Category: Technology

Yakkity Yak!

4/18/2014

Hi everybody, and welcome to Yakkity Yack. Basically, this means that I have nothing specific to blog about, so this entry will be a scatter shot of musings on this and that. I did an entry like this over at Conure Corner a few weeks ago called “Chatter With Chloe” and it seemed to go over well, so we’ll see if I can be as entertaining as my female sun conure is.

Spring fever has hit in the Southeast. Everything is turning green again, if you can see it beyond the yellow pollen haze. I’ll take some sinus drainage to see the world come alive again. Problem is, people don’t seem to be doing so well on the “paying attention” front. They’re driving as badly as they do over the holidays, and I’ve noticed a general decline in attending to and following instructions. I know you guys have better things to do than work and stuff, but that’s being an adult, folks. We don’t get spring break, summer break, and chances to shut the brain off. That’s called retirement, and if you aren’t there yet, then you’re SOL. Suck it up and keep at it. You’ll be glad you did later when you don’t have to correct or redo everything that should already be done. Or when you’re insurance is still nice and low because you didn’t have that wreck from pulling out in front of traffic like you usually do. Yea, you saw that car coming. You just thought you were bigger and/or faster. That’s as dangerous as putting money in the vending machines at work. It’s like playing the slot machines. Sometimes you win and get something out, sometimes you don’t and bam! Crash. Your money’s gone and you’re standing there saying “what the hell?”

So pay attention, follow the directions, and you’ll do well. You can use the time and money you save on buying a tablet or combination tablet/laptop device, and figuring out how the heck it works. That seems to be all the craze these days. Truth be told, I still use my laptop more than my tablet, because of my writing. The tablet is great for checking email and reading books, and it’s also good if you just need to get on the Internet or want to play games. Problem is, you can’t create and modify documents on a tablet, which drives me to the laptop a lot. I did look at the combination devices at Best Buy a few weeks ago, but I’m not impressed. Not that I can afford one anyway, but they need to upgrade and do some work on those before I’m in. Ditto on the SmartWatches. Rick has his eye on these, but I’m not interested. Frankly, my phone is the smallest screen I can handle. And I really wonder if those are going to get people wearing watches again. Maybe. We’ll see.

I’m not one to jump on trends. I like to keep my eye on things to see how/if they last and what improvements are made. Any first version of tech has bugs to work out, and later versions are generally better and faster. I know my Nexus 7 is faster than Rick’s iPad. All of us Generation X and older should remember the VHS and Beta thing, you know. Or 8-track tapes and cassette tapes. We learned early that what’s popular may or may not work out long term. Let’s remember that lesson.

Two things that have impressed me are ebooks and streaming video. Thank God for those, because I’m already running out of storage space for books and DVD’s, and the house is only six and a half years old. Digital anything makes me happy. The only thing is that sometimes, paperbacks and DVD’s can be cheaper than the digital versions. You really have to watch out for that one, especially when buying TV series or new books by traditionally published authors. So the bookshelves will stay in our home, but hopefully we won’t be filling them up as fast as we once did. I tell you, Cloud storage is probably the best thing to happen since antibiotics and the Internet.

So, Easter is upon us again. You know, I have a pretty big problem with Easter. The problem is that the holiday is more pagan than religious. Even as a child, I couldn’t understand what eggs and bunnies had to do with Christ’s resurrection – and then I grew up and realized that they had nothing at all to do with Him and are symbols of old pagan fertility rituals. Even the word “easter” is a translation of the original name of Austron (or Eostre), a fertility goddess with roots at least back to Babylon and perhaps even Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, no wonder that creepy bunny freaked me out! I know, it’s kind of like my objection to Christmas angels not being true depictions of angels because they’re really warriors and don’t have time to sit on top of your Christmas trees (which are also pagan symbols). You think I’m being ridiculous and don’t want to hear it. Well, fine. Have your egg hunts. And when the easter demon comes for us , he’ll find you first. Cause I know what that bunny really is. Cadberry, my butt! I’ve got a devil’s trap for that darn rabbit!

OK, rant over. I refer to it as “The Resurrection” and will refrain from my complaints. Until next Easter, at least. And if you’re still with me, let’s move on.

Let’s get back to the sinus and allergy problems. I’ve been pretty lucky, but others haven’t. There’s been a lot of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever, runny nose, watery eyes, why-can’t-I-have-bird-sinuses- instead going around (really, birds have a much more effective respiratory system – I envy Zack and Chloe that!). They say it was the brutally cold winter that caused excessive pollination. Too bad the meth heads inspired the politicians to make antihistamine/decongestants neigh on impossible to obtain. I swear, it’s harder to get Claritin-D (or anything-D) than it was with a prescription. Not only do you get treated like a criminal at the pharmacy for having sinus woes, but they never restock, especially Allegra-D. It’s a constant source of irritation for Rick, because that’s what really helps him. And yet we suffer while meth labs are still running. If the people in charge didn’t learn from Breaking Bad that the criminals will find other ways to make it, they’re as dumb as bricks. Lift the restrictions. They’ll just rob a train or something. And us law-abiding citizens will still be sneezing all over you.

I think most of us do the best we can, and that can work out alright. In the end, it’s best to know what is and isn’t your business, and tend to what’s yours. It might not be glamorous or fascinating. It may even be boring. But if you pray and do what’s right, you’ll be fine, both on the journey and in the end. You never go wrong by doing right. Turning tricks, laying traps, and weaving webs of deception are how so many people get and stay in trouble. Manipulation and deceit make for entertaining fiction, but in reality nobody’s got time for that. Webs tangle, obscure, separate, and destroy, but shooting straight keeps everything clear, whether you’re in the desert, the valley, or the mountaintop.

Well, I think that’s enough yakking for today. If you want to know what’s going on in my head, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed it, because I’ll be back in my own little world doing rewrites on Rearview Mirror next week (and trying to find a better title for it, too). Yea, we’re going back there again. It’s great fun for me, at least.

Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

Evolution Trade Offs

2/10/2014

Of course, there is some tech that I’d hate to see die or, in some cases, I hated to see it go. I suppose being raised on the border between old ways and new ways gives you a unique perspective! For example, I hope we never fully lose:

Paperback books – I love ebooks, but every now and then, it’s nice to have a paperback in your hands. They’re easy to keep up with, and aren’t subject to the limitations of ebooks like battery supply, memory storage, or the “please shut down all electronic devices” on airplanes. Hardbacks are a pain, too expensive, and too much space, weight, and trouble, but paperbacks can, sometimes, be the best of all worlds. Sometimes.

Compact Discs and DVD’s – While I love streaming media and MP3’s, it’s often cheaper to get a DVD or a CD (especially of older things, or of TV series, which run sales on DVD’s but never on streaming video). CD’s are a good backup for data storage, too. Yes, flash drives and external hard drives are better and have more storage capacity, and Cloud backup is nearly limitless. But it’s still a good option have available from time to time.

FM/AM Radio – Satellite radio is great, but frankly I object to paying for radio – especially when I appreciate the local perspective, news, traffic, etc. I’d be perfectly OK with keeping the old fashioned radio just like it is.

Watches – fewer and fewer people are using them, but it’s still more convenient to check that than check your phone. Or maybe it’s because wearing a watch is a lifelong habit of mine that I can’t seem to break, especially when I have several that were gifts and have sentimental value.

And I mourn the passing of:

Typewriters – it isn’t often, but sometimes computers have their moments and I’m tempted to raid my parents’ attic for my old Fisher Price typewriter. Face it, we haven’t gone 100% digital yet, and sometimes typewriters could provide a good “cheat” to make things look neat.

Cassette Tapes – if I could convert my cassettes to MP3’s, I could easily quadruple my music collection! They skipped a step! No fair! And it’s so hard to find a cassette player now that they’re all but obsolete.

Polaroid Cameras – I know camera phones take the best pictures of all, but it was just neat to see that picture come out and develop right in front of your eyes. I had one as a teen and loved it!

Floppy Discs – they had pitiful storage capacity, but the neat thing about them was that you could get them in colors, and color code your backup data. It brought some zing to your backup files. Pink for writing, green for finance, red for personal files, blue for work related data …

Yes, technology is great, but you have to admit that sometimes the quaintness is lost in progress. Oh well. I suppose upgrading means trade offs with sentimental value. But we adapt, all the time.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good week.

Bye!

Evolution in Progress

2/7/2014

Last night, Rick watched the movie The Internship. If you don’t know, it’s a movie about a couple of middle age guys that are laid off from a sales job, and they get an internship at Google. I kept a casual eye on the movie while I was pushing Incursion through publication on Smashwords and Kindle Direct, and it didn’t take long for the strange connection between the movie and what I was doing to hit me.

I think members of Generation X are in a unique position in regards to the tremendous advancements in technology. I remember being shocked that Granddaddy didn’t know how to fast forward a cassette tape when I was kid, and now here I am 30 years later and cassettes are as obsolete as victrolas were to him back then. And I look forward to my nieces, who have grown up with computers and cell phones their whole lives. Soon, we’ll have a generation of people that don’t know how to answer a phone you don’t “swipe to answer.” Heck, I was watching It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas, and Chloe, my parrot, looked at me funny when the phone jingled, and the actors picked up a telephone receiver. I know several people of my parents’ generation that “don’t know how you’re supposed to answer this thing” because there’s no receiver to pick up. And here’s Generation X, right in the middle of it all. We’ve watched it develop. The first home computers came out in the 80’s when we were kids, and we never dreamed that they’d be a part of everyday life, both at home and at work, and that they’d integrate into so many devices we use everyday, like telephones.

We may be the last generation that remember the console televisions, record players, cassette tapes, Comodore 64’s, the original Apple computer, rotary telephones, life before microwaves, and having to get up to change the channel. We’ve watched the world evolve from arcades and Atari to Xbox and PS3. In one way it’s shocking, and in another it’s exciting to grow with technology. When I dreamed of being a writer as a kid, it was the whole “go through an agent/publisher and get a hardback or paperback published, then go on TV, radio, and book signings to promote.” Last night, I published a novella from my recliner with a pink laptop, wearing flowered pajamas. No agent required. And while I do have 2 publishers, that’s also handled completely online. It’s amazing. I went through the entire publication process for Blurry, Anywhere But Here, and Splinter online, and I’ve done all the promotion online too. The future is very different than what we imagined. We don’t have space cars, jet packs, or a cure for the common cold yet, but the Internet has entire world linked, and you can do almost anything from home, your office, or even your phone.

It’s amazing. I wonder what Granddaddy would think of my phone being a computer. He’d probably say the world’s gone crazy. And maybe it has, in a good way. Now I’m waiting for the next big thing – for laptops and tablets to be one in the same device. They already have “combination” devices that serve as both, but just wait. I bet within 5 years, there will be no differentiation between the two.

Yes, I believe I was born at just the right time. The new ways shock the baby boomers. The old ways seem ancient to millennium babies. But Generation X is the bridge between the old and the new. And to me, that’s just right. It’s been great to watch the world evolve, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

That’s all today. Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Bye!

Embracing The New

8/22/2013

We got new telephones with headsets at the office last week. If you’ve been watching my social media posts, you know that I had a bit of an issue when they announced the change because they mentioned “tethered headsets,” and visions of assimilation by the Borg (from Star Trek) ran through my head. It turns out that the headsets are wireless, so my fears of being bound to the desk by wires and cords were alleviated. In fact, I’ve found the headset to be quite nice this past week – especially since our call volume has picked up with exam registration for one of my programs nearing a deadline.

There are a few people that are taking a bit longer to adjust to the new headsets. Sure, it was a pain getting it adjusted, but once that was done, it’s kind of nice. I can look up files on the computer or even check our file cabinets without putting someone on hold. As you can see, it’s barely noticeable. And my neck doesn’t hurt at the end of the day anymore. I’m not sure why there are some that find it difficult. It’s certainly made working easier for me this past week. I think people are seeing the benefits of them now that they've had some time to adjust.

I'm pleasantly surprised at people taking to them this quickly. I'm used to hearing people complain about change and new technology. There are complaints about new systems, complaints about new ways, and complaints about "messing things up." People say they're afraid it will take them longer because they "don't know that way, but I think it has more to do with not wanting to change. They don’t have to make an adjustment, so they don’t want to. And while it’s optional, I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to try something that can make life easier for them.

The same goes for so many things. I’ve known people that refused to get computers for the same reason. I even knew a few people that refused to get cell phones until the city started removing pay phones from our area. They claimed they were scared they’d mess them up, but I think it’s the learning curve they feared more than anything. Learning how to use new things does require patience and dedication, and some people just don’t want to put forth the effort unless they’re forced to do it. It seems like laziness on their part, too. What they don’t realize is their refusal to learn is resulting in making their life harder, because it takes them twice as long to do it the old way. Change is the path to progress, and the reason these constant upgrades keep coming is because they’re saving time, energy, and frustration. Believe me, I know this from experience with going from a Department that had all paper files to a Department that’s all digital: I find things much faster with a few clicks in my database now than I did digging through file cabinets a few years ago. My productivity is much higher, and those new computer and tech skills are things I’ve taken to my writing, which as resulted in progressing over the years as well. Sometimes, you can apply it to your home life too, and that’s saving you time that you could spend on other things.

I don’t understand why people wouldn’t want to give something that can make life easier a chance. Taking the time now to learn something that makes me work faster and more efficiently is well worth the investment on the time it will save me later. Technology helps me to do so much more faster, better, and more efficiently. I certainly want to take advantage of anything that can help me. I know that this headset has literally saved me aches and pains this past week, and I like it. I’m not taking aspirin for that pain in my head, neck and shoulders that used to plague me on days when I was on the phone a lot nearly as much this past week. And because I feel better, I’ve accomplished a lot more at home and with my writing, too.

I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. If others want to grapple with paper files, rickety file cabinets, and receivers and cords, well, to each his own.

That’s all today. Have a great weekend.

Bye!

Old Technology

8/1/2013

I thought it was odd when Rick unhooked one of our upstairs TV's and put it on an antenna. He did it to get the weather station on local television that just shows Doplar radar. It doesn't have weather forecasts, or even a commentator. It's just a radar that shows rain in real time. But he uses it, all the time. Even with a weather app on his phone, he still turns on that station every time the weather looks like it's going to turn stormy. And he's able to tell a lot from it too - more than from the app.

I have to admit that I have no room to talk. I have a NOAA weather radio sitting on the vanity in the bedroom. I had to turn the alarm off because it scared the poop out of the birds one day when it went off while we were out. But I have to admit, it's useful to see those watch and warning lights and the scrolling messages. Sometimes that catches my eye when I'm passing through the room, when I've been too busy doing other things to keep an eye on the push notification on my phone. As much as we love technology, it seems that Rick and I are still hung up on old tech when it comes to getting the weather.

I don't know how many members of Generation X would admit it, but I bet many of us hang on to old tech in one way or another. We were, after all, the generation that was growing up while computers were going through their exponential growth phase. I love technology and can't deny that it's made life a lot easier, but there's some charm in the old ways. I grew up with my brother having a weather radio in the house and Rick grew up watching the radar stations. Yes, we love the weather apps on our phones and refer to it every day - but let some clouds run in and we like to double check with our tried and true favorites.

So be honest: how many of you have a closet full of cassette tapes? You may rarely use them, but I bet you don't want to let them go, either. Personally, I'm hoping they find a way to convert my tapes to MP3's one day. Our music collection would easily quadruple if we could do that. And maybe one day, it will be possible. There are services that can covert VHS tapes to DVD. Who knows what's next? It is fascinating, in a way. We grew up in a time where this was everyday life, and now we can't imagine how we made it that way.

So, what old tech are you holding on to? Be honest - you know it's something. That is, after all, why it's still around.

That's all today. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Bye!

The Shapeshifter Amongst Us

6/15/2013

In my last entry, I made the comment that it's impossible to know what the modern workplace is like because of the tremendous power of change. I'd like to expand on this comment in this entry, and muse over how this trend has the potential to leak out of the workplace and into other areas of life now.

It started with technology. Computers revolutionized the workplace, and there's no denying that it made drastic improvements. Frankly, I can't imagine how people of previous generations ran an effective office with things as archaic as file cabinets and typewriters. They managed, but now we're moving at the speed of light, at least in offices. I remember a colleague once saying "remember when we sent out notification letters? It would take a week or more for people to reply to them now. Now it's notification emails and thanks to smartphones, our own phones blow up within seconds of hitting "send." It's true. Things move faster now, and they have more ways in than ever. Is it a good thing? All in all, probably so. Things get done faster and have the potential to get done more efficiently. But notice the adjective that's more active than the actual verb in that sentence: potential. Because efficiency depends largely on effective and (most importantly) wise implementation. And this requires having people that make sound decisions and are willing to learn and grow with the changes this improvement brings.

Yes, technology is ever changing, and it requires people in the workforce to keep changing with it. Nothing stays the same, and now we're morphing with the speed of development. You always have to be willing to grow and learn, to embrace new things and let go of old things that might be comforting, but are no longer effective. The good new is that this change, when done with pure motives and right intentions, is the path to progress. You learn, you grow, and hopefully you take those lessons into your personal life and see what you gained continue to bless your life.

Ah, but there's another side to this, and here's the catch. This is where the shapeshifter comes into play, because the constant change in the workplace started with technology, but it oozed it's hand into other aspects of the workplace as well. Changes in how things are done require changes in management, changes in staff, changes in operations. It doesn't stop with the machines. Integrating the machines changes the people, and the way people operate. It means that we must not only adapt to how the machines help us to do our work better, but we also must embrace how the machines change the human element of the workplace. And this, folks, is where we run into issues, because machines don't have a mind and will of their own, but people do, and they aren't afraid to use it. For better or for worse, and sadly, the tendency to react rather than reflect and act in faith means that this element is subject to lots of rash decisions and acts that aren't always conductive to progress.

I've come to realize that there are two kinds of change. The first kind is the progressive kind that I discussed above. An opportunity opens and it's given thoughtful deliberation and consideration. People take advantage of that opportunity and more opportunities arise from it. Yes, it's hard and it requires change, learning new things, and forging into new areas, but the hard work is worth it and beyond the growning pains come progress that lead to a "golden age" of productivity and success. This is the kind of change we should always embrace, and that we shouldn't fear. Yes, it takes hard work to do new things, but the work of laying that solid foundation pays off when you build something that's stronger and better for a new day. Often, the things you learn from these "hard seasons of growth" can be implemented into other areas of life which spurs more growth and more blessing. It can have a chain reaction. One example of this: My office move 3 years ago gave me the courage and strength to start the process of becoming an independent author. The trials I went through getting those programs moved opened my eyes to every area of life, and I realized that I had spent a lot of years submitting my writing to traditional publishers in a sinking economy that had bolted their doors closed to new authors and weren't listening. "If they stop listening, stop talking," someone advised me around that time (of a different situation, but ...) and one day I stumbled upon a CNN article about how ebooks were outselling hardbacks and the light went off. I dug in to edit and revamp my approach, submitted to epublishers and mixed in some self publishing, and now 3 years and 7 books later, I finally have the foundation laid that I was waiting for someone else to do for far too long. I lost my fear of taking chances, I found the courage to make bold moves of faith on my own, and I finally got the ball rolling on the progress I had prayed for. That success gave me the courage to stand firm, to learn what I needed to learn, and to work with others to make the move successful, and it was. Progressive change at work had a 2 for 1 special in my life: the work move was successful despite setbacks and challenges along the way, and I got established as an independent author.

Ah, but there's another kind of change, and sadly I see it in my life now. It's change born of fear, and this is almost always detrimental. Sadly, progressive change usually gives way to this. Things move along well and people are happy with how it's going, but then something happens that changes some element that everybody was comfortable with. Usually, it has to do with setbacks, challenges, changes in leadership, or an unexpected loss of some sort. People get scared and react. Instead of asking "okay, what can we do to stabilize the situation and are there any opportunities from this, no matter how small, that we can seize and use to rebuild?" they ask "how do we protect ourselves." The motives shift from purity (doing better) to selfish (save me!), and that's the road to destruction. Change is not about progress, but about re-establishing control, protecting the "status quo," and preventing more damage. This is where you run into trouble, because damage control is never productive and that's looking at the situation from the wrong end. I think we all remember Yoda's logic in Star Wars Episode 1 - "fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side." That's not fiction; it's face. People get scared and they react. Then they get mad because things aren't working out. Then the anger replaces all semblance of reason, and it becomes a battle. As Loki so eloquently put it in The Avengers, freedom leads to a mad scramble of power. Yep, he had a grain of truth there too. It's scary.

Take it from one that's seeing it unfold. There are changes afoot in an area of my life now, and I find myself surrounded by a lot of fear. It's disturbing. I find myself pondering a lot of things, but foremost amongst them is protecting the progress I've worked so hard to achieve over the past few years. An emerging culture of fear could well do that, at least in this one area, and that means that a fight is on. It might already be on, because these spiritual things are a whole different battlefield. That's one song I do not want to sing another verse of in my life. I pray over it a lot, because I don't want to become another soldier of fear. I'm determined to stand firm and to protect the progress I've made. Fear is the devil's best tool, and by the power of Christ I will stand. I pray such courage will spread to others as well. That's a good infection that we desperately need.

Change will happen, and it can be tough to discern whether you're seeing the progressive or the destructive kind. All change is scary because it usually means challenges, hard work, sacrifice, and learning. Growth is hard because it stretches us to new places, but in the end it's good. And destruction also hurts because, well, it's supposed to hurt. There's nothing good about it and being torn down is a catalyst to find some courage and fight against whatever is trying to undo the progress you've done. In the end, you have to keep your head about you and discern the motives for the change. Pray, meditate, dig deep, ask questions, ponder the situation, and find out if the motive is pure. If it is, then you're being called upon to grow and it's a challenge and an opportunity to accept. If it's born of fear, sharpen your sword and get ready to fight because it's on like Donkey Kong, and you better be ready to stand firm or you'll get smashed by barrels of defeat.

And with that dated and somewhat lame analogy, I will call the point made and the entry done. I hope you have a great weekend and that all of you dad's out there have a Happy Father's Day tomorrow.

Bye!

Writing Advice I Do Take

6/3/2012

Ok everybody, I'd like to offer up the entry I promised a week ago about writing advice I do take. I may be a rebel and I certainly insist on doing things my way, but there are some things that are actually good tips. For example:

1.    Identify a ninch market to target. The most common mistake writers make is aiming at an audience that's too wide. I know that targeting, say, women in the 20-45 age range seems like a good idea, but the fact is that the wider your target, the less likely you are to hit it. This isn't the firing or archery range - it's reality, and reality means that, unless you're a celebrity, it's really best to find a small segment to serve, and build from there. Anybody can be a one-hit-wonder. It takes more to build up an audience - and a reputation - from the ground up, and this is more stable. That doesn't mean that your hands are bound - simply that you focus on a certain demographic. for example, I write across a number of genres, but I focus on ebooks. So my writing is more suited for young to middle age adults that are tech savy and very "plugged in." And from here, I hope to conquer the world.

2.    Set aside time to write. You have to, or everything else in life will take over. And let me be very frank with you: People in general think that writing is easy and that there's nothing to it. Nothing can be further from the truth, and you and I know that - but we all know that there are lots of people that have opinions about things they really know nothing about, and this is one of them. Only you know how much time and effort it takes to brainstorm, plan, research and write that dream novel. Others can support you, but unless they're writers, they have no idea what it's like, so you're going to have to put your foot down and make this work if you're serious about it. And when it comes to scheduling that writing time, you can have some flexibility in there. For example, I simply can't say I'll write for 2 hours every day. With my lifestyle, that's not gonna happen (we discussed that about a week ago, and how all hell broke loose when I tried that one time). But I can say I'll write after work two nights this week, or I'll take my laptop to work and write on 1 lunch hour, or I'll do 2 chapters next weekend. That's doable. So make a schedule that fits best with your life and stick to it. And don't worry - the schedule can change, as long as you have some time penciled in for "writing" every few days.

3.    Use technology to your advantage. You have to. Anybody that knows me will tell you that my 2 best friends are my smartphone and my laptop. As I said in So You Want to Be a Writer, the days of slipping a beautifully handwritten manuscript over the publisher's transom are over. Everybody expects typed submissions, and they're increasingly requesting that they be submitted digitally with explicit formatting instructions. Everybody expects you to have an email address, blog and website. Everybody expects you to be on social media - Facebook or Twitter at a minimum. You can say "I don't do computer!" and "I don't need all that high tech mess!" all day, but foresake these, and you foresake an audience. This is the twenty first century and it's not going away - in fact, all of life is shifting in that direction. So do yourself a favor and accept that if you want to be a writer, you have to snuggle up with technology.

4.    Educate yourself. I said in my entry last week that I don't really have to means to attend conferences, but I have studied up on the craft of writing. I've read books on how to write, brushed up on grammer rules, familiarized myself with the publication process, and even took a couple of courses by computer. There are many ways to learn, and it's wise to take advantage of every opportunity you can.

5.    Remember that your editor is your friend. So is everybody in the publication process, from the submissions editor to the graphic artist to the sales and publicity staff. Be kind, accept their guidance, and establish good working relationships with everybody. Remember, they have faith in your writing and they're trying to help you as an author. Help and support them as publishers by being kind and easy to work with - and saying "thank you" a lot.

6.    It's all about the readers. We write because we love it, but we pursue publication because we hope o ur stories will entertain, inspire, and bring joy to readers. If you're doing this for any other reason, examine your motives.

7.    Don't give up. Dry spells happen. I'm getting published now, but did you know that I went through a 3 year dry spell before I got my book contracts for Blurry and Anywhere But Here last year? That's right - I had absolutely nothing published in 2007 - 2010. I even had a contract for Quarantine fall through in 2009 when the publisher offered me a contract, then filed for bankrupcy before it ever went to print. But I'm glad I didn't give up, because I wrote both of those books and Splinter during that time frame, and now 2 of those books are published and I just signed a contract to publish Splinter through Whiskey Creek Press. And I self published Quarantine because I couldn't find any other publisher willing to take on a novella, so I finally decided to quit looking, do it myself, and move on to promoting my work and producing new work. Writing, like anything else in life, has it's ups and downs. And like everything else, you have to ride out those waves and learn from your experiences to break through to success.

So there you have it - seven tips that I use in my own endeavors to writing and publishing. I hope these are helpful and inspirational to you, and they give you a framework for defining your own path to success.

That's all today. Take care and I hope you have a good week.

Bye!

Technology and Life

3/15/2012

Being a member of Generation X puts me in a unique position to see the divide between how the generations view and use technology. Having watched technology integrate into everyday life puts my generation right at the crossroads of the “I don’t do computer” Baby Boomer generation and the “what’s a record player?” Generation Y.

It’s an interesting place to be. I had a record player as a child, although they were replaced by cassette tapes and CD’s by the time I was in middle school. There were still chalkboards in my classrooms, although they were being abandoned for overhead projectors by high school. I hand wrote my papers until I started college in the fall of 1993, where professors required that all papers be typed and printed on at least a dot-matrix printer. And I heard my first cell phone go off in public when I was sitting in a class my senior year in college during the fall of 1996.

We have come a long way. It’s hard to believe there’s a device for everything, and they keep developing new things and coming up with improvements on the old. Now laptops are lighter and faster, and are being slowly replaced by tablets. Books now come on e-readers and phones are smart. I remember a conversation I had recently with a person in their 50’s that was lamenting on how complicated things are. “I don’t need a phone smarter than I am,” she griped, “just make and take calls. That’s it.”

“I don’t know,” I said, “sometimes I need for my phone to be smarter than me so it can keep me from looking stupid.”

She didn’t seem to understand that was the point of a smartphone – to keep you organized so you don’t look like a blithering idiot because you were late for a meeting (or worse yet, forgot about it), or because you didn’t get the e-mail that went out 2 minutes ago while you were dashing up the stairs. To her, it was all a pain in the rear.

Personally, I feel technology has made my life better. I long ago determined that the most crucial tools in my life are my laptop and my smartphone. The laptop because I deal with a lot of documents and it keeps them all in one place and makes them easier to access, and the smartphone because the multiple functions keep me organized and give me up to the minute news and information when I need it. I don’t have to dig through file cabinets or track down a newspaper or television to find what I need. And after years of juggling paper in school I can say from experience that the less paper I have taking up space and giving me papercuts all over my hands, the better. A 5 pound laptop is nothing to carry around when I’m used to handling 30+ pound bird cages anyway.

I do understand the concern that we’re getting too dependent on technology, and am glad I was raised in a generation that learned the “old way” and “new way” parallel to each other. I have nothing against file cabinets, calendars, or newspapers. The digital way just seems more efficient and easier to manage to me. In the end it’s a matter of personal preference.

The digital world isn’t going away – in fact, it will continue to grow – but using it is a personal preference. There will always be holdouts and that’s their choice. For all the talk of going paperless, I don’t think it’s going to happen, at least during my lifetime. There are too many holdouts that cling to the old ways. Heck, I know people my own age that don’t own a computer and refuse to use anything more than a very basic cell phone. But at least we have a choice, and choices are good. We just have to be patient with one another and respect those choices as the world continues to evolve in the digital age.

That’s all for today. Happy Friday to you tomorrow and I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Technology in Writing - Good Idea or Bad Idea?

1/13/2012

Last month, an interviewer asked me how I deal with the issue of technology in my writing. Specifically, they asked if I had concerns that including computers, cell phones, and other technological advances would "date" my work too quickly. My answer to this question was that technology is such an integral part of our real day to day lives that we can't afford to ignore it. In fact, I believe that not including technology runs the risk of dating your work by making it seem more antiquitated than it really is from the start. So I choose to use it, and in fact it's such an integral part of my books that I hope readers will grant me the grace of being as patient with this evolving nature of our lives in fantasy as they are in reality.

That's well enough, but as I was working on an article for the Mystery Readers and Working Writers Newsletter, I began to look at the issue from the other end and wonder: Am I as understanding of this issue as a reader as I am as a writer? The truth is, I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, and only started reading mysteries myself in the past 3 years. Fantasy typically shuns technology in favor of magic, and sci-fi is so inventive that I can stretch my mind to imagine any number of advances for the setting. But I wonder how I'll fare as I continue to read in the mystery genre and find myself in that place as a reader where the characters are using devices that were updated last month. I'd like to say I'll be as patient as I hope my own readers would be but can't help but ponder when, say, I pick up Die Softly, by Christopher Pike, and wonder how that story would unfold now that cameras have gone digital and every home has a computer (or 2, or 3, and who knows how many mobile devices). Or Whisper of Death (also by Christopher Pike) and wonder how that story would have unfolded if they found those short stories foretelling their deaths on an e-reader instead of a notebook.I still love these books (and believe it or not, I pluck them off my shelf and re-read them typically once a year or so), but I can't help but ponder how those plots would have developed with some of our modern advances.

Maybe that's not a bad thing. In fact, it might be good for our imagination by helping writers imagine twists on some of those old plots, and readers to keep them interested not only in the new things coming out but the older things that inspired them. For example, I'm sure I noticed that I mentioned 2 Christopher Pike books in the last paragraph. He was my favorite YA writer when I was in my teens, and I credit his work for being a huge influence on the development of Blurry and even my upcoming book, Anywhere But Here (although that is an adult novel).

It's an interesting question to ponder and I'd like to pose it to readers. How do you feel about including technology in writing? Good idea? Bad idea? Or the unavoidable pink elephant in the room that each individual has to decide whether to address or ignore?

Happy Friday everybody, and I hope you have an outstanding weekend.

Bye!