Computers get the blame and the credit!!!

I took this picture. That's My Cowboy's Stetson straw hat
on a strange old stump by my house
Against which I have artistically leaned an old wagon tire.
Winnie Grigg somehow 'Christmas-ized' it.
I took the picture in the summer!
And My Cowboy for sure doesn't have holly berries on his hat.

I ADDED AN EXTRA PRIZE, DETAILS AT THE END OFTHIS POST! 

BOOKS!

THREE VOLUMES CONTAINING THE 12 BRIDES OF CHRISTMAS NOVELLA SERIES.
THEY ARE SELLING ONE AT A TIME (The Advent Bride is part of this series) AS EBOOKS BUT THEY ARE ALSO AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST EXCLUSIVELY IN WALMART STORES.
I'M GIVING AWAY THE WHOLE SET.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I probably could get a handicapped parking sticker
based on the quality of my handwriting

IT’S CYBER MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, that was more enthusiasm that really, my muddled head is capable of. Why?

Shall we blame the L-tryptophan in our turkey?

Shall we blame the early morning cooking and the late night talking?

I don’t know what to blame but typing Cyber Monday and all those exclamation marks is extremely jarring and, while it is only 9 a.m., I’m seriously contemplating a nap.

I’m sure Ruthy will be ashamed of me. But I’ll be asleep so I can probably bear the brunt of her scorn.



$2.99 for hours of fun

Anyway, I wrote a new speech.

I’ve been giving one and ONLY one speech, with a few variations, for years. Of course I avoid speaking engagements as much as possible. And, on the rare occasion that they say, “You should come again.” (usually the speech ends with them demanding their money back but once in a while they invite me to return)…

I can always say, “Can’t do it. I’ve only got the one speech.”

Well, someone finally, after all these years, invited me back. It’d been a while so no doubt she forgot how it went…which is better than if it had been seared into her memory for life, I guess!

So I had to write a new speech and what I did was talk about the two questions I get asked more than any others (a possible tie with “I don’t know how you can write a whole book.” Which I get a lot)

The questions are:

Where do you get your ideas (which is usually accompanied by some version of ‘I don’t know how you write a whole book.’)

And

What made you start writing

6 books for $2.99!!! Deal with the wonder of that!!!

Well, the second question is what I want to talk about today, a small part of my answer. Because for years I’ve gotten that question and my answer was always something like, “It beat dusting.”

But then I got to thinking about it and wondering why DID I write a book.

Four things prompted me to start writing.

Today I’m going to talk about ONE of them.

I got a computer.

Honestly, I don’t know if I’d have ever written a book before computers.

$0.99...you pay more than this
for a can of Diet Coke, admit it!!!

The way I write which is to write a scene then revise and revise and revise....how do you do that with a typed out page of paper? Think of the work? I just can’t quite imagine it.

I read once that Louis L’Amour wrote all his books as ‘stream of consciousness.’ His son actually told me that.

Do you think he honestly just…started and wrote clear through to the end and handed it in?

My mind is boggled by that.

My books (in my opinion) only come to life on revisions. That’s where my characters gain depth. That’s where emotion comes to life on the page, including humor.

I just keep picturing me with a typed out sheet of paper and…what? Reading off it beside my typewriter while I type a new page.

Then type the same WHOLE page again, revised? And again? And again???

I can’t quite imagine it.

And don’t even THINK about writing by hand. Any editor who received that scrawled up mess would use the manuscript to beat me to death…and no judge would convict her.

So what about you?

Would you be writing without a computer?

I know people who write the first draft on paper with a pen. But then they key it into a computer and start revising.

Anyway, tell me if you think you could handle it. Or if you do write by hand. If you leave a comment, in celebration of Cyber Monday and the computers that make Cyber Monday possible, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card….use it for Christmas shopping. Or just go nuts and buy something for yourself.

A SPECIAL BONUS LAST MINUTE GIVEAWAY!

Three volumes containing 12 novellas, available ONLY at Walmart. In their stores, too, no online. Good luck finding them. My contribution The Advent Bride, available as an ebook is contained in Christmas Wedding Bell Brides. And by a strange and wonderful coincidence my Seekerville buddy Pammy Hillman is in this series, too. (I'm strange, she's wonderful)
Her novella is in White Christmas Brides. All three go to one lucky winner. Or hunt them up at your Walmart stores.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

This month I was all set to offer my version of charting a story ala Myra Johnson, when disaster hit.

The ultimate is a computer crash – mine wasn’t quite so bad, but almost.

I’ve been zapping out computers in our house left and right – literally. It started back in June when my HP desktop refused to open the Internet. Then Word. Then Mahjong. Well, the computer was a fine companion for three years of extraordinary use. I guess I understand we all have to go sometime. Bummer.

So I confiscated a Dell desktop my husband used for Ebay – yes, he loves me enough to sacrifice, LOL! Things went fine and dandy for a month and then that computer went south, too.

Since I’d purchase a laptop for my son as a high school graduation present this Spring, I took the desktop from his room, reloaded all my info and continued on my merry way – for yet, another MONTH.

I’m beginning to think my office is possessed.

My husband is now guarding his laptop – ebay is very important when shopping for sporting equipment, you understand – so I turn to the last vestige of hope…my son’s gaming computer. Of course I asked permission first!!! That computer is so souped up, its boot up time goes 0 – 100 in no time flat.

Ah, I’m on my way.

You have to understand how I write. I can’t write at the desktop because it’s connected to the Internet and we all know what a distraction THAT can be. Instead, I have a many generations old IBM ThinkPad across the room that only has Word, Publisher and Excel loaded on it. That’s where I write. AND I back up to a flash drive just because I’m paranoid. So, okay, I have my Internet fix going gangbusters on my worksurface beneath the window, and my laptop smokin’ on the desk with my newest creation being formulated for Love Inspired.

Life is finally going good…

Until my laptop screen goes black. Oh, the computer is still working, the screen has just taken a break. Good for me I’ve become obsessive about saving my work. I hardboot the computer off (ouch) and walk away.

With tears in my eyes.

I love that computer.

The next day, I turn on the laptop and all my work is there! Thank you, Lord!! About a half hour into my writing, the screen goes black again.

Okay, forget this. I move over to mega computer with Internet. You really won’t believe this…I certainly can’t and I’m living it…the processor starts humming. It’s just a phase, right? I insert earplugs and keep writing. A week later, the entire computer is running slow as molasses. I’m so not believing this!!!

By now you’re probably thinking, doesn’t this woman know about anti-virus programs??
Yes, she does, thank you. I’m protected to the hilt.

Arrgghhhh! What’s a girl to do?

Eat chocolate.

Make chocolate chip cookies.

Buy a fudge chocolate cake.

When all those crumbs have been consumed, I’m ready for my next attack. Drum roll please….

AlphaSmart.

I hope y’all caught Debby Giusti’s post on November 20th. She is the master of the AlphaSmart. I’ve had mine for years, but with computers getting bigger, faster, and prettier, I had shelved Ol’ Reliable for Slick and Multi-functional.

Lucky for me, my AlphaSmart buddy doesn’t hold it against me. For the past two weeks, Alpha and I have been the best of friends. Really, we’re better than friends, we make great partners. Since I can’t edit on it, I’ve been averaging 1500-2000 words a day. I download to the molasses computer each night which gets backed up cyberly (is that a word?) each evening.

Heaven help me if Mozy backup ever crashes…

So, that’s the story of my writing life these past months. It’s just me, AlphaSmart, and Netbook.

Now, the moral of this story??

BACK UP YOUR WORK. OFTEN.

I manually back up my desktop harddrive to an external drive after each use. The thing holds a tigabyte of info so all my pictures, mss, and misc stuff is safe. I also use Mozy to back up all my work in cyberspace.

And flash drives?? I’ve got tons of them each dedicated to separate project.

Oh, and let’s not forget hardcopy.

Some may call me obsessive. Can you blame me?

I’ve asked for a brand new shiny computer for Christmas. Until then, I’m chugging along great in a very minimalistic manner, cranking out words for NaNoWriMo.

Spending very little time on the Internet.

Please Lord, no more calamities…

Okay, your turn. Have any computer disasters you’d like to share?? Any creative solutions? C’mon, let’s cleanse out all our computer frustrations today.

And today, I’m offering 2 – IOUs for Rocky Mountain Hero, my January 2011 debut book. Just leave a comment AND your email address to be included in the drawing. Check out WE to see if you’ve won!!

Happy writing, all!!