Thursday, June 29, 2017
My Trail Company Down Light Hooded Jacket Review
The My Trail Company Down Light Hooded Jacket is a 800 fill power down jacket that's well suited for hanging out in camp or as a way to augment a down quilt in an ultralight sleep system. Available with or without a hood, it has a 20d nylon exterior treated with DWR, elastic wrist cuffs to keep out drafts and a hood. Sizing is on the large side, so think about downsizing to the next smaller size. Priced at $119, the Down Light Hooded Jacket is an exceptional value at an unbeatable price…if it fits, but best used for three-season hiking and backpacking rather than winter use.
Specs at a Glance
- 20d Nylon with DWR (durable water repellent) finish
- 800 fill power goose down; fill weight 110 grams (3.9 oz)
- Zippered fleece lined handwarmer pockets
- Elastic wrist cuffs
- Elastic cord hem adjustment
- Hood: non-adjustable
- Construction: sewn-through
- Internal media chest pocket and headphone loop
- Stuff pocket with clip-in loop
- Size XL: 15 ounces
The MTC Down Light Hooded Jacket checks all the boxes for three-season use. With 110 grams (3.9 oz) of goose down, it's the warmest down hooded jacket available at this price that I could find, by a long shot, with a comparable amount of 800 fill power down fill.
That said, I'd encourage you to think about this jacket as a three-season coat, because the hood is non-adjustable. For example, you can't shrink the volume of the hood if it's too large; you can't cinch the hood closed around your face with a drawstring to retain warmth; and there's no internal collar at the neck to seal in your torso heat separate from the hood. Those are all features I look for on a hooded jacket or parka for winter hiking use in frigid temperatures, along with a few more ounces of goose down (For comparison, see my Montane Featherlight Jacket review.)
(Note: Why are the My Trail Company prices so low? All of their products are "on sale", all of the time. They achieve this by selling direct to consumers over the internet, rather than through retailers.)
Given the sizing issues with the hood and it's relative lack of functionality, I think you'd be better off buying the MTC Down Light Jacket without a hood for three season use, given it's low price of $99, and simply augment it with a fleece cap in camp (which you probably already carry). With 100 grams of goose down, you'll still get lots of warmth, and at $99, the price is also hard to beat.
Do you really need a down jacket for three season hiking and backpacking? It really depends on where you hike and the climate. I always carry a down or synthetic insulated jacket, even on summer trips, because I hike in the mountains where temperatures are cooler and because my body chills rapidly as soon as I set up camp and stop hiking vigorously.
Disclosure: My Trail Company provided the author with a jacket for this review.
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IndieView with Aurora Thornton, author of Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain
I have to say Tamora Pierce is probably one of my biggest inspirations for being one of the earliest – I sometimes see people complaining about there not being enough high fantasy novels with female protagonists, and hers is still the first name I bring up.
Aurora Thornton – 29 June 2017
The Back Flap
Allaha is a knight of the Order of Aisha, Fallen of the Mountain. She – like her fellows – is stoic and reserved, trained to fight against demons and their ilk. When she triggers a vision that kills a renown oracle, she is set on a quest to complete the prophecy.
She becomes the protector of those mentioned in the prophecy.
Tamara is a young woman of the Menori – a migrant people that travel in caravans. She is also a hamalakh, able to sense the emotions of others as well as sense falsehoods. She is sometimes wise beyond her years, but at other times her youth can cause her to draw incorrect conclusions.
Hibu, a sorcerer, is from the country of Jeongwon – a land where the nobility are worshipped as gods. He was the personal sorcerer of Prince Ji – a testament to the strength of his powers. He is ever curious and seeking new knowledge, questioning all the people they meet on their journey. He is joined by his demon familiar, Goric.
Karejakal was orphaned by the death of his entire clan – but his mastak powers gave him the ability to keep their spirits close. Still a child, Karej is a Tibu – a race of cat people that walk upright. Learning of his people from the spirits of his clan, the child has adopted Allaha as his mother.
Together, they travel the land of Magdra, seeking answers to a broken prophecy wherein they only know two things – that a darkness is coming, and that they are meant to stop it. All they need to discover now is how to do it.
About the book
What is the book about?
Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain is about a monastic knight on a quest to save a fantasy world called Magdra. I know the premise doesn't sound very original – which is something I'm trying to say less, since it seems like I'm discounting my own work. But here I have a little more time to explain what I mean – I don't think my work is entirely unoriginal. If I did, I wouldn't have published it – but I won't pretend that the premise doesn't sound generic. As an avid fantasy fan, that would make me oblivious or in denial.
It's hard to get into what my story is about past the more generic premise without spoiling a lot of the future plot. I love high fantasy, and have been told that having 15 books planned in the Wildflowers series puts it in the epic category as well (the global scale of the main conflict is enough for me to release my reservations of saying so myself). However, I'll quote my beta reader Gerald Pourlavie in saying that "the story is not so much a heroic quest as a leisurely trip through various kingdoms." At this stage, being the first book in a long series, it is rather expositional – but I hope I've constructed an interesting enough story to keep my readers entertained regardless.
When did you start writing the book?
This particular story, I started in 2015. It was right after my cat Zane died – he was the first pet I owned on my own, and his death hit me pretty hard. (He had feline leukemia, so he was only around two years old.) I dedicated the book to him as my motivation to complete it. I was pretty depressed at the time, which I think is the main reason for the sombre tone most of the story takes.
How long did it take you to write it?
It only took me a couple of months to write the rough draft – it was around 50k words and written in an episodic format. Ultimately, my boyfriend pointed out that this didn't work, as the reader didn't spend a long enough time with the characters to get to know them. The rewrite took the greater part of three years – I added about 100k more words and changed quite a few things as a result.
Where did you get the idea from?
I've pretty much always been writing this story – not this one in particular, but the narrative of a heroine battling against the odds in a fantasy world. It started with me imagining myself going on trips to magical worlds – the very first one is a story I never wrote, and likely never will since it has continued in my head to this day. Eventually I started writing main characters that weren't me, and weren't whisked away from our world. I'm never sure where I get my inspiration from – I kind of just write and see what happens. That's mostly where this story came from.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The chapter titled The Maiden of Thorns – it's the longest chapter in the book (nearly 200 pages!) and it felt like whenever I had to do something with it. Mainly editing. But the reason it's twice as long as the next longest chapter is actually really simple – I named each chapter by the location the characters where at to complete their quest, and they stayed in Mer de Rose – a duchy in the fictional country of Rurauk – for the longest period of time. While this is only two weeks, most of the other places they visit only take a day or two. There is also a significant amount of character development in this chapter, which also adds to the length.
What came easily?
Dialogue – I've always found dialogue comes most easily to me. I love the interplay between characters.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
While I strive to never purposefully have a carbon copy of real people in my stories, I do occasionally borrow traits from people I know to make my characters more believable – but mostly I give them all a piece of me. I don't think there's any one character I would call a self-insert, but you can find something of me in most of them – Allaha, the main character, is an extension of the depression I felt when I was writing the story. Hibu's curiosity is something we share, and Tamara's empathy is another connection. Goric's enjoyment of puns is something borrowed from me as well. I won't mention others for the sake of their privacy, but it has been pointed out to me when my characters share traits with people I know. This is usually subconscious, rather than deliberate.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I have a lot of authors that inspire me, but I've always wanted to have my own voice as an author, so I never aim to emulate any particular author's style. However, there are a few authors I would like to be able to match in certain regards – I would love to write as entertainingly as J. R. R. Tolkien, use foreshadowing as well as Brandon Sanderson, portray relationships as well as Tamora Pierce, and write dialogue as well as Isaac Asimov. If I had to pick one author to emulate the most, I would pick Asimov – after reading the first book in the Foundation series, I realized he wrote the way I strove to. Telling stories with dialogue and character interactions being the driving force – I mainly wish I was as succinct as Asimov as well, but I usually seem to get a little caught up.
I have to say Tamora Pierce is probably one of my biggest inspirations for being one of the earliest – I sometimes see people complaining about there not being enough high fantasy novels with female protagonists, and hers is still the first name I bring up. She has such a great variety of heroines, and they all face their own struggles, so I never had the misconception that women didn't belong in fantasy in their own right. It's a very subtle kind of encouragement that I only realized later in life reading the experiences of other female fantasy fans.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone that enjoys a good story – particularly fantasy.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
In the gardener vs architect argument, I'm a definite gardener. I usually come up with an idea and just see where it goes – whether it's a character, a setting, a cool magic idea, or a made up race. Sometimes I come up with one and have to fill in the others, or figure out a story to use them in – Allaha of the Mountain actually pulls a few characters I made for other ideas. Commander Scorun originated through a friend's original RPG as a "virus" race in a cyber world – I actually built the country of Jasper in the story around the fantasy version of him. (It was also named after him.) Sometimes characters don't react on paper the way I thought they would in my head – my hands will just refuse to write what I had planned because it feels wrong, and I end up changing the story to better suit the character's reaction.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I didn't used to, but it would lead to me forgetting what I had planned by the time I got to the middle/end of a story. So I started writing outlines, which started with a chapter title and an abstract. When that also led to some forgetfulness, I added some fragments/sentences that broke the chapter down into parts, and that's generally what I go with. Enough to remember where I was going, but not so much to box me into a particular idea if something goes in a different direction.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
If I get stuck, I'll sometimes read my previous writing to see if I can work out what happens next – otherwise, I try to save editing for after I've finished. I'm not very good at editing my own work – I'm usually too close to see what's wrong.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I did hire an editor after having my work read by a beta reader – J. D. Cunegan was my editor. I was waiting for some critical friends to finish reading, but they ended up busy with their own lives, so I hired a professional to make sure my work was ready to be published – no major plot holes or developmental issues.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I usually listen to music, and it depends on my mood and what I'm writing. Usually it's Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy, but then I'll switch it up with Marina and the Diamonds, The Correspondents, or Florence+the Machine. Mainly, I turn to alternative and rock music.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I submitted other books to editors – I won the Silver Key in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, and went to workshop while I was at the ceremony in New York about submitting to publishers. However, I did not submit this work to anyone because I have a better understanding of the publishing world – fantasy is an over saturated genre, and most publishers won't take a chance on a new author, so I figured that self-publishing was a better way to go, especially with how much more accessible it is today.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
As I said above, my decision to self-publish was based on the accessibility of self-publishing tools and an understanding of the publishing market – it wasn't a very long decision, though I did think it over for a time beforehand.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I hired Claudiu Limbassan and Jesse Heagy on deviantArt to create the illustration on the cover, but the formatting and rest of the design was done by me. I wanted something reminiscent of older hardbacks, with a medieval feeling to it.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I'm pretty much just winging it – I knew to use social media and book review sites, but I feel I haven't used them very effectively. I'm currently in a college course that should help me create a better marketing plan for the future.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Have a marketing strategy, and make sure multiple people have read your work before you publish. Look into all your options to decide what's best for you – don't just blindly go with a plan that worked for someone else.
End of Interview:
For more from Aurora visit her blog, like her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.
Get your copy of Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2s5por3
IndieView with Aurora Thornton, author of Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain
I have to say Tamora Pierce is probably one of my biggest inspirations for being one of the earliest – I sometimes see people complaining about there not being enough high fantasy novels with female protagonists, and hers is still the first name I bring up.
Aurora Thornton – 29 June 2017
The Back Flap
Allaha is a knight of the Order of Aisha, Fallen of the Mountain. She – like her fellows – is stoic and reserved, trained to fight against demons and their ilk. When she triggers a vision that kills a renown oracle, she is set on a quest to complete the prophecy.
She becomes the protector of those mentioned in the prophecy.
Tamara is a young woman of the Menori – a migrant people that travel in caravans. She is also a hamalakh, able to sense the emotions of others as well as sense falsehoods. She is sometimes wise beyond her years, but at other times her youth can cause her to draw incorrect conclusions.
Hibu, a sorcerer, is from the country of Jeongwon – a land where the nobility are worshipped as gods. He was the personal sorcerer of Prince Ji – a testament to the strength of his powers. He is ever curious and seeking new knowledge, questioning all the people they meet on their journey. He is joined by his demon familiar, Goric.
Karejakal was orphaned by the death of his entire clan – but his mastak powers gave him the ability to keep their spirits close. Still a child, Karej is a Tibu – a race of cat people that walk upright. Learning of his people from the spirits of his clan, the child has adopted Allaha as his mother.
Together, they travel the land of Magdra, seeking answers to a broken prophecy wherein they only know two things – that a darkness is coming, and that they are meant to stop it. All they need to discover now is how to do it.
About the book
What is the book about?
Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain is about a monastic knight on a quest to save a fantasy world called Magdra. I know the premise doesn’t sound very original – which is something I’m trying to say less, since it seems like I’m discounting my own work. But here I have a little more time to explain what I mean – I don’t think my work is entirely unoriginal. If I did, I wouldn’t have published it – but I won’t pretend that the premise doesn’t sound generic. As an avid fantasy fan, that would make me oblivious or in denial.
It’s hard to get into what my story is about past the more generic premise without spoiling a lot of the future plot. I love high fantasy, and have been told that having 15 books planned in the Wildflowers series puts it in the epic category as well (the global scale of the main conflict is enough for me to release my reservations of saying so myself). However, I’ll quote my beta reader Gerald Pourlavie in saying that “the story is not so much a heroic quest as a leisurely trip through various kingdoms.” At this stage, being the first book in a long series, it is rather expositional – but I hope I’ve constructed an interesting enough story to keep my readers entertained regardless.
When did you start writing the book?
This particular story, I started in 2015. It was right after my cat Zane died – he was the first pet I owned on my own, and his death hit me pretty hard. (He had feline leukemia, so he was only around two years old.) I dedicated the book to him as my motivation to complete it. I was pretty depressed at the time, which I think is the main reason for the sombre tone most of the story takes.
How long did it take you to write it?
It only took me a couple of months to write the rough draft – it was around 50k words and written in an episodic format. Ultimately, my boyfriend pointed out that this didn’t work, as the reader didn’t spend a long enough time with the characters to get to know them. The rewrite took the greater part of three years – I added about 100k more words and changed quite a few things as a result.
Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve pretty much always been writing this story – not this one in particular, but the narrative of a heroine battling against the odds in a fantasy world. It started with me imagining myself going on trips to magical worlds – the very first one is a story I never wrote, and likely never will since it has continued in my head to this day. Eventually I started writing main characters that weren’t me, and weren’t whisked away from our world. I’m never sure where I get my inspiration from – I kind of just write and see what happens. That’s mostly where this story came from.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The chapter titled The Maiden of Thorns – it’s the longest chapter in the book (nearly 200 pages!) and it felt like whenever I had to do something with it. Mainly editing. But the reason it’s twice as long as the next longest chapter is actually really simple – I named each chapter by the location the characters where at to complete their quest, and they stayed in Mer de Rose – a duchy in the fictional country of Rurauk – for the longest period of time. While this is only two weeks, most of the other places they visit only take a day or two. There is also a significant amount of character development in this chapter, which also adds to the length.
What came easily?
Dialogue – I’ve always found dialogue comes most easily to me. I love the interplay between characters.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
While I strive to never purposefully have a carbon copy of real people in my stories, I do occasionally borrow traits from people I know to make my characters more believable – but mostly I give them all a piece of me. I don’t think there’s any one character I would call a self-insert, but you can find something of me in most of them – Allaha, the main character, is an extension of the depression I felt when I was writing the story. Hibu’s curiosity is something we share, and Tamara’s empathy is another connection. Goric’s enjoyment of puns is something borrowed from me as well. I won’t mention others for the sake of their privacy, but it has been pointed out to me when my characters share traits with people I know. This is usually subconscious, rather than deliberate.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I have a lot of authors that inspire me, but I’ve always wanted to have my own voice as an author, so I never aim to emulate any particular author’s style. However, there are a few authors I would like to be able to match in certain regards – I would love to write as entertainingly as J. R. R. Tolkien, use foreshadowing as well as Brandon Sanderson, portray relationships as well as Tamora Pierce, and write dialogue as well as Isaac Asimov. If I had to pick one author to emulate the most, I would pick Asimov – after reading the first book in the Foundation series, I realized he wrote the way I strove to. Telling stories with dialogue and character interactions being the driving force – I mainly wish I was as succinct as Asimov as well, but I usually seem to get a little caught up.
I have to say Tamora Pierce is probably one of my biggest inspirations for being one of the earliest – I sometimes see people complaining about there not being enough high fantasy novels with female protagonists, and hers is still the first name I bring up. She has such a great variety of heroines, and they all face their own struggles, so I never had the misconception that women didn’t belong in fantasy in their own right. It’s a very subtle kind of encouragement that I only realized later in life reading the experiences of other female fantasy fans.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone that enjoys a good story – particularly fantasy.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
In the gardener vs architect argument, I’m a definite gardener. I usually come up with an idea and just see where it goes – whether it’s a character, a setting, a cool magic idea, or a made up race. Sometimes I come up with one and have to fill in the others, or figure out a story to use them in – Allaha of the Mountain actually pulls a few characters I made for other ideas. Commander Scorun originated through a friend’s original RPG as a “virus” race in a cyber world – I actually built the country of Jasper in the story around the fantasy version of him. (It was also named after him.) Sometimes characters don’t react on paper the way I thought they would in my head – my hands will just refuse to write what I had planned because it feels wrong, and I end up changing the story to better suit the character’s reaction.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I didn’t used to, but it would lead to me forgetting what I had planned by the time I got to the middle/end of a story. So I started writing outlines, which started with a chapter title and an abstract. When that also led to some forgetfulness, I added some fragments/sentences that broke the chapter down into parts, and that’s generally what I go with. Enough to remember where I was going, but not so much to box me into a particular idea if something goes in a different direction.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
If I get stuck, I’ll sometimes read my previous writing to see if I can work out what happens next – otherwise, I try to save editing for after I’ve finished. I’m not very good at editing my own work – I’m usually too close to see what’s wrong.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I did hire an editor after having my work read by a beta reader – J. D. Cunegan was my editor. I was waiting for some critical friends to finish reading, but they ended up busy with their own lives, so I hired a professional to make sure my work was ready to be published – no major plot holes or developmental issues.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I usually listen to music, and it depends on my mood and what I’m writing. Usually it’s Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy, but then I’ll switch it up with Marina and the Diamonds, The Correspondents, or Florence+the Machine. Mainly, I turn to alternative and rock music.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I submitted other books to editors – I won the Silver Key in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, and went to workshop while I was at the ceremony in New York about submitting to publishers. However, I did not submit this work to anyone because I have a better understanding of the publishing world – fantasy is an over saturated genre, and most publishers won’t take a chance on a new author, so I figured that self-publishing was a better way to go, especially with how much more accessible it is today.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
As I said above, my decision to self-publish was based on the accessibility of self-publishing tools and an understanding of the publishing market – it wasn’t a very long decision, though I did think it over for a time beforehand.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I hired Claudiu Limbassan and Jesse Heagy on deviantArt to create the illustration on the cover, but the formatting and rest of the design was done by me. I wanted something reminiscent of older hardbacks, with a medieval feeling to it.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’m pretty much just winging it – I knew to use social media and book review sites, but I feel I haven’t used them very effectively. I’m currently in a college course that should help me create a better marketing plan for the future.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Have a marketing strategy, and make sure multiple people have read your work before you publish. Look into all your options to decide what’s best for you – don’t just blindly go with a plan that worked for someone else.
End of Interview:
For more from Aurora visit her blog, like her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.
Get your copy of Wildflowers, Part I: Allaha of the Mountain from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2s5por3
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Hiking Mt Washington: A Chandler Brook – Wamsutta Trail Loop
The Chandler Brook Trail is a lovely but strenuous trail that runs from the Great Gulf up the side of Mt Washington past many lovely cascades, water shutes, and slides. You can make it into an interesting loop hike by descending by the Wamsutta Trail, which also has many unique views of the Northern Presidentials. I recently hiked this route after heavy rain, which was a bit sketchy because it's so steep and slippery, but worth the extra effort for the views.
The Chandler Brook Trail climbs 1300′ in 0.9 miles, so it's not for the faint hearted. The bottom of the trail where it intersects the Great Gulf Trail can be difficult to find because of blow downs but once you get on it, it's relatively easy to follow. Just head uphill.
The thing that makes the Chandler Brook Trail so beautiful is rain, but that's what makes it difficult too. There are four stream crossings, which can be slippery and hazardous when rain floods the stream. Of the four crossings, the lowest is the most challenging and I found myself bushwhacking about 50 yards uphill to a better, less exposed crossing, where the chance of falling down a waterfall was less great.
The top of the trail runs through a small boulder field which is also exposed to the Mt Washington's winds, before ending at 4125′ along the Mt Washington Auto Rd. From there, you can link up with the Nelson Crag Trail which is about 0.5 miles up the road or hike 1.2 miles to 5300′ where you can get on the Alpine Garden or Wamsutta Trails. All three of these trails are above treeline and fully exposed, so you want to make sure to have good visibility, low wind, and to avoid thunderstorm weather when hiking them.
The Wamsutta Trail is 1.7 miles in length and good if you want to make a loop. It drops steeply back down into the Great Gulf, ending only about 0.6 miles from where the Chandler Brook Trail begins. The top of Wamsutta quickly drops into krumholz offering some protection from the My Washington's winds. It then drops steeply through a maze of boulders, requiring good scrambling ability to get through in one piece. However, the effort is well worth the risk (yes risk, because this is not an easy trail), with unparalleled views of the side ravines on the other side the Great Gulf. This includes Jeffersons Knees, two precipitously steep subsidiary ridges belonging the Mt Jefferson, the third highest peak in the White Mountains.
The bottom of the Chandler Brook Trail begins approximately 4 miles from the Great Gulf Trail parking area across from Camp Dodge on Rt 16. The full itinerary is as follows:
- Great Gulf Trail (3.9 miles)
- Chandler Brook Trail (0.9 miles)
- Auto Road (1.2 miles)
- Wamsutta Trail (1.7 miles)
- Great Gulf Trail (4.5 miles)
Total Distance: 12.2 miles with approximately 4,000 feet of elevation gain.
from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2ukCLUL
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
How to Find North with a Compass and Take a Pee without Getting Lost
A magnetic compass is designed to show you which way is north. Knowing that, you can figure out the other cardinal directions: east, west, and south. If you always know where north is, you can also walk in one direction and backtrack later to the point where you started. Why is that useful?
Let's say you step off a well-marked trail and walk into the forest to pee. Afterwards, you can use a compass to backtrack to the trail if you've forgotten which direction it is. This is easy if you know how to find north.
While this may sound like a trivial example, hikers have died because they couldn't find their way back to the trail after stepping off it to pee. I know of one hiker who died this way. It's especially tragic because they were carrying a compass but didn't know how to use it.
I'd encourage you to take the next 5 minutes to learn this skill if you don't already know how to do it.
This example doesn't require a map, topographic map reading skills, or understanding declination. It just explains how to use a compass:
- to find north
- to find the other cardinal directions: south, east, and west
- how to walk in a straight line, relative to north
- how to backtrack along the straight line
These are the basic building blocks of using a compass. They're easy to learn and the foundation of all land navigation.
The Magnetic Needle
A hiking compass, like the one below, has a magnetic needle which spins around inside a dial. Most of the time, the north end of the needle is colored red or sometimes yellow.
To Find North
To find north, pick up the compass and hold it level with the dial is on top. The red end of the magnetic needle will point north. Ignore all the other markings on the compass except the direction that the red half of the needle points to.
Now: turn around slowly and continue to hold the compass level. As you turn around, the needle will spin inside the dial. But the red end will always point in the same direction, north, no matter which way you are facing.
Put Red in the Shed
There's an outline of an arrow inside the dial, called "the shed". Turn the dial with the numbers on the outside , so that the red end of the magnetic needle fits inside the outline. This is called putting "red in the shed."
This doesn't change the direction that the red end of the magnetic needle points to when you hold the compass level, it just makes it easier to locate North, South, East, and West on the dial, and the numbers, which are degrees that correspond with them. For example,
- North is 0 degrees
- South is at 180 degrees
- East is at 90 degrees
- West is at 270 degrees
The hash marks in between the cardinal directions are also measured in degrees.
Direction of Travel Arrow
Let says you've been hiking along a trail and you need to pee. Turn the compass perpendicular to the trail in the direction you want to walk to take a pee. Holding the compass level in your hand with the dial on top, sight down the direction of travel arrow along the direction you plan to go. Twist the dial of the compass, so red is in the shed, while keeping the direction of travel arrow pointed toward you plan to walk. Read off the number at the bottom of the direction of travel arrow, which is 282 degrees the example above.
Start to walk in the direction of the direction of travel arrow, holdings your compass level and in front of you, keeping red in the shed as you walk. This is called following a bearing. Walk out a ways and do your business.
To Backtrack
Subtract 180 degrees from the bearing you followed previously. Turn the dial, so that the number 102 (282-180) is at the base of the direction of travel arrow. Holding your compass level in front of you, turn so red is in the shed, and start walking in the direction that the travel arrow is pointing. This will return you to the point where you left the trail (or very close: people drift left or right 3 degrees when they follow a compass bearing, although this rarely matters over short distances.)
If the first bearing was less than 180 degrees, you'd subtract 180 from it, and add the resulting negative number to 360 to get the back bearing. For example, if your first bearing was 60 degrees, you'd subtract 180 from it, and then add 360, which would give you your back bearing to the trail. (60-180)+360=240. Hint: if you don't like math, trace your finger down to the base of the direction of travel arrow to the other side of the dial – see Figure 4. If the bearing to your pee point is 282, the back bearing back to the trail is 102.
Basic Compass Use
These techniques are the basic building blocks for compass use. They're so basic, you don't have to have a map, know the difference between magnetic north or true north, or about magnetic declination to use them. All that comes later and builds on the techniques described here. Being able to find a fixed point of reference, in this case magnetic north, and to follow bearings relative to it is an incredibly powerful tool for hikers: a skill that is easy to learn and can save your skin.
from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2tj9Gwd
Climbing to Mahoosuc Arm and Old Speck Pond
I never expected to revisit Speck Pond after hiking the section of the Appalachian Trail from Grafton Notch down to Gentian Pond in 2009. Speck Pond is on the south side of Old Speck Mountain, a huge 4000 footer with a fire tower at the top. There's a lean-to shelter and tent platforms there, and I remember camping under a tarp during a violent thunderstorm, helplessly watching the water pool on the tent platform boards and head in the direction of my sleep insulation. The next morning, I'd hiked through famous Mahoosuc Notch headed southbound on the AT. That was 8 years ago.
Only this time I hiked in on a blue blazed trail called the Old Speck Pond Trail, one of several that connect the AT to Success Pond Rd, a gravel topped logging road which is one of the main backcountry thoroughfares in this part of the north country. My destination was a peak called Mahoosuc Arm Mountain, which overlooks Speck Pond and Mahoosuc Notch, followed by the pond below it.
Success Pond Rd is a hoot, but not if you have a low clearance car like my Mazda 3, since there are places where its severely eroded. It's a privately owned logging road where logging trucks have right of way and is an important short-cut between Berlin, NH and Grafton Notch, ME, cutting off an hour of highway driving time. Cell phone access is non-existent, so you have to have a vehicle you can trust when driving it, since sections of it are quite isolated.
Most of the summer traffic on Success Pond Road is locals in 4×4's, ATV's, and some AT shuttle drivers ferrying thru-hikers and section-hikers to and from the Mahoosuc Trail segment of the AT. The road is closed in winter, although parts of it are used as a snowmobile trail. I only started using it myself a few years ago to get to remote trails and bushwhacks in the Mahoosuc Range, but like I said, it's best travelled with a high clearance vehicle you can rely on.
The Old Speck Pond Trail, like all of the hiking trails in the Mahoosuc Range, is rough and steep, wet, and full of rocks. They're even tougher than the trails in the White Mountain National Forest, down south. This one looked fairly well maintained however, probably because the shelter at the pond is being replaced this spring and the work crews hike up to the pond and back from the road, about 3.5 miles one way.
This being spring, the leaves hadn't come out yet and didn't block the view from the trail, so I could see much of the north country spread out before me including the Percy Peaks and the Devil's Slide near Stark, New Hampshire. Higher up on Mahoosuc Arm, I could see Goose Eye Mountain and the Wright Trail Cliffs, two other peaks I climbed last summer about 10 miles south on the Mahoosuc Trail (AT).
That Goose Eye Trip was a doozy. I'm always kind of awed when I see big mountains that I've climbed, just knowing that I managed to hike up them on my own. There's a certain satisfaction, even an affirmation that "I exist", that comes from knowing I stood on top of those peaks.
The Old Speck Trail doesn't come out at the pond, but high up on Mahoosuc Arm Mountain, and I had to give up a lot of elevation to get down to the water and the AT campsite there. It's a really steep and wet trail, and this one still had snow in it, it being early June. Nothing like spring in New England!
I toured the new shelter area – the old one was a dump when I'd visited the last time – and then headed to the pond for a snack. There I met a fisherman, actually a hiker with a fishing rod, who was rigging up a spinning rig to fish. He lives in Bethel, Maine and we talked about hiking and fishing in the area. Just a nice low key chat. Then I took my leave and hiked back up the trail and back down to my car below. It was eery lonely hiking back down through the hobble bush, so I sang a few songs to scare away any bears and moose in the area.
Speck Pond does look like it has a nice fish population and I bet you could have some fun paddling around in it in a packraft. But I don't know when I'll be back there again.
Total Distance: 7.8 miles, 2500 feet of elevation gain.
from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2tjvCqX
How to Relieve Stress (A Practical Guide)
It always hit's me at the most inconvenient time…usually around 3:30 in the morning.
It's too early to get up and start my day, and I'm too tired to do anything but lay there in complete darkness, feeling completely overwhelmed and completely helpless at the same time.
I bet you've experienced too. I'm talking about the crippling effects of stress.
As I mentioned, for me it's always worse in the middle of the night, because there's not much I can do to alleviate it right then and there. I simply feel it until I'm able to fall back asleep for another few hours.
As a solopreneur, the effects of stress can be particularly overwhelming.
Why?
Because everything is on you. It's not like you have coworkers you can hand things off to if your workload becomes too much to handle.
You can't phone it in for a few weeks, while you get your personal life in order.
It's completely and entirely up to you to support yourself through your business, and that on its own can be more than many can handle.
For the last 8 years of working for myself, I've been winding in and out of periods of totally relaxed bliss, and completely overwhelming debilitating stress, but as I've seen these patterns evolve and repeat themselves, I've started to learn a thing or two about both why I become stressed, and more importantly how to manage it on a regular basis.
Personally, I've learned my day to day stress almost always stems from something that is under my control.
Usually, it's something I've procrastinated on long enough or forgotten about, that comes back with a vengeance to remind me: "Hey, you were supposed to take care of me weeks ago, and now I'm going to nag at your subconscious until you get it done."
One of those is fine and is easily manageable. It's when you get a dozen or more things piling up, that cause those middle of the night freak out sessions.
How to Relieve Stress
In today's post, I'm going to share my completely rational, logical strategy for dealing with an emotion that is anything but.
This technique to relieve stress tends to work very well for me, but obviously, we're all different. That said, if you've been feeling more anxious or overwhelmed than normal, give this a shot, it might provide just enough structure to your stress to help you get things done, and feel less overwhelmed.
Depending on how overwhelmed you're feeling, you can do this every day, once a week, or anywhere in between – but I've found it helpful at the very least to spend some time on Sunday afternoon or evening going through this process, so that I know exactly what I need to do come Monday morning.
Step 1: What are you stressed about?
This step might feel pretty obvious, but often when we get overwhelmed, we have so many things running through our head that it's tough to pin down exactly what's actually stressing us out.
When you take the time to consciously think about all of the things you have to do, you can always tell the ones that are the biggest roots of the problem, because as soon as you think about it, your chest will tighten up a bit, your blood pressure will rise, and you can feel the physical effects of the stress.
Make special notes of the things that cause this reaction, as those are going to be the most important to tackle first.
So to help with this, create a "stress list" that's simply a brain dump of everything that is stressing you out in your life.
My list yesterday had 13 things that were actively adding stress to my life right now, and many of those had subtasks on top of that.
Some were major like "get my passport renewed before upcoming trip" and others minor like "do a purge of my closet" but both are adding stress to my life in different ways.
Step 2: Organize and Rank These Stressors
Next, I go through and I order all of those stressors and rank them from most stressful/timely/urgent to least.
This helps me provide a barometer for what is going to be the most impactful. Usually, if I can knock off the first three things on my daily or weekly list, I immediately feel 75% better.
Worth noting is there's a fine line between things that are causing legitimate stress, and things that are simply stressful because you've been procrastinating on them for so long.
As you go through your list, ask yourself this question for each item:
"Will this help alleviate my immediate stress?"
For instance, as I mentioned above, I have "purge my closet" on my list. It's mostly stressful because I've been putting it off so long and the clutter is starting to get old.
Other things like "renew my passport" causes a serious physical reaction when I think about the fact I haven't done it – because if I don't do it soon, I'll be screwed for upcoming trips.
Focus on prioritizing the latter items. And for the less serious and urgent ones? See Step 6.
I recommend using some kind of task or project management system to help further provide help managing this process.
When I'm not in this habit, is when I forget about things, and weeks later wake up in a panic.
Here are three tools I've found to be really useful depending on your specific needs:
- Asana – This is what I use to organize both my personal life and my business. It's a little robust and at times overkill, but I add every single task that is causing stress as a to do and then create a timeline and a plan for accomplishing it. Oh, and it's free! Use this if you're also working with a team or other family members.
- OmniFocus – If you're an individual and you love detailed, complex organization when it comes to planning your to dos, then you'll love OmniFocus.
- Things – If you're an individual and you hate overly detailed and complex organization programs, then this is a much better bet than the one above.
Step 3: What Are the Best Stress Relievers for You
With the first three steps, this system felt a little generic, I know. "Figure out what's causing you stress, do the thing causing you stress."
But we all know there's more to it than that.
Sometimes we're stressed for no apparent reason. Or sometimes, we know the reason, but simply ticking off a box on a to do list, won't fully set our mind at ease.
That's why it's important to always have a list of things that have been proven to relieve stress for you.
These are things you enjoy, that relaxes you, and that can help take your mind off of everything else.
During times of significant stress, I always try and add at least one of these to my daily to do list.
It's a two sided approach:
- Focus on accomplishing the tasks adding the most stress
- Focus on yourself and things proven to help calm you down
As an example here's my current list of best stress relievers:
- Play a round of golf
- Go for a run
- Go to the gym
- Go through the process I've written about here
- Drink multiple glasses of water
- Listen to classical music and write
- Cook
- Focus on what I want most in life
Step 4: What Are Good Stress Relievers You Don't Regularly Do
Every once in awhile, my stress can be a little stubborn.
I've found when this is the case, I need to break out of my routines, and try new things that I don't often do.
Obviously, there are a lot of things out there that work for different people, I always like to keep a list of other ideas in case I feel like I need to mix things up.
Here are some examples of some simple stress relievers, I don't use as often:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Read
- Take a bath
- Essential oils/diffuser
- Sit in a sauna/steam room/whirlpool
For instance just a couple weeks ago I did a 30 minute yoga routine – which is something I hadn't done in a year or two. It felt great, and it took my mind off everything else I was worried about, as I was more concerned with not collapsing on top of myself.
Now I've made a point of trying to do it more often.
Step 5: Create a Plan for Accomplishing Tasks
This is simply creating your to do list for the day or week, based on the things you've found to be causing the most stress in step 2, while also adding at least one of the stress relievers you identified in step 4.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind while you're creating your to do list that I've found help me feel more productive and less overwhelmed.
Don't try and do everything at once
This is the biggest one. It's really easy to create your stress list, see everything that needs to get done, add it all to your daily to do list, and then only complete a fraction of it.
What happens then?
You get even more stressed because you didn't get as much done as you'd planned.
I usually try and focus on 1-3 big things each day and then maybe a handful of smaller/faster items depending on what they are.
Often this will take me half to two-thirds of the day – so then I use the rest of the time to focus on one of those things in Step 4 that I know will help reduce stress further.
There's a big difference between accomplishing 3/3 planned tasks and doing something for myself versus accomplishing 5/12 things and not having the time to do something that personally makes me happy.
Remember, not every task is created equally. Pay attention to your ranking in step 2. Even if you only knock out the #1 thing on your list, that might be causing more stress than 2-4 combined.
It's not always about how much you accomplish – it's about what you accomplish.
Batch Your Tasks by Category
One of the toughest parts for me as a lifestyle entrepreneur is the fact I have so many different things I'm working on. Golf tasks, Location Rebel task, marketing consulting – the list goes on.
The more I bounce between everything, the less effective and more frustrated I become.
I try and batch things by days or half days.
For instance, Monday mornings are all about Location Rebel. Blog writing, answer emails, course creation etc.
Then in the afternoon is when I focus on stuff for The Eighty Club.
It helps with decision fatigue and minimizes time switching back and forth between completely unrelated tasks.
Have a Default Action
This is huge. I often find myself with 10-20 minutes in between calls, tasks or other things I'm supposed to do.
For most people, the default action during those times is to go to Facebook, YouTube, Candy Crush, whatever; something that's less than productive.
However, if you can create a positive default action, you can easily add an extra hour of productive time to your days without even thinking about it.
Examples of this could be:
- Answer customer support emails
- Organize Asana or your task/project manager
- Contribute to forums you manage or follow
- Write or journal
- Read a book
That's not to say you shouldn't schedule breaks where you can get your social media fix, but just make sure you're doing it deliberately, and not because it's simply your default action.
Step 6: Once a Month Do All the Little Things
Finally, if you're walking through this process a handful of times per week, what you'll often find is that after a month or so you'll have a handful of tasks that keep getting pushed to the bottom of your "stress list". These are tasks that on their own might not be a big deal, but when you add them together and don't accomplish them for weeks on end, they start to add up and eat away at your subconscious.
So once a month I try and make a list of all those small things and devote a day to just knocking them off the list.
Often for me, these are those things around the house or in my personal life that start stacking up.
Step 7: Repeat as Necessary
As I mentioned, I always do this at least once a week on Sundays, but if there's a lot going on, I'll do a variation of this every single day. Making sure I take a minute to really think about what's causing the stress and prioritize my tasks accordingly.
That's It!
Hopefully, you got an idea or two out of this post that will not only help alleviate stress in your life on a regular basis but also help you be more productive in the process.
Have questions, comments, or want to share a stress reduction technique that works well for you? Just drop a note in the comments!
The post How to Relieve Stress (A Practical Guide) appeared first on Location Rebel.
from Location Rebel http://ift.tt/2sduq8M
How to Relieve Stress (A Practical Guide)
It always hit’s me at the most inconvenient time…usually around 3:30 in the morning.
It’s too early to get up and start my day, and I’m too tired to do anything but lay there in complete darkness, feeling completely overwhelmed and completely helpless at the same time.
I bet you’ve experienced too. I’m talking about the crippling effects of stress.
As I mentioned, for me it’s always worse in the middle of the night, because there’s not much I can do to alleviate it right then and there. I simply feel it until I’m able to fall back asleep for another few hours.
As a solopreneur, the effects of stress can be particularly overwhelming.
Why?
Because everything is on you. It’s not like you have coworkers you can hand things off to if your workload becomes too much to handle.
You can’t phone it in for a few weeks, while you get your personal life in order.
It’s completely and entirely up to you to support yourself through your business, and that on its own can be more than many can handle.
For the last 8 years of working for myself, I’ve been winding in and out of periods of totally relaxed bliss, and completely overwhelming debilitating stress, but as I’ve seen these patterns evolve and repeat themselves, I’ve started to learn a thing or two about both why I become stressed, and more importantly how to manage it on a regular basis.
Personally, I’ve learned my day to day stress almost always stems from something that is under my control.
Usually, it’s something I’ve procrastinated on long enough or forgotten about, that comes back with a vengeance to remind me: “Hey, you were supposed to take care of me weeks ago, and now I’m going to nag at your subconscious until you get it done.”
One of those is fine and is easily manageable. It’s when you get a dozen or more things piling up, that cause those middle of the night freak out sessions.
How to Relieve Stress
In today’s post, I’m going to share my completely rational, logical strategy for dealing with an emotion that is anything but.
This technique to relieve stress tends to work very well for me, but obviously, we’re all different. That said, if you’ve been feeling more anxious or overwhelmed than normal, give this a shot, it might provide just enough structure to your stress to help you get things done, and feel less overwhelmed.
Depending on how overwhelmed you’re feeling, you can do this every day, once a week, or anywhere in between – but I’ve found it helpful at the very least to spend some time on Sunday afternoon or evening going through this process, so that I know exactly what I need to do come Monday morning.
Step 1: What are you stressed about?
This step might feel pretty obvious, but often when we get overwhelmed, we have so many things running through our head that it’s tough to pin down exactly what’s actually stressing us out.
When you take the time to consciously think about all of the things you have to do, you can always tell the ones that are the biggest roots of the problem, because as soon as you think about it, your chest will tighten up a bit, your blood pressure will rise, and you can feel the physical effects of the stress.
Make special notes of the things that cause this reaction, as those are going to be the most important to tackle first.
So to help with this, create a “stress list” that’s simply a brain dump of everything that is stressing you out in your life.
My list yesterday had 13 things that were actively adding stress to my life right now, and many of those had subtasks on top of that.
Some were major like “get my passport renewed before upcoming trip” and others minor like “do a purge of my closet” but both are adding stress to my life in different ways.
Step 2: Organize and Rank These Stressors
Next, I go through and I order all of those stressors and rank them from most stressful/timely/urgent to least.
This helps me provide a barometer for what is going to be the most impactful. Usually, if I can knock off the first three things on my daily or weekly list, I immediately feel 75% better.
Worth noting is there’s a fine line between things that are causing legitimate stress, and things that are simply stressful because you’ve been procrastinating on them for so long.
As you go through your list, ask yourself this question for each item:
“Will this help alleviate my immediate stress?”
For instance, as I mentioned above, I have “purge my closet” on my list. It’s mostly stressful because I’ve been putting it off so long and the clutter is starting to get old.
Other things like “renew my passport” causes a serious physical reaction when I think about the fact I haven’t done it – because if I don’t do it soon, I’ll be screwed for upcoming trips.
Focus on prioritizing the latter items. And for the less serious and urgent ones? See Step 6.
I recommend using some kind of task or project management system to help further provide help managing this process.
When I’m not in this habit, is when I forget about things, and weeks later wake up in a panic.
Here are three tools I’ve found to be really useful depending on your specific needs:
- Asana – This is what I use to organize both my personal life and my business. It’s a little robust and at times overkill, but I add every single task that is causing stress as a to do and then create a timeline and a plan for accomplishing it. Oh, and it’s free! Use this if you’re also working with a team or other family members.
- OmniFocus – If you’re an individual and you love detailed, complex organization when it comes to planning your to dos, then you’ll love OmniFocus.
- Things – If you’re an individual and you hate overly detailed and complex organization programs, then this is a much better bet than the one above.
Step 3: What Are the Best Stress Relievers for You
With the first three steps, this system felt a little generic, I know. “Figure out what’s causing you stress, do the thing causing you stress.”
But we all know there’s more to it than that.
Sometimes we’re stressed for no apparent reason. Or sometimes, we know the reason, but simply ticking off a box on a to do list, won’t fully set our mind at ease.
That’s why it’s important to always have a list of things that have been proven to relieve stress for you.
These are things you enjoy, that relaxes you, and that can help take your mind off of everything else.
During times of significant stress, I always try and add at least one of these to my daily to do list.
It’s a two sided approach:
- Focus on accomplishing the tasks adding the most stress
- Focus on yourself and things proven to help calm you down
As an example here’s my current list of best stress relievers:
- Play a round of golf
- Go for a run
- Go to the gym
- Go through the process I’ve written about here
- Drink multiple glasses of water
- Listen to classical music and write
- Cook
- Focus on what I want most in life
Step 4: What Are Good Stress Relievers You Don’t Regularly Do
Every once in awhile, my stress can be a little stubborn.
I’ve found when this is the case, I need to break out of my routines, and try new things that I don’t often do.
Obviously, there are a lot of things out there that work for different people, I always like to keep a list of other ideas in case I feel like I need to mix things up.
Here are some examples of some simple stress relievers, I don’t use as often:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Read
- Take a bath
- Essential oils/diffuser
- Sit in a sauna/steam room/whirlpool
For instance just a couple weeks ago I did a 30 minute yoga routine – which is something I hadn’t done in a year or two. It felt great, and it took my mind off everything else I was worried about, as I was more concerned with not collapsing on top of myself.
Now I’ve made a point of trying to do it more often.
Step 5: Create a Plan for Accomplishing Tasks
This is simply creating your to do list for the day or week, based on the things you’ve found to be causing the most stress in step 2, while also adding at least one of the stress relievers you identified in step 4.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind while you’re creating your to do list that I’ve found help me feel more productive and less overwhelmed.
Don’t try and do everything at once
This is the biggest one. It’s really easy to create your stress list, see everything that needs to get done, add it all to your daily to do list, and then only complete a fraction of it.
What happens then?
You get even more stressed because you didn’t get as much done as you’d planned.
I usually try and focus on 1-3 big things each day and then maybe a handful of smaller/faster items depending on what they are.
Often this will take me half to two-thirds of the day – so then I use the rest of the time to focus on one of those things in Step 4 that I know will help reduce stress further.
There’s a big difference between accomplishing 3/3 planned tasks and doing something for myself versus accomplishing 5/12 things and not having the time to do something that personally makes me happy.
Remember, not every task is created equally. Pay attention to your ranking in step 2. Even if you only knock out the #1 thing on your list, that might be causing more stress than 2-4 combined.
It’s not always about how much you accomplish – it’s about what you accomplish.
Batch Your Tasks by Category
One of the toughest parts for me as a lifestyle entrepreneur is the fact I have so many different things I’m working on. Golf tasks, Location Rebel task, marketing consulting – the list goes on.
The more I bounce between everything, the less effective and more frustrated I become.
I try and batch things by days or half days.
For instance, Monday mornings are all about Location Rebel. Blog writing, answer emails, course creation etc.
Then in the afternoon is when I focus on stuff for The Eighty Club.
It helps with decision fatigue and minimizes time switching back and forth between completely unrelated tasks.
Have a Default Action
This is huge. I often find myself with 10-20 minutes in between calls, tasks or other things I’m supposed to do.
For most people, the default action during those times is to go to Facebook, YouTube, Candy Crush, whatever; something that’s less than productive.
However, if you can create a positive default action, you can easily add an extra hour of productive time to your days without even thinking about it.
Examples of this could be:
- Answer customer support emails
- Organize Asana or your task/project manager
- Contribute to forums you manage or follow
- Write or journal
- Read a book
That’s not to say you shouldn’t schedule breaks where you can get your social media fix, but just make sure you’re doing it deliberately, and not because it’s simply your default action.
Step 6: Once a Month Do All the Little Things
Finally, if you’re walking through this process a handful of times per week, what you’ll often find is that after a month or so you’ll have a handful of tasks that keep getting pushed to the bottom of your “stress list”. These are tasks that on their own might not be a big deal, but when you add them together and don’t accomplish them for weeks on end, they start to add up and eat away at your subconscious.
So once a month I try and make a list of all those small things and devote a day to just knocking them off the list.
Often for me, these are those things around the house or in my personal life that start stacking up.
Step 7: Repeat as Necessary
As I mentioned, I always do this at least once a week on Sundays, but if there’s a lot going on, I’ll do a variation of this every single day. Making sure I take a minute to really think about what’s causing the stress and prioritize my tasks accordingly.
That’s It!
Hopefully, you got an idea or two out of this post that will not only help alleviate stress in your life on a regular basis but also help you be more productive in the process.
Have questions, comments, or want to share a stress reduction technique that works well for you? Just drop a note in the comments!
The post How to Relieve Stress (A Practical Guide) appeared first on Location Rebel.
from Location Rebel http://ift.tt/2sduq8M
Reviewer IndieView with Cat Ellington
I would never quit on a book, even if it's awful. Once I start something, I believe in finishing it. The process of completing such a book will take me that much longer, but I wouldn't abandon it altogether.
Cat Ellington – 27 June 2017
About Reviewing
How did you get started?
I actually wrote my very first analysis at age eleven, after I'd completed Judy Blume's now legendary YA masterpiece, Tiger Eyes. I loved the novel so much, as did I its young protagonist, Davey Wexler. And I just felt compelled to compose, on paper, my own personal critique of the narrative. Being a "called" writer, my immediate reaction to pen a small review of Tiger Eyes, straightaway after reading it, had been an impulse that came naturally to me.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
That's a great question! I do indeed make many notes as I go along – and for good reason, I might add. While reading novels of fiction, especially if a reviewer intends to write a review of the work soon after he or she has finished it, making notes throughout the reading process is very important, as the book may feature any number of characters, all of whom have been given their own individual lives, created by the author, and therefore contribute heavily to the story. And to have so much going on with an entire cast of characters, it's wise to jot down a list of notes, so as to not forget anything that may be useful for written review purposes.
What are you looking for?
I am a natural born passionate of thrillers (the plurality indicates the inclusion of thriller subgenres), horror, suspense, crime capers, mysteries, and hard-boiled noir fiction. Though I am a book lover appreciative of the majority of literary genres, the aforementioned just so happen to be my all-time favorite set.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I easily overlook it. Grammatical errors – that can be corrected in edited reissues – ought not be considered if a novel is five-star worthy in both plot and character development.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
Eighty-thousand words. Hmmm. That would round out to what, like 315 pages? Depending on how "gripping" the plot is – and the book would really have to be a page-turner that commands my interest – it could take me 3 to 4 days to complete a novel of that particular pagination.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
Based on plot, character maturation, chapter length, overall structure, and even cover art, do I decide what rating to give a book. All of those aspects play key roles in my rating system. The rating system itself is just that. The rating system. Now, in explanation of it, every reader has his or her own personal opinions as to what rating any one novel should receive from them. For example, I may believe that John Grisham's storied legal thriller, The Firm, is undoubtedly a five-star opus, whilst another reader may not feel the same way and prefer to brand the said effort with a three-star rating. Where the rating system is concerned, greatness is in the eye of the reader.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
Do your research. Especially those of you indie authors, who are now coming into your own. Take the time to visit any potential reviewer's blog, or perhaps a prominent website where their critiques may be featured: Goodreads, NetGalley, Amazon, First to Read, LibraryThing, etc. At any of these locations, you will pretty much get an idea of where each reviewer stands in his or her knowledge, absorption, and communication. Make your decisions on which individual reviewers to propose your effort(s) to from there. Also, reputable outlets like The IndieView and The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages can also well assist authors in the reviewer choosing process.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
Not readers so much as the authors themselves. Fellow readers email me to compliment my analysis, while authors constantly email me to not only compliment my style of review, but to also thank me for my critiques of their own novels.
My advice to authors on getting a 'bad' review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author's point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to 'argue' with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
(Laughs) My primary careers are in the entertainment industry! This means that I am completely accustomed to drama…of every varietal. Strife is strife – be it in show business or literature. And there will come times when an author may find himself/herself contending with a reviewer as the result of a "negative" rating or review. People are people, and tempers sometimes get overheated. Such a course is inevitable. And I wouldn't at all be surprised if I ever found myself in such an area of friction. It wouldn't shock me at all. I should include that when I have completed a novel and begin to compose my review of the same, I do so in a spirit of truth and fairness, and with integrity – not taking into consideration an author's name, or their fame, or any other form of public opinion concerning their effort(s). I follow my own guidelines and provide an honest critique of each book, accordingly. And if one of my not-so-pleasant reviews was to rub any said author the wrong way, and he and/or she felt the need to tell me as much, in a contentious manner, then so be it. There are reviewers out there who would not be so welcoming of an irate author, except that I am not one of them.
About Reading
We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we're all here. Why do you think people love reading? We're seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that's the case?
One of the many positive attributes about reading is that those who love to do it all share a common witness: The recreation has a way of transporting one to places that he or she may have never frequented, and, in some instances, never will – at least not in the real world. To answer your question regarding those "statistics," perhaps in some demographics, for lack of a better word, the leisure of reading has lost its luster, as many members of this generation have become absorbed in – even obsessed with – technology, be its form social media, game apps, or what have you. Associates of that specific group are simply unfocused. And then you have others who just can't be bothered to sit down and relax with a really good book that they may truly enjoy, too overwhelmed with the distractions of daily living. It's coming to a point where reading a novel of fiction (or even nonfiction) will be considered a luxury, rather than a basic hobby. Overall, I don't believe that reading as a pastime is dying, as there will always be bookworms who populate the earth in considerable numbers. Authors will continue onward in their crafts of creating exciting stories, and there will be book lovers the world over who will support their creative contributions.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Ugggh! Honestly, I have read quite a few book descriptions in my Kindle app store where certain authors have literally spoiled their entire book. Rather than allowing their potential readers to purchase, download, and read the titles themselves, those authors anxiously give away the entire plot in their description fields, leaving very little, if anything, to a reader's imagination. Huge mistakes. Please, no spoilers!
We're told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel; what do you think about that? If a book hasn't grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
That can be a very (emphasis on very) tricky situation. Because in some cases, a book can come out of the gate sluggish, and then pick up speed to gain ground. I've read such ones and know this to be a fact. But on the other hand, more often than not, if a novel grips its reader from the first five pages, then it's safe to say that the same will continue to hold the reader's interest until the very end. Being a respectably decent judge of character, where novels of fiction are concerned, I know immediately, from the first two paragraphs that I start to read, whether or not I'm going to like a book. I will always catch myself saying, "Oooh, I like this one already!" I would never quit on a book, even if it's awful. Once I start something, I believe in finishing it. The process of completing such a book will take me that much longer, but I wouldn't abandon it altogether.
Is there anything you will not review?
Per my publication listings at both The IndieView, and in The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, it is made known that I do not accept YA fiction or Western fiction, therefore those are two of the main genres that I will not review.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the "slush-pile has moved online"?
Hey, Stephen King didn't get to be Stephen King by sitting around being faithless. The great man, gifted with vast literary wisdom, put the work in, and then closed in on the old school brick-and-mortar publishing houses of New York to get his chilling stories read by millions. The only difference between the old era and this new era is that nearly everything is now digital. And if authors must go about dispatching their manuscripts, electronically, to publishers, then so be it. More power to them. I would be among the first to cheer them on, considering. Get your work out there however you can.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
Yes, I do. I believe that because of outlets like Kindle, Kobo, and Smashwords (especially Smashwords) the reading public is becoming acquainted with a whole new wave of independent novelists (who also happen to be self-published), and with the incredible books that these new authors have both written and published. I have read many a rave review of independent authors' efforts. And truly so, there is a growing public interest.
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can 'filter' good from bad, aside from reviews?
Frankly, I don't really believe that there is a way, unless the industry is willing to stretch its budget to hire, in each one of its affiliates, a greater number of proofreaders. There is always the possibility of a novel, that some may find terribly disturbing and offensive, being published to the widespread general public. And it is for those same reasons that genres and descriptions exists. If a certain narrative's genre and/or its description is not your cup of Earl Grey, then by all means, avoid it. Everything is certainly not for everyone. Filters should not apply.
End of Interview:
Read Cat's reviews at Reviews by Cat Ellington.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2sibEIM
Reviewer IndieView with Cat Ellington
I would never quit on a book, even if it’s awful. Once I start something, I believe in finishing it. The process of completing such a book will take me that much longer, but I wouldn’t abandon it altogether.
Cat Ellington – 27 June 2017
About Reviewing
How did you get started?
I actually wrote my very first analysis at age eleven, after I’d completed Judy Blume’s now legendary YA masterpiece, Tiger Eyes. I loved the novel so much, as did I its young protagonist, Davey Wexler. And I just felt compelled to compose, on paper, my own personal critique of the narrative. Being a “called” writer, my immediate reaction to pen a small review of Tiger Eyes, straightaway after reading it, had been an impulse that came naturally to me.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
That’s a great question! I do indeed make many notes as I go along – and for good reason, I might add. While reading novels of fiction, especially if a reviewer intends to write a review of the work soon after he or she has finished it, making notes throughout the reading process is very important, as the book may feature any number of characters, all of whom have been given their own individual lives, created by the author, and therefore contribute heavily to the story. And to have so much going on with an entire cast of characters, it’s wise to jot down a list of notes, so as to not forget anything that may be useful for written review purposes.
What are you looking for?
I am a natural born passionate of thrillers (the plurality indicates the inclusion of thriller subgenres), horror, suspense, crime capers, mysteries, and hard-boiled noir fiction. Though I am a book lover appreciative of the majority of literary genres, the aforementioned just so happen to be my all-time favorite set.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I easily overlook it. Grammatical errors – that can be corrected in edited reissues – ought not be considered if a novel is five-star worthy in both plot and character development.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
Eighty-thousand words. Hmmm. That would round out to what, like 315 pages? Depending on how “gripping” the plot is – and the book would really have to be a page-turner that commands my interest – it could take me 3 to 4 days to complete a novel of that particular pagination.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
Based on plot, character maturation, chapter length, overall structure, and even cover art, do I decide what rating to give a book. All of those aspects play key roles in my rating system. The rating system itself is just that. The rating system. Now, in explanation of it, every reader has his or her own personal opinions as to what rating any one novel should receive from them. For example, I may believe that John Grisham’s storied legal thriller, The Firm, is undoubtedly a five-star opus, whilst another reader may not feel the same way and prefer to brand the said effort with a three-star rating. Where the rating system is concerned, greatness is in the eye of the reader.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
Do your research. Especially those of you indie authors, who are now coming into your own. Take the time to visit any potential reviewer’s blog, or perhaps a prominent website where their critiques may be featured: Goodreads, NetGalley, Amazon, First to Read, LibraryThing, etc. At any of these locations, you will pretty much get an idea of where each reviewer stands in his or her knowledge, absorption, and communication. Make your decisions on which individual reviewers to propose your effort(s) to from there. Also, reputable outlets like The IndieView and The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages can also well assist authors in the reviewer choosing process.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
Not readers so much as the authors themselves. Fellow readers email me to compliment my analysis, while authors constantly email me to not only compliment my style of review, but to also thank me for my critiques of their own novels.
My advice to authors on getting a ‘bad’ review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to ‘argue’ with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
(Laughs) My primary careers are in the entertainment industry! This means that I am completely accustomed to drama…of every varietal. Strife is strife – be it in show business or literature. And there will come times when an author may find himself/herself contending with a reviewer as the result of a “negative” rating or review. People are people, and tempers sometimes get overheated. Such a course is inevitable. And I wouldn’t at all be surprised if I ever found myself in such an area of friction. It wouldn’t shock me at all. I should include that when I have completed a novel and begin to compose my review of the same, I do so in a spirit of truth and fairness, and with integrity – not taking into consideration an author’s name, or their fame, or any other form of public opinion concerning their effort(s). I follow my own guidelines and provide an honest critique of each book, accordingly. And if one of my not-so-pleasant reviews was to rub any said author the wrong way, and he and/or she felt the need to tell me as much, in a contentious manner, then so be it. There are reviewers out there who would not be so welcoming of an irate author, except that I am not one of them.
About Reading
We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading? We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?
One of the many positive attributes about reading is that those who love to do it all share a common witness: The recreation has a way of transporting one to places that he or she may have never frequented, and, in some instances, never will – at least not in the real world. To answer your question regarding those “statistics,” perhaps in some demographics, for lack of a better word, the leisure of reading has lost its luster, as many members of this generation have become absorbed in – even obsessed with – technology, be its form social media, game apps, or what have you. Associates of that specific group are simply unfocused. And then you have others who just can’t be bothered to sit down and relax with a really good book that they may truly enjoy, too overwhelmed with the distractions of daily living. It’s coming to a point where reading a novel of fiction (or even nonfiction) will be considered a luxury, rather than a basic hobby. Overall, I don’t believe that reading as a pastime is dying, as there will always be bookworms who populate the earth in considerable numbers. Authors will continue onward in their crafts of creating exciting stories, and there will be book lovers the world over who will support their creative contributions.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Ugggh! Honestly, I have read quite a few book descriptions in my Kindle app store where certain authors have literally spoiled their entire book. Rather than allowing their potential readers to purchase, download, and read the titles themselves, those authors anxiously give away the entire plot in their description fields, leaving very little, if anything, to a reader’s imagination. Huge mistakes. Please, no spoilers!
We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel; what do you think about that? If a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
That can be a very (emphasis on very) tricky situation. Because in some cases, a book can come out of the gate sluggish, and then pick up speed to gain ground. I’ve read such ones and know this to be a fact. But on the other hand, more often than not, if a novel grips its reader from the first five pages, then it’s safe to say that the same will continue to hold the reader’s interest until the very end. Being a respectably decent judge of character, where novels of fiction are concerned, I know immediately, from the first two paragraphs that I start to read, whether or not I’m going to like a book. I will always catch myself saying, “Oooh, I like this one already!” I would never quit on a book, even if it’s awful. Once I start something, I believe in finishing it. The process of completing such a book will take me that much longer, but I wouldn’t abandon it altogether.
Is there anything you will not review?
Per my publication listings at both The IndieView, and in The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, it is made known that I do not accept YA fiction or Western fiction, therefore those are two of the main genres that I will not review.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
Hey, Stephen King didn’t get to be Stephen King by sitting around being faithless. The great man, gifted with vast literary wisdom, put the work in, and then closed in on the old school brick-and-mortar publishing houses of New York to get his chilling stories read by millions. The only difference between the old era and this new era is that nearly everything is now digital. And if authors must go about dispatching their manuscripts, electronically, to publishers, then so be it. More power to them. I would be among the first to cheer them on, considering. Get your work out there however you can.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
Yes, I do. I believe that because of outlets like Kindle, Kobo, and Smashwords (especially Smashwords) the reading public is becoming acquainted with a whole new wave of independent novelists (who also happen to be self-published), and with the incredible books that these new authors have both written and published. I have read many a rave review of independent authors’ efforts. And truly so, there is a growing public interest.
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can ‘filter’ good from bad, aside from reviews?
Frankly, I don’t really believe that there is a way, unless the industry is willing to stretch its budget to hire, in each one of its affiliates, a greater number of proofreaders. There is always the possibility of a novel, that some may find terribly disturbing and offensive, being published to the widespread general public. And it is for those same reasons that genres and descriptions exists. If a certain narrative’s genre and/or its description is not your cup of Earl Grey, then by all means, avoid it. Everything is certainly not for everyone. Filters should not apply.
End of Interview:
Read Cat’s reviews at Reviews by Cat Ellington.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2sibEIM