Writing – Page 98 – Jean's Writing

What would happen to your story in a fire?

Published on September 30, 2016September 26, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell36 Comments

Or a flood, or should someone steal your computer?

I don’t know about you but, I’d have a freaking heart attack! laptop-fire

We’ve all know to back up our work. I do this religiously to an external hard drive. A hard drive that is in my closet, that would burn up with my laptop and house in a fire.

Geesh! Give me a minute while I bang my head on table.

September 15, 2016, the Associated Press reported about a fire. Nothing unusual about fires, they happen every day. Unless you are the victim. As was the case for Gideon Hodge a novelist that realized his only copies were on a laptop inside.

Mr. Hodge rushed past firefighters into the blazing inferno to save his computer.

superman-meme

Man dashes into house to save laptop, 2 completed novels from fire in New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood BY MATT SLEDGE

So all of this got me to thinking. I better find a better way to back up my work. I have a lot of finished and unfinished stories on my computer.

But which is the best storage service to use?

I’ve used Google Drive for docs and pics I wanted to share but not for storage. I may give this another look as it is super easy to use. Google Drive is encrypted using SSL, the same security protocol used on Gmail and other Google services. 15 GB of storage won’t last forever but I can buy more as needed.

I’ve also used Dropbox in the past. It too is very easy to use and crosses many platforms. Dropping between my MS laptop to my Ipad with no trouble at all. The free version is only 2GBs but here again, I can buy more if I need it. Dropbox also allows you to encrypt each file for security.

I’ve tried Evernote for small things. I don’t know how it would work for larger items such as a manuscript.

For now, I’m leaning toward Google Drive.

But there are a lot more out there, including tips for Mac users. Check out this post:

Ask the Writers: Which Cloud Storage Service Do You Use by Laura Tucker

What about you?

Do you have a safety net for your writing?

Don’t let all of your blood sweat and tears be lost forever.

Which one do you use?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

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Do you need to un-spam some of your friends?

Published on September 28, 2016September 26, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

Holy moly! I had no idea this could even happen! Did you?

But after reading a post on HUGH’S VIEWS AND NEWS, I opened my comments section and lo and behold there were 18 in the spam section. And guess what? Some were not spam! Some were comments from legit followers yet they were being dumped into my spam folder.

Y’all, I’m sorry! But this will now be part of my blog housekeeping.

Hugh explains in detail how to fix your comments if you are the victim of the filter gods at WordPress. But I think it’s also important that bloggers check spam folders for our legit readers.

Here is my little video for your viewing pleasure. But you must click on Hugh’s link below and read more in-depth about this problem.

What To Do If All Your Comments Are Ending Up In The WordPress Spam Folder Source: HUGH’S VIEWS AND NEWS

So what do y’all think? Have you checked the spam comments lately?

Have you found this to be a problem?

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Can an attitude adjustment make your story better?

Published on September 26, 2016September 22, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Well, maybe. Sometimes just like kids our characters need an attitude adjustment.

A change in attitude at our house could save my kids a world of grief. And me a lot of aggravation. Parents reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. wooden-spoon-adjustment

The mood in our house could go from calm and peaceful to stormy in zero to sixty seconds if someone couldn’t find their shoes or if one of their siblings “stole” a favorite toy.

If only I had a dollar every time I’ve said, “Watch your tone, young lady.” or “Child, you better change that attitude.” I’d be very rich.

Why am I talking about tone and atmosphere?

Because I’m learning how important it is to put these two things at the beginning of a story.

I’m currently reading Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules Kindle Edition by Steven James and one of the things he talks about is setting the tone and atmosphere for the story.

Mr. James explains the reader becomes enmeshed in their surroundings from page one. So it’s important to set the stage early, to create a mood, and tone that is consistent with promises you’ve made to the reader.

In a story, we establish the mood through the setting. Such as in music, layout, weather, room decor, lights, etc.

The tone is something else. That is conveyed through dialog. The voice, dialect, rhythm, and style that tells the story.

“You better change your tone girl.” Another admonishment my daughter has heard me say a few hundred times. In a few clipped words, she could convey acid like sarcasm that’d peel paint from the wall.

Image result for attitude adjustment maxine meme

I’m not even half-way through Mr. James book but I can tell you it will find a permanent place in my library.

What do you think about setting the tone and establishing the mood as we write?

Do you have a tip that would help set the atmosphere? Do share!

Another great article on creating mood click: Creating the mood of a story: 5 tips for strong atmosphere at Now Novel

Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by [James, Steven] — **Click and read a sample**

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New Book: Anatomy of a Song

Are you ever unsure what to say?

Published on September 23, 2016September 21, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Or how?

Me too!

That’s the case in today’s review. I never want to say anything bad because one opinion can be vastly different from another’s. What I might love you might hate. So I never want to dissuade anyone from reading a book, yet on the other hand, I want to give an honest review.

Over my long holiday, I’d planned on taking the time to read for pleasure. I love the way Diana Gabaldon writes. She is one of my favorites. Her prose is beautiful. But as life would have it, I’d only read books one through three of the Outlander series. So I decided this holiday would be a great time to pick up number four Drums Of Autumn. I’d also loaded up my kindle with a few other books, after all, I had three weeks to read.

Drums of Autumn is 3600 meandering pages about Jamie and Claire as they struggle to settle in America. While Ms. Gabaldon beautiful prose didn’t disappoint I struggled with the length. I hated when her first three books ended, but wanted this book to speed up a bit and found myself skimming. Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Gabaldon is an amazing writer and storyteller and this book is very good, just in my opinion, not as good as the first three.

Will I read number five, The Fiery Cross? Of course! And not just because of my Scottish roots, (the M in my name stands for McIntyre.) But because I love reading great writing and I want to see how the story of Jamie and Claire ends. Will they stay in America or return to Scotland?

I did manage to read one other book by another author, after finishing this massive tomb, that review next week.

The bottom line.

The writing is amazing. The story too long-winded, kinda like your Aunt Mavis after too many glasses of wine. Characters are as vivid and alive as ever, I can’t wait to see what happens to them next. And I’m still hooked on the series, so I’ll keep reading.

PS: I’m also addicted to the TV series Outlander. Be still my heart! Jamie is hot!