Can You Hear Me Now?

~~We’ve had problems with the phone and the DSL before, but this time takes the cake. For several months, the internet had been shutting down intermittently, but within seconds our software would reconnect and restore the session. We shrugged.

~~About three weeks ago, we had a phone that refused to work, but we did have internet still. The provider said to check out each piece of equipment on the line because one of them wasn’t hanging up. After checking the modem, the fax, and three phones, we zeroed in on one phone and replaced it. Problem solved. For all of a week.

~~Then our phones started to short ring, hanging up before caller ID could kick in. When we did make connection, the static was horrendous. Mind you, we are the main caregivers and backup for our two mothers. Not having reliable phones isn’t acceptable. So I called the provider again. This time the suggestion was that our DSL/phone line filters were iffy. We replaced them.

~~Still the problems persisted and got worse. This time, because we had service off and on, the provider said it has to be the inside lines…and, by the way, if a repairman comes out and it’s inside lines, you’ll be charged $85 just for the guy coming. Sigh.

~~We really are very good at solving problems and with a solution that depended on us, we prepared. After buying new wire and all the necessary items needed to replace the inside wires, we plugged one phone into the outside box and had service—for two days. The short rings, hang ups, and static started again. By that time, John had already spent three hours under our ninety-year old house pulling the rat nest of wires that had been added…and added over the years.

~~This time I told the provider to send that repairman! Guess what the problem was? The outside line between the pole and the house. A short that disconnected and reconnected with the wind was the cause all along. The repairman was sorry we had to replace the inside lines, but really, why fuss about new lines? Even if it did take 7 hours of labor by both of us to pull them. By the way, the nice young man also said, to call him directly if the service screwed up again in the next week. Of course, my dirty, tired, and slightly cynical hubby commented that he didn’t want us to report a faulty repair to the provider.

~~So, we’re finally in business again. Of course, just when we lay down to "rest," the phone rang.

~~Now we have to figure out the "check engine light" in the truck.

What Happens in the Book Store at Night

~~Come on, you know you want to know what's up at night when all the customers and staff leave. Take a peek.



~~Did you see the Kindle? Now we know how all those lovely books get into our e-readers! ; )

Writing By Design...Or Not

~~How do you write--linearly, chunks, or something entirely different? Do you use an outline or write as the story comes to you? Diana Gabaldon, award-winning, multiple NYT best-selling author writes in chunks without knowing the full story. Check out her current essay, "The Shape of Things" at the Books and Writers Forum.

~~When I started writing, I'd have sworn I was a linear, point A to point B type of writer and even have an outline for my current story. But things have a way of changing when you least expect it. ; ) I've written many separate scenes scattered here and there across the outline and the last third is solid.

~~And then I got blocked. Nothing I tried with the front of the story was working, but that's all changed now . The reason may surprise you. As I transferred the bits and pieces that reside in my Rough Draft file to Scrivener, I've been rereading...and my eyes have opened. Now that I know how the story ends, I know what the front two thirds of the story need to do. I'm excited again and the juices are flowing. The new plan is to write backwards. Really. ; ) My notes from the reread will guide me. So wish me luck.

~~Happy writing, everyone!

Grace for the New Year

~~The turn of the year is always a time of introspection. Many of us look back at the past and consider our achievements and heartaches. But we also look forward and wonder what the future will bring--sometimes with trepidation and sometimes with anticipation.

~~Whatever your mood, I wish you all a Happy New Year and offer two songs for the season. The first is from Kevin Walsh of "Outlander--the Musical" fame.



~~The second is a link. Be sure to click on it, for it is an amazing rendition of the old hymn "Amazing Grace" sung by the Four Tenors while at the Coliseum.

 AMAZING GRACE

~~May grace be with you all this new year.

Scrivener, By Golly!

~~Have you read writers extolling the delights of Scrivener? To many, it's the ultimate writing tool that helps organize, combine, and link research into one easily accessible place.

~~Well, I've joined the ranks when I down loaded Scrivener for Windows in November. I'm discovering the bells and whistles now and have started moving my FRIENDLY FIRE files to it. So far, I'm creeping along with my hands out in front me in the dark, but I can see the usefulness and anticipate becoming one of the many telling you can't do without this program.

~~While I learn, I'm leaning on the info I've gathered from some writing buddies. Check out Claire's post on All the World's Our Page and Ron's post at the Books and Writers Forum.

And have a wonderful holiday season! May your celebration be bright and joyful.

Snow

~~No, we don't have early snow in Georgia, but we did have the first measurable snow fall on Christmas Day last year and I'm hoping for a repeat. So I thought I'd add to the mood with a poem from January 2008. Hope you enjoy it. ; )

Snow

Born of a meeting of opposites,
It floats as feathers on the wind.
Settling into Earth's warm embrace,
It gives its moisture away as grace.

Falling faster as time goes by
Bringing its fellows, and it flies
Obscuring our view of air and ground,
Settling ever deeper, dampening sound.

Glowing blue-white and moonlit,
Lovely to see, but chilling the feet.
 Cold and wind add their device
And it hardens and freezes into ice.

As the dawn breaks, clear and cold
A million diamonds greet the day
Glowing with the Sun's warm face,
It melts and leaves us edges of lace.

Reading the Classics

~~How long has it been since you read the classic novels? When I got my Kindle, I realized that there are a lot of old classics available for free. I know, I know, you're going to say that that's what libraries are for. But my local library has a really strong air freshener and I'm allergic to it. I've returned many books after only a few pages because of it. I'm happy to use the Kindle for my catch up reading.

~~Here's a list of some I've read lately:

• Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson (The first adult novel I read way back when I was 11.)
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas the elder

~~I have the following on my Kindle waiting for me to read them:

• The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas the younger
• Anna Kaenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

~~Do you have some classics you'd like to read? What are they? Or do you find the older, slower starts hard to get into?

E-Book or Paper Book, That is the Question

~~When I read Rachelle Gardner's post, E-books vs. Real Books, I thought I'd add my two cents. I like Rachelle's assessment that it isn't an "either/or" situation, but a "both/and" one. In fact, I think that's the way of the future.

~~I've had a Kindle since May and I love it. That doesn't mean I don't love paper books, too. I sit here surrounded by a large personal library, but I'm picking up fewer and fewer of the paper books. The reason is personal, too. I have trouble holding paper books open. My wrists just get too tired. So if I'm going to read at all, it has to be an e-book. Rachelle mentioned that readers are buying more books both electronic and paper. I'm an example. I've probably bought ten times the books I would have if I were still only buying paper books. We have transfered our newspaper subscription to the Kindle, too. That's really helped with the mounds of paper we use. And it's far cheaper. ; )

~~I also have a huge list of books to purchase for my Kindle that will transfer many of my favorites from the shelves to e-ink. And that's all good for the writers. ; ) And while I'm buying e-books for all my fiction, I'm still buying writing books in paper so I can take old-fashioned notes in the margins. The last such books is Volger's The Writer's Journey. I don't think the diagrams would show up as well on my Kindle.

~~So what about you? Are you on the e-book band wagon, or are you still buying all your books in paper?