Connecting the Dots in Life🧩🎯🧬

Published: Tue, 07/23/24

Updated: Wed, 07/24/24

2 dots are random, 3 dots make a pattern.Connect the dots.

Ioannis Malikoutsakis

What's good, Gentle Reader?
Have you ever looked back on a life path you embarked on that annoys and upsets you to this day because you thought it was a colossal waste of time? People you interacted with, places you went, and jobs you had at the time felt wrong, but you still went ahead with them.
Bad choices?
Actually, I think we were onto something; we just didn't realise it at the time.

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Everything Makes Sense when You Connect the Dots.

The Myth of the Straight Path

If anyone tries to sell you on the idea of a straight path to success, they're either lying, or they have a very selective memory. Life ain't a highway; it's more like a tall tree in the jungle, and you have to traverse the landscape without walking on the jungle floor. You climb, you swing, sometimes you fall, but you keep moving.

Take it from me. Before I became the wordsmith you know and love (I hope), I failed English, worked in a canteen washing dishes, dropped out of college studying Physics, and even sold Life Insurance. They're all part of the story that made me who I am today.

🌠 Enter the Character Creation Challenge! 🌠

Every unforgettable story starts with compelling characters. This month, we’re inviting you to breathe life into a new character fit for a speculative fiction universe. Whether your creation belongs in the corridors of a spacecraft, the depths of an enchanted forest, or the bustling streets of a dystopian city, we want to see what you can imagine!

Challenge Details: Create a character based on the theme of "Survival in a Strange World". Your character should possess traits that make survival possible in unusual or harsh environments. Think about abilities, skills, personality traits, and physical characteristics that would help your character thrive.

How to Participate:Character Description: Submit a detailed description of your character (300 words max). Include their name, age, appearance, abilities, background, and how they cope with the challenges of their world.
Character Art (optional): If you’re artistically inclined, feel free to include an original drawing or digital artwork of your character.

Judging Criteria:

Originality: How unique is your character?
Relevance to Theme: How well does your character fit the survival theme?
Detail: How vividly and thoroughly have you described your character?
Creativity in Abilities: How interesting and fitting are the character’s abilities?

Prizes:

🥇 First Place: A feature in our next newsletter, a $25 bookstore gift card, and a chance to write a guest post or interview about how you came up with a character in the Character Creation Challenge.

🥈 Second Place: Your First Line Hook featured in my newsletter and a $15 Amazon gift card.

🥉 Third Place: Your First Line Hook in one of my Facebook posts and a $10 Amazon gift card

Submission Deadline

Get ready to Create a Character that will thrill and excite readers. DM me on Instagram at @AntonMarks_Author. Be sure to get your submissions in by 31th July 2024.

Embrace the Detours

Now, I know some of you are sitting there thinking, "But Anton, I'm 35 (45, 55 or 65 - or however old you are), and I still don't know what I want to do with my life!" First off, breathe. Second, let me introduce you to a little concept I call "productive wandering."

See, every detour, every "mistake," every job that didn't quite fit – they all give you something. Skills, perspectives, stories. In my books, I often write about characters who save the day not because of some extraordinary power but because of some random experience they had that suddenly becomes relevant. That's how real life works, too.

Yasmeen - Curator at the British Museum

In the Days of Dread - Futuristic Thriller.

The Power of Curiosity

Here's your assignment for this week: Get curious. About everything. That weird-looking fruit at the grocery store? Try it. That free online course about ancient Egyptian architecture? Sign up. That coworker who always eats lunch alone? Strike up a conversation.

Curiosity is the compass that will guide you when you feel lost. It'll open doors you didn't even know existed. And trust me, as a speculative fiction writer, I can tell you – the most interesting stories come from the most unexpected places.

Redefine Success

Now, let's talk about success for a minute. Society's got us thinking success is only about the corner office, the fancy car, the big house. But let me tell you – success is those things and much, much more.

Maybe for you, that's starting a community garden. Perhaps it's finally learning to play that dusty guitar in your closet. Or it's writing that novel you've been dreaming about.

The point is your path is yours. Refrain from letting anyone else define what success looks like for you. Remember, you're winning if you feel content when you lay your head down at night.

Connect the Dots... Backwards

I love this quote from Steve Jobs: "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." Ain't that the truth?

When I look back at my life, all those random jobs and experiences? They weren't so random after all. The early starts as Kitchen staff? Helps me meet my writing deadlines. That physics knowledge? Pops up in my world-building all the time. Even selling Life Insurance taught me how to engage with the book buying public.

Keep Making New Dots

So let's get real—you might not know where you're going, and that's okay. Your job right now isn't to have it all figured out. Your job is to keep making new connections, trying new things, meeting new people, and learning new skills.

One day, you'll look back and see how it all connected. And let me tell you, that moment? It's sweeter than any sci-fi plot twist I could ever write.

Remember, family – life's a journey, not a destination. So stop worrying about finding your way and start enjoying the exploration. Who knows? Your next adventure might be right around the corner.

Until next time, keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground.

Peace, love and power.

Your boy, Anton Marks

Be Your Own Hero.