The Muse is Marching!
March 02/2021 – March has come to my keyboard. Imitating the weather this week, the first day of March was gentle, but not much action.
The winter of 2020/2021 has been a writing dud for me! How about you? This condition isn’t writer’s block. The days were more like “What’s writing?” At the moment, I’m joining my brother for a social media break. In his terms, we’re giving up social media for Lent, particularly Facebook. I began before official Lent quite by accident. When I realized I had been distracted by cold weather and hibernation knitting, a week of no Facebook had slipped away. I’m rather liking it!
Writers Gotta Write
The keyboard is getting spring fever. I’m missing my author friends. A new season is welcome. Writing is helped by new reading opportunities. I read quite a bit using the Kindle Unlimited program. Savvy authors and publishers offer their books for readers to ‘check out’ and read without permanent purchase. Authors are paid a specified rate through the readers’ activity. It is my understanding that the rate is determined by the number of pages which are read. I have read books through KU which I was happy to purchase and keep in my library. However, sometimes I find a book that I wish I hadn’t opened. It’s nice to be able to return it without having that book in my library or having an investment therein!!!
Authors Who Become Friends
I am acquainted with several fiction authors who make sure I have access to copies of their books…often at prepublication time. They do desire my reviews for their books. And because they are among my favorite reads, fulfilling that desire isn’t difficult.
Copies of TWO upcoming releases arrived from Lin Stepp!
Last week, shortly after I began the March diary, the mail lady brought a package from a favorite author. Lin Stepp has two novels coming! She has not stopped writing during the pandemic. Perhaps the hiking adventures she enjoys with her husband have been slowed, but not the keyboard! These two novels will be coming out on April 1, 2021. They are available for pre-order on Amazon right now. DOWNSIZING and Edisto Song can be ordered easily.
Well, the Month of March came in like a lamb and may go out the same way. But, was the March weather ever a BRAT just off the start! We had FREEZING weather with snow. People had frozen pipes, there was ice so people were falling down. But, things are mild again. The flowers and trees are all coming back for the summer. As April 1 approaches, Lin Stepp’s new books are eagerly awaiting release. DOWNSIZING and Edisto Song have their New Release posts ready.
I’ve been reading several more great books and have some big time catching up to do!
March 23, 2021
Another rainy spring morning. The season is a chilly type! Temperatures aren’t cold, but are very wet. The house is cool, yet the thermostat disagrees and the furnace is quiet. Even my sweet personal heater isn’t as chilly as I am. Yesterday, I carefully packed away my fingerless mitts so I would know where they are. They are tucked away in the same room as sleeping husband. I’m left with wishful thinking.
Secretly, I want to try wearing the newest ones. I knitted a different design with only a little hole for the thumb instead of a modified, half-thumb. I found choosing sizes for thumbs was difficult. With a slash of cast-off stitches creating a little hole, the mitt isn’t limited to specific right or left hand. When days are chilly, I can type with the mitts. My first successful pair was a set of cheap gloves. I cut the fingertips off. Crochet stitches with sewing thread secured the knit. The fingers stopped unraveling and I have gloves, not mitts.
Off now to update the diary at Bar JD Ghostwriting. When the writing muse is a little journal, it is at least a start. Coming out of hibernation.
March 24, 2021
The morning sky is growing lighter. We will be able to see our way around shortly. I am sometimes annoyed to live close to a highway but BLESSED because it requires me to accompany my dog outside for her walks. I don’t think she is a highway walker because she’s very territorial. But, Just in case, we go together for a bit of exercise.
I was pleased that I could leave a review/recommendation for the new books from LIn Stepp, DOWNSIZING and Edisto Song at GOODREADS. A little writing this morning.
SPRING – A Time of Learning
It is no secret any more — I’m packing up to move to a different location. I’m excited about that. But, learning continues between boxes. I have achieved certification for working with Snagit from TechSmith and am a few sessions into the certification course for CAMTASIA.
March 25, 2021
For a bit more learning, if you as an author or a reader work with a website, it is important to remember ‘responsive.’ When a website is responsive, the view is flexible over multiple device sizes. I just noticed one of my much-used graphics doesn’t play nice on a mobile setting. I had to rebuild it smaller. Smaller was fine and should have been under consideration from the beginning.
In the not so distant past, I enjoyed changing the coding on WordPress themes to add some cute things. People who have a picture in their minds about their website often ask for little things that aren’t easy to change in ‘responsive’ themes. I’ve not learned the required coding to change these little things and not kill the responsive aspect.
IF your website designer is reluctant to make changes, be happy. If the changes are made and the site isn’t easy to use on a phone or tablet, something else needs to be changed. Or something could stand to be ‘unchanged.’
Remember our author friends benefit from reviews about their art. Subscribers can download their free copy of Book Notes to keep track of review notes. And have ongoing access to other new things that will be coming to the Resource Library at Cardinal Bluff.
