It has been an exhilarating summer. A sleepless one as well, especially over the last month, as my wife and I have swung from one all-nighter to another taking care of our lovely little baby daughter.
On a positive note, the experience has bestowed upon me the gift of patience. I put it to good use, facing a hectic schedule when I had to complete my doctoral defense (which was a success) while balancing my freelance gigs, and a healthy dose of job applications.
Opportunities have come accompanied with many customary rejections but I continue to hold my head high. It wouldn’t be any fun if it weren’t a challenge to get to my goals. On that note, science writing keeps on rolling as I churn out one script after another for WatchMojo Unveiled and PBS Spacetime so keep a lookout for The Procrastinating Scientist who will be visiting very soon.
Since completing my doctoral studies, my days have revolved around diaper session and playtime. Interestingly, spending time with my baby daughter has been a wholesome source of inspiration. Just as she has begun to settle into a sleep schedule, I have found an equal opportunity in making the jump to finish my graphic novel script.
It has been nearly six months since I touched the drafts. The extended break, I hope, will serve me well in providing new perspective as I compile the final version of the script. Supplementing this project is the fact that I have also registered for the Story Artist Mentorship program which promises to be one heck of a ride.
Last year’s Lightbox Expo was instrumental in helping me find inspiration toward a career in art and illustration. We are off to good start so far with my baby girl giving me the high-five on committing to a hellish schedule of writing and art work. Either way, she intends to act upon a 24/7 availability for my wife and myself, so why not use that time to get some work done as well.
Now that we are all caught up, I must now leave, as my little one seems to be chewing on something a lot more suspicious than the teether I left her with, while Mommy is taking a nap. I will be back very soon with a new post!
Hi everyone, it has been a while (there is a bigger story to this, which I will get to in my next post)!
Back in February, I published a post Getting Started in Science Writing where I discussed my efforts toward a career as a science writer. Since then, I have made decent progress, and had the gracious luck of finding a few opportunities to flex my science writing skills.
Today marked my first, very teeny-tiny step towards my goals as a science writer with my ComSciCon-CanWest submission being posted on their blog. The subject matter covers my own doctoral research: Mimicking photosynthesis in nature using metal nanoparticles.
The article is written in a manner that everyone can read it, regardless of their academic background. Hope you all get a chance to swing by and check in on the post and find out what I’ve been slogging on over the last four years of my life!
After a long and meaningful break, I will be back very soon this weekend. We have so much to catch up on!
Firstly, this post doesn’t pertain to any discussion On the Nature of Knowledge. I’m still piecing together my ideas for that post, and will post it later this week. I’m here today to simply talk about the fun I had this weekend revisiting old memories! Just this Saturday, I attended a series of events celebrating Indie Author Day at the Edmonton Public Library.
The experience was a lot of fun, and was a motivational reminder on my aspirations to become a successful writer. Having attended a few sessions ranging from discussions on self-publishing, marketing, to friendly advice on just getting your stories heard, I was thoroughly enthused to get back on my writer’s bandwagon by the time I returned home. For those among my followers who may not know, I’m a self-published author. My first book was Our Last Summer: A Personal Memoir detailing my experiences in Sudan where I completed my secondary education. The book is dedicated to my closest friends, in memory of our time together at Khartoum American School (K.A.S.), as well as my loving family.
I started writing the book back in 2009, and it was published around the summer of 2013 after having undergone a tedious but highly enlightening process of editing, book binding, and marketing with the assistance of iUniverse, a self-publishing company. My original intentions were to continuously promote the book afterward and hopefully help in its sales. My earlier blog, ourlastsummer2013, was meant for this. But, life happened, and following the publication of the book, I became quite jaded about writing and myself. I was also enmeshed in my personal identity crisis. Consequently, my promotional efforts were cut short, and I took a break from writing.
Three years down the road, I found myself sitting in a room filled with Indie authors, spending a few hours re-reading the passages in my book, and revisiting many forgotten memories of my past. I had recovered from my identity crisis thanks to my friends, and family, and am now close to completing a second book that has been in the works for two years. By revisiting said memories of a forgotten summer, I was able to reassess my growth as an individual during the last seven years of my life, ever since I commenced my post-secondary education at the University of Alberta. I was also able to recognize the significant influence writing Our Last Summer had in my life, and felt sad that the book never got the personal recognition it deserved from its own author.
Ever since my childhood, I’ve been passionate about two things: learning and asking questions. These two attributes contribute to my personality as an autodidact and have been the main benefactors towards my motivation for higher studies, and academic pursuits in various fields from astrophysics, biophysics, plasma physics, and in the near future, robotics. My academic interests were also complemented by my love for writing, music, and art. Throughout my life, I’ve been able to engage and enhance my creativity and skills in these different subjects.
Having completed my Masters, and on the verge of finishing my second book, I’m now motivated to unite my interests toward a unique career. I have no idea what exactly it will be, but it certainly will have a mix of everything from being a scientist, writer, and an artist. It will be an infusion of the freedom and happiness I’ve found in my writing, engaging my imaginations and bringing them to fruition through my art and music, and sharing my comprehension of what I learn about the surrounding world to my friends, family, and to all of you! Part of that effort will now involve my dedication toward revamping the promotions on my first book Our Last Summer: A Personal Memoir. I will use The Pensive Reverie (and the Facebook group) along with my Twitter account to provide for promotional materials every now and then ranging from tidbits from the book, to free e-book passes, and reviews.
I sincerely ask all those who follow this blog to help and support my efforts by spreading the word as much as they can and getting others to tune in to the blog as well as my book. The book is available online (just Google it), as well as on popular bookstores (Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Kobo etc.) I will provide more info, including some promo materials, and sneak peeks on Our Last Summer along with my next post On the Nature of Knowledge.
Until then, thanks so much everyone, and have a great day!
The Pensive Reverie 