Day Two: New Keyboard, Old Office, Great Weather
Aug182008
So now that I’m back to writing every second of my life, I’ve moved back into my old office which is a disaster area since we threw stuff in here during the remodel. Like two flamingos. And my SAD light. And a lot of boxes.
Also, I have a new keyboard, the das keyboard, which is very cool because it makes this great retro clicking sound like a real typewriter and which also has no letters on the keys. Yes, all the keys are blank. According to the Das people, your typing times improve radically because you can’t stop to look. Not to mention how cool the all-black keyboard is. Another plus: I won’t wear the letters off. Not so much of a plus: The command key is in a different place which is just ANNOYING.
And then there’s the book. I worked on the first scene. It still sucks. Didn’t get to the second scene. So now it’s back to the first scene as I step over boxes to get to my new keyboard. At least, that was Sunday. What did I do Monday? Well the day isn’t over yet and I’m determined to get that first scene nailed down, but basically, it was a gorgeous, gorgeous day here, so we spent a lot of it outside. The dogs dug in the mulch and I painted chairs and then we sat back and watched the river go by. I can’t do that too often but every time I do, I get healthier, I swear.
And now back to the @#$%%^&* first scene.
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15 Comments to 'Day Two: New Keyboard, Old Office, Great Weather'
On August 18, 2008 at 10:12 pm Chelle said...
I swear I’m not being flip here. I’m actually having the same problem as we speak.
If you know the first scene is most likely going to change, so much so that it’s all but a given, then why tear your hair out over it? If the scene is going to change, then what do you feel you are accomplishing by reworking it several times in the first draft? Why not just go on to the next scene?
The reworking has to serve some purpose, yes? Is it just to get the tone and tempo of the book started in your head? To get the characters to start talking? What?
As I said, I’m curious because I’m doing the same thing. I’ve rewritten this darn first scene at least five time, completely re-writing it and starting in a different place twice. So, color me frustrated over here too!
On August 18, 2008 at 11:00 pm misspiggydon'twannabe said...
The keyboard reminded me of the big clunky typewriters in high school typing class. None of them had letters so we had to memorize our QWERTY.
On August 18, 2008 at 11:25 pm Christine said...
You wear out the letters on your keyboard. I’m impressed.
On August 18, 2008 at 11:27 pm inkgrrl said...
Yes, watching the river go by is good for body and soul. Especially with canine mulch excavators as company.
On August 19, 2008 at 7:32 am Deb said...
Jenny, I feel geeky today. I just noticed on the specs page for the keyboard, that you can change the command/control/options keys using the the MAC OS X Keyboard and Mouse in System Preferences. That’s what the website says, I haven’t tried this. Maybe it’s all part of the master Wild Ride Plan.
On August 19, 2008 at 7:35 am Lynn said...
Sounds odd, but it does work. Several letters are worn off my laptop keyboard (h,k,l,e,t,y,u,o, & s)and I don’t even notice … unless I look at it.
I don’t remember QWERTY, but do remember asdf jkl; as the “home” keys.
Thanks for taking a break from writing to post!
On August 19, 2008 at 8:13 am McB said...
I’m happy to hear that I’m not the only person who likes to hear the keys click as I type. People think I’m being silly, but I swear I typed faster and smoother when I could hear the rythym of the keys. I LIKE my gadgets to click and whir and light up; much more satisfying than all this silent operation stuff that’s all the rage.
Definitely get in as much river watching time as you can while the weather cooperates. I have no trouble believing that it makes you healthier. Nature has its own rythym and when we let ourselves be in sync with that, it IS healthier.
On August 19, 2008 at 8:43 am Jenny said...
Thank you, Deb, I will be off to try that shortly (I’m on the laptop now which is rapidly becoming a no-letters keyboard). That could be a lifesaver. And no, I didn’t read the documentation. Duh.
Chelle, I have to get a first scene done as close to right as possible because Bob has to write the second scene. There’s a lot less freedom in collaborating because your partner has to know what’s going on in your half of the book. Bob’s very flexible but he has to have as clear an idea as possible about what happened in my scene before he can start Ethan running to answer M.I.’s screams.
Oh, and people are finding Agnes out now, so I might have gotten the date wrong. Again, Mistress of Promotion and Marketing here. “Uh, I think it’s out some time in August.”
On August 19, 2008 at 9:27 am MJ said...
I love the idea of an all-black keyboard. The only thing that looks cooler is a no-keyboard keyboard–a virtual keyboard projected onto a flat surface, as seen here:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/8193/
On August 19, 2008 at 2:10 pm lady T said...
Painting chairs with dogs playing nearby while the river rolls by sounds as good as it gets. And knowing you’re planning to write everyday, keeps you focused, vs. starting in on painting the table and the side tables and the double swing…
And knowing Bob is eagerly awaiting your next campfire, hello second scene!
Enjoy. Balance! Good luck.
On August 19, 2008 at 3:50 pm robena grant said...
I remember those days of typing without letters on the keys. I was good too. My keyboard has all of its letters except for half of the A and the E.
So nobody got roasted or toasted in campfire yet?
On August 19, 2008 at 6:27 pm talpianna said...
You can get stick-on replacement letters for your keyboard.
If Jenny writes a very gooey love scene in Campfire, can Bob put it into a S’More?
On August 20, 2008 at 6:11 am Mel said...
Were you using an ergonomic keyboard before? Is it weird going back?
On August 22, 2008 at 8:49 pm Sheri said...
I don’t think I could type without the letters on the keys. Especially the weird keys with symbols and whatnot–I never know for sure where they are! I don’t always look at my hands but most of the time I guess I do. I use one of those ergonomic keyboards–you know, the kind that is split in the middle–because of my carpal tunnel and it has really helped a lot. I can’t use my laptop’s keyboard now because of it! LOL! Too tiny and squished up…
On August 23, 2008 at 8:56 am Susan D said...
I found that putting stickers that simulated old-time typewriter keys (you know, the round black ones with the metal rims) on my laptop was helpful, especially with the numbers. Much easier to see.
We sure needed to NOT look at the keyboard back in typing class (“You’ll need to be crackerjack typists, girls, in order to get a job…”) because we had to read the rough copy at the same time, but now that we’re just writing out of our heads, and we don’t have to retype the whole page or mess around with Sno-Paque and carbons when we make an error, I find that touch-typing isn’t crucial any more. I still do it, of course, but I also search for a key if I have to.
I’d love to hear the clackity clack/ding of the typewriter again, but as well, the quiet tapping of my keyboard is kind of pleasantly rhythmic when I get into high gear.
Jenny, does your DAS also Ding at the end of each line?