Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 65

Images

When I write, I hear words, but I don't necessarily have a clear picture of setting. I like to be grounded as I draft out a scene and so I search online for pictures that fit what I'm writing. I'll keep that image up until my characters leave the location. I've shared some of these pictures on my Facebook author page.

I wish I could see scenes in my head. That I could block how and where my characters move within the location, but I don't get movies. Some authors do. What I get is words--not only dialogue, but also a character's interior monologue as well.

There are pictures for characters, too. I usually have a sense of what they look like and search online until I find the right image to represent them. This can take days, even weeks, of scrolling through modeling sites.

Sometimes they surprise me. For example Ryder Pienkowski from Wicked Obsession . He's obviously Polish, so that's the guy I'm looking for. Hours and hours over days of searching and I stumble across this Italian model. That's when he let's me know he's half Italian. Really? You couldn't share this with me before I wasted all these evenings scrolling through pictures? Luckily for me, I found Langley's inspiration image quickly.

***This post contains affiliate links. Should you choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.*** 

Since Finn's story (Wicked Intention) was supposed to be the first in the series, I'd already had images of him and his heroine. Those remained the same, but after writing Wicked Obsession and getting a better grasp on the characters, I had to go looking for pictures again for the hero of Wicked Salvation. (That's the story after Finn.) Found him! (He's hot!)

But it's the place locations where I really, really need images. The algorithms on Google Image Search must be so confused by my search history. :-)

On My Way to Mars

Later, peeps!

Digital Planning

I've blogged many times about planners. I love my paper planner and its (almost) perfect for me. Why doesn't it have full pages for Saturday and Sunday? That's the only thing that keeps me from planner peace. But I digress. I finally got an Apple Pencil and I thought it was a good time to try out digital planners. Why not? I can have a full page for every day of the week.

The first planner I bought was undated. This would save me money, I thought, because I can reuse it every year. It quickly became apparent that I was going to have to copy and paste 365 days to get my full year of pages. Gah! I don't have that kind of time.

I went to a dated planner next. July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020. (2020!)


This was better because I didn't have to create anything myself, and while I would have liked time slots for appointments, it was okay.

While I like the idea of digital planning, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a fail. It's just too much easier for me to work with paper. I keep my planner right next to me on the desk in my office and I can glance over and see my day without having to navigate to a file.

I'm glad I tried it because now I don't have to wonder if I could find planner peace on my iPad. I can't. :-) The paper planner I've used for the past few years is the closest I'm ever going to get to planner peace and I just need to accept that it's not going to be exactly perfect.

The Power of No

Why is saying no so hard?

Until I was in my mid-20s, I couldn't say no at all and found myself stuck doing all kinds of things I didn't want to do. Like join a bowling league.

A coworker asked me, and while an occasional game is fun, I didn't want to commit to bowling every week for months on end. Instead of saying, "Thanks, but I'm really not interested," I went with "well, I'm really not a very good bowler." And I wasn't because when you play an occasional game now and then, you don't get good and because I was never very good at any sport.

Did not being good end this discussion? No. I was told there were handicaps and I'd be fine. Guess who ended up in a bowling league? Yep. It wasn't bad for the first two months, but after that, it got really, really old. The lanes were also a really long drive from where I lived and it was Monday nights. I spent the entire week tired.

Saying no still isn't easy for me, and I still can't simply say "No" without adding reasons, but I do say it and I do stick to my guns.

Like when I was on deadline for Enemy Embrace and there was a work event in the evening as well as the next day. I was planning to go to the one the following day, but not the evening one because deadline. I had someone badger me to attend. Not just briefly, but at length. It was super annoying and super uncomfortable, but I did not go to the evening event.

I've learned over the years that if I don't respect my writing time, no one else will respect it for me. I constantly hear, "It's just one night, day, afternoon, etc." These same people wouldn't expect you to just not go to the day job because it was just one thing, but because writing is done at home, it's dismissed as something that can be set aside on a whim. That annoys me. No, I can't afford to write full time--I wish I could--but I don't believe these people would respect my writing time even if it were my full-time job.

So yes, I say no and I mean it when I say it even if I do have to add excuses. There's a lot of power in being able to say no and I'm glad I reached a point where I could do it even with qualifications.

Willpower Fail

My goal for the year was to not buy any more yarn. I have yarn for all kinds of projects all ready to go and I'm a slow knitter anyway. Seriously there was no need for me to buy yarn. Or any patterns for that matter either.

And then I saw a pattern I really liked and I bought it. But it's just the pattern. It can sit on my hard drive until the yarn moratorium is over.

But a small problem developed. After I finished a shawl, there was nothing else I wanted to work on. I tried picking up a project that was hibernating, but that didn't last long. It was on hold because it was so extremely repetitive that I got bored.

I eyed a throw I was making for my cousin's son, but it's Georgia and it's too hot to have that material on my lap.

What I should have been working on was unknitting the sleeve I'd messed up on my sweater, and I did try to do that, but after a couple of rows, I was like, I don't want to do this. What else can I work on?

I started a new shawl that I had in my To Be Knit drawer, but I found it exceptionally difficult to do a garter tab cast on with thin yarn (fingering weight). I'd only done it with heavier yarn in the past. I moved to another shawl, but I kept messing that beginning up, too. After starting over four times, I gave up on that as well.

Nothing interested me.

And then that new pattern started whispering to me. But I don't have yarn for you, I said. I'm not buying any more yarn this year. It whispered more insistently.

I browsed yarn, but closed all the browser tabs without buying. I did the same thing the next day.

The day after that I couldn't find colors I liked. The day after that, I couldn't get the colors I wanted at the same store and I wasn't going to order yarn from multiple stores.

Guess who ordered yarn from multiple stores?





I'm normally a fan of brighter colors, but I love this green and the second color of yarn is a purple. I'm knitting the swatch now.

Blue Versus Green

I found a link to a podcast in my Facebook feed and it was about the iPhone and blue versus green message bubbles. (Why'd You Press that Button) I'd heard a story a while back about a guy who changed to the iPhone because he was embarrassed to show up as a green bubble, so I was intrigued enough to download the podcast and find out if this really is a thing.

The hosts interviewed people who talked about actual technological reasons for their dislike of the green bubble. Things like one person who had issues texting Android users and couldn't be sure they got her texts. Security because the iMessage system is more secure (Blue bubbles). And more like this.

They also talked to people who would have a group chat and the one Android user would be excluded because it was a pain for them to deal with.They talked to Android users who'd switched to the iPhone so they'd be able to communicate with their friends.

All of the people interviewed were probably in their twenties. Maybe thirties, but I don't think any of them were that old.

The hosts were 1) surprised because of how many people cited tech reasons for their dislike and 2) maybe color theory played a role--people prefer blue over green--and asked if Apple had done it deliberately.

They then brought on a tech guy to discuss what was going on and he explained texting versus iMessage and why he thought Apple wanted to differentiate between Apple and other users. It all has to do with texting versus iMessage.

I can't see not messaging with someone who has a green bubble--some of my best friends use Android phones--but I do prefer blue bubbles. :-) I get an indication that a message was delivered. I get an indication when my message was read. But the biggest reason is my dad. He had an iPad without cell service and he can only message people who use an iPhone (or another iPad user). It's easier for my dad to text than send emails and that's the biggest reason why I like the blue bubble people--it lets my dad stay connected to the world in a way that works better for him.

Timeline Trouble

An odd thing happened to me while writing Wicked Intention--I lost track of my timeline.

Losing track is pretty easy to do and it used to happen to me all the time, which is why I'd developed a system to prevent it from occurring in the future. And with every story I've written for years, I've used this method. The odd part is that, for some unknown reason, I didn't follow my own process with this book.

I've been trying to figure out why? What was I thinking? But I haven't reached any conclusions.

Anyway, it took a lightning bolt for me to figure out the extent of my problem. The first parameter is that the story opens in the six months between the last chapter in Wicked Obsession and the epilogue, so I'm locked in. That I knew, but on Sunday, it suddenly dawned on me that this meant a good portion of the story was taking place in December.

It started seeping into my consciousness that I didn't really know how much time had passed from Finn's prologue to the point where I was writing now. That, though, was a problem for later. For right then, I needed to research South American Christmas traditions. Frantic online searching commences.

One of the sites I found mentioned the months of the rainy season. Without looking it up, I believe it was Mid December through April. (I have the information in my notes.) That meant that I needed this information too because what isn't happening in December is happening in the rainy season. More frantic online searching, but I need to do a lot more reading to grasp this. I picked up a couple of ebooks to read on the topic.

Then began the part where I began to chart the timeline for Wicked Intention. This meant printing out a calendar and marking which chapter happens on which day. Because I lost track, there was a number of inconsistencies that I'll need to go in and fix. I'm also fiddling a little on where--exactly--to start the prologue. I have some slight wiggle room there, but I think I have it worked out.

I'm feeling comfortable with WI right now. The timeline isn't perfect, but I have my arms basically wrapped around it now. Tonight or tomorrow, I need to find my timeline for Obsession and verify that it matches up with Intention. Once I have that finished, I'll breathe a sigh of relief.

A Bit More Nerd Talk

I hope you'll indulge me with one last cell phone post. I'm still in my honeymoon phase with the new mobile and marveling at some of the features.

This new phone has wireless charging capability!

I bought a wireless charger for it and put it next to my bed. I'm still getting used to it. When I needed to check the phone, I would use the cord to find it on the night stand. Now I can't do this so it's a learning curve. (Okay, technically I can do this if I wanted to, but I want to use the wireless charger, so no cord to grab.) I'm starting to get used to it and the charger is actually pretty--which is good since it's sitting out in plain view.

Geeky thing number two was picking out a new case. This was actually harder than when I picked out a case for my old iPhone. There were prettier cases available for the 6S with good ratings. For the iPhone 8, not many. There weren't many I liked at all, and some of the ones I did like didn't support wireless charging, which is a feature I wanted to use.

After far too much time spent online shopping, I finally chose a clear case with a pink edge all around it. I don't love it, but it's made by the same company that made the case I used on my old phone so I know it will keep the device safe.

I also tried a new brand of screen protector--speaking of geeky things--and OMG! it was awesome! Instead of ditzing around with stickers to line the protector up with the phone, this brand has a plastic template that snaps on the front of the phone. It was so easy, I wish I'd found this brand with my first smart phone.

Last thing that excited me was buying a new set of earbuds. I've always had the Bluetooth headsets with the cord connecting the two ear pieces. This time, I bought a pair without that cord. Not Apple Air Pods because I can't see spending that kind of money for something that's so easy to lose. I found a brand with a good rating from reliable reviewers (Yes, I went to the website that rates whether or not reviews are legitimate and ran every pair of earbuds through its evaluation) that were just a little over $30.

I tested the earbuds out at the gym and they stayed in my ears really well on the treadmill. There were a few issues, though. Like they wanted to fall out of the locker when I put them in there to take a shower. I had to carry the charging case up with me, but I stuck it in a place that was inaccessible without taking everything out of the locker. I'm going to try putting that case somewhere else.

The other earbuds issue is that my hair covers my ears and it hides them so that people can't tell I'm plugged in and can't hear a word they're saying.

Happy Independence Day

For my American readers: Happy Independence Day! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday with family and/or friends!

And the Phone Gods Smiled

Recently, I was complaining about my cell phone and how 16 GB of space wasn't nearly enough. I also mentioned that it's a company phone and I was stuck. Well, maybe not so stuck after all. I was telling my manager about my issues with the phone and he asked if I was due for an upgrade. Yes, I was. In fact, my phone was three years old so I was a year past eligible. He told me to order a new one. :-) And the day after it was approved, I had my new phone!

It's an iPhone 8 and it has 64 GB of RAM. 64 GB!!!

I actually could have all my apps on my phone at the same time, have my podcasts, and a couple of audio books and there was still space. OMG! It also solved my battery issues. My old phone literally had about an hour of use and then I'd be at 20% or below.

It also solved another issue. My old phone had stopped working with my car speakers. I could still connect the phone to the car, but it wouldn't let me play my podcasts through the sound system. That meant I was saving the podcasts I wanted to listen to on my commute to a thumb drive and plugging it into the car. That meant I had to shuffle it in and out as I completed episodes and new ones were building. It also meant that I needed to be at the end of the episode I was listening to otherwise it would start it from the beginning when I returned the drive to the car.

Why didn't I just listen to my podcasts from the phone? Battery life. If I plugged the phone into the car to keep the battery charged, the podcasts went silent. If I didn't plug the phone in, the battery wouldn't make the commute home--not with my traffic app and the podcast app running at the same time.

There aren't words for how excited I am to have a new phone.