Gone Writing...and a Little Twitterpated

Each November, hundreds of thousands of writers come together online to share in a similar goal, to write as many words as possible in one month. The goal is to write 50,000 words toward a novel, without doing any editing. That’s 1,667 words per day. It seems improbable, you say? Well, I don’t know. We shall see, because I’ve decided to join in the fun and frivolity! You may think me out of my mind, a little warped, or simply twitterpated. Well, you and the Owl in Bambi may be right. You might say that I was walking along, minding my own business, looking neither to my left, nor to my right, when all of a sudden I ran smack into NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. I let out a hoot! And a holler! Said, Sign me up!

Now, before you all say I’ve lost my marbles. Let me tell you. I’m off to a good start. I’ve already written 942 words and yes, old habits are hard to break. I’ve already edited it once and had to remind myself several times to concentrate on the story. Don’t worry about the editing, that can come later.

This is going to be quite the journey. I hope I don’t end up going weak in the knees. I’m sure my head will be in a whirl before this is over, and as long as I don’t lose my head, I should be just fine.I hope to be walking on air as I reach and hopefully surpass the goal by November 30th. I just hope my quill is light as a feather as the words tumble out of my brain and onto paper.

They say becoming twitterpated could happen to anybody. Well I’m here to tell you, I’m willing to take the chance. I’ve prepared the snacks, stocked up on tea and hung up my Gone Writing sign. I hope to pop in every once in a while to give you an update, but just in case, there’s plenty to read in my archives, and you can always visit my other blogs to see what I’ve been doing there. Your words of encouragement are more than welcome. Thank you for being here and talk with you soon!

My blogs: Enjoy The View, Walk With Me, On My Mind and Ravenous Reader

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• My NaNoWriMo

More Matter

I’ve just posted the second installment in a series of stories about Mel, David and their friends as they mark off items from their bucket list. I couldn’t help myself. The moment I saw the You Matter video from the TED Talks, my mind kept playing a fictional story in my head. Please click here to read It’s Time To Say…You Matter. I hope you enjoy it.

And, as always, if you like it, please leave a comment. Thank you.

What It Would Be Like Without Peace

What It Would Be Like Without Peace
©2012 Tracy L. Constantine

I searched through all of my images for something that would be suitable for today, the International Day of Peace. I felt this was most appropriate. Please let me know what you think.

The International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21st. For more information, please visit http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

Falling Again!

Falling again! Visit the Indiana Dunes to see the majestic colors of Fall as the leaves change against the backdrop of Lake Michigan.

Click here for directions to The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The First Time I Left Home

Have you ever felt that taking a vacation is like running away?

It’s been years since I’ve taken a real vacation. The chance to get away and relax. Do nothing. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to do just that. I didn’t plan it. It just sort of happened. Things lined up just right and before I knew it, my husband turned to me and said, “Why don’t you go see your Mom?”

“I can’t just leave like that,” I said with a searching look.

“Why not?” he contradicted.

“I can’t just leave you here alone.”

“This week is going to be a long week. I’m going to be working most of the time anyway,” he chuckles. “Just do It. Call your Mom and ask her if it’s okay that you come.”

“What about my writing?”

“You’ve got a laptop. You can write from there. It would be a good break.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He picked up my cell phone and handed it to me. I dialed her number and popped the question.

“When?” she asked.

“Tomorrow or the next day,” I replied.

I could hear the surprise in her voice as we talked about it. She agreed, of course.

And as I hung up the phone, my husband hugged me. He gave me a kiss and said, “Get packed.”

I smiled and with excitement complied.

The next morning, I kissed my husband as he left for work. I got the last of the things I needed to do finished in a surprisingly short time, placed the bags in the car and turned onto the highway. As I drove I began to recall childhood memories and by the time I arrived at my Mom’s house, I had a complete story. Over the course of the next few days, I wrote what I had envisioned on my drive.

You know, there’s nothing like the feeling of running away…even for just a little while. Click here to find out what happened The First Time I Left Home.

The Fox In My Back Yard

A few weeks ago, we heard a noise at our front door. When we looked out the window, we saw a baby fox running off with a dead bird. A few nights later, I saw a bird laying on our steps with two puncture wounds. We quickly decided that the mother was training her pups on the art of hunting. We watched for over an hour and saw a much smaller baby fox approach. She was quite skittish. I call her ‘she’ because of her size. She was quite a bit smaller than the first fox that we had seen. Unfortunately, the photos taken were not very clear because of the triple pane glass and low light. However, upon waking the next morning, I made the unfortunate discovery of a dead fox in our yard. This was undoubtedly the baby girl fox from last night. I am posting a photo here of the poor thing.

Later that day, I decided to get some Vitamin D and laid my blanket out in the sun. I did bring my camera because you never know what wonderful things you will discover. After just a few minutes, I heard a very soft rustling and looked into the back yard to discover a baby red fox looking toward me.

I zoomed in on the cute little face and took a close up.

As I sat watching him, I saw his ear twitch like a radar homing in on a sound.

His attention was diverted by a bluejay that landed in the grass.

I’m sure one day he will be a great hunter, but not this day. The bluejay sensed danger and flew away, allowing the fox and I to continue gazing at each other with curiosity.

Is Your PC Slowing Down?

Do you find yourself waiting longer than you used to for your Windows XP PC to open a file or is it taking too long to load a page on the internet? Do you find yourself yelling for some serenity, right now? Before you go out and buy a new PC, try the steps in the attached file.

You should already be doing a routine backup of your system, so be sure to run another one just before starting this procedure. You should also have a list of usernames and passwords written down for all your internet sites. If you do not, now is a great time to jot them down because they will be removed. When you run this procedure, it will remove all the cookies, temporary internet files, offline web pages, old chkdsk files, temporary files, temporary pc health files and empty the recycle bin. Be patient while your PC works on cleaning your system. It will take time, especially if you haven't done it before.

The instructions are pretty straight forward, but if you don't feel comfortable doing this, just have a friend or relative who knows about computers come over and help the first time. Then, set a reminder on your calendar to run this every month to keep your PC running at its optimum speed.

Routine Maintenance for your PC (Microsoft Windows XP)

Serenity Now!

By surrounding myself with a calming atmosphere, I’m able to concentrate on the task at hand and avoid the urge to scream like George Costanza from Seinfeld, “Serenity now!”

I have purposely created a simple, serene work space that has little to distract my attention. I know it’s a little unorthodox. It’s basically a keyboard stand with a glass top, but it allows me to sit on the floor, sit cross legged on the sofa or work standing up.

You see that I also have some items on the top of the desk…my current inspiration. The bright colors keep my attention drawn toward the desk.

On the wall behind, you’ll notice several pictures. These are some of the photos that I have taken. The color on the walls is very soothing. I have a very big picture window that allows me to see the sun or moon, depending on the time. I do find myself gazing at the traffic or the people that pass by on their daily walk.

What is a Technical Writer?

So, what does a technical writer do? Basically, I'm able to understand complex information and make it easy for people to understand. As a technical writer, I determine the needs of an end user for a product or service. Then, I study the product and interview designers, developers, engineers, advertising and marketing associates and anyone else who is working on the project. By putting myself in the user's situation, I'm able to make the product or service easier to use with as few instructions as possible.

A technical writer's job is to allow others to be relaxed and comfortable. I take a lot of notes and listen attentively. Through discussions with specialists and by conducting research through personal observation, visiting the library, and using the internet, I'm able to effectively apply the information to the product or service. 

Even though I'm a technically savvy individual, I'm also very creative. Using technology and various software programs, I'm able to select photographs, blend text, graphics, charts, diagrams, sound and video to increase the user's understanding.

What kinds of things can I do with graphics and sound? I'm able to crop, adjust and blend text and graphics to create multidimensional images which can then be used in a document or in sound and video presentations. Some of the types of materials produced are: operating instructions, how-to manuals, assembly instructions, product announcements, white pages, magazine articles, video presentations, and 'frequently asked questions' (also known as FAQ) pages to help technical staff, consumers and other users.

How is the information communicated? There are many methods used, such as online, in a cloud, via an intranet or company network, in print, multimedia presentations, video or using various media devices. Being familiar with web development technologies and HTML and CSS, I'm able to create and maintain websites for internal and external use.

By being organized, I'm able to maintain the documentation sets, templates and consolidate information as well as manage multiple, competing priorities in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment. With over six years of technical writing and over ten years of technical documentation experience, I have a proven track record of researching and writing excellent documentation for developers, engineers, associates and end-users. 

A technical writer is the link between the designers, developers, specialists and the end user. It's my job to make sure that all the necessary information about a product or service is communicated in a clear, concise, accurate way for internal and external audiences.