Virtual Inkslinging

Automated interruptions

2006-07-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

So much for a productive evening of writing/rewriting. Around midnight a warning popped up saying my computer had installed updates and would automatically reboot in 4 minutes and some odd seconds, giving me the option to reboot now or reboot later. (I'm not sure if my auto update preferences were set to midnight or if the date change triggered the install...I knew the update was waiting, but had forgotten to install it between tasks.) Wanting to get it out of the way, I saved my work and rebooted with the expectation of getting straight back to work.

And I did until the next interruption. My son warned me to keep an eye on an elderly neighbor's house because a suspicious vehicle had stopped and someone knocked on their door. So, now I'm jumping up to look out the window every time I hear a car or the dogs bark.

Despite those interruptions, I attempted to continue. Then the cat interrupted me. Among other things, she insists on sitting on my lap while I'm working. She walks across the keyboard, rubs her head against the monitor, sprawls across the desk, and sends cat hair flying when she scratches.

Slash and burn

2006-07-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

I'm more than a month behind with my revision goals. Aside from my outside editing work, I accomplished little in June. Progress hasn't been much better this month. In slash in burn mode, I've cut more than 4,000 words in the last week. I expect to slash another 5,000 or so with ease, perhaps more. It's difficult to measure progress as I've been adding and deleting text in the same pass--hardly the most efficient method, but it's progress of sorts. (Word count is a poor measure of progress; it's just the easiest to gauge.)

It'll be at least another week before I shift to rebuilding/remodeling mode....

Tedious task

2006-05-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

Meant to attend a local writers' group meeting this evening but decided it wasn't the best use of my time. Instead, I completed the task I'd begun earlier in the day: summarizing each plot point on an index card--an extremely tedious task. Index cards help me visualize and organize the story line without getting sidetracked by the actual text.

I'm considering transcribing story notes on index cards, though I'm not sure it's worth the effort. I need to sift through the numerous "what if" scenarios that popped up during previous revisions and accept or discard the scenarios.

Blank slate

2006-05-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

Fear and anxiety creep in as I prepare to revise my ms. Even with a complete draft, I'm essentially facing a blank slate with endless possibilities. For me, fiction's creative infinity can overwhelm or cripple the writing and rewriting process. To succeed, I must approach revision as a process of defining limits. Once I've defined the limits, I can focus on refinement.

I'll consider this project my summer experiment; should the experiment fail, I'll adjust the parameters and variables and proceed with the next trial.

Worst case scenario: I'll dust my clips and revert to nonfiction.

Loose ends

2006-05-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

I've nearly tied up all my loose ends--my paperwork is complete except the last financial report. The data must be transferred to the correct form, which I don't have--thought I did but it's not the right one. I'll take care of that on Tuesday.

Searching for the elusive form required cleaning my office further. I tossed a bunch of paperwork, shredded another bunch, and consolidated other bunches. I meant to organize the paperwork but quickly became frustrated. I'll tackle the shuffled piles another day, perhaps during an electrical storm....

While cleaning, I unearthed an old business plan that includes fiction and nonfiction action plans plus a list of goals, half of which I've since accomplished. I'll update the plan to include an editing action plan. As for the goals, I'll let them stand. It'd be nice to accomplish my existing goals before adding new ones. My current goal: join Mystery Writers of America. An affiliate membership will suffice until I qualify for active membership.

Dodging thunderstorms

2006-05-27T00:50:00.000-05:00

Thunderstorms disrupted my work plans. The volatile summer weather makes me wish I had a laptop. I'm considering an AlphaSmart as a low-cost, bad-weather alternative, though I'm not sure it would increase my productivity given my atrocious typing skills on a standard keyboard. The limited display is another concern; I'd be less likely to overedit, but I'd be more likely to lose sight of the big picture. A cheap laptop might be a better option. We'll see....

Despite the weather, I completed a financial report. Big relief--everything balanced! I'm down to one financial report, several forms, a year-end report, and three chapters to edit. The paperwork will be complete by June 1, but the editing will take longer because I haven't received all the material. With exception of the editing, I'm on target to begin other projects on June 1.

Plan of action

2006-05-24T22:49:00.000-05:00

My time is almost my own. As much as I'd like to procrastinate until my June 15 deadline, I'm imposing a deadline of June 1 for wrapping up loose ends and moving on. Bumping up the deadline gives me two months to work on pet projects before the insanity resumes. I'm tired of working on financial and year-end reports. A change of pace will be a reward in itself.

Brain Age

2006-05-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

My latest form of procrastination: Brain Age, a Nintendo DS game purported to sharpen one's mind. I've yet to achieve the ideal brain age of 20, though I've come close.

On my first attempt I scored a brain age in the mid-50s; however, first attempts produce unreliable results for people with poor handwriting and poor enunciation. Even with practice I've had trouble with the software not recognizing my handwriting and speech. The software rarely recognizes my pronunciation of blue and often has trouble recognizing yellow. The software doesn't like fast readers or writers either. Even so, it's an enjoyable, although sometimes frustrating, diversion. No doubt I'll lose interest once I've unlocked the remaining games and solved all the Sudoku puzzles.

Frustration

2006-05-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

I hate weeks like this--weeks where I'm stuck waiting for other people to act. I've kept busy all week yet haven't crossed anything off my to-do list. Forms and reports are partially completed. Several event plans are in limbo, which in turn delays a newsletter and the printing of event programs. Proofreading is on hold until an author verifies a transcription matter. And so it goes....

A self-inflicted computer problem caused further frustration...and wasted half a day. I hadn't downloaded digital pictures since I'd uninstalled my camera software, which had slowed my computer's start up/shut down process and conflicted with my antivirus/firewall software. Not thinking, I downloaded about 300 pictures into Photoshop. Big mistake! The download filled 12 gig of disk space and needed more, triggering a critical disk error. Not fun and not a mistake I'll repeat. As JPG files, the pictures required relatively little space.

Now I'm tempted to install a larger hard drive, but at this point, it would serve as a form of procrastination more than anything. It can wait until it becomes a necessity. By then I'll likely be due for a new computer instead. That's worth waiting for!

Still running on empty

2006-04-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

Lack of sleep continues to be a problem; my internal clock has shifted further off kilter from the 9-5 world. Caffeine barely keeps me going, while at the same time perpetuates the viscious cycle--

I don't believe it. Our male cat just peed on a partially assembled jigsaw! My daughter placed the puzzle board on the floor instead of the table so the clumsy female cat wouldn't scatter (or steal) the pieces. To make matters worse, as tired as I am, when I attempted to dump the urine soaked pieces in the trash, a bunch missed the can and scattered everywhere, which means I need to shampoo the carpet too--the puzzle board wouldn't fit through the kitchen door so I brought the trash can in the dining room. Oh, these stupid, stupid animals...pets are supposed to reduce stress, not increase it.

Now I'm too mad to sleep!

Running on fumes

2006-04-22T00:40:00.000-05:00

I'm exhausted yet can't sleep: too much on my mind, too much to be done, and too little energy. My office remains a wreck; it's slightly cleaner and less cluttered but far from clean or clutter free. I'll tackle the mess eventually--though I certainly won't lose any sleep over the mess!

Hmm, not sure what keys I just hit but I activated some sticky keys feature. Not sure how the feature works or why I'd want to use it so I hit cancel.

I hate when I'm too tired to sleep but not alert enough to accomplish anything worthwhile, such as editing the textbook chapter that arrived today. It's a long chapter but should go faster than others of similar length. A cursory glance reveals mostly formatting and style issues. The citation style is unusual compared to the other chapters: inline citations with roman numeral endnotes, yet the endnote text consists of ellipses and the text appears elsewhere in a numbered list. I suspect the author unsuccessfully attempted to convert the endnotes to footnotes. If I'm lucky I can cut and paste the notes and automatically convert them to footnotes. I'll tackle that mess tomorrow when I'm better rested.

I need to focus on my paying work, but the neverending volunteer work is preventing me from sleeping well. Between the meetings, financial reports, e-mails, newsletters, event planning, Web site updates, etc., there's no catching up--someone or something always needs attention. It's overwhelming.

Slow going

2006-04-12T23:35:00.000-05:00

Sigh...I'm still in cleaning and decluttering mode. After three grocery sacks of magazines, I had to take a break from culling magazines. I've since discarded another sack--double-bagged, of course--and expect to toss another half a bag or more. I'm down to hobby, regional, business, and computer magazines. Oh, and several newsletters and association pubs.

I've finished sorting and rearranging my books. I hate parting with books, but I managed to fill a couple boxes to donate to the library or Salvation Army. I'm now able to squeeze the remaining books on my bookshelves; before many were stacked on the floor, on tables, under the bed, etc.

I've shredded countless papers--the piles of paperwork are a seemingly bottomless pit. Culling magazines is far easier. The paperwork will take forever...or so it seems. Sigh....

Small dent

2006-04-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

The magazine culling is slow going. Today I tackled the piles of Time, Newsweek, Parents, Family Fun, Parenting, and half of the Family Circles. I've reboxed the piles of Smithsonian, Writer's Digest, British Heritage, In Britain, etc. Still many magazines to sort through; more may await in an inacessible large box. I'm making progress albeit it slowly. Tonight's task: the remaining Family Circles and perhaps the Woman's Days.

Clutter control

2006-04-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

I'm regretting the decision to clean my office. Too much needs to be done.

It'll take weeks to complete the entire task properly. Heck, it'll take days just to complete the first tedious task: culling magazines. My goal is to keep a sample of each target publication--more copies if it's a relatively obscure pub that the local library doesn't carry. I'm clipping potential research material and sample columns/departments; ideally, the clipped material will be neatly filed, but first I must purge my files to make room for new material...realistically, the material will become clutter itself. Clipping is time consuming and boring. But it's the lesser of evils. The worst tasks are yet to come....

Time lapse

2006-04-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

The past four months slipped by too quickly--and without a single blog post. I'm terrible about losing track of time. I suppose it's a side effect or symptom of procrastination....

Anyway, while rearranging my office furniture and sifting through the clutter, I found a quote that applies to my manuscript revision:

"When overwhelmed and confused, it is easy to quit the project. The solution is to break up the manuscript into many small easy-to-attack chunks (and never start at page one, where the hill looks steepest). Then concentrate on one section at a time and do a thorough job on each."

--Dan Poynter, self-publishing guru

Although the advice isn't new, the reminder is always reassuring, and the same strategy could be applied to my ongoing office decluttering. (I'm tempted to stash the remaining mess instead of sifting through everything!) My task for the evening: weed out magazines.

2005 NaNoWriMo Wrap-Up

2005-11-25T18:51:00.000-05:00

Here are the icons for the 2005 NaNoWriMo Winners. I like the design of the first one better, though it could use a splash of color.

No, I don't work here

2005-10-22T15:05:00.000-05:00

I visited six stores today, most of them in search of a replacement ergo keyboard. At three of the stores, customers mistook me for an employee. At Staples, it was an easy mistake as I was wearing a red shirt. But that doesn't explain the other occurences. In one store, it happened twice! I must look like helpful person or something. Or maybe it was the look of frustration that confused them...I hit Staples, Circuit City, and Office Depot before finding the keyboard I wanted at Office Max. And even Office Max didn't have a model on display. The staff helped me open a box so I could test the keyboard before purchasing it. Some stores wouldn't have done that.

It'll take time to get used to the feel of this keyboard. It's the MS Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000--all the other stores only had the older model, in white, no less. I miss my touchpad and the feel of my old keyboard. More than anything, I miss the large enter key, but this MS 4000 model is far nicer than the older MS ergos. I love the zoom feature and the handy shortcut keys, especially the calucaltor button. Some of the keys I'll never use, but it's nice to know they are there if I need them. I need to read the help file to see if I can reprogram the mail button, which opens Outlook; I prefer using Outlook Express.

For now, I've removed the 7-degree reverse slope attachement. I'll give it a try after my fingers have acclimated themselves to the feel of the keys. They have a week prep time for NaNo.

It's such a relief to ditch my backup standard keyboard. I spent more time than usual correcting dyslexic typing errors. At least with an ergo, my long fingers don't trip over themselves as frequently.

Book-hunter classifications

2005-10-19T22:18:00.000-05:00

An excerpt from The Book-Hunter, written by Scottish historian John Hill Burton (1809-1889), first published in 1860.

To afford the reader, however, an opportunity of noting at a glance the appropriate learned terms applicable to the different sets of persons who meddle with books, I subjoin the following definitions, as rendered in D'Israeli's Curiosities, from the Chasse aux Bibliographes et aux Antiquaires mal avisés of Jean Joseph Rive:--

"A bibliognoste, from the Greek, is one knowing in title-pages and colophons, and in editions; the place and year when printed; the presses whence issued; and all the minutiæ of a book."--"A bibliographe is a describer of books and other literary arrangements."--"A bibliomane is an indiscriminate accumulator, who blunders faster than he buys, cock-brained and purse-heavy."--"A bibliophile, the lover of books, is the only one in the class who appears to read them for his own pleasure."--"A bibliotaphe buries his books, by keeping them under lock, or framing them in glass-cases."

The accurate Peignot, after accepting of this classification with high admiration of its simplicity and exhaustiveness, is seized in his supplementary volume with a misgiving in the matter of the bibliotaphe, explaining that it ought to be translated as a grave of books, and that the proper technical expression for the performer referred to by Rive, is bibliothapt. He adds to the nomenclature bibliolyte, as a destroyer of books; bibliologue, one who discourses about books; bibliotacte, a classifier of books; and bibliopée, "l'art d'écrire ou decomposer des livres," or, as the unlearned would say, the function of an author. Of the dignity with which this writer can invest the objects of his nomenclature, take the following specimen from his description of the bibliographe:--

Blingo search engine

2005-10-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

Just learned of a new search engine, Blingo, which is affiliated with Google. Blingo gives you 10 chances per day to win prizes, and if your friends win, you win the same prize. I tried to paste a button here, but it won't paste beyond target equals top, and the referral code is a nuisance to type.

Odd book titles

2005-10-07T23:54:00.000-05:00

This week I came across a few unusual book titles while proofreading for Distributed Proofreaders. The first : Men's Sewed Straw Hats by the US Tariff Commission. I wonder if there's another edition for woven hats and what not...although, it's hard to believe there's an entire book about taxing straw hats. Another odd title: Hemp hurds as paper-making materials. I didn't read the text, but the summary says you can make paper from the flax-like material in hemp. And the last one: A Treatise on the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful. I'm guessing it's about religious faith, rather than infidelity; whatever the content, I'm sure there's heavy religious overtones. Many of the old texts preach morality. For instance, I proofed a book-length essay called Usury which used frequent Bible citations as evidence of the evils of usury.

NaNoWriMo sign-ups begin

2005-10-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

The NaNoWriMo site must be inundated with registrations. Earlier today, I had trouble signing up, and this evening the server is down.

NaNoWriMo 2005

2005-09-30T23:18:00.000-05:00

Registration for National Novel Writing Month begins Oct. 1; the event begins Nov. 1. Haven't decided if I'll sign up this year. It's pretty easy to hit 50K in a month, but, in my experience, little will be salvagable. More than anything, it's a good exercise in self-discipline--reason enough to sign up, I suppose. NaNoWriMo gives me a good excuse to scale back on the volunteer work that's consumed my designated writing time. Although, the time might be better spend on my current manuscript revisions....

Problem neighbors

2005-09-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

No matter what state or country we live in, there's alway at least one problem neighbor. My list of annoying neighbors includes:

An obsessive-compulsive woman, living in the apartment above us, who repeatedly slammed her front door which was adjacent to my children's bedroom. The door slamming was followed by lock checking. She repeated the cycle of door slamming and lock checking until she was satified the door was securely locked. Repeated cabinet slamming followed soon after. Our pleas for her to stop waking the baby were ignored. Instead, she'd cram over-ripened bananas through our mail slot--a well-intentioned gesture that we didn't appreciate, especially when the unwanted gifts landed out-of-site.
A young woman with the morals of an alley cat, who expected us to babysit without advance notice.
A group of college guys who put Animal House to shame.
An overweight, peroxide blonde stripper with rotten teeth, who liked to parade around in next to nothing. The maintenance men loved her until she skipped out on the rent.
A twenty-something troublemaker who convinced an elderly neighbor that he belonged to his gang. The boy scammed the man out of a bunch of money and even accompanied him to the bank to ensure that he paid the money he supposedly owed. Fortunately, the bank notified the family that something was wrong. And things were much worse than anyone imagined. The boy and his fellow gang members forced the old man to drive them around town in the middle of the night. No doubt he unwittingly aided and abetted their criminal activities. What's really sad is that the man told the police the hoodlums were his friends. His family had to put him in a nursing home so he'd be safe. The old man, who probably served as a getaway driver, is essentially imprisoned in a nursing home, while his gang "friends" are free to take advantage of others.

Most of our problem neighbors were merely annoying. We never expected to find strippers or criminals living in middle-class neighborhoods....

Old beer tax rules

2005-09-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

A snippet from One Hundred Years of Brewing (1903):

The Internal Revenue Department had decided the question as to the legality of taxing beer drunk by brewery employes in the following words:

Beer drunk by men regularly employed in a brewery during their work, when the same is drunk by them in the cellars or vaults connected with the brewery, but has not been removed therefrom, is not subject to tax, and the vessel containing the same need not be stamped, unless the brewer receives a consideration for the same. If the beer be given to the men as a part of their wages, or as an inducement for them to work for less wages than they would otherwise demand, it amounts to a sale and the beer is liable to a tax.

Old health advice

2005-09-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

Here's an excerpt from a children's health textbook published in 1888 titled First Book in Physiology and Hygiene, written by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of cornflakes.

7. Eating too many Kinds of Foods.--Children should avoid eating freely of flesh meats.They ought also to avoid eating all highly-seasoned dishes, and taking too many kinds of food at a meal. A simple diet is much the more healthful. Milk and grain foods, as oatmeal, cracked wheat, graham bread, with such delicious fruits as apples, pears, and grapes, are much the best food for children.

8. Avoid Use of Cold Foods.--We ought not to take very cold foods or liquids with our meals. Cold foods, ice-water, and other iced drinks make the stomach so cold that it cannot digest the food. For this reason it is very harmful to drink iced water or iced tea, or to eat ice-cream at meals. These things are injurious to us at any time, but they do the greatest amount of harm when taken with the food.

9. Things sometimes Eaten which are not Foods.--Things which are not foods are often used as foods, such as mustard, pepper, and the various kinds of seasonings. Soda, saleratus, and baking-powders also belong to this class. All of these substances are more or less harmful, particularly mustard, pepper, and hot sauces.
(Note: This book is public domain.)

Katrina spares S.S. Hurricane Camille

2005-09-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

Friends from Gulfport report the S.S. Hurricane Camille, a boat that washed ashore during Hurricane Camille, remains landlocked along Hwy. 90. Hurricane Katrina destroyed most everything around it, but left the Camille untouched. A bit ironic, Mother Nature's mercurial hand...Katrina flattened antebellum homes and museums yet left an essentially worthless old boat standing.

You get what you pay for

2005-09-05T00:46:00.000-05:00

I finally browsed the contents of my Adobe disks and still couldn't find the clipart. A visit to the Adobe site revealed that the educational version of the software doesn't come with the clipart and stock photos. If I want those I have to fork over another $450!

Pesky critter redux

2005-09-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

The bug that devoured my tomato plants is similar to this one--I caught two of them on my remaining plants before they did much harm. The previous culprit was fatter and I don't believe it had the pointy appendage.

Writing habits then and now

2005-08-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

Tidbits culled from Mary A. Roe's 1899 biography, E.P. Roe: Reminiscences of His Life:

According to E.P. Roe, a novelist and Civil War chaplain, "A writer's work at night is almost always morbid. There is no better time to work than during the morning."

He continues:

"Sometimes I write four or five pages of foolscap, and other days I will write as much as fifteen. I have no average, but do as much as I feel like doing, or have time to do, and then I stop. ... I never manufacture a story; I couldn't do it. Of course, I elaborate and idealize, but the actual facts are always drawn from real life. I am always on the alert for these incidents, and when I see one that I think is adapted for a story I make a note of it."

While I respect Roe's work habits, I don't agree with his opinion about the best time to write. What works for one writer doesn't necessarily work for another.

I haven't read any of Edward Payson Roe's work, but his statement about manufacturing stories suggests his fiction closely mirrors fact--an unwise practice in this litigious age. That said, there's nothing wrong with finding inspiration from facts or even fiction.

Steep learning curves...

2005-08-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to master the software in the Adobe Creative Suite. Actually, master is the wrong word as I can barely use some of the software. It's so complicated! I need to figure it out quickly so I can redesign my site, which desperately needs improved navigation.

At long last, I've completed a netG course for GoLive6 Fundamentals--I had to uninstall my Earthlink toolbar and fiddle with my firewall settings for the course to launch. (I have a newer version of GoLive, but any instruction is helpful.)

I'll tackle the intermediate course before attempting to create a site with the program. Although I should probably wait until I've completed the Photoshop and Illustrator courses too.

A better option: find the disk with the template files, install the files, and fiddle around with those. If I can see how things are supposed to work, I can go from there. Trial and error is an effective teacher!

Publishing then and now...

2005-08-17T23:14:00.000-05:00

I'm currently proofing James Ford Rhodes' Historical Essays. In his essay about Samuel Rawson Gardiner, Rhodes mentions a quote attributable to either Lamb or Goldsmith--the author wasn't certain and I couldn't locate the source online--which illustrates how little the publishing field has changed in the last 100 or so years:

"The books which will live are not those by which we ourselves can live."

Rhodes says of Gardiner: "Finally success came twenty-eight years after his glorious conception, twenty years after the publication of his firstvolume. He had had a hard struggle for a living with money coming in by driblets."

Locked room mystery...

2005-08-17T00:20:00.000-05:00

My compost pile has produced a locked room mystery of sorts. Seldom turned, the unmanageable heap of organic waste typically yields at least one mystery crop, usually acorn squash, pumpkins, or melons. This year, the mystery produce kept dying before I could identify the crop. I hoped for watermelon. Turns out it's immature acorn squash that's infested with green caterpillars or worms, yet there's no visible sign of the bugs' entry and the vines continue to thrive. It's as if the bugs have grown within the core, maturing as the plant developed.

Tip of the iceberg

2005-08-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

Based on a Hemingway quote, Chip Scanlan's article "What Lies Beneath: The Iceberg Theory of Writing" reinforces my approach to revision--an approach that applies to fiction and nonfiction. Backstory and research are critical elements, but "the power of a story comes from what's not in it," says Scanlan.

Hornworm invasion

2005-08-07T00:53:00.000-05:00

A tomato or tobacco hornworm, or something resembling one, devoured my tomato plant within hours this morning. The top half of the plant is gone, esentially deadheaded prematurely. The critter even gnawed half of a ripening tomato. Fortunately, I removed the pest before it munched the larger green tomatoes...I tossed the sucker in the street because I couldn't bring myself to squish it. If I find it on my plants again, I may muster the courage!

Temporary Web design

2005-08-05T00:45:00.000-05:00

I've decided it's best to make minor design changes to my existing site so that I can upload the pages to the new site sooner. Most of the changes can be done through style sheets; however, many changes require tedious manual revisions to each page. This is just a temporary solution. A design overhaul will come later. Aside from the design, I need to change the code to make updates and maintenance easier. I may need to incorporate a database--something I'll never tried.

Welsh Dragon

2005-08-04T17:21:00.000-05:00

Had to upload this picture here as I couldn't directly upload it to the Distributed Proofreader's forum.

Sudoku craze

2005-08-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

The local paper added Sudoku puzzles this week. Reportedly, the puzzles are popular in Japan and Britain...and the craze is spreading worldwide. I'm pretty sure I've seen similar puzzles before. The concept is simple: using the numbers 1 to 9, complete a 9x9 grid, comprising 9-3x3 squares, without repeating numbers in any line or 3x3 square. The puzzles require logic, patience, and a good eraser!

Computer frustrations

2005-08-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd save time redesigning my Web site by using either MS Publisher or Adobe GoLive, but Publisher templates don't work well for Web pages and I've yet to conquer GoLive--the learning curve is steep. (At this point, I could probably hand code the pages faster than I can learn the program.)

I'd hoped to take on online class through the Navy's e-Learning program--I've picked out several Adobe courses including GoLive, Illustrator, and Photoshop. No luck. The courses won't launch. According to their FAQ, pop-up blockers, firewalls, toolbars, etc. interfere with the program and said programs must be REMOVED.... I'm not uninstalling anything! Reconfiguring the firewall and Internet settings should be sufficient. It worked before...if I tweak the right things, it should work again.

Silly me thought that updating my firewall software might resolve the problem. Instead, it's preventing Outlook Express from retrieving my mail. Could be worse...sometimes the updates disable my Internet connection too. Eventually the company will figure out that they yet again released an update with bugs. I'd report the problem myself, but I've had enough frustration for one day....

Site updates

2005-08-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

Updating my old site will take longer than I expected as I had forgotten how many pages it comprised: 58! I have to update the links and content before attempting to redesign the site. Surprisingly, most of the links remain valid. Most of the broken links are pages that have been moved elsewhere within the site or to another server. I won't worry about adding new content until after I've redesigned the site. I'm considering adding book reviews. So much to do....

Staking my domain

2005-07-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

I finally invested in a domain name--sure wish I'd parked a name years ago. I prepaid for two years' hosting services to get the best deal. (Need to register another domain name so I can move my pages on UMUC's site; I expect they'll soon delete my account seems I've graduated.)

Not sure how I'll design my site. I've uploaded a placeholder index page for now. Need to look up file permission settings as I can't remember what the acronyms mean. Thought my FTP program listed them in plain English...will have to check again as I didn't look at the file level, just the directory level.

Book spree

2005-07-30T00:44:00.000-05:00

Shopping for books online is time consuming when you aren't searching for specific titles or authors. I spent several hours searching Barnes & Noble's site for books about Wales and never made it a quarter of the way through the list of 4000+ hits. (With exception of the books about Wal-mart and New South Wales, most of the hits were relevant.) Parts of BN's site let you further refine your search to limit results. No such luck with my keyword search. As it was, I had to log in several times because I kept timing out. Very frustrating! Even so, it was more productive than searching for books in the local bricks-and-mortar store--I wouldn't have found any of the titles I selected online.

Plotting progress

2005-07-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

At last I'm making leeway with my plot revisions. I printed my detailed outline and marked several scenes and a few chapters for deletion. I have no qualms with hitting the delete button!

I've scribbled revision notes in the margins, but haven't integrated the revisions I've noted elsewhere (notebooks, index cards, etc.) After I finish marking deletions I'll examine the plot structure and rearrange sections as necessary. Looks like I'll need to write several new scenes. So much work remains, and yet, I finally feel as if I'm making real progress.

Mystery readers' survey

2005-07-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

Attention mystery readers: Sisters in Crime member Katherine Clark needs research data for her dissertation titled What is a Cozy? If you'd like to help, please complete her Mystery Readers' Survey.

Bleary-eyed

2005-07-25T11:38:00.000-05:00

My eyes are too tired for proofreading today, either that, or I'm not awake enough yet. The dogs woke me before I was ready to rise...don't they always!

I've come across some interesting words while proofing:

alcazar -- a Spanish fortress or palace
caliph -- title of a Muslim ruler
cannonading -- bombardment with heavy artillery

I particularly like the word cannonading as it perfectly describes the action. (I'd never thought about verbs for firing cannonballs until now.)

Forensic variables

2005-07-23T23:19:00.000-05:00

A recent episode of Forensic Files made me question the accuracy of some forensic data. The forensic team tried to determine the distance a rifle had been fired from based on the absence of gun powder residue. They conducted a series of tests at six-inch intervals, concluding the gun had been fired from three feet--the distance that left no residue. However, their indoor tests weren't conducted under the same conditions that could have existed outside. In theory, wind could have affected the bullet's path and dispursed the gun powder. Granted, the wind would have to be strong to affect the trajectory, but it wouldn't take much wind to affect the dispursed gun powder. Did they overlook an obvious variable? Or simply fail to mention it? One would hope it's the latter.

Procrastination

2005-07-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

I've been spending too much time proofreading existing texts--within a week I've reached the proofreading scholar rank and landed among the top 100 first-round proofreaders--and too little time revising my own text. It's always easier to spot errors in another's work, but that's not my problem.

My problem is that I receive instant gratification from the proofreading--I can see how many pages I've proofed and know that that text is one step closer to the final product--yet, when working on my own text, gratification is delayed, if not elusive.... I get frustrated when I don't see measurable progress. In the writing stage, I set myself a daily word goal--and can see measurable progress, but using word count as a quantifier doesn't work as well for the revision stage.

The revision stage is a back-and-forth process. I might delete a few words or pages of text. I insert notes about what should be moved where, what needs researching, etc., yet those words don't qualify as progress, per se. I rewrite sections and write sections from scratch.

How do I quantify progress when word counts plunge and soar? Perhaps I should measure progress scene-by-scene, or chapter-by-chapter. One thing remains certain: if I continue to procrastinate, I'll never make progress in any form.

Custom M&Ms

2005-07-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

Did you know you can order custom M&M mixes? Currently, the company offers four assorted blends: wedding, party, especially for her, and spring into summer. Or, you can select up to two colors, from the 13 available, and specify two, two-line messages up to eight characters per line, printed in black letters. The prices range from $3.75 for party favors (minimum order 16) to $9.49 for an 8 oz. bag (minimum order 4). The preprinted blends are a better deal--$5.59 for 8 oz. They also sell M&Ms with customized Star Wars messages. Shipping rates are comparable to most e-tailers and mail order companies.

Publishing tidbits

2005-07-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

According to statistics in Publishers Weekly, less than one-half percent of books published through iUniverse have sold 500 or more copies. Assuming the authors of the 18,109 published titles selected the least expensive publishing package ($299), the publisher made at least $5.4 million before expenses! No doubt the figures are far higher as that $299 package includes only one book, and a book publicity package costs $1500. I feel sorry for the authors who signed up for deals like this.

Power outage

2005-07-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

Last night lightning hit a nearby transformer and partially knocked out power for three hours. I'd never experienced a partial power outage before. It was bizarre. The clocks and lights dimmed, the air conditioner started humming because it couldn't draw enough power to push it, and the tvs made similar sounds. Despite the reduced current, the electric meter whizzed as if we'd been running every appliance at once. (As if our electric bill weren't high enough already!) We turned off the a/c before it burned out, and unplugged all the electrical equipment and appliances, save the refrigerator and deep freezer. I prefer full outages because the partial outage made me worry about the appliances.

Summer thunderstorms have drastically reduced my writing productivity. A laptop computer looks more appealing with each storm!

Old writing styles

2005-07-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

While proofreading, I've read a sampling of texts written about 100 years ago and noted the difference in writing styles. I've encountered words that have fallen out of usage, excessive hyphenation, Tom Swifties, and language reflecting simpler times. Some of the writing is terrible with flaws including stilted langugage, talking heads, and authorial intrusion; some of the writing, such as that by DeQuincey, is inspirational.

Paperwork quest

2005-07-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

Apparently I've stashed some important papers in one of my "safe" places--so safe that I can't find them. However, I did find my son's social security card tucked in with his driver's ed certificate. Also came across a map that might help me with my manuscript revisions. Tossed a bunch of old paperwork--probably should have tossed more but wasn't in the mood to sift through stuff. Still have a few more places to search for the elusive papers. I'm sure I'll find them, though I'm not sure I'll find them in time....

Staggering sales

2005-07-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

The local news reported that sales of the latest Harry Potter book have averaged 350,000 copies per hour! That's more than most books sell all totalled. Such an inspiring success story...

(7/19/05--Addendum: today's newspaper reported first days sales averaging 250,000 per hour in the US. Presumably, the higher figure represents worldwide sales.)

(7/20/05--Addendum: another newspaper article reported first day US sales exceeding 275,000 per hour. Are these different stats the result of different data sources or a different interpretation of the same data?)

On the proofreading front: I received feedback on the first pages I proofed--error free. I've proofed more than 100 pages now and have reached the proofreading apprentice level. I wonder what comes next.

Proofreading pupil

2005-07-17T20:36:00.000-05:00

I've advanced from novice proofreader to proofreading pupil. I'm not sure what the page threshold between categories is--probably 25 or 30 pages. I've passed 50 pages and had planned to knock out more tonight but the site is down. Tomorrow, I'm back to my manuscript revisions.

Proofreading

2005-07-16T22:26:00.000-05:00

So far I've proofed nearly two dozen pages. It's hard on the eyes but I keep returning for more. I've worked on various projects ranging from juvenile literature to biographies and travelogues. Sometimes it's a bit confusing because they've recently changed their proofing system.

Project Gutenberg

2005-07-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

I've decided to volunteer as a proofreader for Project Gutenberg. Unlike similar sites, Project Gutenberg provides free e-books. From what I understand, each page is proofed at least twice by different proofreaders, and you can proofread as little or as much as you like. Just love their slogan: "Preserving History One Page at a Time."

Welshpedia

2005-07-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

While researching background information for my story, I came across this Wiki, Welshpedia. Looks like a great resource for Welsh facts. Time permitting, I'll submit a few entries.

Plotting the old-fashioned way

2005-07-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Plot revisions should be easier with wordprocessing tools. After all, computerized cut-and-paste edits couldn't be simpler. And given my dyslexic typing skills, I'm thankful I don't have to retype each change or manually correct each typo. (I never took a proper typing class--these days, kids can't graduate without passing typing, rather, keyboarding.)

Overall, writing and revision are easier with computer tools; yet, I resort to old-fashioned methods for plot revisions and major text edits. I can't visualize the "big picture" on a 17" monitor. It's easier for me to visual a story on index cards. What's more, it's easier to rearrange plot points and scenes written on index cards. The downside: copying the details on cards is a time-consuming task. The upside: note cards aren't subject to power outages or computer infestations. No doubt, I'll resort to scissors before I finish revising this manuscript, pasting digitally, of course. Alternating between modern and old-fashioned editing techniques works best for me.

Power Writer has helped me visualize my story on screen. Within the limitations of my computer screen, I can view the story outline, story notes, and story text all at once or separately. It's a great organizational tool.

AdSense Placement

2005-07-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

I'm experimenting with Google's AdSense program. Although I doubt it'll generate much income, it's worth a try. I'm still fiddling with the placement of the ads. Balancing design considerations and users' needs is a challenge. A three-column template would be easier to work with. I'll keep that in mind when I design a new template.

Motivation Lapse

2005-07-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

I've resumed revisions of a mystery novel I wrote years ago. The manuscript needs extensive changes, primarily plot-related ones. I searched the Web looking for plotting tips and found myself on the site of a UK literary agency; their advice on plotting mysteries is solid, yet formulaic. Not quite the inspiration I was looking for. Actually, it's not inspiration I'm lacking, it's motivation. I'm frustrated because I've plotted myself into a corner and haven't found a viable way out. Revising a book-length manuscript is a daunting task, but the greatest challenge awaits—the submission process....

Inkslinging

2005-07-10T15:35:00.000-05:00

An AP article in today's newspaper, "Bloggers learn price of telling too much," echoes my concerns about blogging. It reminds me of the warning I received when I first logged online in 1996: "Don't post anything you wouldn't want to see on a billboard." A Google search for blogging ramifications provides more cautionary tales, including "The Legal Ramifications of Blogging." Worry not, I'll keep any youthful indiscretions, proprietary information, and libelous thoughts to myself.

Despite any lingering concerns, I'm jumping on the blogging bandwagon, albeit rather late. (You know you're late when none of your preferred URLs are available!)

I almost changed my mind about blogging because tweaking the templates proved frustrating--the template tags resemble pseudocode, from what little I remember, anyway. I tried to change the archive links to titles instead of dates. The link titles appeared as desired, but when I clicked on the archived posts, the HTML template tags were visible. I moved the code to different sections without success. Suggestions, anyone?

After I brush up my CSS skills, I'll create my own template. In the meanwhile, I'll continue tweaking the design.