I assume it is some of the following: booksellers, reviewers, readers, potential international editors and, my friends.
*Tania waves*
What follows is a short rant:
The internet is evil! Evil! It is so deliciously wonderful that I, an author, who has far better things to do (just look at my overgrown garden) actually puts time on FACEBOOK ahead (see!)ahead of solving the problems of my 11th Century characters.
I read blogs – there are many interesting ones and I learn a lot.
I respond to emails (and send some in the hope of a reply). Actually, not counting my day job (teaching) I get between, 17-25 emails a day with regard to me as an author. Not counting the teacher and personal emails. They figure in the 50 or 60s.
When I first started writing, I was impressed that I could type my manuscript straight onto the computer, print it out and send it via post (that’s like, put in an envelope, address, seal, place stamp and then put in post box). Edits came to me as hard copy (a word unheard of to me back then). How else would I receive them?
To contact overseas required getting up in the middle of the night to phone. That is: push buttons on the telephone!
I adore the ease of this new age but it does bring with it some distraction. We never had a tv for the first five years of our marriage and only bought one because of the first gulf war. The tiny 14inch had its place and, when the children came along, they could not have Nintendo or play station. We were model parents.
This weekend has confirmed why we did the right thing all those years ago: we hired an, um, I think it’s called an x-box. The girls have tried to be glued to it all weekend but I’m being mean and shutting it down every 30 mins.
‘Mum!’ one cried. ‘Just go write your damn book!’
‘Don’t speak to me like that,’ I responded, the guilt already creeping in.
‘Sorry. But now we’ve returned the horse, we can play without all the angst.’
She has a point. Real horse was returned on Monday and now our afternoons are free again.
As to the online stuff? Boundaries and goals. Goals and Boundaries.
Critical to the survival of writers, readers and their families.
I love the internet. Wahhh. But, I’m sure it takes away time I could be writing.
This post took two hours to construct cos I was up and down what with cooking dinner and feeding dogs and looking around the blogsphere….
I’m a bit tired now. Might call it a night at go to bed.
Fleance can wait while I catch my breath.
Naku noa
Tania
PS I'm sure there will be typos in the above post but I have to move on and write the next damn book. (tea was cooked btw and all who imbibed were happy).
4 comments:
Case in point, I came out here to my study to write and have spent a very enjoyable 35 mins reading reviews and adding comments to a blog, checking out recommended link from friends (from Facebook!)
But! I have also spent some time reading online some very interesting (for me) stuff related to the mechanics of early medieval Europe.
I think I might be just about ready to actually, um, you know, write....
Is the word 'bog' deliberate - I hope so, I laughed out loud. It's a bog out there, that's for real.
I'm glad you're back writing ... :D
I would have to agree with you whole heartedly. I think the fact we write on the same 'thing' that connects us with Blogs, Facebook etc, makes it that much harder to resist. I'm sure the time we save by writing and researching on the computer gets wasted on all the social networking.
But I wouldn't have it any other way!
Have a great week.
*Tania slaps forehead* I hate making errors. All fixed.
Thanks, guys, for your comments. I really do need to be more self-disciplined.
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