much happening, and I have no idea what all is going to happen. But as Steve Jobs once said, “I’m really excited to find out.”

Happy holidays!

Anthony StClair — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:58:30 +0000

All the best to you and yours over the holidays. Thanks for a fun 2011, packed full of life changes, camaraderie, old friendships grown and new friendships made.

Here’s to 2012, full of new challenges to tackle, projects to complete and life to live! Slainte!

Oregon, or, Home – Day 30 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – 2012 Ticket

Anthony StClair — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:31:29 +0000

Day 30 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #30: 2012 TICKET

“Where are you going in 2012? Why is that place great for indie travelers?”

Note: not my tattoo. But not a bad idea, either...

Oregon, or, Home

My imagination is in the middle of many a worldwide adventure, but for 2012, my wife and I don’t know where all we’ll be physically going. Sometime in December we’re having our first child. I could wax metaphorical about traveling into the unknown realm of parenthood, but that just reeks of schmaltz. Realistically, for 2012 we’ll first focus our next travels around more of our home state, Oregon. And for indie travelers, that’s an awesome thing:

Oregon's Painted Hills

Psst! I don’t usually talk about this, but the climate isn’t all rain, clouds and temperate rainforest. The summers are dry and beautiful, and the eastern part of the state is all high desert.
Despite being the 9th largest state in the U.S., Oregon’s lower population density means lots and lots of open land.

Haystack rocks off Cannon Beach, Oregon

300+ miles of public-access coastline, gorgeous waves, and unique rock formations.

Foamy pints of beery goodness.

Beer. Oh heavens, the beer. If this state was any beerier, the rain would smell of hops. (If you’re coming through Eugene, let me know; Oakshire and Ninkasi are two of our beer havens.)

Downtown Portland's waterfront

Portland. More than just the hipsters of the comedy show Portlandia, Portland is one of the most fun cities in the country. Food carts all over town provide amazing nosh, there’s more beer and breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S., and urban and outdoorsy recreation abound.
I could go on and on and on and on…

For us, the top reason is that Oregon is our home, and there’s so much of it we still haven’t seen. I’ve yet to see eastern Oregon, and we can always do with more time on the Oregon coast or in the Cascade Mountains.

And with a new wee person to introduce to this world, we’re seeing that as an excellent reason to trek out to see more of our home state. As our kiddo gets older, then it’s just a matter of time to put on that first rucksack, pose for passport photos, and head somewhere beyond home.

Thanks to BootsnAll and the awesome #indie30 bloggers for a fun and inspiring month of indie travel!

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

Every day in November, the BootsnAll Travel Network is inviting bloggers from around the world to a daily blogging effort designed to reflect on how our travel experiences over the last year (or whenever) have shaped us and our view of the world. Bloggers can follow the prompts as strictly or loosely as we like, interpreting them in various ways and responding via text, photos or video posted on our own blogs. More information: Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel Project »

Thrive – Day 29 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – One Word

Anthony StClair — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:45:40 +0000

Day 29 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #29: ONE WORD

“What does travel mean to you in one word?”

Thrive

“Grow or develop well or vigorously; prosper; flourish.”

“To travel” is so many things, and that brings us to today’s word: Thrive. Not that it’s the only word. But out of a long list considered, it’s the word that sums up all the others, and they all add up to that one word.

I’ve been fortunate to see a decent slice of the world. Over the years, every trip, every memory has been more and more amazing to me. My travels have made me more alive, from the excitement of seeing new countries and learning new cultures, to getting a taste of what life is like for other people in other parts of the world.

Whether alone or together, travel has connected me more to this world, to myself and to other people.

No matter how different a place is or its people are, we don’t have to be the same to nonetheless be familiar. We try to get through today better than we got through yesterday. We want a better world for those here now, and for those who come after us. As long as we live, we can learn, we can love, we can grow. We can discover, and we can understand that to discover, is really to get to know something for the first time, and realize that part of you already knew it.

When I look at these words, I think back on all my trips and all the ways travel has touched and shaped my life. Travel’s effect on me is far more than the sum of these parts. In life and in travel I try to bring a vim and vigor, an excitement and a clear mind. My fascination with each day, whether home or abroad, traveling or working, is because of what I’ve learned over my time on the road.

Travel teaches us that living is a baseline. Real life, life worth living, needs a bit of gusto. To travel, to live, to learn, is to grow well and vigorously, to prosper, to flourish. It is to seek out the passion and love in each day. It is to thrive.

And that’s the word.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

The knife, the notebook and the money belt – Day 28 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Gear

Anthony StClair — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:33:37 +0000

Day 28 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #28: GEAR

“The right gear can make or break your trip. What is your favorite/must-have gear item?”

The knife, the notebook and the money belt

Three items make their way into just about every trip: my Swiss Army knife, my Moleskine notebook, and my money belt.

The knife

My Swiss Army Knife - also has scissors, not shown

This is not just any ol’ knife. Purchased when I was 12, with my own savings, my Swiss Army Knife was my very first knife. It’s gone with me on every trip (unless of course I’m flying carry-on-only, then it stays home and out of the hands of airport security).

My Swiss Army Knife has opened countless bottles, sliced up grub for many meals, and has made my traveling life easier in so many ways.

The only thing I would’ve changed? If I’d known, all those years ago, the direction my life would take, I would’ve gotten the model with the corkscrew instead of the Phillips screwdriver. And maybe a saw, because saws are cool.

The notebook

If you ever want to see me have a fit, steal my Moleskine notebook. I imagine my reaction will be similar to how I’ll react if ever I don’t know where my child is.

Since 1995, a notebook has been on my person. My need for notebooks has even influenced my sense of fashion, leading me to a need for cargo pants and jackets with lots of pockets.

My Moleskine holds receipts, keeps track of travel budget, records contact info for new friends, and retains my memories of a trip. It’s part of me, and as much part of my traveling kit as my rucksack. It’s like an auxiliary brain.

The money belt

Back in, oh, I’ll figure 2001, Rick Steves (of Europe Through the Back Door fame) gave a talk in Eugene, Oregon. Some people dig on Rick, but I think the man’s brilliant. He’s passionate about travel and helping people understand that travel is not beyond them. He’s built an amazing, well, empire of travel books, shows and tours.

And he’s an advocate of the good ol’-fashioned money belt. I bought my money belt at that long-ago talk, and to this day it goes with me. In it go the crown jewels of travel, as taught to me by the Traveler of travelers, Nick O’Neill:

Passport
Plane/train/bus tickets
Emergency cash

As long as I’ve got my wee, cotton/nylon money belt, I can weather damn near anything travel throws at me.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

Touching New Zealand – Day 27 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Wanderlust

Anthony StClair — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:58:54 +0000

Day 27 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #27: WANDERLUST

“Share a photo or video that just makes you want to GO. RIGHT. NOW.”

Touching New Zealand

In downtown Victoria, B.C., the humongous globe seems like it wouldn’t move for mere mortals, yet you can spin it with your fingers.

BootnAll’s President, Sean Keener, once asked me what my “BHAGs” were—my “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals”. One of my and Jodie’s goals is to live at least a year in New Zealand. Now, as Jodie and I honeymooned in Victoria, I could reach out and touch a country. I spun this huge globe, and there it was: New Zealand, right under my fingertips.

If memory serves, I looked at Jodie and said, “This makes me want to go there. Right now.”

One day. We, as a family, kiddos and all, are going to New Zealand. We will travel there and live there. It’s going to be amazing, and every time I look at this photo, a shiver runs through me.

Let’s go. Right now.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

Kayaking Canada’s Saturna Island – Day 26 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Photo

Anthony StClair — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:34:48 +0000

Day 26 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

http://flic.kr/p/aB3Lr2

Prompt #26: PHOTO

“Post a photo of your favorite place and tell us what you love about it.”

Kayaking Canada’s Saturna Island

During our honeymoon in British Columbia, Canada, Jodie and I rented a kayak. For a few glorious July hours, we paddled around the southwestern corner of Saturna Island, part of the Southern Gulf Islands near the Canada-U.S. border.

Being on water is a favorite activity of ours. We never kayak as much as we want, but we do what we can. On this day, we packed a picnic lunch and made our way past pitted stone rock faces, beneath a somewhat cloudy, then blue sky with a slight breeze. Perfect paddling weather.

An otter surfaced near us, dived back down, and came up again—then jumped, as if to say, “What the hell are you still doing here?” Then it was gone, swimming away to our laughter.

Saturna’s public beach made a good stop for lunch. Snacking on bread, cheese and apples, we looked out over the waters between the islands, taking in the green of the trees, the golden sunlight on the water, the birds swooping overhead. Had we been on the island at a different time, we could’ve walked up the road a couple of kilometers to Saturna Island’s winery, but that will have to wait for another trip.

And on that next trip, there will be lots more kayaking.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

Expect to be disappointed – Day 25 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Family

Anthony StClair — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:46:22 +0000

Day 25 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #25: FAMILY

“Family shapes who we are, but sometimes the family we create plays a bigger role in our lives than the one we were born into. Tell a story about how either of your “families” have impacted your life and your travels.”

Expect to be disappointed

“Maybe that’ll work out, but sometimes things don’t always work out the way you think,” she said. “Sometimes in life you just have to expect to be disappointed.”

I was 21, and had just graduated college. Spending one last summer in my native Virginia, I was planning to move to Oregon after taking some time to travel the UK on a work visa.

And a dear relative had just told me it might not work out at all.

Was her goal a resigned compassion? Then I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much, and instead be better prepared to deal with the sometimes disappointments of this world. Or was it a keenly strategic comment? She knew my stubborn, driven personality well: a sure way to make sure I did what I set out to do, was to tell me that I wouldn’t.

To this day, I don’t know what motivated her to say that.

All I know is I did indeed use that comment to springboard me. No, it might not work out exactly as I thought—but it would work out. I would live in Scotland. I’d see what happened from there. And I would—I bloody well shagging would—move to Oregon and make my way in life there.

Many years and passport stamps later, I feel very lucky that my family and I understand each other better, and they respect my travels and decision to live across the country. It’s not always easy, and we miss each other, especially around the holidays. But they know how happy I am, to live here, to occasionally set out for a different part of the world.

And I know how happy I am too. From my family of blood and marriage, to my various families of friendship and informal “adoption”, I’ve learned that things indeed don’t always work out the way I might have originally wanted and envisioned.

More importantly, I’ve learned how wonderful that can be. I don’t need life, travel or anything to work out as I originally wanted, because I cannot possibly see the whole of what might happen. Things rarely go as thought or planned. Whatever motivation drove that long-ago comment, I can’t say I’ve been disappointed. I’ve just tried to live well, not expect too much, roll with what comes—and if anything, life and travel have been all the better.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

A world bigger than I can understand – Day 24 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Giving Thanks

Anthony StClair — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:04:32 +0000

Day 24 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Prompt #24: GIVING THANKS

“Seeing what others have – and don’t have – around the world often helps us appreciate our own good fortune. What are you thankful for this year?”

A world bigger than I can understand

This year I am more thankful than ever to understand that the world is bigger than me, my life and my country.

It’s not always easy. From growing business and completing projects, to getting ready to welcome our first child to the world, I try really, really hard to remember a simple yet sometimes elusive truth:

The world and its possibilities are bigger than what we can know and imagine. One person’s experience is not the sum of all possibility.

Jodie and I try hard to remember that just because something has happened a certain way for us, doesn’t mean it’s the only thing that could happen for someone else. And it’s hard, sometimes, to hold our tongues when people talk to us—especially about the baby—with a near-holy certainty of what our child and our lives will be like.

But they don’t know. We don’t know. No one knows what will happen with anything, until that time and circumstance is here.

This world is so big and varied, full of so many people and countries and possibilities. The same circumstances can produce opposite decisions; what one person chooses, another would not.

This year I’m thankful that I focus on knowing there’s so much I can’t know. That there’s only but so much imagining, pondering and thinking I can do, until action gives new knowledge; that others’ advice has its place, but ultimately, my life, Jodie’s life and our child’s life is up to what time, circumstance and choice make of us.

It makes life less certain sometimes, but it also makes it a lot more fun. We live in such a big, wide, varied world, bigger than I can ever understand. But at least by knowing I don’t understand, I try to stay open to learning something more, something new, than what I knew before.

I gladly offer thanks for that.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »

What is the 30 days of indie travel?

Those wonderful invisible tubes – Day 23 of 30 Days of Indie Travel – Technology

Anthony StClair — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:16:28 +0000

“The Internet…. It’s a series of tubes.” — Ted Stevens, U.S. Senator

Day 23 of 30 Days of Indie Travel Project, from BootsnAll

Note to the late Sen. Stevens, may goddess blog your soul: not how the Internet actually works.

Prompt #23: TECHNOLOGY

“Where would today’s travelers be without smartphones, GPS, iPods, iPads, or even the internet? Share one item of tech you can’t live without or tell us how technology has changed the way you travel.”

Those wonderful invisible tubes

Oh Internet, I’d wrap up all your tubes and pack you in my rucksack, if I could. Thank goodness I don’t need to.

I got my first email account as a college freshman—before many businesses had one. Within a couple of years, I was using the Internet for research, travel planning, banking, you name it. Hell, while my college didn’t have in-room Internet access, I got my room hooked up by baksheeshing a friend who did work study in our IT department.

Yessiree, I tell you, them ol’ tubes n’ me go way way back. Yee-haw.

Traveling without the Internet? It’s easier to imagine, I dunno, using a rotary-dial phone. Or faxing something. From checking email at Internet cafes in Lhasa, Tibet, to booking a plane ticket to the U.S. Pacific Northwest from my bedroom in Edinburgh, Scotland, I’ve lost track of the number of ways online technology has simplified and enhanced my travels:

Digital photos and photo sharing. Flickr makes it so much easier to share photos online. And not having to carry film? My lighter pack and I love it.
Email. Oh my, oh my. From emailing a contact to reaching out to someone whose name I got from a friend or colleague, it’s been amazing to see how email can make it easier to smooth out travel arrangements. BTW, my email is anthony at antsaint dot com.
Social media. I loves me some Twitter (@antsaint). When planning trips, I’ll usually suss out hashtags for our destination, and surf the tweet river for interesting tidbits and recommendations. And via Facebook, it’s easy to keep abreast of many of the people we’ve befriended on our travels.
Laptop. Sometimes, Jodie and I take a laptop. Whether for writing, in-room research, or pulling photos off the digital camera, our lightweight MacBook earns its keep.
Mobile devices. Neither of us packs a smartphone at this point, but Jodie’s iPod Touch has proven its worth many times over. Figuring out a bus route? Check. Finding our way so her husband’s lack of direction doesn’t have us winding up in Alberta when we’re trying to get to Vancouver Island? Check.

Oh Internet, I adore thee. All those tubes have helped life in so many ways. With technology advancing even faster, and finally achieving true mobile, personal scale now, it’s going to be fascinating to see how our kids use technology—what they teach us, what they can’t imagine not having.

See all of Anthony St. Clair’s travel blog posts for 30 Days of Indie Travel »

See all 30 Days of Indie Travel blog posts »

More like this: Urban Fantasy and Travel Stories from Rucksack Press »