Technology

I just saw a posting on Facebook. One of my "friends" must be looking to buy a new house so she posted 52 pictures of a house she might buy! There are some comments like, "I hope you get it. I'll keep my fingers crossed. It's so beautiful for your family." Do you know what I wanted to write? "Do the owners know you posted 52 pictures of THEIR house on Facebook?!" Do you know what that says to me? "Hi, we're selling our house and some stranger posted pictures of it without my knowledge or permission. BTW, since you know where I live why don't you come rob me?" I know what you're going to say - what about realtor.com. That even gives you the address of the house. But it bothers me that some stranger can post pictures of my house on line just because she walked through it! Yes, it's a control thing, but while I own the house I should be able to control what happens to it, don't you think?

We read our personal emails out in public on unsecured networks. That means anyone can hack into our accounts and find things out about our lives. Do you have any emails you don't want read? Hhmm...something to think about. And who doesn't bank online or make purchases with their debit card? It's 1984 and a Handmaid's Tale all rolled into one if you ask me.

We can't go backwards and give up the technology we've become so addicted to. How do we protect ourselves? Frankly, I want to wipe out my Facebook site. But is that the answer? I guess the need to develop "street smarts" has spread into the cyberworld too. We have to be careful out there. Know your surroundings. Don't talk to strangers. And when in doubt...run!

Talk to you later...

How Do You Persevere?

Writing a novel is one of the hardest things I've ever done. The manuscript I'm working on now has its hands around my neck and is choking the life from me. I want to set it on fire and if it wasn't for the support of my critique partners I might do just that and bag this writing thing forever!

I've edited this nemesis I call my WIP at least six (yes, I said SIX) times and it's still not done. Editing isn't just changing grammatical mistakes or coming up with a better word choice. It's having your characters make different decisions which leads to a different plot line, a different setting, a different outcome. You add characters and delete characters, but that leads to other characters having to say it, do it, feel it, see it. And after all this changing around you have to go back and fix the things you missed like telling the reader who Gayle is because you've edited the book so many times you don't realize you've cut out the part where you mention she's your protagonist's life long friend!

As I write this post I'm faced with almost another complete rewrite of the novel and frankly, I don't know if I have the energy to do it. And what if after all is said and done I still can't get someone to publish it? (Ah, the real issue I think.)

I know, no one said this was going to be easy and anything worth having usually isn't. Any pearls of wisdom from those of you out there? How do you keep going in the face of challenges?

I'm going to borrow a good idea from a friend. I'm going to eat a bag of peanut M&M's and maybe by the time I'm done this book will have written itself!

Talk to you later...

Bullies

With the unofficial end of summer about to become a tiny image in the rear view mirror and the new school year upon us I worry about bullying. It's an age old tradition, isn't it? And not a good one.

Why are children so mean to one another? I think it's because kids struggle with low self-esteem. I've read some experts say the cause of bullying is the exact opposite and in this day and age of overindulging I see their point.

I wish I could fix these kids basically so they'll leave my kids alone. And other kids too. NO ONE should get bullied. NO ONE.

Unfortunately, I don't buy into some of the methods the schools try to enforce. "Let's use our I Care language." Newsflash: Kids are still bullying each other. Those rules are only good for the kids who would've never bullied in the first place. (Kind of like hand gun laws, but that's a blog for another time.)

This leads me back to self-esteem. If a child feels good about him/herself, then they don't need to waste the time making other kids feel badly about themselves. How do we accomplish this? At home!

• Sit down to a family dinner every night. It's a great opportunity to hear about how your child's day went.
• Take an interest in their school work. Praise them for a job well done.
• When you're disciplining your child make sure they understand what you don't like is the behavior. Make sure they understand you love them no matter what.
• If your son or daughter is hanging around with a kid who has "mean moments"ask your child how he/she feels when they're with this person. Then ask them how they feel when they're with someone they really like. This empowers them to choose who their friends are and teaches them how to pick better kids to hang with.
• Lead by example. Be kind to the people around you. If you walk up to an existing conversation and start whispering in someone's ear and leaving the others out you can bet your son/daughter is doing the same thing. Honestly, it's just plain old mean and you've taught your kid how to be mean too. And don't think they aren't watching you. Kids are smart cookies.

The world could be a better place if everyone felt good about themselves. I know it's possible and it starts with the kids. Talk to you later...