by Linda O. Johnston
Those of you who are reading this are most likely writers and readers. And some of you are also techies. You know what you’re doing when you sit down at the computer and write. Well, that part also works for me.
But not much else that’s technological.
I use two different desktop computers for different things, although one of these days I’ll retire the older one. Not sure when, though. My newer one is in a different room and has an array of windows behind it. Undraperied windows. Windows that therefore produce a glare on my computer.
No problem most of the time. But when I use Zoom, even though I use an assumed background, it’s really hard to see me on the Zoom screen at times of the day when the glare is worst. I’m gray and fuzzy!
I’m working on figuring out a way to deal with that, such as by adding an additional backing to head off the light. So far, though, I’m best on Zoom when I’m observing and listening to others but not participating much.
So how about you? I know some of you do quite well dealing not only with Zoom, but other technological things as well. But if you have a technological issue of any type, what do you do?
For some kinds of issues, I ask Geek Squad. You too? Or do you handle them well enough to figure them out on your own?
This week, my Facebook account was hacked, but I figured out how to change the password. A friend told me that she also received a message from me from Instagram, and I don’t have an Instagram account. Not only that, but when I tried to figure out even how to delete the false account, or let someone at Instagram know and have them delete it, you apparently had to have an Instagram account to make changes or communicate with them! I didn’t want to apply for one, so still don’t know how to get that false account deleted.
Okay, enough griping. But would you believe that, years ago, when I was a practicing attorney, I was one of the first in-house lawyers at my company to start using a computer on my own at my desk? Thanks to my writing, I knew how to create and edit contracts on a computer by myself so I didn’t need a secretary.
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
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Here’s a suggestion for wannabe authors. You’ve pondered that writing project for years; now you have time to get those ideas down on paper (or computer, or recording device). What would it take to turn that dream into a manuscript?
I’ve opened membership to this site on a temporary basis. Here’s a place for you to learn about the author’s journey from “aspiring” to “avid.” Find out how to improve your writing, where to market your work, and ways to research trends in the industry. Get questions answered from an author who’s been there.
I’m a semi-retired college English instructor and published author with a doctorate in English composition. I self-published the Self-publishing Guide in 1979 and went on to self-publish print versions of a mystery series and several non-fiction books. I’ve given workshops through libraries, bookstores, writers organizations, and continuing education departments and have written for writers’ newsletters, homeschooling blogs, inspirational magazines, and publications such as the Des Moines Register.
“Ideas had space to roll around in my head,” she said. “My thoughts were uninterrupted. It was divine. These days the life of a 21st century writer are frantic, a pressure cooker requiring one to write reviews, connect with fans and friends, and try to stay in the game. ”
Jill Amadio is from Cornwall, UK, but unlike her amateur sleuth, Tosca Trevant, she is far less grumpy. Jill began her career as a reporter in London (UK), then Madrid (Spain), Bogota (Colombia), Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, and New York. She is the ghostwriter of 14 memoirs, and wrote the Rudy Valle biography, “My Vagabond Lover,” with his wife, Ellie. Jill writes a column for a British mystery magazine, and is an audio book narrator. She is the author of the award-winning mystery, “Digging Too Deep.” The second book in the series, “Digging Up the Dead,” was released this year. The books are based in Newport 
The Writers in Residence 