the wrong book. This so isn’t helping me to reclaim my mojo to get this scifi done. So, I feel a weekend scifi fest coming on. And what treasures will be up for my watching pleasure over the weekend? Fifth Element, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Lost in Space, umm, I know there are others but I’m totally blanking on them at the moment. I have turned to Twitter for recommends for other films to spark the muse back into scifi mode.
Having wonderfully vivid dreams since watching Supernatural last night (season premier). It’s kicked one of my paranormal ideas into high gear, but I’m attempting to slam on the brakes. Scifi first, paranormal later. However, the mind isn’t cooperating at the moment. Though I did try to write last night, only to run into a snag.
The problem with switching from a Mac to a mini-PC netbook is that I forgot to convert my Pages documents into something Office 2007 can read, since I don’t yet own MS Office for Mac. Why is it that Pages can read Office documents without prior conversion, yet Office cannot read Pages documents without using Pages to convert the file into an Office friendly version? I swear, it sometimes feels as though the programming community is against the writer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the features of Pages when it comes to writing, especially since I write with the “invisibles” (paragraph breaks and such) showing and those are customizable in Pages (make those babies large enough to see and any color I want) whereas I can barely see them in Word. Sadly, I need Word to do edits with since Pages won’t read the comments/edits in a Word document, or if it can, I can’t figure out how to get them to show up. Not to mention Pages and Word have slightly different formatting styles, so I have to convert the Pages file to a Word file before sending it in to the publisher. Pain in the ass. That’s all I can say about that.
Why a netbook to write on rather than my trusty, much adored and loved Mac? It’s a size/weight issue. With my illness, I’m sensitive to the positions in which I sit (have trouble sitting up with my legs down rather than propped up for very long) and with weight and how things touch my legs in certain areas (like the backs of my knees, which could account for the need to prop them up). Anyhow, the smaller size and lighter weight of the netbook really helps with this issue. Plus, I have Office for the PC already so the netbook comes in handy in that way as well, since as I stated above, the file has to be converted to Word before I can send it in. Whenever I get a Mac copy of Office, I will be one VERY happy writer because I can do it all on one machine, with a larger screen, however the weight issue will still be a problem. But I just can’t deny the stability of the Mac, part of the reason I only installed Office on the mini and don’t plan on putting anything else on it, especially now that there’s a Mac version of the Sony reader library program. Yay Sony for that little treasure.
Speaking of Sony, I’m having an issue with my reader. While trying to change up the books actually loaded onto the device itself rather than a memory card, it came up with an error on me. Now, it says I have sixty some odd pictures on the thing, when I most certainly do not. I must add that I had to reformat the things internal memory, because before the sixty some odd pictures, it had one hundred pictures on it, which were really book files reading as picture files and where the one hundred number came from, I have no clue, because it did not have that many books on it. Only a couple dozen at best and most of those were shorts. Anyway, as I said, I reformatted the internal memory which got rid of the one hundred, but when I tried again to upload books onto it, it now says there’s the sixty some odd “pictures” on it, which as I said, is not the actual case. Anyone else have this issue? I would say it was the switch to Mac, but I was using a PC as always when the error occurred. This is also the only problem I’ve had with the reader thus far. I am totally baffled and frustrated over this mess.
On to something else now. I have noticed something about the morning wait for the bus ritual. A variety of wildlife lives in town (I realized much to my surprise) and is out early in the morning (which could be why it came as such a surprise to me). My son, as I’ve mentioned before, is severe ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome (medicated for such) and has a big problem with sitting still and being quiet. The wildlife is helping in this issue. I keep reminding him that if he’s not still and quiet, he’ll scare them all away, and he loves watching them go about their morning routines. Some frequent visitors are a variety of birds, including a hummingbird which is a real treat to see, a baby rabbit as well as several adults, and squirrels galore. There’s also quite a few small dogs that are frequently walked in the mornings, though some are not on a leash, which aggravates me. They let their tiny dogs out without supervision and I cannot tell you how many times the school bus has had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit one of these little guys. Irresponsible much? My dogs are never outside the backyard fence unless they are on a leash, the rare instances where the wind is extreme and knocks part of the fence down not counted. That’s to save my sanity and keep them safe. Though, some people view their dogs as their “kids” and some of the neighbors allow their kids to run rabid all over the neighborhood and in the streets as well, so why it surprises me I haven’t yet figured out.
Anyhow, back on the topic of writing, I have a bit of the writing bug today, though in the wrong genre with the wrong story and yet a part of me really wants to get back to sleep where I’m surrounded by gorgeous guys. Ah, the dilemmas of being an author. I do need the sleep, but I do need to write, though on a story that is not at the forefront of my mind at the moment, which is a real issue. Should I take the day to write on something new, just to get back into the habit of writing or forgo it altogether? That is the big question of the day.
Ah, the kiddo is now gone and on his way to school so decision time is upon me. Though I’m more awake this morning than I have been all week, I’m still very tired and not quite feeling right. I didn’t sleep well last night thanks to another asthma attack, though this one was mild compared to the ones before it. Sleep and dream or write on a paranormal? Or ignore both options and go with “C”, which is my trusty standby, play WarCraft. lol I’ll figure something out. Maybe sleep until the worst effects of the morning meds are over, then work on something and then play. *grin*
Oh yeah, and one last note on editing and proofing. While going back over the chapters already done on the monster WIP, I have really been tightening that baby up. I’m rather pleased with myself and have noticed how much my style, my voice has grown with this project. Yes, I feel bad it’s taking so long and I am struggling to get through it, but it has really opened my eyes. I’m evolving as an author, a writer, and I suppose it has me in awe because for once, I can actually see the progression happening within one story rather than over the course of several. I’m really cutting down on the passive voice that slips in. I’m cutting way back on the extra or stray words, those pesky orphan words that fit but really have no place there. The words that and of and just and so are being stricken from the pages left and right, because as I’ve stated numerous times, I do have a love affair with those words. Maybe that’s another reason this project is taking so long. I’m growing as an author with it, so it’s taking longer to perfect, though I know there’s no such thing as perfect, especially when it comes to writing. A story is never truly done. There’s always a different way to say something, a different way to describe it. But at least I’m that much closer to being finished with it.
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