Tuesday, March 31, 2009

COMPUTERS/CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THEM

I got up very early yesterday morning and started working on a chapter I received from my editor. I was excited but also challenged not knowing exactly how to make all the changes she was suggesting, work. Some of them I pondered over for what seemed an eternity. At times I got up, moved around, started another project, just to "jump-start" my thought processes. At one point yesterday, I decided to take a shower. As the cool water beat against my body, I was reminded of one scene she told me to work on. I dried off, pulled on clean shorts and tee shirt and returned to my computer. The creative juices flowing, computer keys clacking, my excitement at what I had created, I was full of joy. Several times as my husband walked through my office, I made him listen to the changes. "What do you think about this, what do you think about that?" He nodded his head and sometimes he would sit on the couch for a moment. I had several minor interruptions, friends calling needing help. Distractions that only took a few minutes. Needless to say, by 5:30 last evening I felt exhilarated. I shoved back from my desk, feeling proud of myself for accomplishing so much in one day. I saved the file, forwarded my newly created masterpiece to my editor. My husband asked me for a date. What a perfect way to end a productive day. All was right in my world. When we came home from dinner, I checked to see if my editor had responded to my changes. I couldn't believe it. The file was gone. The file I had worked on the entire day had vanished. I searched for an hour. During the day my ISP was acting very strange. I would click on one address and it was sending a message to another address. I was on my cell phone, the call was dropped, my home phone AND the Internet lost the signal. My friend called me back and said, "what's going on? My cell phone dropped the call and my TV went off." It's still a mystery to me. However, when I woke this morning about 5:30, I told myself I have two choices. I can sit around today and complain about everything I lost yesterday, or I get get to work and make it better than yesterday. When my husband woke, and came in my office this morning, I told him about my revelation. He smiled and nodded. I said to him, "I think I'm going to sit around all day and whine." He left to play golf!

2 comments:

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Oh, that is terrible. And so painful. Been there, done that. I locked the keys in my car today. You're so right to not blame yourself or your computer. It's such a minor thing. Besides, the new chapter was probably 100x better!

Kathryn Neff Perry, PhD, MA, LMHC said...

It's funny---well not FUNNY---but other writers know exactly what I'm talking about. You pour your heart into a manuscript, you write, delete, re-write, read it out loud, drag the paper-boy in the house and make him listen to what you've just created, knowing it's the best you've ever done---then "the dog ate it" YIKES