Aug 3, 2012 |
Writing is what I do best. It doesn’t always show through on my blog (although I want it to!), but I write every day. And when I give it my all, it shows.
But it still doesn’t pay the bills. Yet.
I love that word, yet.
And I know that someday, my writing will have yet another Big Before and After moment. I’m just not there…
Yet.
It’s been over a year since I lost my job, and in my human nature, I tend to get down and negative about the way of the world. I try not to, but hit after hit and sometimes I don’t handle it well.
My friend Wendy sent me this great email a few days ago: “I’m so proud of you and all your hard work while you’re out of work!!” She knows how to look on the bright side of things, and boost my spirits!
So I keep writing. I keep holding on, hoping that things will get better. I know they will. They just haven’t…
Yet.
And then I saw this on Pinterest.
And I applied.
And now I’m waiting.
Waiting to hear if I’m the lucky recipient of a $1,000 Blog Scholarship. I’ve so many ideas for building my blog, if only I had more funding. This could be the start.
And even if I don’t win, I’m glad that I entered. Their questions are thought provoking and helped me to verbalize what I want for my blog and how I intend to accomplish my goals.
If you won $1,000 to start up or maintain a blog, what would you do with it?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
This post is linked up with “What’s the Word?” Wednesdays
Jul 29, 2012 |
“When all else fails, read the directions.”
~Everyone’s Mother.
Often.
Just two days ago, I wrote how I want to learn better photography skills. In the last few days, I’ve worked toward that end: reading the manual that came with my Kodak camera. Trying my hand at photographing anything and everything. Pointing and shooting my Kodak as much as possible.
Okay, not really. Not all of that. But I have been reading the manual, and I must admit I realize I’ve fooled myself. Because while a Point-and-Shoot camera is just that easy, there’s so much more to it. For instance, Smart Capture mode is great for beginners and non-thinkers. Of which I not-so-proudly admit I was one. That little dial on the top of my camera? I’ve been too afraid to turn it, too afraid to see what it has to offer.
On Page 7 of my manual, it describes for me how different tools are available in different modes. So I turned the dial, one click at a time, and saw for myself that it’s true! I didn’t spend time learning each tool, as I know that will come later in the manual. But it certainly whet my whistle.
I’m looking forward to understanding the conversations between my brothers about F-stops and apertures and compensation. I’m really looking forward to the day I can not only understand, but contribute to such discussions!
Today, I discovered that a picture can be taken while filming a video. Imagine that! Two separate actions, at the same time! Just to prove to myself that it could happen (and that I could be the one to cause it to happen!), I gave this theory a test drive. I took the following two photos while recording a short video. The quality is dark and grainy, as it’s late and the lighting isn’t the best. I wasn’t interested in setting a scene; rather, I just needed to test the settings.
These are tonight’s photo results:
I tried uploading the short video, but I haven’t quite figured that out yet. It appears the easiest route will be to set up a YouTube account, but it’s late (after midnight, in fact!), and I’ll work on that later. If anyone has suggestions on sharing my videos, I welcome your advice!
For now, I’m pleased to know that my camera is capable of multi-tasking.
And Frankly, My Dear…
Jul 27, 2012 |
It’s no secret that I’ve been wanting to learn better photography tips. My brothers and my daughter are all naturals when it comes to cameras. Me? Notsomuch. But I definitely want to learn.
I have a great camera. You’ve seen it, right? My Kodak Z990 EasyShare Max camera. It is, I’m told, classified as a point-and-click camera. Honestly… I don’t even really know what that means other than “easy to use”. I know (I believe) it’s not an SLR, which stands for Single Lens Reflex. I’m not really sure what that means. But I think it’s more complicated than Point-and-Click.
The first photo I took with my camera was of Lizzie. I’m so in love with this photo, this cat, that I’ve featured it often on my media sites.
Lizzie Cat
I couldn’t believe the clarity and fine detail available… and this was straight out of the box! I hadn’t even read the manual yet! Look at the individual whiskers, the authentic tones of the blanket, and yes, even the reflection of my desert yard in her eye! Simply amazing!
Of course, I started playing with the camera. Learned a few tricks. It helped that I’d bought the exact same model for Dot last summer (which is how I knew I wanted one of my own). As time went on, I found myself asking her for advice. But mostly, just trusting the Point-and-Click mentality. No muss. No fuss.
But something’s missing. I look at photography blogs and I’m amazed at the way they capture what they photograph. The lighting is different. The backgrounds are softer. There’s so much more than just Point-and-Click-and-Be-Done.
My food photos need to be brighter. Better. More appealing. Let’s face it, if my food photos were the ones in The Unemployment Cookbook, there’s a good chance my sales might not be as great as they are. I made a passing comment when talking to one of my brothers last week. His work involves an immense amount of professional photography. I said, “Why do my photos come out orange-y?” He asked what my filter settings were. That’s when I paused. He suggested I review the Manual. That’s when I gulped.
Did I even have a Manual? I mean, yeah. A little start-up booklet came with the camera. But a Manual? Like, something to read and explain and help me get better use out of my easy-to-use Point-and-Click-and-Fuggetaboutit Camera?
A Manual?
It dawned on me, then, that perhaps there’s more to my camera, pardon the pun, than meets the eye. And perhaps, I can be a better Photo Blogger once I learn how to better use my camera.
Let’s face it. I love both of these photos of Fred the Tomato. They were taken about 20 seconds apart, and I made no filter changes. I can’t tell you why one is true color and the other is tinted. But I know I love them both.
A Table Scene
A Sunlit Scene
So tonight I downloaded the PDF Manual for my camera. The first eight pages were the get-to-know-your-camera stuff. You know. The If-You-Didn’t-Know-This-Is-A-Camera-You’re-An-Idiot stuff. But then I turned the page. And something happened. I read something I didn’t quite understand. Not that I’m an idiot. I’m just not a great photographer. Yet.
And I realized that reading the Manual might actually be beneficial. To me. To my Blog. To my future publications.
And that made me happy. The potential to be better. To provide better services to my readers. And to fully know what I’m doing.
Can you picture that?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 25, 2012
Sixteen months ago, I participated in NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a simple, fun community way to keep on track with writing. You can plot, plan, scheme for months at a time, but whatever you actually write for your book has to be written within that month of November.
Being the writer that I am and always trying to kill myself with too many To-Do’s striving for better writing accomplishments, I signed on in 2010 and yes, I actually wrote over 50,000 words in 30 days. It was not my finest work, but it did teach me about discipline.
So now that I’m promoting myself as a business owner slash writer slash publisher, I’m thinking it’s time to kick it into high gear again. Blogging doesn’t pay the bills, but publications might. And Megan’s waited long enough for me to stop tweaking the Prologue and Chapter One, and just move on. She’s got scenes in her head that I can’t wait to get to…
So why am I waiting?
This decision has slowly crept up on me over the last few days, but now I know there’s no getting around it.
I’m committing to writing 50,000 words in April. My own NaNoWriMo.
On top of blogging every day.
On top of running New Inklings Press.
On top of completing my assignments for the Institute of Children’s Literature.
The funny thing is, I don’t feel overloaded. I feel directed. I feel organized.
I feel ready.
Ready to write an average of 1,650 words a day.
Ready to move on with the characters, settings, plots, and drama.
Ready to give Megan something to be proud about.
Ready to really work on doing what it is we were born to do.
I’m ready to Write It Out.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 21, 2012
You’re reading this on Tuesday. I’m writing this on Monday. And I’d love to wait until Tuesday to enjoy it with you, but I have to write in advance so it will post on time. Rest assured, my excitement in writing will only be amplified once these words become reality.
*Insert blissful sigh here…*
Today (your Today, Tuesday; not my today, Monday)… Today I’m getting an early (seriously early) birthday gift. Last year I bought my daughter a mighty fine camera as she aspires to study art and photography. And, as you’ve occasionally witnessed, she has a mighty fine eye for such things. And on the few opportunities I’ve had to use her camera, so do I.
I love this camera. I want this camera. I’m getting this camera. Okay, not hers. She’s keeping hers. I’m getting another one just like it. There’s a method to this madness: she is a natural photographer. I am not. Not. So, after 15 minutes of me trying to figure something out; I won’t have that urge to create an opening in the window or wall. I’ll just ask her for help. Dot’s Tutorials, at your service.
She’s looking forward to it, too. I told her that we can start going on photography expeditions together. You would think there isn’t much opportunity for that here in the desert…
But even a tumbleweed can look good if the camera is right. Dot’s also teaching me the beauty of microphotography: taking really upclose, detailed photos.
All this excites me. A new toy. A new activity on the Mommy-Daughter Date Options List. And new photos for my blog. For my company.
How. Awesome. Will. This. Be.
I can’t wait to take photos of the Coopers. Not to be a broken record, but Old Blue was around again! This time he surprised me. I took the garbage out and when I turned to go back into the house, he was sitting on the fence just watching me. It was great. I didn’t get Dot’s camera in time, but in the next few days I’ll have my own and you’ll have those photos you’ve been asking for. *Insert mutual smiley face here, right?!*
Tomorrow (my tomorrow, your today) should also bring a book I’ve long been waiting for. When I was in grade school, I always defaulted to borrowing this book from both the school and local libraries. I must have read it a hundred times over the course of four years. Since I grew up, I’ve been trying to find it again, but it’s no longer in print.
Enter Amazon. Amazing, Available, Amazon.
And tomorrow/today, I should finally once again be able to read this:
Since I had a small credit at Amazon, the book was free! And since I’ve kept up with my 2012 Reading List, I get a “freebie” read for February. I choose this one. It will take just one day. 24 wonderfully short, attention-grabbing mysteries steeped in the history of our country. And of course, it also means another Mojo Book Review. Can’t wait, can ya?
Today (my today, your yesterday) I’m trying my hand at making chocolate molds. That is, melting chocolates and pouring them into molds. I also want to make ganache and use it for truffles. I’m doing this for a variety of reasons. I have a cake decorating kit I bought last summer but have only used twice. I have melting chocolates that need melting. And I think nothing goes better on blogs than photographs of chocolate. Especially when the treats are homemade.
So starting tomorrow, er… today, I can start taking awesome photos of any and all kitchen creations.
I’m so stinkin’ excited.
Last night, or long ago and far away, I had no idea what I’d be blogging about this week. Now I have too many topics to keep track of. What a difference a day makes.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
