Tag Archives: mistake.

SLR Camera I want one! But Do I Need One?

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I want a SLR Camera, but I don’t know if I need one. I suppose I’m a creative person, well I do like to write. So its only natural that when I pick up a brush I want to paint, when I have a thought I want to write it down, so it only stands, that when I see a sunset or a beautiful flower and especially when I see one of my children at play, I grab my small digital camera and start to click away.

So why do I need a SLR digital camera?

I think it has something to do with my age maybe, or more so my insistence of better quality. My journey of writing fiction has made me more appreciative of detail. I’m currently scanning my hundred thousand plus word novel, sentence by sentence for fault and bad quality. So now I look at a picture I have taken and find myself thinking, only if I had taken a bit more time, thinking about what I wanted when taking the picture.

I know I can do that with the camera I have now, but its not the same when holding a small compact. A quick snap and back in the pocket. But with a bigger more bulky camera, well it makes me want to take pictures. I hold it and I find things to take pictures of.

I’m looking at three Canon SLRs, the Powershot SX40 HS, the ESO 1100D and the ESO 550D. These are all beginner level SLR’s, which (I’m in no delusions) is what I am.  The SX40 is a fixed lens Bridge SLR while the others are not fixed lenses, which means I can spend more later if I like what I’m doing. the difference between them now is basically pixels and features. each one can do some the other cannot, thats apart from the 1100D and the 550D because its just price between the two, even with my limited knowledge I can see the 550D is a better camera. but is it worth the extra cost.

I like writing because this kind of thing does not happen. Its a pen or a laptop and how hard is it to find a laptop that you can type on.

Writing Stuff

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I have been writing or should I say rewriting my novel, this is to send to someone who is going to give me some feedback. on things like Story, plot, characters and so on.

This being my first novel length story, I have learnt quite a bit about how I write and have seen many problems while also seeing many good points. A bad point for example is the show don’t tell rule. I seem to be breaking this over and over again, this will lead to many rewrites, not of the whole book just the relevant bits. I am also noticing that I break into the ‘he thought’ and ‘she thought’ quite a bit at times. This again make for the show don’t tell rule. when I’m in there head and conveying there thoughts then I’m telling and not showing. this is ok if say I want to get the characters from one part of town to the other with no relevant story needed to be told about that journey.

Example : He thought, it best to lead his team straight to the station, when reaching the tall door, he thought. God I’m pleased to have got them here safely.

This although a bad sentence gets rid of many pages of description that would have been written if I showed then getting to the police station. The story should dictate whether it is needed or not. The problem is when I’m writing and its 11:30pm my eyes are falling closed on every breath. then it seems easy to replace five pages with one sentence.

But now that I work through the manuscript my tardiness is obvious. It makes me question the rule (there are many rules about this writing lark) just write no matter how bad you can sort it out in the second draft. now I’m in second draft it seam I should have been more decisive.

I think you learn as you write.

To Lie?

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I was going to call this post emotions number four but lies are not really an emotion, although they do evoke an array of emotion.

First  I should define between a damaging lie and a white lie. I believe a white lie is when your partner says they had one biscuit when they really had two. A damaging lie is self explaining, they cause damage. The worst kind of lie is when the lie its self prevents you from fulfilling a promise or stops you from supporting the victim of the lie.

If you lie to someone close to you, the kind of person you would not normally betray. The disappointment you will cause that person will do a number of things to you (the lie giver). Firstly the guilt will make you angry at yourself which you will pass on. Also you would begin to avoid the victim of your lie (the one lied to), this in its self could cause more damage.

Then there is the trust lost, all lies do make themselves known eventually.

Someone once said if you cut your arm you will heal. If you keep cutting the arm eventually it will fall off. A lie is like a cut you only get to do it a few times. Then it will end.

As for the victim lies only hurt. There will never be a good one.

If I sound like a preacher I apologise, I don’t lie.

DO NOT LIE. EVER. EVER. 🙂

Procrastination or incubation

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I’m in a dilemma, this is that I’m not, or maybe I just cannot, but I must do this first. You know if you give me some time I will.

Am I procrastinating? maybe.

In all seriousness, I am suffering from a dilemma. I have been told that when finishing you first draft of a novel you must move on to some other project. This is to give yourself distance from the characters and plot that has drilled them selves out of you brain for the last twelve months or so.
I have done this by writing the start of a new book. I have written the first three chapters and hit a wall, that wall being what comes next.
The problem started when I began to revise my first book. All I can see is where I need to take the characters into a second book.
I can see the sky. The people and most exciting of all the new characters that are beginning to pop into my head.

Every time I start to work on forth chapter of my new book that is supposed to distance me from this. I write like I’m writing for the second part of my first book.
I getting confused so you must be very confused.

My question is do I give in and start on the second book, while revising the first. Or preserver with the forth chapter of my new story?

I’m I just incubating the new story. It did start strong, then I hit the wall. I think it was that I have no idea where the story is going. It’s not that I need to know the ending, it’s just that I need a goal to aim for. That goal can move change or do what ever it wants. I just need something there to lead me.

Comment always welcome.

Emotions part 3

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I try to regret as little as possible.

I believe regret leads to only dark and hurtful thoughts. I suppose that if you look at any disision (it’s disision that make regrets) it’s to not make it a flippant one. Take time and make sure you have covered all aspects.

Looked at all the relevant paths and discarding the weak ones. What you are left with is the few true remaining paths. This for me limits the potential for regret.
It’s not foolproof, I have some regret to disision I have made but I am happy that at the time they seemed right. Hindsight is a wonderful tool only for a time traveler. Us simple folk will just have to make the best we can with what we have.

Spelling Mistakes

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This is a quick post regards my spelling. A good friend of mine informed me that he keeps finding spelling mistakes on my blog. All I can do is apologise profusely about this.
I write my blog mainly on the go using my iPhone 4 with the WordPress app. If you have read my profile you will know that my day job is a decorator, as all decorators, my hands tend to be large., my finger tips are more like stumps and far from nimble. Although the iPhone is an amazing phone, it spell checks everything you write. You may say that should solve the spelling problem. Well no not really, you see it also replaces words if you spell them wrong. It can replace it with some thing that is totally opposite to what you intended to write. When like me you get on a roll, you neglect to check back. It is actually advised not to check back especially when writing a long bit of prose, it can wreck the flow and I do agree with this.

I am what you would call a discovery writer, I start with an idea then take it from there, no plotting or character development until the story is completely finished. This way the story evolves as I write, making it very enjoyable for me to write, its pretty much like I’m reading the story as I write it.

As anybody who rights a lot will tell you reading your own words is well just that, you read what you want to read not what is there.

If I can come up with any more excusers I will promptly post them, until then I promise to work harder at finding these rough trees within my forest of words.

Any suggestion then Please comment.