The Low Tech Experiment

First of all, I haven't done this in a while, so let me start by saying, "Hi! Welcome to my blog."

It's been a almost a year since I blogged. And last year, I only blogged a couple times. It's because - life. My life has changed so much in the last few years.

But that's neither here nor there.

Well, kind of. Part of the reason I'm here writing is because of my choice to shut down some of my apps. I have many reasons to have done so.

Let me say that this is not a resolution post. I think I'm done with resolutions. I'd rather set some achievable short term goals and see how that works out.

So anyway, the reasons I'm shutting some shit down...first, to remove myself from drama. Facebook was the first casualty. After a bad work/romantic relationship failed and I found myself the butt of much bullying and harassment,  I decided to shut down my personal Facebook account. I had already blocked that person, but friends would send me screenshots of all the awful things he would say about me. While I appreciated that, I also came to a point in which I just didn't want to see it anymore. I wanted to be blissfully ignorant of what he was saying about me.

So, no more Facebook. I deactivated my account for an indefinite period of time and also deactivated the app from my phone.

Once I did that, I decided to take it a step further. I'd become reliant on game apps to fill my time when I was bored, on a work break, winding down from work, before bed, when I woke up on the more...you get the idea. So I deleted them all. Every game app on my phone. My end goal: read more, write more...find other more stimulating things to bide my time. Expand my mind. No more monkey pushing a button (though you know I LOVE monkeys).

Now I have all this free time and need to reinvent what I do with myself during my lull times. In the morning after coffee I've started doing yoga. I've heard yoga is great for chronic pain and bringing one peace. So far I feel like a monkey trying to fuck a football doing the poses (yes, another monkey reference, but an apropos one). Hence why I do it in the privacy of my own home. But in just a couple days I already feel a little more mobility in my limbs, a little serenity in my soul.

It's weird how dependent we become. After deactivating Facebook, I realized I can't access my business page, I can't access the events to which I'd been invited. There were groups I wanted to continue accessing...long story short, I created a profile just to participate in those things. I'm sure it's all part of Mark Zuckerberg's evil plan - that we should be dependent on his app.

I've figured out a few ways to keep up with my business and such. Mostly, when I'm just sitting around, or waking up in the morning...those are the times I'm finding myself a little lost. But, I've started reading a book I've been wanting to for awhile (shout out to Gae Polisner and In Sight of Stars). I've caught up on some magazines. I'm writing this blog. I wish to get back to writing my dystopian novel. I want to create and work more with my hands.

Will I last the 30 days I've allotted myself? I don't know, but I hope so. Longer would be nice. I'm also planning  to not reload any games or other soul sucking apps back onto my phone.And mostly, I simply plan of being a more healthy, productive and intellectual person.

Have you set any short term goals for yourself? I'd love to hear them.

In the beginning...

I think that when you say you're a writer, people (and when I say people, I mean people who don't write) automatically assume your book will be hitting the shelves next week. Not true. This week I've decided to talk about the process a bit, more for those non writers, or for those writers who are new to the game.

Today I'm going to talk about The Creation. Different writers = different writing styles. Mine is a bit chaotic. I don't outline, I don't plan, I just write.

In the beginning, the Writer creates a story. Now the story was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Writer was hovering over the pages.

And the Writer said, "Let there be characters," and there were characters. The Writer saw the characters were good, and she separated them and called one protagonist, and one antagonist, and added others and named them things like, love interest, and foil.

And the Writer said, "Let this story develop." So the Writer devised a plan, and called that plan "plot" and it was so.

And the Writer said, "This plot needs a conflict. Let's decide whether it be Man versus Man, a conflict that pits one person against another. Or Man versus Nature, a run-in with the forces of nature. On the one hand, it expresses the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength and will to live. Or Man versus Society, the values and customs by which everyone else lives are being challenged. The character may come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring others around to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was right after all. Or, Man versus Self, internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people are their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a character’s values. Does he give in to temptation or rise above it? Does he demand the most from himself or settle for something less? Does he even bother to struggle? The internal conflicts of a character and how they are resolved are good clues to the character’s inner strength. Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a character and creates the suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading." The Writer made a choice, and it was good.

And the Writer said, "Let the reader become one with the story. Let my words enable them to see and feel what is happening." And it was so. And the Writer called it, "imagery". And the Writer saw that it was good.

And the Writer said, "Let there be a great moment of intensity for the reader. Let it interest them and make them feel fervent emotion. Let us bring the story to a head." So the Writer created "climax". And the Writer saw it was good.

And the Writer said, "Let us bring an end to the story. An end that makes sense, and does not disappoint the reader. An end that follows all that has come before." And it was so. And it was called, "resolution." And the Writer saw it was good.

And the Writer saw everything she had made, and behold, it was very good.

Okay, maybe it's a little narcissistic to compare creating a novel with the creation of the world, but writers are a little (a lot) narcissistic, and it's pretty much the same. You are in essence creating a world. Creating man in characters. And it's a labor of love, just as it was for the higher power. And it is so. And it is good.

Thanks to this web site.
and about.com

Side note: I've take up poetry. I've started another blog that you can check out here. Now, I didn't just write a poem and call myself a poet. I have a mentor, her name is Lori, and she's been helping me out. But with all this angst I feel, I thought poetry would be a good outlet for me.

Thanks for reading.

kisses

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Megan