Google released a Blogger app for my phone and I tried it last night. I wrote a short post to see how well it worked and I thought I saved it as an unpublished draft. But it is not here and it is not in my phone. So it is gone like the morning mist.
It's really too bad it did work. I gotta think that the one app that will work the best is the one made by the folks who host the blog in the first place.
Very strange and very curious.
There is another app I can try is the Blogger app doesn't work out. I found an app for the iPad that looks interesting, called Blogpress, I think. It costs $2.99. That's not much but I'm trying not to spend money on apps if I can avoid it. So I've not gotten that app.
To be honest I'm being lazy about it. The need for blog from my phone or iPad is more a whim and a luxury than anything else. I don't really need this capability, but it would be nice. And isn't that the point of technology? To make our lives easier or better.
The problem, however, in most cases, is we substitute the interact with the machine for interaction with people. The reason is obvious, human interactions are complex and varied. You never know if saying hello to someone else will get you a hello back or a some other response.
The computer, on the other hand, is predictable and we need that, especially in the chaotic world we live in. A little predictability is welcome. When you add to that the fact the computer also serves as an entertainment source (and we are all entertainment addictions) it is easy to see why people replaced face-to-face interactions with surfing the web or watching videos online.
Well, I'm going to go check out the Blogger app a little more. I'll write again soon.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Time to Face the Music
Book 2 has entered a brief production phase. I'm doing the work needed to get the novel to reviewers so I'm collecting the front and back matter and thinking about a cover. When I'm done I will create a Kindle version of the book and send out to review.
At the suggestion of someone on Facebook, I've decided to try BookRooster. They charge a small administration fee and put in front of 10 reviewers. This is perfect for me because I really want to keep writing (Book 3 awaits) but I also want to know where the story is weak.
Most of the comments aren't likely to bother me since this isn't while a finished draft but I am nervous about taking this step. I mean, I think the story is complete and really good, but I could be wrong. If people hate it then what do I do?
I think I had these same concerns for Book 1. But Book 1 is a much simpler story. Aside from some character development (which is a matter of opinion) Book 1 does exactly what it sets out to do.
Book 2 is more complex with one story morphing into another and then a twist at the end. It's the twist, I'm worried about; people may say it's contrived. And to a certain extend that's true but it is the characters contriving for other characters. Wheels within wheels.
Still, I really have no choice. The book needs reviewers so that I have the feedback I need to write the best novel possible. I need to know what does not work so I can revise and fix those sections. Hopefully no one will hate it. But unless all the reviewers think it sucks I'm probably going to release it as soon as I can.
I just wish those damn butterflies in my stomach would find another home.
At the suggestion of someone on Facebook, I've decided to try BookRooster. They charge a small administration fee and put in front of 10 reviewers. This is perfect for me because I really want to keep writing (Book 3 awaits) but I also want to know where the story is weak.
Most of the comments aren't likely to bother me since this isn't while a finished draft but I am nervous about taking this step. I mean, I think the story is complete and really good, but I could be wrong. If people hate it then what do I do?
I think I had these same concerns for Book 1. But Book 1 is a much simpler story. Aside from some character development (which is a matter of opinion) Book 1 does exactly what it sets out to do.
Book 2 is more complex with one story morphing into another and then a twist at the end. It's the twist, I'm worried about; people may say it's contrived. And to a certain extend that's true but it is the characters contriving for other characters. Wheels within wheels.
Still, I really have no choice. The book needs reviewers so that I have the feedback I need to write the best novel possible. I need to know what does not work so I can revise and fix those sections. Hopefully no one will hate it. But unless all the reviewers think it sucks I'm probably going to release it as soon as I can.
I just wish those damn butterflies in my stomach would find another home.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Saturation Point
I never thought I'd live to see the day when I had my fill of technology. But I think it's here or just around the corner.
I've always been something of a technology fan, mostly focusing on computer technology, since I bought my first computer, an Apple IIe, all those years ago.
What I like about it is there is always something new to learn about. Once I had the basics down, I began focused on graphics, then networking, then the different technologies in the computer like USB and Firewire. Most recently, its been about wireless technology and all the devices that are now proliferating like missile in an arms race.
But increasingly, as I began to drip a toe into Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7, the new operating systems from Microsoft and Apple, I'm seeing (or hearing about) issues and problems that make me shake my head and say, 'they aren't really for prime-time yet.'
What's even more frustrating, in this age of information, when I try to find out about a problem, like corrupted Windows profiles, or report a problem, say on Apple's VoiceOver utility, I can't find a place to go. It's like there is so much information that is clogs the way so simple requests, sort of like wet leaves in a storm drain.
It makes me want to break out my old typewriter and through away all the social media crap we are saddled with these days. Actually, as I think about it, the last typewriter I used was my mother's. I'd have to go buy one. Can I still do that? I don't remember seeing any in Staples or OfficeMax.
Maybe I can't do that. Figures. Just when you think you can escape, they get rid of the exit.
Sigh. Okay. Guess I'll go back to writing. Maybe by the time my third book is done they'll have gotten the technology right.
I've always been something of a technology fan, mostly focusing on computer technology, since I bought my first computer, an Apple IIe, all those years ago.
What I like about it is there is always something new to learn about. Once I had the basics down, I began focused on graphics, then networking, then the different technologies in the computer like USB and Firewire. Most recently, its been about wireless technology and all the devices that are now proliferating like missile in an arms race.
But increasingly, as I began to drip a toe into Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7, the new operating systems from Microsoft and Apple, I'm seeing (or hearing about) issues and problems that make me shake my head and say, 'they aren't really for prime-time yet.'
What's even more frustrating, in this age of information, when I try to find out about a problem, like corrupted Windows profiles, or report a problem, say on Apple's VoiceOver utility, I can't find a place to go. It's like there is so much information that is clogs the way so simple requests, sort of like wet leaves in a storm drain.
It makes me want to break out my old typewriter and through away all the social media crap we are saddled with these days. Actually, as I think about it, the last typewriter I used was my mother's. I'd have to go buy one. Can I still do that? I don't remember seeing any in Staples or OfficeMax.
Maybe I can't do that. Figures. Just when you think you can escape, they get rid of the exit.
Sigh. Okay. Guess I'll go back to writing. Maybe by the time my third book is done they'll have gotten the technology right.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Third Time's the Charm
To my great surprise, I began writing Book 3 this weekend. That may not seem like much but I've not touched that material in five or six years because I've been struggling with the events in the first two books. Book 1 was particularly hard to get right and I've been feeling like I'm in a time loop of some sort repeating the same tasks on the same text over and over. A sort of writer's version of Hell.
But last Friday afternoon, I broke through the curse, like the 2004 Red Sox, and gained new ground. Book 2 is mostly done -- the last three chapters just need a few more reads to ensure I have no more edits-- and then I send it out for reviews. In the meantime, I can work on new material: Book 3.
So I am actually making progress. Slowly. Steadily. Pain-stakingly.
It's like driving around a very gentle spiral curve with a very gentle slope. Eventually you get there but you have to travel a long way to do it.
Book 2, by the way, came out to be around 100,000 words, which also surprised me since Book 1 is more in the 67,000 to 68,000 word range. I have no idea how long Book 3 will be and that is really my biggest concern for the novel because I need at least 50,000 words, 70,000 would be better. But I'll be watching the word count as I go so we'll see if I've got another novel in me.
And now the reality check, which I hate paying: this does not mean the books will sell or that I'm about to become the next big thing. And obviously, when reviews on Book 2 come in, I'll be revisiting it. But it is good to finish up Book 2, at least for now and move on.
With luck I can still release Book 2 by the end of the year. If not, then as soon as I can. And let's not forget that I've still got Book 1 under consideration for publication in 2013. The good news there is if it sells, I've got the next one all set to go and the third one should be well underway by then.
Pretty cool, huh?
But last Friday afternoon, I broke through the curse, like the 2004 Red Sox, and gained new ground. Book 2 is mostly done -- the last three chapters just need a few more reads to ensure I have no more edits-- and then I send it out for reviews. In the meantime, I can work on new material: Book 3.
So I am actually making progress. Slowly. Steadily. Pain-stakingly.
It's like driving around a very gentle spiral curve with a very gentle slope. Eventually you get there but you have to travel a long way to do it.
Book 2, by the way, came out to be around 100,000 words, which also surprised me since Book 1 is more in the 67,000 to 68,000 word range. I have no idea how long Book 3 will be and that is really my biggest concern for the novel because I need at least 50,000 words, 70,000 would be better. But I'll be watching the word count as I go so we'll see if I've got another novel in me.
And now the reality check, which I hate paying: this does not mean the books will sell or that I'm about to become the next big thing. And obviously, when reviews on Book 2 come in, I'll be revisiting it. But it is good to finish up Book 2, at least for now and move on.
With luck I can still release Book 2 by the end of the year. If not, then as soon as I can. And let's not forget that I've still got Book 1 under consideration for publication in 2013. The good news there is if it sells, I've got the next one all set to go and the third one should be well underway by then.
Pretty cool, huh?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Perfection
I seem to have a problem finishing my own work. Every time I read a chapter in a novel or a short story, I always have edits? Why is that?
I sometimes think that all writers automatically edit everything they read, but I doubt that's true. Still, I would like to know why I'm constantly making changes.
Case in point: I found a section in my novel, Aure, the Topaz, that wasn't quite right. Brashani's, the wizard, reaction to being chased out of town by the local necromancers should've been anger not a grim determination to go fight them. His anger leads to the idea that he should fight them, but he shouldn't just jump there. Additionally, I need to show the reader the reaction and transition Brashani undergoes at that moment so he or she can follow the scene better.
It was a small point but I felt I had to revise and clarify the scene. Do I have some underlying need for perfection in my work? Or is it merely that the scene wasn't as good as it could've been and I knew that. So I improved it. Of course, good and improve in the case are subjective. As I said it was a small point; I wonder how many readers would've even noticed.
But as a seasoned writer I know nothing is perfect. And the pursuit of perfection can drive one mad. Of course, the publication process can do the same thing, and mostly for the same reason. When the time comes to get something out the door, the text needs to be free of typos and grammatical errors. The writing needs to flow and be engaging. That alone can make you nuts.
Then there's the cover for the print version and map I include so you know where all these places I refer to a in relation to each other. The map took three tries before I figured out to make the text small and legible. The cover, on the other hand, has been a lot tougher to get right. And that's something that does need to be perfect. I see now why lots of folks don't bother with a print version.
But I have to wonder, am I the only writer edits released work? If I'm not, I'd love to hear from you. That way I'd know, at least, I'm not completely crazy.
I sometimes think that all writers automatically edit everything they read, but I doubt that's true. Still, I would like to know why I'm constantly making changes.
Case in point: I found a section in my novel, Aure, the Topaz, that wasn't quite right. Brashani's, the wizard, reaction to being chased out of town by the local necromancers should've been anger not a grim determination to go fight them. His anger leads to the idea that he should fight them, but he shouldn't just jump there. Additionally, I need to show the reader the reaction and transition Brashani undergoes at that moment so he or she can follow the scene better.
It was a small point but I felt I had to revise and clarify the scene. Do I have some underlying need for perfection in my work? Or is it merely that the scene wasn't as good as it could've been and I knew that. So I improved it. Of course, good and improve in the case are subjective. As I said it was a small point; I wonder how many readers would've even noticed.
But as a seasoned writer I know nothing is perfect. And the pursuit of perfection can drive one mad. Of course, the publication process can do the same thing, and mostly for the same reason. When the time comes to get something out the door, the text needs to be free of typos and grammatical errors. The writing needs to flow and be engaging. That alone can make you nuts.
Then there's the cover for the print version and map I include so you know where all these places I refer to a in relation to each other. The map took three tries before I figured out to make the text small and legible. The cover, on the other hand, has been a lot tougher to get right. And that's something that does need to be perfect. I see now why lots of folks don't bother with a print version.
But I have to wonder, am I the only writer edits released work? If I'm not, I'd love to hear from you. That way I'd know, at least, I'm not completely crazy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)