Whiteout, A Brother Typewriter and Technology by Bob Jones

Knowing the demographics of this group, you’ve most likely had the memorable experience of using a typewriter long before keypads were invented. 

My first typewriter was a Brother. They should have called it a “bother” because that’s what it was every time I made a typing mistake and was forced to correct it using a brush stroke from a bottle of whiteout. And I spent a fortune on bottles of whiteout.

Typewriters

In Junior High I was assigned a creative essay on the Vietnam War and used my bother of a Brother to produce a “Diary of a US Marine.” Why a Marine would use a typewriter in the jungles of Vietnam is beyond me now but that escaped my 13-year-old’s logic. The last unfinished page of the diary was smeared with red liquid, symbolizing the death of the diary keeper.

As clunky as it may sound, it was a fun exercise, and I still have the diary tucked away in a tote in our cold cellar.

How times have changed.

Technology

Now I navigate the digital world of a WordPress blogsite, Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, and a Mailchimp newsletter that needs feeding twice a week. Thank God there is no whiteout needed for digital.

My blogsite function is totally dependent on a paid web designer. Years ago, I taught a seminar at the Inscribe Writers Conference on using a blogsite. Maybe you were there. The first enquiry during the Q&A session was how did I build my blogsite. When I explained that I hired a web designer, the response was, “O, you can afford a guy.”

If you’re going to write, you might as well be read.

That doesn’t mean writing for applause, chasing clicks, or hoping to go viral. It means remembering that words are meant to travel.

What better way to travel to readers than through free, social media platforms. Posting on social media is an invitation: Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. Perhaps it will make you think, too.

I travel for free on Substack, Linkedin, Threads, Twitter, and Facebook.

My wife loves the digital world of Kindle, or I should say, MY digital world. My library doesn’t need to be dusted now that most of my books are on Kindle. Gone are the floor to ceiling bookshelves, traded in for a simple, dust free, iPad screen. 

I'm OK with screens. I can take my entire library with me to Ukraine on my iPad. My eyes are a different story, requiring reading glasses and regular screen breaks to give them a rest.  

Here's to a celebration of thinking, writing, and sharing.

 

You can find me at REVwords and on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Substack

Some of my published books are listed on www.Amazon.ca.

Technology: A Love/Hate Relationship by Lorrie Orr

 

October's Prompt: Technology vs analog. How do you handle the tension? What social media platforms or web-based tools do you use to ensure your work is read by others? Do you find it difficult to manage technology?

 

Photo by Lorrie Orr - The last bouquet of roses cut this week from my garden

Typing 9. I sat in front of a fully manual typewriter. Early technology, and faster than writing by hand. Typing came easily, and the teacher said I had strong and accurate fingers – from practicing the piano. I learned to center titles by counting the letters and spaces, dividing that number by two, finding the center of the paper, then pushing the space bar to find the correct place to begin my line of text. Whew! It was a lot of work. Technology for writers has come a long way since then!

Now technology threatens to take over so much of our lives. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Very glad for some things, not so much for others. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Love

My Surface Pro 8 computer. It's a few years old, but works wonderfully, especially after the updates are installed. I like it because:

* It’s small enough to tuck into my carryon or personal bag when travelling.

* It acts as a real computer in that it stores lots of documents and photos.

* It’s easy to pack around the house if I want to write in the living room, the kitchen, or my studio/office.

Hate

When technology doesn’t work as planned. I get so frustrated when I seem to be doing the right thing and it doesn't work the way I want it to. However, I’ve learned that, like most humans, phones and computers benefit from being turned off for awhile, then re-started. And make sure the updates are installed!

Love

My I-Phone 17. I love it because:

* It keeps me in touch with those I love, via texts – group or individual, phone calls, and Facetime.

* It has a great camera. I have a larger camera that I like to use around home, and I had a smaller digital camera for travelling. Actually, I had two of those smaller cameras, but they were kind of finicky and I decided to replace the last one with the newest I-Phone. It’s got a great zoom and takes good photos, although I think my larger camera still beats it.

* I control my notifications and have only the phone and text notifications enabled. If you email or message me another way, I check those regularly, but I don't want a barrage of interruptions in my day.

Hate

Generative Artificial Intelligence. It’s mere artificial plagiarism. I have briefly, very briefly done a few experiments with AI and I don’t like the results. They make me feel squeamish. So I’ve taken a firm stand on AI. Why?

* Because it takes away from the humanity of thinking and working through problems. Walking helps me when I have a thorny problem to work through, or an activity like dishwashing or folding laundry that keeps my body busy and lets my mind wander. Plot problems and ideas flow when my mind is in neutral and I often get my best ideas during a walk.

* Because it uses so many natural resources, like land and water. Here's a link to a Canadian Government site about the issue.

* Because human creativity is a gift from God – because creativity is part of the image of God in humans – although I struggle to draw and paint, I will not resort to AI to create images for my work. Generative AI lacks soul, whether in writing or in art.

As with all love/hate relationships, there are qualifiers and extenuating circumstances. I am thankful for the amazing abilities God has given the human mind to solve problems and make life easier and more stable. Without modern antibiotics my husband would have died of pneumonia. Without natural gas, I would be chopping wood and feeding a wood stove to stay warm in the winter. Technology is all around us, from the wooden spoon I use to stir soup on the stove to the elaborate computers used to power our world. Humans benefit from technology. But let's not lose our humanity.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island, BC.

She is the author of one book, a memoir, Life is Short but Wide,

and has a number of other books waiting to be worked on,

as well as a vast amount of writing in her head. Unfortunately,

technology doesn't help her sit at her desk to write.

She also writes on Substack and her personal slice of life blog.

Giving Thanks in All Circumstances by Leanne Davidson

 

We are pleased to welcome Leanne Davidson as she joins our writing community here on InScribe Writers Online. 

Believers are told to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Share a story of when you found it difficult to give thanks in your writing life. What did God teach you through that experience?

Giving thanks in all circumstances is certainly a timely topic for a month of Thanksgiving! This verse in 1 Thessalonians has been both a challenge and a moment of discovery for me:

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all

circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

         (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18, NIV)

My writing life actually began in a way I would never have anticipated. In November of 2022, my youngest son, Mikael, died of an accidental overdose. The heartache and agony of losing your child requires a means of expression. It cannot be held inside our bodies with no channel to  release it. I turned to writing as a way to articulate my grief and put my biblical lament on paper. In response to God's prompting, I began sharing these journal entries in a blog and eventually published books. 

The benefits of this have been twofold. For one, the act of placing complicated feelings on paper is very therapeutic. It provides an external, concrete process to reflect on the convoluted thoughts and feelings of grief and God's response to them. In addition, fulfilling God's purpose by using writing as a means to offer help and comfort to others provides meaning and direction at a time most needed. 

Having said that, I certainly can't say I am thankful for the reason my writing life began! Nor do I think God expects me to be. This is where the verse in 1 Thessalonians has been a challenge and moment of discovery. There is a framed picture at the front of our church with this verse on it. Sunday after Sunday, it has stared me in the face, prompting me to contemplate its full meaning. 

At first glance it's easy to interpret this instruction as being thankful for every situation. In fact that was my first thought, creating furious conflict in my soul. Indignant would be an understatement. God gently led me to understand I was in error and was not reading this verse accurately. We are instructed to give thanks in all circumstances, not for them. Upon realizing this distinction, the door was opened to the partnership between gratitude and grief. 

Although I am not thankful for how my writing began, I am thankful for being provided with this gift of communication. It has been instrumental in my personal grief journey, opening doors of healing and opportunity for service. I have much for which to be thankful as God has provided for every need over the past four years: people to support me, concrete needs, solutions to problems, direction and comfort. 

The relationship between gratitude and grief may seem somewhat paradoxical, but the reality is that they exist simultaneously. Gratitude can walk hand in hand with grief, providing clarity and encouragement on an arduous road. The cultivation of gratitude for God's loving provision is a powerful healing practice. 

Leanne Davidson is an author and blogger based in Kenora, Ontario. She resides with her husband, Tim, and their dogs, Milo and Millie. A 25-year educator and recipient of the OECTA Pearse Shannon Memorial Award, she also holds a certificate in “Death, Dying and Bereavement” from Wilfrid Laurier University. Following the 2022 accidental overdose of her son, Mikael, she became engaged in grief ministry, supporting others navigating similar experiences. Her website, www.amothersgriefjourney.com, provides resources, personal narratives, and access to her publications. She may be contacted at kenoralake4@gmail.com

The Ten Principles by Brenda J Wood

Image by April Price from Pixabay

In 2010, the State of Wyoming adopted "The Code of the West" as their motto. They were made popular in James P. Owen’s book Cowboy Ethics. I list the shortened version along with the cowboy ethics from centuries ago. As writers, we would do well to adopt them for ourselves.

• Live each day with courage.

• Take pride in your work.

• Always finish what you start.

• Do what has to be done.

• Be tough, but fair.

• When you make a promise, keep it.

• Ride for the brand: Show deep loyalty to your group.

• Talk less and say more.

• Remember that some things aren't for sale.

• Know where to draw the line

• Horse thievery was a capital offense.

• Never alter another man's brand.

• Unconditional hospitality.

• Don't ask personal questions.

• Share water rights and grazing lands.

Brenda J Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.