What's changed? It seems I'm having another crack at writing a book. That writers group has tickled something into life again. I used to want to be a writer and for years I wrote and wrote and wrote so that it was as much a part of me as breathing - but always, save for the two book attempts, only and forever journaling. Keeping a daily journal kept me sane at times when I made a lot of bad choices. Not sure how I would've coped if I hadn't been writing things out every day.
As for writing? When I was with the writer, that particularly disastrous relationship, I tried to write for publication. Old dried stick writing. Bloody awful. Yet my love for making things that weren't there before never died - still do that with art but writing? I'm not original or intelligent enough to do more than cover the same ground, awkwardly, that others have done. I used to be able to think about things more deeply than I do now. I don't read my old journals for that reason (and for the fact that they stink like mildew -shut away in that trunk as they are).
Yet here I am again several thousand words into another world that started with the words, 'the buildings were tall'. Not a very prepossessing phrase to start a book with but there you go.
Have spent an inordinate amount of time trying and discarding writing software. Notepad doesn't cut it. Used yWriter before and remember why I hated it. After trying it again thought I might check out the reviews. One reviewer called it 'intutive'. His intuition must be very well developed! Write Monkey was another that I used before. Know I'm not IT savvy but surely directions followed should elicit a successful outcome. Used Office Libre for awhile but it's really not for novels. Discovered I couldn't (easily) find a way to start another chapter which started me on the quest for the near perfect FREE writing software.
Now have Freewriter and save for a couple of niggly bits it works well. It's straightforward and not too weighed down with, for me, unnecessary bells and whistles. Now if I can only get the backing up onto USB sticks sorted. Keep getting error messages. Have bought a brand new one today so here's hoping. Having lost one and a half books to dead and dying computers I am a Backing Up Convert.
Making no promises to myself about the book. If I don't finish it, fine. If I do, wonderful!
Realize part of this is trying to make a life for myself for the future when I won't have the freedoms I enjoy now. There will come a time when zipping around the place like I do today won't be possible. I don't give the job Full Time Carer as much thought as perhaps I should. I'm too busy and it will come soon enough. Bugger.
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