Blah. Winter. Writing frustration. And update on Maple. | A. J. Capper
← God and Gravol
Humour in the face of pond scum →
When the snowbanks beside your driveway are taller than your tractor, you’ve got to say to yourself, “I’ve had enough of this nonsense.”
Frank loves his John Deere. He’s had it for over thirty years. It blows snow and cuts grass and has never let us down. We should do a commercial.
Even if you like winter, and I do, right around this time of the year I tend to open the blinds in the morning and my first thought when I see the beautiful, tall evergreens, laden with glistening white snow under a full sun in a big blue sky, is…BLAH. So what. Whatever.
I am out of work and locked in the house due to snow and a recuperating dog http://wp.me/p2DycD-8A. Opportune time for writing. I should be writing a thousand words, at least, a day.
Haven’t written a damn thing. Did some lusterless scene re-writes and the lackluster shows. I was boring myself.
Something needed to be done. Fortunately, I know myself pretty well these days and I recognized the signs of SASSY (Short Attention Span Syndrome, Y’know) and FW (Winter is the second word).
The answer, for me, is multi-tasking. I need a minimum of three projects to work on if I plan on accomplishing anything. Once I build a mental block about one project, to the point where even thinking about it shuts down all brain activity, I end up on the couch, with ice-cream and potato chips, watching back-to-back episodes of House Hunters.
So one of the new tasks I’ve undertaken is Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/
This is how I will be publishing my book so my plan is to break my book up into manageable chunks. I will work on three chapters at a time to make them perfect and upload them into Smashwords. That will be a nice break as I learn how to do that. Work on the next three, and repeat.
That is my plan. If anyone has hints and tips on working with Smashwords, I would be more than happy to hear them.
Meanwhile, I will also be a nursemaid to Maple. It’s only been one week since her surgery and I’m already have a difficult time keeping her from jumping and frolicking. Supposed to keep her quiet for another seven weeks before I can even start her rehab; it is not going to be easy. She’s not used to being on a leash, never mind a short leash, but what breaks my heart is the fact that, though she doesn’t understand why I’m forcing her to stay inside when she’d rather be outside cavorting in the snow, she still loves me anyway. I can only hope she understands that I’m doing it for her own good and things will eventually get back to the previous wonderful mayhem her life used to be.
Meanwhile, a short leash is necessary, as is an Elizabethan cone, to keep her from licking and gnawing at her staples. Contrary to popular belief, a dog’s saliva contains a lot of bacteria. I still welcome her kisses, but not to the point where she licks away a layer of skin.
So, I’m off to play with Smashwords. It doesn’t cost me anything, won’t until I start selling books, so I’m looking forward to the learning process.
At the same time, I’ve got to tell you, it’s rather intimidating.
This entry was posted in WRITING and tagged John Deere, Smashwords, winter blahs, writing frustration. Bookmark the permalink.
3 Responses to Blah. Winter. Writing frustration. And update on Maple.
I’ve never even heard of Smashwords. But, considering how little of the internet I am familiar with, that’s not saying much.
If you publish on Smashwords, will I need to purchase your book in three segments? And will there be a paperback copy, or just one for ebooks? I’m so unfamiliar with all of this, but glad that you and others seem to know what you’re doing so that I can ask lots of questions.
Maple looks better, especially with her snazzy Elizabethean cone. I like the little pink pawprints on it. And you’re right, she loves you. The first day she gets to go outside and run, all will be forgotten.
Oh, yes. Tony’s back on Funwriters. Drop in and say “hi” if you get a chance.
I’ve been reading the style book for Smashwords and they only want you to upload complete manuscripts so that’s what I’ll do. I want Mabel to be a series but not a serial. Each book will be independent of each other. I want to have paperback copies as well as ebooks, but I don’t think Smashwords offers that option so I may have to go somewhere that offers Print of Demand. Early days yet, lots more research needed.
I will check out Funwriters today. I always feel so guilty about checking in when I’ve been away for any length of time.
Don’t feel guilty, they’d love to hear from you again.
Blah. Winter. Writing frustration. And update on Maple. | A. J. Capper
← God and Gravol
Humour in the face of pond scum →
When the snowbanks beside your driveway are taller than your tractor, you’ve got to say to yourself, “I’ve had enough of this nonsense.”
Frank loves his John Deere. He’s had it for over thirty years. It blows snow and cuts grass and has never let us down. We should do a commercial.
Even if you like winter, and I do, right around this time of the year I tend to open the blinds in the morning and my first thought when I see the beautiful, tall evergreens, laden with glistening white snow under a full sun in a big blue sky, is…BLAH. So what. Whatever.
I am out of work and locked in the house due to snow and a recuperating dog http://wp.me/p2DycD-8A. Opportune time for writing. I should be writing a thousand words, at least, a day.
Haven’t written a damn thing. Did some lusterless scene re-writes and the lackluster shows. I was boring myself.
Something needed to be done. Fortunately, I know myself pretty well these days and I recognized the signs of SASSY (Short Attention Span Syndrome, Y’know) and FW (Winter is the second word).
The answer, for me, is multi-tasking. I need a minimum of three projects to work on if I plan on accomplishing anything. Once I build a mental block about one project, to the point where even thinking about it shuts down all brain activity, I end up on the couch, with ice-cream and potato chips, watching back-to-back episodes of House Hunters.
So one of the new tasks I’ve undertaken is Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/
This is how I will be publishing my book so my plan is to break my book up into manageable chunks. I will work on three chapters at a time to make them perfect and upload them into Smashwords. That will be a nice break as I learn how to do that. Work on the next three, and repeat.
That is my plan. If anyone has hints and tips on working with Smashwords, I would be more than happy to hear them.
Meanwhile, I will also be a nursemaid to Maple. It’s only been one week since her surgery and I’m already have a difficult time keeping her from jumping and frolicking. Supposed to keep her quiet for another seven weeks before I can even start her rehab; it is not going to be easy. She’s not used to being on a leash, never mind a sho
rt leash, but what breaks my heart is the fact that, though she doesn’t understand why I’m forcing her to stay inside when she’d rather be outside cavorting in the snow, she still loves me anyway. I can only hope she understands that I’m doing it for her own good and things will eventually get back to the previous wonderful mayhem her life used to be.
Meanwhile, a short leash is necessary, as is an Elizabethan cone, to keep her from licking and gnawing at her staples. Contrary to popular belief, a dog’s saliva contains a lot of bacteria. I still welcome her kisses, but not to the point where she licks away a layer of skin.
So, I’m off to play with Smashwords. It doesn’t cost me anything, won’t until I start selling books, so I’m looking forward to the learning process.
At the same time, I’ve got to tell you, it’s rather intimidating.
This entry was posted in WRITING and tagged John Deere, Smashwords, winter blahs, writing frustration. Bookmark the permalink.
3 Responses to Blah. Winter. Writing frustration. And update on Maple.
I’ve never even heard of Smashwords. But, considering how little of the internet I am familiar with, that’s not saying much.
If you publish on Smashwords, will I need to purchase your book in three segments? And will there be a paperback copy, or just one for ebooks? I’m so unfamiliar with all of this, but glad that you and others seem to know what you’re doing so that I can ask lots of questions.
Maple looks better, especially with her snazzy Elizabethean cone. I like the little pink pawprints on it. And you’re right, she loves you. The first day she gets to go outside and run, all will be forgotten.
Oh, yes. Tony’s back on Funwriters. Drop in and say “hi” if you get a chance.
I’ve been reading the style book for Smashwords and they only want you to upload complete manuscripts so that’s what I’ll do. I want Mabel to be a series but not a serial. Each book will be independent of each other. I want to have paperback copies as well as ebooks, but I don’t think Smashwords offers that option so I may have to go somewhere that offers Print of Demand. Early days yet, lots more research needed.
I will check out Funwriters today. I always feel so guilty about checking in when I’ve been away for any length of time.
Don’t feel guilty, they’d love to hear from you again.