Journal - War Zone
As I start to dive deeper into the principles of writing and learning how to apply them in some fashion is a start. An interesting thing is that the book that I started after the other one I finished seems to be taking longer to get back to and move forward. I know what you’re thinking, you’ve written a book and on your second one, the answer is yes. I haven’t spoken about them as it is something that I felt would keep the stoke high when it comes to getting the work done, but that hasn’t been the case.
When I reflect, the first book took almost four and half years to complete, that is after five rewrites taking it from an idea to a few hundred words, then to a few thousand words, and finally, it no longer became about the word count. It turned into telling a story of a time in my life and when sharing it today, it retaught me a lot of lessons, ones that fuel me to keep breathing today; and still does this very moment. They turned into principles that I and my brothers used in war zones.
Book one is a non-fiction of short stories from my time down range in Afghanistan with the men who molded me into the Recon Man I am today. A lethal individual who possesses skills and crafts that no other man has to earn except for the Recon Man. A principle that is instilled into each one who has earned the right to have the Recon jack burned into their hearts, “is to always be a silent professional.” Understanding this principle took me many years of trial and error, along with embracing the person I’ve been built into, by sharing my craftsman’s and skillset when the opportunity presents itself, made me a silent professional.
Another principle connected deeply to me is based on how we carried and presented ourselves to others around us, “professionals always get the missions.” Now, this meant, that we walked and talked as a professional, and we conducted every small to larger detail in a professional manner. This could be as simple as a clean haircut and shave, meeting and going beyond the regulation in and out of uniform to point out a few, or leaving a place better than when you got it and leaving no trace. This principle meant to lead by example for others to emulate, and this then created a level of standards that each of us strived for; making us all better, as warfighters.
Almost a decade later being inactive in the gun club and operating as a Recon Man with a team. Today, as the Recon Man I am, the mission is very different, living as a family man. The environment I patrol in today gives dimension to who I am as a human being. This is why this next book I am writing is sending me down the path to learning a new craft and skill set, to learn the true aspect of the art of storytelling. No different than learning the true art of warfighting, where you learned to respect the principles and by doing so, the universe protects you in another realm of life.
Fiction brings no rules and boundaries, much like the war I experienced. Who knows, maybe the newbie in me poses a lot of ignorance and innocence to the world of true storytelling, but that same ignorance and innocence to war seem to be a skillset that helps me to not be boxed in and think linearly. It let me think and act in an undulating and critical manner using principles that allowed me to respect the landscape and variables of warfighting.
Am I tying storytelling to war? It seems like that, and to be very truthful, yes! The world is full of harsh realities, and you only know this by placing yourself in those situations. Storytelling no matter if it is non-fiction or fiction, brings principles and patterns that we see in everyday living, bringing us to realities that someone will never be in physically, but are perfectly ok with placing themselves there mentally, and this is why the art of story-telling matters because of the emotional connection of another reality than a person’s own as they open a novel, sit and watch a film or documentary.
Learning to story tell is exciting and dangerous, it allows the writer to enter a world where in physical reality he would be sent to the loony bin for the way he speaks and thinks, but what storytelling does no matter the medium, provides an environment to think, feel, and act in such manner. This feeling brings me back to that exact feeling when I would step out of friendly lines in a ranger file, five to six paces to the teammate in front and behind me, knowing that I was required to think, feel, and act a specific way to stay alive, giving each of us the best chance to return home safely. Sometimes, when you do, not all your limbs are intact, but what is worst comes the inability to switch the psychosis off, and through storytelling, you find the switch and a positive way to channel such insanity.
Creating art with no rules or limitations, but by principles is a lesson that is being ingrained into me, giving me the space to create for those who have gone before me in the world of story-telling, again no different than when I fought a war following in the footsteps of the titans who laid the groundwork and foundation through blood, sweat, tears, hardship, and discipline.
