Hello everyone,
I generally find trying new things exciting. Blogging? Sure, why not? Never done that.
I must admit, however, the excitement level drops several notches when the new thing involves a computer. My love/hate relationships with the brutes are filled with well documented facts. Today I must brave the ice and frigid temperatures to go out and purchase another new one to replace the one that is no longer speaking to my monitor. It's not just the cost of another new computer that irritates me - this is my third one in under a year.
I do not abuse them! It's the other way around. I'm the one who has to mouse left handed because of carple tunnel syndrome and who is to blame for that, huh? Okay, technically, the mouse that goes with the computer, but it still comes back to the computer.
However, without computers I'd never be a published author. Anyone out there old enough to remember typewriters and carbon paper? shudder. I really want to love my computer, honest.
When I'm writing a scene I'm totally focused. I know where the characters are supposed to go and usually have an idea how I want them to get there. Then my hero or heroine will go and do something totally unexpected - like rescue the heroine from the burning building - check - and pass off her unconscious body to someone else to go back and help his partner. Huh? He was supposed to carry her out of the burning building. Uh-oh. Now what? Oh. I see. Okay. Wait. He just fell through the roof? That wasn't supposed to happen. Now what?
The old days of typewriters and carbon paper didn't allow for errors of this magnitude, not without a lot of painfully slow erasures - with actual erasers! But hey, computers let me save this scene and move on. I can go back and change things with a few key strokes if I want. I love my computer! Until a power surge goes through the surge protector and it stops speaking to the monitor because another chip on the motherboard took a hit.
Oh! Wait. Now I see. It's the power company I hate. It's not my poor computer. Electricity is to blame. Any of you old enough to remember the days of candles instead of electric lights?
Forget it. I'm not that old! I'll go back to blaming the computer. They are so darn sensitive. Who knew surge protectors were only good for one surge? I wonder if the store still sells typewriters. Hmmm....
Happy Reading everyone,
Dani
I love my computer too! Until it crashes or gets a virus and takes all my chapters with it! Then I want to throw it out the window (a couple of times.)
ReplyDeleteBut, I'm not sure I'll ever go the typewriter route. No thanks! I need spell check. Desperately! ;)
Hugs, Dani! I've had computer issues, too, in the past. Lost an entire manuscript once--plus, when it crashed, it corrupted the back-up disk. Yeesh!
ReplyDeleteAin't technology grand?
Julie Miller
Dani--
ReplyDeleteI wrote my first two published novels on a typewriter! And, yes, it was a nightmare. Correcting mistakes often involved retyping pages and chapters, and sometimes the whole manuscript. And revisions! Oh, I don't even want to think about those days (except the part where I was a lot skinnier and younger).
Dani,
ReplyDeleteit might not be the computer but the monitor. Never blame the tower until you look at all the possible problems
Coming from a 23 year old (i can BARELY remember typewriters/cassette tapes/and VCRs--lol))
Ah yes, the computer era is wonderful. My new machine is wonderful - that means it's working. And yes, Dominic, the first thing I did was check out the monitor. Monitors don't hate me, only computers do. Thanks, Julie. I'm in perfect agreement with you Vicky. Amanda, I've written several books - all to remain unpublished mind you - on a typewriter way back when. I even have one or two mss that were done in long-hand. I actually prefer to do my plotting that way. Anyhow, this new computer is guaranteed for two years. So the unexpected snowfall we had on Sunday sent a power surge through the house. The compute survived. My fingers are crossed.
ReplyDeleteDani