latest work

I'm testing the Google app I downloaded.  Didn't know till just now it had this Blogger app on it.  It doesn't work to try and write posts via Safari on the iPad now.  This is great!  Will look for one for their websites.

Anyway got the new "start" typed in.  Needs work, but The Admiral says I am improving. (Not that he's an expert.)

The Admiral is something of a Logistician.  He knows logical and logistical things.  He helps my writing by pointing out things I miss.  "Would it work if...".

Now that I know this works....

There's also a journal specific to the story I am writing.  https://sites.google.com/site/writerreadsbible/home/index-to-my-novel-writing/noveljournal1

See you later.

This is a test really...

Two weeks ago maybe, I hit upon the idea of sticking the MacBook back in the, "computer room".  (One of the, "back bedrooms," of this house.  So, Sunday, May 12, "The Admiral," and I  spent all afternoon and into the evening, "dusting".  We took the computer table apart and made sure it was dusted really well.

(I can't believe I am picking up CFRB 1010 [actually CFRX] via short-wave on 6070 via a small Grundig YB400PE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFRX-SW  http://www.cfrx.webs.com/  http://www.newstalk1010.com/)

I took pictures of the table(s) that we use to make the computer table.  It is quite a contraption.  The one table at the very back next to the wall, consists of:
a table top that we think was, The Admiral's mother's childhood table; it looks to be the top to a child's table; we found it in pieces in the garage; the legs to this table came from my stepfather; he bought odd pieces of wood to make furniture from a paint your own furniture place that was going out of business; on top are two ancient fruit crates; yes, the labels on them were probably collectable and might have been valuable; they seemed damaged some what, we attached a vintage look telephone we got as a gift to one of the crates with, "molly screws"; I have old bottles and other ephemera on the, "middle" shelf; on the top shelf I have an old teapot, some Tobacciana, an old English made ping pong ball, there's even a two page advertisement for BBC Radio 1 that I have framed; beyond this top shelf is this large map I have resting on the shelf, it is a world map stuck to a large piece of cardboard, we managed to carve up a piece of someone's refrigerator box that they were throwing away, (I like to re-use rather than recycle), I wanted a map to stick pens in showing the radio stations I've picked up; etc...

I hope to start a new page to the writing website and stick photos I took of the, "computer table," on there.   I tried to take photos before, but it was very difficult to see what I was talking about.

This is a test, because I am trying out how it all works.  You will see some wood blocks in the photos.  I managed to use them under the MacBook stand to lift it up some.  (avoiding neck strain)  I am using an old wired Mac Pro keyboard now.  (as opposed to the wireless Mac keyboard we got, or the one that came with the MacBook)

Ok CFRX has faded for some time.  I am listening to a strong signal consisting of static and interference from the computer.  I don't think CFRX went off the air, but maybe they do go off at midnight.  I think I hear a station in there somewhere, but the static drowns it out.  I should find something else to listen to.  I will have to dig up some frequencies to some interesting stations.  I was getting Brazil in the Winter months.  This was after dark.   There is a National station (public broadcaster) that broadcasts the old style music to people in (I assume in remote areas of) Brazil.  The music --- some of it sounds like the language is Spanish and maybe French.  Mostly it is Portuguese.  The DJ's etc. are in Portuguese.  Most of the music we would call almost easy listening.  It is 30's, to the present, but it is the older style.  When they had Carnival before Easter, they aired live coverage of that.  That wasn't my thing really, it sounded very noisy....

This is the first time I have used this keyboard for a long period.  It looked rather dirty so I didn't want to use it until I wiped it off.  I keep mis-typing. At one point, I heard "Big Ben" bonging-- and that was because I hit the F12 or F11 key and I started up the, "dash board".  There's a thing on the MacBook called, a "dash board".  You can download lots of widgets to stick on it.  I downloaded some clocks, one of them being, "the tower of Big Ben".  (which isn't the proper name)  And when you start up the dash board the clock chimes.

I think the keys on this keyboard are too close together?  I don't know what it is.  I guess I have to get used to it.  The more I use it the less I mis-type.  Also, I am getting used to using the mouse again.  I have a wireless battery powered mouse.  It is so much easier than using the track pad on the MacBook! I have the MacBook situated so far away that it is difficult to use the track pad.  That way I am forced to use the mouse.  Yea!  It doesn't hurt to use the mouse.

Ok, I have been waiting to use this set up for a few days now.  I wrote a rough draft of a new start to my Osbert Pickle story.  I want to type it up and print out a copy. (which will be easier to read without having to fight my scribbles and cross outs)

Right now the story opens with Osbert trying to juggle an old-fashioned steamer trunk, and his small dog as he makes his way down a hill with ankle deep snow on it. Of course Osbert has help carrying the trunk down the hill. He is trying to get to a train station. He surprises the station manager as the train just left the station and the manager won't be expecting more passengers to arrive for another day or two.  This is a small station that isn't used as often.

(The trunk is the kind with the drawers inside and the space for hanging clothes.  Speaking of which, sometimes via eBay, I run across vintage folding clothes hangers in their own leather case.  I always assume you would use them in such a steamer trunk.)

I'm off to type in what I have so far, get a snack and hit the trail and go to bed.  I think the cats might want in also.

I have a question...

I originally wrote this, April 21 and 22, 2013.  I am editing it May 10, so it should make sense to anybody who reads it.

Hopefully this makes sense to you.  If it doesn’t, please contact me.

I’m writing a story set in a fictional, “European,” country.  The government of this country is dictatorial.  According to the news media of this county, there are terrorists bombing cities and towns.  If you don’t believe like society or the government, you and your beliefs tend to get called the name they call the terrorists.  There is an underground Church in this country.

The main character, “Osbert Pickle,” is an itinerant book dealer / book scout. Osbert is searching for someone / something.  He lands in the capital city.  It is the last place he can think to go in order to find what he is looking for.  Another prominent character is, “Freitag,” a Christian, who is coordinating, “help,” for Osbert Pickle. (This is a link telling what a book scout is.  This definition is for a book scout in the modern world of computers.  A book scout in my story is an old-fashioned one of an era prior to modern computers.)

I imagine Freitag and the network of people, who work with him, performing behind the scenes something like the group putting on the big sting in the movie, “The Sting”.  The whole idea is to help Osbert find what he is hunting without being obvious about it.

I originally wrote that Osbert Pickle, learned about Freitag’s bookshop by happenstance.  That’s how he learned about Freitag.

The bookshop isn’t listed in the phone book.  The secret police have no knowledge of Freitag’s shop, even though they not only keep track of people, but also ideas (beliefs), and would know all such places.

I have in mind, that near the end of the book there is a scene where, Osbert would look in Freitag’s window one last time. He doesn’t see any evidence that a bookshop has been there except the outline on the floor in dust where the bookcases were.  I also imagine that at some point the secret police look for Freitag’s where Osbert said it should be, and they find an empty building.

There is much more to this story, than what I have in this post.

Now for the questions...

     Freitag is the coordinator of a network of people, “helps,” who are    

     out to help Osbert find God.

     I want to show Freitag coordinating this group of people.  He tells

     them what to do amongst other things.

     Freitag learns who Osbert is, and that he is a book dealer,

     AND, Freitag figures out that having Osbert find a certain book   

     would help him. (I imagine this bookshop to appear and disappear

     something like the horse betting shop in the movie, “The Sting”.)

    

 1. Wouldn’t Freitag tell his people to set up a book shop?

     (Freitag: “We need to set up a book shop”... Someone else:

     “I have an empty building we can use”...Yet again someone: “We can

     all donate old books from our basements”...) 

     Wouldn’t he also check up to see how this bookshop is coming along?

2.  If Freitag is a minister or Christian leader of some sort, how or

     why would he know anything about books?  I need him to be

     knowledgeable about books.  He wouldn’t have time (along with

     his normal duties) to cram, in a very short time, and become as

     knowledgeable about books, as I need him to be. Could Freitag

     have been a bookseller or some such, “in a former life” (i.e. before

     he started performing Christian duties)?  Could he have been raised

     in a bookshop perhaps?  Or maybe his former job was librarian?  Do

     you have any ideas how to fix this problem? (logistics)

     Now for my main question:

3.  If I show the, “helps,” putting together a bookshop, “out of thin air,”

     then how do I surprise, the secret police and therefore the reader, with the

     empty book shop building?  I want to surprise the reader as I show the police

     guy being surprised as he finds the empty shop.

This is my first post.  I took the photo and finished the, "header" (title etc.) yesterday.  I'm finishing off the end of a DVD by recording part of a, "real football," match (game) onto it.

Now that I have this set up, I can begin putting posts on here.  I want this to be a journal of my writing efforts.

I would appreciate receiving any feedback that you have.  I would like to know if everything works well on your end.  I am always eager to improve things if I need to.

I have been taking even more notes lately.  I am trying to get the computer room back in some sort of order so I can actually work in there.  (I show a typewriter in the photo at the top of the page, but I do use a computer for the writing.)

I have three books, of questions for writers.  They are for pulling a story from someone who has difficulty coming up with something.  But they have really helped me think outside the parameters, (box) that I have been thinking in.  I basically have the story already.  I just need to fill in some gaps.  I take these questions and adapt them to my needs.

The three books are:
1. "How to Find Your Story," by Jeff Gerke;
2. "Ready, Set, Novel!" by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant, and Tavia Stewart-Streit (a                "NaNoWriMo" book); and,
3. "The Novelist's Notebook," by Laurie Henry.

There is an interesting article about books in the latest, "Real Simple" magazine. There are some photos of neat sculptures made from the pages of books. I don't know that I would agree with everything the author of the book article says. I have been reading lots of books and articles about books.  I am needing information and inspiration for the story I am working on.

If you read this, and you are able to figure out what (it is) and why (I stuck) the bottle by the typewriter, you get a genuine imitation Dr. Pepper Medal.

Ok, this should do it for now.  Check back here for more posts.  Oh, by the way, there is a place on here to sign up to get an E-mail when I add a new post on here.