Home   |   LCS Prints Store   |   About Me   |   FAQ   

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Life Lessons

Things I’ve learned today:

The grass IS always greener over the septic tank. Well, in our case, the earth is warmer over the septic tank, which remains the only place in the yard without snow.

Even though March has arrived, check the wind-chill before attempting an early walk by the ocean.

Writing for a real deadline (another blog) ends up being harder then writing on a self-imposed deadline (your own blog).

It’s safe to save written work to both internal and external drives. When doing so though, make sure to save the newest version to both locations, thereby eliminating the potential of spending two hours editing the wrong document. (Wait a minute...I deleted that phrase yesterday...)

If you don’t follow the suggestion above, be aware that massive confusion may ensue, as you click back and forth between the new version and the now-edited-previous-version in an attempt to retain the best writing from both.

In the worst case, you may end up discarding the now-newest, super-revised version you need, and saving the one you don’t.

If so, cursing will not help.

I’m just sayin'

A unique opportunity to combine writing expertise with the skills gained during a previous career through what could  (if ALL the stars align) become a regular freelance gig; is an acceptable cause for excitement. But trust me; no matter how well your resume matches the specifications, the phone won't ring five minutes after you click send.

Well, it might, but it will be a telemarketer.

It’s not very good for you, but sometimes a baloney sandwich (with mayo, lettuce and sprouts) is the perfect remedy to a challenging morning.

What kind of writing (or other) challenges have you faced today? How did you surmount them?

16 comments:

J.B. Chicoine said...

I’ve had too many similar happenings...too many versions of the same thing...then I discovered “Compare and Merge Documents” in MS Word’s menu...:)

Bish Denham said...

LOL! My challenge for today was going to the dentist, which I did. And yes, I have tooth(teeth?) issues so there will be other visits. At least I have my teeth, at least they can be fixed.

To help myself feel better I went out in the wonderful sunshine of a lovely spring morning and weeded.

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

My grandma used to make butter and mayonnaise bologna sandwiches with lettuce. They were so good when I was a kid, but I tried eating one a few years ago and couldn't take more than a few bites.

I've done that with old and new manuscripts. Can get so confusing. It's a good idea if you give them completely different names so you don't get too confused. What a pain. I can't tell you how many times I've stared at different drafts wondering which one was the best one. After 70,000 words, it's not easy to tell at a glance!

Good luck with the steady freelance gig!

Robin said...

I love your "voice" in this piece. "If so, cursing will not help." You had me chuckling all the way through. Yah, but it does feel a little bit better. Sometimes.

Yvonne Osborne said...

I'm with you on that saving of documents, namely precious manuscripts. Saving to different thumb drives, internal and external drives, etc. can all get very confusing. I have much to learn. But when all else fails I have my most recent pages stacked up around me. Yeah, I know, killing trees, but I can't help it. Paper hard copy is the only thing I truly trust.

Empty Nester said...

LOL Cursing may not help but it makes me feel better for a second or two!

My challenge began today with the NaBloPoMo- theme for March- in a word. And you have to come up with your own word. Every day. Not sure if I'll make it all the way through the month. Maybe cursing will help this? LOL

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Haha these are great! I love the septic tank one, and the telemarketer one, and isn't a bologna sandwich good for you if you add lettuce and sprouts? Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Anonymous said...

I have done exactly what you said and no longer feel alone. Now I take time to save the newer version on both the thumb drive and the hard drive. Great post today!

Anonymous said...

Well, today I wanted to write a flash fiction piece. So I did. Then I wanted to start on the novella project that will, I fear, eat March. I did that too. Challenges surmounted by dint of having a goodly bit of driving to do. (No, don't ask. Just don't.)

Now I need a bologna sandwich with mayo, lettuce, and sprouts. You sharing? ;)

Sue said...

You could try colour coding the versions, but you'd need a system; perhaps a specific colour for different days of the week? I've done exactly the same thing, editing the wrong doco. I just thought of using colour so haven't tried it yet. I'd have to write on the calendar which day is which colour though.

Love this post!

WritingNut said...

Aha.. I loved this post! Great lessons here, especially on the saving the documents. I saved my MS on a USB key and on my computer once, but they were two different versions... one I'd edited, and one I hadn't... and I panicked for about half an hour thinking my worked hadn't saved and I had to do it all again!

Yes.. it was a long day ;)

glnroz said...

,,,"getting out of bed",, that is my challenge EVERY day,,,Writing challenge with writing - spelling. All the works look whrong when I type them. I have worn out two Large Print dictioncharies.

Wine and Words said...

My heart is my challenge today. The very beat of it. I have a cardiac event monitor which I am wearing for 30 days. I try to control the outcome, make it normal, which is ridiculous. If I only had that kind of power. A challenge indeed.

Jon Paul said...

Can Time be my challenge? Lately, I never feel like I have enough time.

The good news, I got my watch--in for a quick repair--back recently. The bad news is I now realize by simply glancing at my wrist how little time I actually have.

You can't win them all, I suppose. :)

Lydia Kang said...

My challenges today were all work related. So far, so good!

Stephanie Faris said...

Just finding time to write...that seems to be a daily challenge!