Life as a Writer

My life as a writer consists of many things. There's the writing, of course. But the biggest part of my writing career actually revolves around finding inspiration and marketing my work. (For me, the two kind of go hand-in-hand.)
   Remember, I am also an active duty Soldier. It is hard for me to establish a daily writing routine since no two days in the military are the same. The mission always comes first, so there are times when I must go weeks, sometimes months, without writing. But during the times when I am not writing or marketing my work, I am watching and listening for things to get my creative juices flowing. Many of the things that I write about were inspired by life events, and many of my characters are based off of real people in my life. Writing is a job that never ends. Even when I am not writing, I am thinking about things to write about.
   When possible, my favorite times to write are either very early in the morning (before PT) or late at night. However, I have found myself jotting things down during staff meetings, in the middle of movies and during wakeful spurts in the middle of the night. Inspiration knows no schedule. It is a living, breathing entity of its own.
   In closing, I would like to say that life as a writer is a lot of hard work. People who are not writers will never know the amount of work and dedication that goes into writing. And being a writer is not for everybody. There are plenty of people out there who are very good at writing, however they choose not to be writers for the simple fact that the lifestyle is very demanding. In the competitive world today, writers must concentrate just as much attention on marketing themselves as they do promoting their work. This, among many other things, includes constant communication with fans, and that can demand many hours of work which can be both rewarding and fun!

   Thanks for reading,
   Casey Sean Harmon
   www.caseyseanharmon.com

What Right Looks Like

Just found out that I will be one of the stars in an Army "What Right Looks Like" commercial. The project is headed by LTG Hertling. We will begin shooting the commercial tomorrow. Look for the commercial on your local AFN channel!

Liam Phillip Harmon

Dear son,

I know that one day you will grow curious and look back at some of your father's old blog posts just to see if he wrote anything about you while you were still in your mother's womb. Well, this post is for you, my son. You may be seven years old when you read this, you may be thirty-seven, but what I have to say will never change. Today, as I sit here typing this, your mother is almost 30 weeks pregnant with you. That means that you will be born sometime within the next two months. Your mother and I both have never been so excited about anything! I just want to say that you are a blessing to us. I know that there will be times when you are older when you and I will have our disagreements. We may not always see eye-to-eye about things; this is normal. But just remember that, through it all, I love you. And if ever I slip and fall and I do something to hurt your feelings, I ask that you please forgive me, just as I will forgive you. I understand that life can be tough, and I speak from experience when I say that growing up and finding yourself is one of the hardest things a person will ever go through. But remember that I will always be there for you. Even when my job places a thousand miles between us, you and the rest of my family will always be in my heart. No matter what. I am, and forever will be, proud to be your father. So as you read this, wherever you find yourself in life, never forget these words: I love you, son.

Love, Your dad

Young Writers

It warms my heart to see young people writing. This may sound strange coming from a 24 year old. (Many would argue that I, myself, am young; the truth is that I feel much older than what I really am!) There are so many distractions out there, so many things that a young person could be doing instead of writing. According to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive, "The average child age 8 to 12 plays 13 hours of video games per week, while teens ages 13 to 18 play 14 hours of video games per week." That's two hours a day! And according to Huston and Wright, University of Kansas, "Children spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleep." It is estimated that the average kid spends 4 hours a day watching television. If you combine the hours spend playing computer games with the hours spent watching t.v., you're looking at 6 hours a day! On top of school, meals, homework, chores (for some of us) and all the other things that MUST happen in a day, that leaves zero time left over for anything else. What happened to playing in the woods, building tree houses and having pinecone battles? These are things that inspire creativity and improve social skills and physical health, and yet it is rare nowadays to find a young person doing these things! All I'm saying is that I know how hard it is to stay focused on the important things. Believe me, there are times when I would rather spend all of my free time watching television or playing Super Mario Bros. (Yep, it's my favorite.) But I have to remind myself that I have a mission, and that mission is to write X amount of words a day. So I just want to say that I tilt my hat to you young people out there who, in spite of the distractions, find the time and the motivation to write.

References:

http://www.diyfather.com/content/interesting-statistics-about-video-games

http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/facts/mediafacts.asp

CA Selection Course (Update)

I made it! I just passed the rigorous 10-day Civil Affairs selection course! I am not allowed to give out any details, so please don't ask. I will say that the course is no joke. If you are planning on going anytime soon, I recommend that you start preparing NOW. Talk to the CA recruiters if you have any questions on what to expect. So, what's the next step for me? I am waiting to receive a report date to begin the Q-course. I should know something by next week (hopefully!). My wife is due to have our first baby around November, so the plan is to PCS back to the States before then so that she can have the baby in America. (Pray that I will be able to be there with her when the baby is born.) Speaking of baby, my wife and I will be going to the doctor in about three weeks to find out what we are having!!!

Writing Humor

Writing, the loneliest business in the world

I’m not trying to deter anyone from writing. In fact, I hope that this will help you to overcome what I think is one of the reasons why there aren’t MORE writers out there. Hey, in case you haven’t heard, WRITING IS A LONELY BUSINESS! It may very well be the LONELIEST business out there! Just remember that the next time you sit down to write. If you are overcome with the sudden realization that you spend a majority of your free time in seclusion either writing or thinking about what to write, that you are indeed ALONE through the entire book-writing process, don’t feel like you are the only person who goes through this. When you spend months (years!) pouring your heart and soul out into a book, and you suddenly realize that you spent more time alone than most people spend playing sports, going to clubs or hanging out at the mall, don’t feel like you are the only person who goes through this. Welcome to the writing world! Join the club! The key to success is self-motivation. In order to be an accomplished writer, you MUST have the ability to push yourself, even when at times it feels like no one is interested in the things that you write about, or when it feels like you spend more time alone than anyone else in existance. I hope this will help some of you to overcome the feeling of loneliness. Because, in reality, YOU’RE NOT ALONE!

What it's like to be an Author in the military

People often ask me what it's like to be an author in the military. I simply reply: "It's not easy, but writing is my passion. It's something that I have to do." When I initially joined the Army back in 2007, I joined with the hopes of becoming a journalist. Murphy would have other plans! It turns out that, at the time, the Army was over strength on journalists. I would have to choose another job. This is why today I am not a writer for the military. (I eventually lost interest, anyway.) These days, I continue to write books and stories, while at the same time serving the military. I always find time to write. Depending on which assignment I am on, that could be late hours during the night or just on the weekends. I prefer to write using my computer, but often I find myself in situations (like in the field, or on a deployment) where I must write the old-fashioned way, using a pen and a notebook. (We’re spoiled these days, aren’t we?) Right now, I’m blessed to be stationed somewhere that has Internet (Germany), or else I would not be writing this blog! My strategy is simple: I believe that, if you are passionate about doing something, you can always find time to make it happen. It may be at zero-dark-thirty in the morning, or during those five minute breaks between staff meetings. There really is no excuse to not make time for the things that you are passionate about. The hardest part about being a writer in the Army is switching between Soldier mode and Author mode. (You thought I was going to say having to explain to the 1SG that I REALLY AM a published Author, and that I REALLY DO have a book signing at the Barnes & Noble at 1800, didn’t you?) For you writers out there, you know how complicated it is to switch from writer mode to “oh, crud, I have to go to work” mode. Well, imagine having to switch modes when your “work” is troop leading and warrior tasks and drills. IT’S NOT EASY! Especially for a children’s book writer! But the hardest part of all is going from “I am an American Soldier, I am a warrior and a member of a team” to talking to children about griffins and magical worlds during a “meet the Author” event! (Don’t get me wrong; I very much enjoy speaking to children. But you understand where I’m coming from…) I suppose the transition would be just as complicated for a fireman, or a police officer. (I really feel for the D.A.R.E. guy!) Like I said, I really enjoy public speaking. For some, it is the hardest thing to overcome. But for me, public speaking has always come easy. So what about my relationships with other Soldiers and leaders? That’s easy. I write on my own time. My writing career and my Army career are two completely separate things. To the Army, I am SGT Casey Harmon. I am a non-commissioned officer, a leader of Soldiers. To the civilian world, I am known as Casey Sean Harmon, Author. (Unless you’re my wife, in which case I’m known as “honey”, or my mother, who calls me “Case”, or some of my friends, who call me “Sean”, or…) So there you have it. A little taste of what being a writer in the military is like. So what can YOU take from this? Just remember that if you are passionate about doing something, you can always find a way to make it happen. There is no excuse not to pursue your dreams! (If you are a military veteran who also writes, check out the Military Writers Society of America.)