Ta-Da!

I’ve gone live with the new and well, I want to say improved, but really, it just looks different, website. And as usual, I have glitches that makes my husband shake his head. I believe his direct quote was, “How do these things always happen to you?”

 I’m special that way.

 If we count these glitches, that is 9 items in 9 days that I have messed up. An all-time record that is sure to (hopefully) never be broken.

Anyway, ignore the bio page that won’t load, the messed up css on the left of the main pages (the teeny links) and the fact that my archive blogs aren’t up yet. I’m working on it. If anything else is screwy though, give me a buzz.

And most of all, enjoy!

 And of course, a HUGE thank you to my hubby who found this software and has been patiently fixing glitches for me in Dreamweaver and of course answering my stupid questions which always seem to lead to yet another glitch…he’s the best!

I’m in love!

I think I’m in love with this blogging software. I just got a new theme and then messed with the code–it wasn’t scary at all–and changed some fonts around. I’m not a geeky super-star. That’s about as fancy as I can get with the whole coding thing. Anything beyond that and well, things could get messy.

Party Time

I went to an Arbonne party last night. (Makeup and other face stuff.) I am realising that I am one of those people at parties like this who just can’t keep my yap shut. I have a ‘funny’ comment for everything. I mean, come on. You just told me most other makeup manufacturers use things like cow urine in their products. Do you seriously expect me not to make faces and silly comments?

So, I’m the smart ass in the room. You can imagine what I was like at the sex toy party. Dear lord. But oh my god, most of us haven’t laughed like that in a Loooooong time. At least 6 inches, oops, I mean months.

So, apparently people think I’m funny at these things. Maybe that’s why they ask me even though I don’t buy stuff.

Here We Go!

The inaugural post for trying out this fancy dancy new fangled WordPress blogging tool!

 For those of you interested in leaving comments, you can do it now. Speaking of which, what do you think of my website’s new look? If I’m a brand, honey, I’m a good lookin’ one! 

Let’s try posting this puppy. (I’ve broken or seriously harmed 6 electronics including software in the past 8 days, so wish me luck–luck in not trashing it!)

Let’s See

Let’s see if I can figure this out. My computer had a spectacular meltdown on Monday. I managed to save some files, so I am still in business. Problem is I have been using FrontPage on my old computer and now that dream is over. I now have to face the reality and try Dreamweaver. When I procrastinate about something–like updating this site to Dreamweaver and giving it an updated look–life has a way of giving me a smack. So here we are. My wonderful hubby downloaded all the files into Dreamweaver for me, now I just have to make it work. (Bad thing is now that I am in Dreamweaver and have realized that I don’t actually have to revamp everything to use this software, well, the procrastination has set back in for beautifying my site and adding blogging software so people can post comments.)

I have been blogging on the wonderful website, Agentquery.com as well, so I will bring some of those entries over in a bit. First, let’s see if I can find the right green for my ‘title’ and get this puppy posted.

Okay, I give up on the font colour thing. It keeps changing other crap on me. I swear I am only highlighting the one title and changing the green with one little click. And what is it doing? It is changing various titles around the page to ‘black’. Like what the hell? Whatever. I’m going to try posting. I’ll deal with colour issues later. Because this is some strange computer glitch that is so typical of me and computers. For instance, somehow yesterday on agentquery, I had turned on the weird little foreign language accents on my vowels. Things like this usually happen to me when I am on desktops. Even my hubby can’t figure it out. Now I recall why I loved laptops. They don’t seem to get messed up for me in the same way. For instance, we had a computer that I (guaranteed) would seize up 9 out of the 10 times I used it. How many times did I seize up my last two laptops? Well, I probably have enough fingers to count them on.

Hmm…now where is the ‘publish’ button on this thing? Okay, ‘put’, that sounds right.

Hmmm…error? I don’t like the sound of that. FTP this, FTP that… Firewall. Crap. I don’t have any of the firewall info. Site Definition dialog box? Where the heck is that?

That’s it. I’m getting out the manual!

Okay, this is starting to piss me off now. The manual and the program are at odds with each other. Grrr… Which means I can’t get into the dialogue box and change a setting so I can post.

Alright, now I’ve gotten into the dialogue box, but because this isn’t strictly a new site…it won’t let me change what I need to change in the FTP thingy. Which means I have to call in the reinforcements or at least do more research, because I am pretty sure I know what the problem is, I just can’t get in to change it. So if this ever eventually posts…you know I have been sucessful one way or another. (Probably another.)

Word of The Day

Amative: Pertaining or disposed of love. Full of love. Amorous.

Happy Hallmark Occasion, everyone.

You would think for someone who writes romantic comedies I would be a little more…romantic. But I’m not. I am listening to the everso romantic and amative melodies of Alice Cooper at the moment. That gets a girl in the mood.

(Suppressed mirth.)

If you want to read a truly great love poem, or simply the best poem ever, try doing a search for ‘The Cinnamon Peeler’s Wife’ by Michael Ondaatje. If I could write like that, wow.

Happy day, everyone.

Full Circle

After putting together some tips together from my hero, Noah Lukeman, and allowing them to solidify in my mind, I have turned back to my writing. Again. (Page 63 of 240 with about 80 bazillion distractions ranging from more snow to computer breakdowns to treks to the snack cupboard. Sadly, not much in the way of email to keep me distracted.)

And so, I have discovered on this round of my never-ending edits that my paragraphs need help.

When it comes to nonfiction writing, I’ve got it down pat. Start with your statement, premise or fact, back it up and move on. (Basically.)

Well in fiction, I just popped the old ‘enter’ key whenever. Reckless abandon comes to mind as I look over my work. Okay, not that bad. But when the paragraphs would get long, sometimes I’d break it up before my thought was over.

So now I am going through with the focus on going full circle. I start a chapter with an idea and end a chapter echoing it (hopefully) or resolving it. But of course, with the all important hook to keep people reading on. I am also extending that idea to each chapter section, and each paragraph. And my paragraphs are getting a bit better, I think.

Plus, I am making sure that I am carrying my themes throughout my work. I got some advice from someone that isn’t fully sitting well. Yes, you have to carry the character through the story along with their quirks and characteristics, but I feel that there is a point where you have to let off for fear of insulting the reader. They don’t need to be constantly reminded on how the character frowns at everything or whatever their quirk is. That aside, it is fun trying to carry thoughts and ideas throughout the work. It is amazing where things pop up. No wonder it takes some writers so long to pump out their books. I finally understand. There are so many layers that it is impossible to add them all in on one or two sit downs.

This is the paragraph where I should be echoing the first paragraph, resolving it or coming full circle. But I’m not going to because this is a blog and I need to get back to applying the latest Lukeman tip to my never-ending round of edits before the glorious snow distracts me.

The Future

What is up with the world? I just don’t get it. Sometimes when I see the future of the world in the context of what is happening in the here and now and what we are doing to prepare for the future, it freaks me out. Why don’t we listen to the warnings? What are we doing to the environment? What are we doing to each other? How do we expect the future to unfold when we act as though there isn’t one?