We all know the saying about the best laid plans going awry. That seems to be the theme of my life the last four months or so. I sat down and made great plans for my writing and publishing output for 2015, then injury and various illnesses hit, and I'm down to typing with two or three fingers instead of two hands.
Although I'm pretty fast with these tywo or three fingers, the output demands substantial time in checking for errors. It's an imperfect system at best, not the two-handed touch typing Mrs. Dover drummed into me in high school. (I'm leaving in the errors so you can see what happens when I don't check my work. Fumble fingers! I often hit two keys at once.) I won't be able to three-finger type a novel. It's too distacting--and too slow!I ordered one of those speech-to-text software programs so I could get around my physical limitations, but when I checked my mail on Saturday, it had not arrived, although it had been promised for Friday. Another delay in my plans.
Okay, I'm not someone who likes ti sit around and moan about mt bad luck--at least, not for long. :-) So, what am I going to do while I'm waiting for my arm to heal?
First, I'm going to revise my goal list to make it more reasonable.
Seconf, I'm going to do a lot more mental pre-writing--with the hopes that my short notes and conclusions will make sense when I'm ready to tackle the actual work.
Third, I'm giing to teach the software how I write, once it arrives.
Fourth, I'm going to sit back and thibk about the blessings I've been given, anf then ENJOY them. I might even let other people help me do things I can't do for myself, but let's not get all weird here. I'm still a stubborn, independent, impatient soul. One or two instances will go a long way.
In the meantime, I ask for your prayers, good thoughts, and healing vibes on my behalf, so that my arm will heal with no repercussions, and I'll be able to get back to doing the thing I love the most: writing about people and how they overcome their trials.
Ironic, yes?
Here's to goals and arms that heal! Love you, Marsha!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Valerie! I love you, too!
Deletesaying prayers for complete healing and sending big hugs. Thank you for your magnificent example. Love you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your love and prayers, Kari. My turn to do the same for you.
DeleteFYI, my Dragon NaturallySpeaking software arrived yesterday. After I played with it for a while today, I was able to read 4151 words from a typescript into my novel-writing software. Hurray!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Marsha! Wait, what, there's "novel-writing software"? What's it called? It's not Microsoft Word?
ReplyDeleteHi, Granny. Thanks!
DeleteYes, there is such a thing. Scrivener is a popular software, but I use the very similar yWriter5 from Spacejock.com The big bonus for me? There's an active community supporting it that includes the creator, Simon Haynes, plus, IT'S FREE!!! There are several other useful software programs on the site, including stuff for readers, and several utilities. Check it out.
BTW, since you're a Mac girl (love you, Pam!), Simon recommends Scrivener, as yWriter5 is for Windows machines. It's available at Literature & Latte and has a free trial, although at $40, it's actually pretty cheap, as writing software goes.
DeleteAre they better? Software come in?
ReplyDelete