The Rose

AUTHOR’S GAB, READER TALK.

A LETTER TO YOU, THE READER, SO THAT YOU CAN FINALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT I’M THINKING.

—————————————

THIS MONTH: A writer’s toolbox

————————————————–

“If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools; it may free your thinking.”

— Paul Arden, American author

Dear Reader,

I would start out this Ad Lib by saying I’m a terrible procrastinator, because I keep meaning to write this and putting it off. But, I think that’s only half true.

Lately, I’ve been beset by a series of computer issues. All the issues have been happening since at least August, only now to have come to a head as I try to fix them.

First, my personal computer, a 2013 MacBook Pro, after seven or eight years of performing beautifully, finally started to age. The right speaker started to rattle and all my work calls and music on Spotify all suddenly sounded like a bad sound check at a rock concert. One click and you would hear your closest friends, pastor, co-workers and favorite song all start screeching like you never knew they could before. And, on work calls, I had to act like nothing was wrong. Needless to say, I began using my Google Nest to listen to my music and podcasts and made a mental note to fix it.

Over Christmas, I began calling around to see what could be done. Apple told me my computer was “obsolete” and my Apple Care subscription, which I purchased with the computer, didn’t exist. And, that was really annoying because, as I explained to the technician, the computer was perfectly fine except for one faulty speaker. I was not buying a whole new computer over that. This was especially because I initially dropped at least $3,000-$4,000 of my own hard-saved money on it, breaking my piggy bank of “China trip” money to begin with. The technician suggested taking it to a computer repair shop and said Apple could no longer help me. I said thanks for nothing and called the next repair shop on Google.

The first shop I called couldn’t help me, but they referred me to another repair shop, located about 30 minutes south of where I live. They said they fixed Macs and might have the part I needed. I said thanks and made the call to the other repair shop, AI Tech, who said they could look at it and do an initial assessment for $20, no problem. I said thanks for something and planned to go in.

But, since it was Christmas, the holidays got in the way. I looked at my bank account for a computer repair and it was like, “NOPE! Try again later!” It was at least a month later before I could try again. And, on one day off, knowing I would have part of the week off to fix the issue, I drove the computer to AI Tech, hoping for some answers and results. As I suspected, both speakers had to be replaced. The right speaker was cracked, causing the rattling noise. Mac speakers come in pairs, which meant the left speaker had to be replaced in tandem with the right speaker, even though it was otherwise perfectly fine. I waited a few days to get paid, then went back to pick my computer up and put down a deposit for the parts.

The next week, the parts came in. I ended up having to excuse myself in two hour periods from work to drive the computer down to the repair shop, have them repair the computer overnight and clean the insides of it, pick it up when it was fixed and pay the remaining balance. I was relieved I had just enough. When I got it home, however, the speakers didn’t work at all. I was frustrated and annoyed the repair shop would give me a worse problem than I started off with, until I called them and they said, “restart your computer”. And then, I felt like fool on the phone, because I didn’t try that first and it worked when I did. Glitch, perhaps? Who knows. At any rate, that was the saga of my personal computer’s repair.

But, in August, my work computer also needed attention. The company I work for was upgrading all its computers to Windows 10, and mine hadn’t been upgraded before the pandemic hit. I remember coming into the office and having our HR person explain that our tech person wasn’t going to get to my update that day. She already had too many upgrades to do before me and couldn’t get to all of them in one day. So, I waited; but, a few days later, the coronavirus pandemic hit and that was it for upgrades for the moment.

That’s why our other tech guy, while addressing a computer problem I was having while our tech gal was on vacation in August, found out I hadn’t been upgraded yet. He told me we should set up a time to do the upgrade; and, in September, we did. But, because we no longer have a physical office due to the pandemic, we settled on meeting at the press plant, which is about a 45 minute drive east of my house. At first, I had some trouble figuring out where to go, missing the tech guy in the first try because of it. As soon as I figured out what door and gate I had to be at, though, it got a lot easier. It took a couple of sessions for the tech guy to make the upgrade.

And, I can remember it taking about a month of trips back and forth to the plant to finish, as well as phone calls with the tech guy when I got it home to work out the kinks. This included installing a new printer after my old one broke after five years. We got it fixed, though, and my computer runs a lot better now because of it. This included the miracle of FINALLY being able to print off of my work computer and the sweet redemption of explaining to him that the software for my keyboard and mouse was harmless, and not malware as he previously had accused me of in 2019.

In the process of all this, we figured out that my battery wasn’t performing properly and needed to be replaced. Our technician ordered the parts at the end of November, and then the holidays hit. I figured it would take a few weeks for things to come in anyway, so I waited and celebrated Christmas and New Year’s.

That all lead to this morning, when the parts actually came in and I had to drive back to the press plant to have them installed. Our technician replaced the battery on my work computer and I was good to go! And, hopefully, I won’t have to go back for awhile.

But, all this put me behind in blogging and bogged up my mind with the issue. I think, now, it just feels good to not have it hanging over my head. I can finally write again, computer-problem free.

Having the right equipment for the task you’re trying to accomplish, though, is always important. There are different tools for each task, of course. Like you would never attempt to sew with a straw or eat your dinner with a monkey wrench, you also would never write without tools that allow you to do the task or feel comfortable while doing it. For writing, a pen and paper would be appropriate, whatever pen and paper you can find. Or, maybe it’s a pencil and paper or a marker and paper or a crayon or colored pencil and paper. It could even be paint or some other fun and wacky approach to your paper. Nowadays, though, writing is often done on the computer or on a tablet or phone. So, maybe it’s just you, your computer and a good idea, as well as Microsoft Word or Pages. In my case, it’s usually WordPress, because I’m blogging.

A suggestion would be to lay out your tools before you even begin writing. Like, if it’s a pen and paper, set out the pen and paper in the spot you’re going to write and then just look at the blank page for a few minutes. Or, if it’s a computer, open your word processor watch the cursor blink. Or, maybe it’s in Photoshop, in which case, set out the blank template and examine it. Let your mind wander what you’re going to put on it, even if you think you know. And, then, get at it. It’s a healthy process of knowing you have what you need to write before you even start writing.

And, when you have problems, like I did with both of my computers, and you don’t have what you need for some reason to write, it can be a pain. It can delay the process until you can get what you need to write, like with anything. Sometimes, it’s just headspace, but other times it can be physical, like you don’t have a pen or a piece of paper or something and can’t get to it right now.

I encourage you not to get discouraged or give up your writing idea in that moment. Become creative and find another method. Dwell on the idea more. Be patient with yourself until you can find the right tools and don’t feel guilty for not having those tools and not writing because of it. As we all know, stuff happens, which is A-ok.

This is such a basic and no-nonsense thing. We don’t even thing about it; but, it’s so important to being able to write. Because, without the right tools, what you want to write is postponed. It can’t be done right then. More is needed to accomplish the task. That’s why it’s a basic “step one” to your writing, or should be.

Tools aren’t limited to physical tools, however. They can also be things like what book you’re reading right now or who you follow on Twitter. Because, really, a basic tool is who and what is influencing you and who you are following. It’s all about who you follow. It really is. Because, oftentimes, those things or people become the subjects of your writing itself.

Do you want your writing to look a certain way? Follow certain people. Research certain things. Watch certain channels on television. Control your flow of information. I believe, that’s probably what any good author of a book would tell you.

I realized I have been sharing some writing tips lately from people I follow. And, I realized, there’s a tip within a tip here, because these are people whose information I consume. They are tools in my arsenal I have chosen to share with you because I admire them, and because I believe they have good tips that can help you as writers.

If you can figure out who your influencers are, maybe your top five, you can probably get a better grip on your writing style and who you’re writing about or like. Maybe it’s consciously or unconsciously. I encourage you to make a merciless list, however, until you can’t figure out who else to possibly add. Then, look at the list and think about how those people or things affect your writing style. Just like any good tool, you can also modify the list and say, “You know what? I think I want to cross this influencer off my list.” Or, “You know what, I could really use to add this.” A good start is looking at your Twitter feed if you’re out of ideas. Sometimes, the question of who is influencing you, really, can be daunting like that, which is why I say this: to get you started.

Speaking of Twitter, there’s an age-old question on George R.R. Martin’s Twitter page with everything he posts: “Hey George, are you done with the book yet?” This, of course, refers to the extremely slow progress Martin is making on his next book in the Game of Thrones series, The Winds of Winter. The television series has lapped him and has left his hardcore fans wondering if, indeed, he will ever finish the series.

“Every day I sat down to write and even if I had a good day — and a good day for me is three or four pages — I’d feel terrible because I’d be thinking: ‘My God, I have to finish the book. I’ve only written four pages when I should have written 40.’ But having the show finish is freeing, because I’m at my own pace now. I have good days and I have bad days and the stress is far less, although it’s still there,” Martin told Esquire.

Sometimes, I think that, if Martin had not had the pressure of the HBO series, he might have finished the books by now. Or, maybe if he did not have the television series hanging around in his head, he might have made more progress. But, it proves the point that, sometimes, even when we have all our tools, there’s something that halts our process, like Martin’s “I have to finish the book” mantra that keeps running through his head (thanks to millions of people who are interested in reading it).

I say, in this case, clear your head. Treat it like a regular case of writer’s block. Don’t think, “I have to finish the book.” Think about the world your book is in. Find a way to stimulate ideas again. Fill your mind with the same tools you already have. Like, don’t think about writing your term paper. Do the research, write the outline and write your term paper. You have the tools, you just need to fill your mind with the proper thoughts to do it.

Ultimately, you’ve must have the right tools to write. Bottom line. What tools are shaping your writing? Think about that. ~

Sincerely, Your Writer,

Jessica A. McLean

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Recent Happenings:

• Recent Ad-Lib Activity:
  • January 2021’s Ad-Lib is here!
  • Here lies my foolish thinking. A writer is dedicated, not lazy. Making a resolution to pick up monthly Ad Libs again!
    • Recently, I have not been keeping up with Ad-Libbing. I graduated five years ago from Oakland University with a degree in Journalism and I got a job at a local paper, The Oakland Press. I’m doing more writing, editing, designing and publishing than I could ever dream of. But, this cascade of graduating, finding a job and working hard at a job has captivated much of my time and mental faculties, leaving little time for personal reflection. I decided there just wasn’t time for Ad-Libbing, but I would keep publishing poetry, which is what I have done. I may not be able to publish Ad-Libs monthly as before, but I hope that when I get the chance suffices.
      • TBA: I’m working on finishing my series on form. It’s a gigantic project, so I will probably split it in two. Stay tuned.
• Recently Published:
  • Poems Added:
    • Untitled — a villanelle on being stuck at home and quarantined at Christmas
• Editing, editing, and more editing.
• Waiting 🙂

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..