When the Gears First Turned

I finally got to hold a physical copy of my first book. The smoothness of the cover, the smell of the pages. It’s barely over an inch thick, but the weight I feel when it’s in my hands is overwhelming. I’ve come a long way to get to this point, and my creative gears haven’t stopped turning yet.

Speaking of gears, I had some people asking me why I chose “Geared for Story” for my site and brand. I’m an author/teacher/filmmaker, not an engineer or a mechanic. So, why all the gears? It actually goes much deeper than just sounding cool or referencing my gamer tag. Gears were part of why I got so serious about story writing, and they eventually helped me develop my work ethic and personal credo.

The origins of my relationship with gears started back in high school. To be clear, it wasn’t about actual mechanical gears. In the second half of my freshman year, I decided to write a full, original novel. That book became known as GEAR-Shift. And before you ask, no, it did not have to do with that part of a car, although an early, short-lived version of that story did have some vehicles involved. Confusing, I know. GEAR-Shift was actually an action-adventure novel about people who used devices called GEARs to deploy special suits of armor with unique abilities, including a cheat-fatal-wounds feature so I didn’t have to deal with killing off characters.

I only had two people reading it, my brother and a friend from youth group, but they were a major source of encouragement. I wrote a new chapter about once a week or so, then exchanged the new chapter for the previous week’s copy for peer review notes. When I finally completed it, both of them low-key demanded I write a sequel. I had planned on it being a standalone story and couldn’t think of a possible way to continue it. Of course, Christmas break later that year, an idea came to mind, and a two-part sequel and an eventual “fourth” book were written out. Despite all the newbie-writer tropes, I’ve wanted to rewrite that story and fix some of its issues, give the characters a true chance to shine.

Thanks to that pivotal story in my early writing days, I’ve used the name Gear for a number of game profiles and, of course, my author site and Instagram handle. It sounds cool, and pays homage to my first unofficial novel series. However, “gear” has taken extra meaning over the years.

How I behave at work was also affected by the gear concept. Look at a classic pocket watch. You have the face of the clock, which everyone sees, but behind it are dozens of little gears working together to make the watch run smoothly. I’m one of those gears. Every job I’ve had, from cashier to photography assistant and beyond, I supported the faces of the group.

At my school job, I and the other after-school teachers supported the academy teachers behind the scenes. Before COVID-19 hit, we would take care of the kids before and after school, help grade papers, and supervised recess and lunch periods. We’d also be the ones in charge of summer camp programs. Sure, we weren’t at the forefront of the education side, but we helped keep the ship running smoothly. Without us, the academy teachers would have more than just lesson plans to worry about. Our work didn’t go unnoticed, though. Parents saw what we did and heard plenty of stories from their kids (several, I’m sure, told their parents about how I punished them with my sense of humor). I have a drawer full of drawings, crafts, and cards from students and their parents, and it takes me a few months to get through all the chocolate they give us at Christmas. School looks different now, but I’m still there, supporting the teachers and students from behind the scenes.  

Film work goes much the same way. To be honest, I decided to major in film because of two reasons. 1: I needed something to financially support my writing. I knew I was going to be writing stories, and not everyone can just jump straight into being a full time author. 2: I took a quiz during a Life and Career Planning class (thanks for everything, Sensei Larson!) and on a list of potential jobs that fit my personality, Cameraman was second on the list. I figured, “Oh, I had fun with video projects in high school, and APU’s got a film program. I’ll go with that!” Thankfully, I fell in love with the course. 

Unlike the other students, who wanted to be the next big director or producer or cinematographer, I realized very early on that I enjoyed working as a grip. For those who don’t know, grips and electricians work together to light a film set (electricians place and power the lights, grips shape the light with flags and diffusers and man the dolly cart for certain shots). Grips are very low on the crew totem pole, but I was fine with that. We’re still an integral part of the filmmaking process, a small gear that keeps the machine running. I tend to work better receiving orders than giving them, although I have had a few gigs where I was in charge of small units.

This also comes into play in Round Two Gaming. Kevin is the face of the group, our commander in chief, the guy who started it all. During the channel’s second wind, I was brought in to help with camera and lighting. I’m a supporting gear in the mechanism. I do what I can to help keep the group going, even if that means going out of my comfort zone and streaming on weekends. I’ve gotten used to the additional role now, and it’s helped us keep consistent content going when things come up.  

Gears have also worked their way into my personal worldview. As I’ve stated before in a previous blog post, I’m a devout Christian (it’s funny: I’m more willing to talk about faith and theology than I am about politics). The Bible says that the church is “the body of Christ,” many different members with many different specialties, but still one body. One could say that followers of Jesus are also the parts of a big machine. Some are the wheels that help it travel, some distribute fuel, some are the armor plating that protects the fragile parts inside.

Me, I happen to be a small gear that helps keep the big machine running, whether that machine is a school, a film set, or a church. I don’t have to be the face in front of the camera for all the world to see. There are people in all three categories that are far more qualified for that. There’s no need to draw attention to myself. Instead, I’ll do all I can to keep things running smoothly. Just plug me in where I’m needed, and this GEAR will get the job done.