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Well, that can be interpreted in a rather salacious way, can't it?
The winner of the chocolate and other swag promised by Maureen O. Betita during her interview about The Kraken's Mirror is. . .
J. K. Coi!
Congrats, J. K., and thanks to everyone who participated in the interview. It was great fun, and now we just have to wait, semi-patiently, for The Kraken's Mirror release date!
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By now I think the world knows about NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month). You spend the month of November, writing feverishly, approximately 1667 words/day, so you can finish a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
Anyone who has participated will admit it's an audacious thing to write a 50k novel in 30 days. It borders on lunacy, which is why you will see so many bleary-eyed zombies walking around during November. Okay, and in December, while these insane writers are recuperating from this manic sprint to create a book.
No, it's not considered a polished novel. It's not even a finished novel. No one in their right mind would consider it "query ready" or even "submission ready".
But it is definitely a beautiful beginning.
Sometimes starting something is the hardest part of a project. It's easier to talk about starting. We all have ideas for books, but getting those ideas onto paper, and fashioning them into a coherent narrative. . .that's definitely the tricky part.
The goal of NaNo is to finish, of course, and I am aiming for that goal with all the ferocity I possess. All the way to 50k! But I don't consider it a wasted effort if I don't make it to the finish line with fewer words.
I finished NaNo the very first attempt, when I wrote Bad Sex Karma. I learned so much about staying two steps ahead of that pesky Inner Critic. NaNo also helped me come out as a pantser, and it was a glorious thing to discover that 1667 words/day is actually a comfortable pace for me.
The most important lesson I learned? How to actually enjoy the writing process.
I started Shoot Me If I Do at another NaNo session, but my work life at the time was too chaotic to get very far. I attempted to work on it the next year, but I couldn't finish then either. This really surprised me, because I hadn't had any troubles the first time keeping up, or catching up, with the word count.
Still, I don't consider either of those tries as failures, because an amazing hero and heroine LEAPT off the pages. I knew instantly how great they were, and I knew I was going to finish that book no matter what.
I did finish it, and that book placed in several contests, got me my agent, and is on submission to editors as I type this (unless of course I just jinxed everything, so if you can't read this sentence, it's because the superstitious lizard-brain part of me insisted I white it out).
This year I'm going to give NaNo another go. If I get to 50k, fine. If not, that's fine too. Any word count is better than zero word count. I have a few ideas I've been batting around, and so far I can't seem to commit to just one—I'm definitely in the midst of a literary Big Love situation here. But I feel like I'm ready to devote my time and energies to just one manuscript, even if I don't make my selection until right before I turn into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight November 1st.
Also, this year I want to interact with fellow writers in my local area, something I've avoided in the past since I wasn't sure I'd get my actual writing done if I was commiserating with other NaNoManiacs. But it's always good to try new things, and it sounds like it could be fun, so why not?
That's why NaNo is such a rush. It's crazy and manic and unpredictable and, most of all, absolutely thrilling.
Shouldn't writing be like that at least one month out of the year?
So, any other NaNoManiacs out there? If so, let's hear it: All The Way to 50k! Tell us what you're planning to write, and if you want to be buddies on the NaNoWriMo website!
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For the past few years, I have celebrated my "birthday month". One day never seems quite enough for such a momentous occasion, at least not until it becomes a national holiday. Fortunately, this year some of you may get time off since it is Election Day, and if you do, think of it as a trial run for when we have a three-day weekend to celebrate Donna's Day.
And lest it seems I am being overly greedy with an entire month rather than one measly day, consider this: you don't have to buy my present for a specific day that might be inconvenient for your schedule. YOU HAVE ALL MONTH!
So what presents do you get for a writer?
Well, besides the obvious gift this year – an e-reader – here are a few things you might want to consider when it's time for your Birthday Month.
You can read the rest of this post at Romance Writers Revenge, so stop by and tell us what kinds of gifts you would like to receive as a writer!
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Today I'm interviewing Maureen O. Betita, author of The Kraken's Mirror. It's going to be published soon by Decadent Publishing, and if you don't have an e-reader yet, after reading this description, you'll be rushing out to get one!
Treated by our youth oriented society as invisible and sexless Emily Pawes attends a pirate festival to recapture the make believe magic she knew as a younger woman. She wins an interesting bit of booty at an old woman's bric-a-brac stand. The Kraken's mirror is a magical portal and transports her to a land of Hollywood piratitude, where swashbuckling heroes own iPods. With little choice, she embraces the madness, deciding she’ll play pirate until she figures out how to get home. Or wakes up in a padded cell.
Instead of men in little white coats, she encounters the handsome Captain Alan Silvestri. He is a man haunted by a strange curse. Good luck is his to command, but it comes at the cost of any place to call home or people to call family. Resigned to die shunned by all, forced to sail every three days, he begins to dream of a special woman.
When they meet, sparks fly, passion flares. He needs her to be free, but more than that, he needs her to be whole. They set sail, uncertain of who has control of the wheel, seeking to defeat his curse of good luck and discover all the Kraken’s mirror plans for them.
Donna: Maureen, this is the very first interview I've done on my blog, and I'm thrilled you're taking this chance with your professional reputation!
Funny that I should use the word "chance". . . Maureen is a fellow pirate on the Romance Writer's Revenge blog, and she goes by the name 2nd Chance. She also has her own blog, Believing in Second Chances, that I know you'll want to check out.
Could you tell us about the significance of second chances in your life?
Maureen: Well I came very close to dying in 2007. The electrical system of my heart went haywire and I suffered what is known as Sudden Cardiac Death. I went to sleep and woke up three days later in the hospital. My husband saved my life with CPR and I went on to eventually view this event as my second chance. Chances to actually do the stuff I’d been scared of before. I mean, honestly! I’d almost died! So what if an editor rejected me! HA! HA! HA!
Donna: Very true! It does put things into perspective. Although some people wouldn't realize they'd been given a second chance—I'm glad you're thoroughly enjoying yours!
Maureen is the resident bartender at Romance Writer's Revenge. She's well-known for creating a distinctive alcoholic beverage for visitors. Have you devised anything yet for The Kraken's Mirror? I don't have much of a bar here yet, but if you brought the ingredients with you. . . You did? Brilliant! We can make it together, like on the TV cooking shows!
Maureen: Well, being an honest pirate, I must admit I ‘liberated’ this drink from another writer…he used tequila, but I switched over to rum. Or course. It’s pretty easy. I’m calling it Silvestri’s Bite. Take two parts DeKuypers Apple Pucker to one part silver rum (I used Bacardi), squeeze in some lime, serve over ice. This is pure booze, Donnaroo, so take care!
Donna: *takes a sip of drink* Oh my. This is quite tasty. Not to mention potent. Maybe we should have made a breakfast version instead. At least we don't have to worry about getting scurvy. I can see the significance of the rum, but what about the apple? *takes another sip*
Maureen: You see, my heroine, Emily, wears a special perfume. Be Delicious from DKNY; a wonderful scent based on green apples… Captain Silvestri finds it quite enticing… Here you hold the jug; I like to make it by the jug so it lasts longer… First, the DeKuypers…then the rum… swirl it about…I’d say a whole lime for a jug…add ice. Nice tall glass to serve… (I thought about adding some slime in honor of the Kraken…but it’s smelly stuff! And it’s hard to hold the glass…kept dropping them.)
Donna: Yeah, I'm glad you went with lime instead of slime. *takes a sip to settle the stomach* Okay, where was I? *shuffles through notes* Oh, yes.
A lot of writers were born with a pen in their hand, while others catch the writing fever later on in life. When did you first say to yourself, "I've got to write a book?"
Maureen: I think it was around seventh grade. Oh, when did I actually start writing? Let’s see, how old is one in 7th grade? Fourteen…so…let’s see…add the teen carry the three… Yup, thirty years later I actually began the first book I’d ever complete. I did a lot of on and off stuff those thirty years. Took a lot of classes, wrote a lot of papers, poetry…filled journals…
I do like this drink! *takes sip, crosses eyes* Have another?
Donna: I like it too! *gazes at empty glass* Yes, I do believe I'll have another! One of the most fascinating things about writing is how the story makes itself known to the writer. How did The Kraken's Mirror arrive in your life? A scene? A bit of dialogue? One of the characters?
Maureen: Well, you know how we on the Revenge like to drink and chatter and sort a’ dare each other… I wrote a story for Captain Hellion about how 2nd Chance ventured on a journey to obtain a certificate from the Pirate Lords attesting to Hellion’s right to call herself a pirate…They were holding their yearly meeting at the Holiday Inn in Hoboken, New Jersey. (All the best hotels in Singapore were full.) That set the stage for continuing with the idea of blending modern world with historical pirates and somewhere in that labyrinth brain of mine…I found Emily and plopped her into this new world. And of course, I threw every convention overboard and ran amuck. Great fun!
Donna: So it was a bit of a writing challenge! I like that. Your stories are some of the most inventive, imaginative ones I've ever encountered, with fantastical elements that defy the typical genre classifications. The characters are also quite different, with the hero and heroine in this book being a lot older than most. What inspires your stories?
Maureen: I like to break rules. (Sometimes I sit in Starbucks and just cackle to myself.) Honestly, I think rules are meant to be broken. Which is why my characters are often older than what you see in most romance books. (Why should twenty and thirty somethings have all the fun!?)
Donna: I agree with you about the twenty and thirty somethings. That's when you LEARN to have fun. Now it's time to HAVE that fun! *guzzles the rest of the drink*
Maureen: I also have a background regarding various genres that just chatter at me, “Pick me! Pick me!” I don’t like to say no, they all get tossed into the stew pot. So I mix and blend and dicker around with everything. Nothing is sacred! I take the concept of imagination very seriously. I attend Renaissance Faires, Pirate Festivals, Science Fiction/Fantasy Conventions, Writing Conventions, the Society for Creative Anachronism events, Steampunk Conventions…I do it all!
Donna: Wow. Lots of fun inspirational things! This book sold very recently. I remember your email telling all of us pirates about it, and you said how you couldn't stop smiling. Tell us about that wonderful day. *taps glass with finger* And let's have another round of these.
Maureen: They are quite won…won…wonnerful, aren’t they? Ooops, let me wipe that up… Oh, me call story! Hee, hee. I were sitting in Starbucks. And my cell phone rang. It was my agent, Saritza Hernandez, calling from the east coast. I sorta stared at the phone tilting my head at the ID… “What the…?” Then I answered and well, she told me she had an offer. Decadent Publishing had offered less than a week after she’d sent it to them, but she waited on another query result to talk with me about it. The second had come back with a pass just minutes before. So… Whoop! She sent me the particulars, did her agent thing and voila! I had my first sale!
Donna: *raises glass in celebration* Oops, this is a little wobbly for some reason. Does being on the cusp of publication feel like you thought it would? I know we all imagine how great it will be, but writers also say it has a different set of pressures and expectations. What has it been like for you?
Maureen: Torture. Pure torture. *giggle*
Nah, I’ve been making lists, figuring out what sorta prizes I can offer on blogs, admiring my cover, coordinating my redo of my website, anticipating the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, where I’ll have my first signings. The hardest thing has been waiting for an editor to be assigned to me so I can dive into revisions. (I’ve heard such scary things about revision. But I heard scary things about most everything… And guess what? I almost died! Nothing scares me! HA!)
Donna: Maureen, your joie de vivre is so contagious! Your agent represents primarily e-rights. How did you two come together?
Maureen: At last year’s Romantic Times convention in Columbus…no, this year's convention…I signed up for a pitch to Lori Perkins of the Lori Perkins Literary Agency and Saritza was with her. (Kudos to Lori for recognizing the inevitability of needing an agent who specializes in e-publishing!) I had a fantastic pitch experience, with both of them. First words Lori said to Saritza? (After eyeing my pirate button.) “We need more pirate stories.” SCORE! I grinned, leaned forward and pitched two stories to them, and The Kraken’s Mirror was the one that stuck. Sari e-mailed me three weeks after I sent the story and within two months, sold it. (She’s reading the other story this last week, while on vacation.) *crosses fingers*
Donna: *tries to cross fingers* Ouch! I think they've quit working for some reason. What's it like working with Saritza?
Maureen: I love her. She’s very meticulous, helped me revise and edit several times before submission. She has a Yahoo Group for her authors and is very good with marketing and writes a blog. Sari is serious about selling her clients and quite willing to see me move into print-first eventually. The Kraken’s Mirror will be in print three months after the e-release, btw, for those without readers.
Donna: I'm glad to hear that, since I don't have an e-reader yet. Can we hear a little bit about what you're working on now? Is it a sequel, or is it something completely separate from The Kraken's Mirror?
Maureen: While waiting for revisions, I’ve started on the story of a secondary couple from the Kraken’s world. It’s the story of Jezebel, the captain from the ship who looked after Emily when she first arrived. Jez has been a real challenge to write. She’s a wounded woman with a past that would curdle milk. She does have a determined lover…but she also has a resolute enemy dodging her from the past. A past that will see elements of steampunk invade the kraken’s world. Such fun! *rubs hands together gleefully*
Donna: It sounds great! I can't wait to see what kind of drink it inspires. *puts hand to forehead* This one definitely has a bite to it. Are you sure you didn't put anything extra in my drink? *lays head on desk*
Maureen: Anythin’ extra! Donnaroo, ya ain’t been keepin’ up on yer drinkin’! It’s a purty green color, ain’t it? Oh, almost fergot… I have some pirate booty fer a commentor… I’ll be puttin’ names in me tricorn and pickin’ a prize… Think I better type the names, I don’ think I could read me writin’ at the moment… They’ll be chocolates included in the prize… So be brave! Comment! Win some swag!
Donna: *lifts head* Oooh, swag! And chocolates! Tell us where else we can find you these days.
Maureen: I love ta chatter and can be found blathering away on the Romance Writers Revenge most days… On my own Chances blog and at Castles & Guns on Tuesdays. I’m on Facebook and my website, www.maureenobetita.com.
Donna: Well, thank you, Maureen, for sharing your special drink with us, and for letting us hear more about you and The Kraken's Mirror. I can't wait to read it! Everybody, remember to leave your comments in the box below for a chance at some pirate treasure from Maureen. I was hoping we could let you sample this delicious drink, but I guess the pitcher didn't hold very much. . .
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Autumn is when New England gets to show off, and it does so in a glorious fashion. It's one of the reasons I was tempted to move here from the dreary, rainy, grey Pacific Northwest. Autumn is a celebration of colors that seem garish at any other time of the year. What other month but October could have orange everywhere and not feel self-conscious?
These lovely things are called "Cinderella Pumpkins", and if you're fanciful enough you can see how a fairy godmother could work some magic and turn them into a coach fit for a woman on her way to meet Prince Charming.
I am always amazed at the numerous varieties of pumpkins and squashes. Have there always been this many and I wasn't aware? Very possible. Or do they keep creating new ones so I'll have something else to wonder about? Mmm. . .
For instance, when did Jabba the Hutt become a pumpkin? Did I miss the announcement about that? And the person who hoisted him up onto that bale of hay--are they still collecting worker's comp, or are they resting comfortably at home now?
New England is also known for its apples, and until I moved here I thought there were only about four varieties, and two of those had the word "delicious" in them. Apple orchards are everywhere here, which makes it too easy to take them for granted. Right now I'm sipping on hot apple cider I bought yesterday while I took these pics at Flat Hill Orchards (I know--isn't that hilarious? Who was in charge of naming orchards that day?) And no, that "one bad apple" wasn't there when I snapped this picture yesterday. I have no idea why it wants to try to spoil the whole bunch.
"An apple a day". . .this ought to keep you going for a few weeks. Just don't look at that one apple. What? You can't see it? I'm not gonna point it out then. You'll just have to find it yourself.
Yes, autumn is a beautiful moment in this part of the world. My only complaint is how quickly it fades into the next season, which is fast becoming my least favorite of the four choices each year. Winter is way too eager to shove autumn out of the way, as if it's greedy to dispel the spicy scents of apples and the poetry-inspiring foliage of oak and maple trees. Knowing that the bitter cold of winter is hovering nearby is what gives autumn a bit of a melancholy air, so it's a good reminder to savor all its beauty.
After all, in a very short while, this is what will be here. . .
(Don't worry -- that crazy chair actually prefers winter.)
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Do you live your life as a plotter? Or do you live it as a pantser? I suspect most of us blend the two in our daily lives, probably as a result of going overboard with one method and then getting so sick of it, we decide we have to balance it with a little of the other method.
Maybe it's not even a blend. It might be more like a seesaw, going back and forth from one extreme to the other, until we get so caught up in finding the right way to get things done, we forget what we wanted to do.
Some days there are just too many "shoulds". Today felt like one. I had procrastinated on something that could not be avoided any longer, and I had no choice but to get that off the Absolutely Must Do list. Then there were a couple other things that were on the Need To Do list, but I knew I could push them off a little while, so I did.
Then there was the Crisis That Appeared Out of Nowhere (aka Not On Any List) that had to be dealt with. Today was one of those lovely gloomy days where you don't need to go out, so you can hibernate indoors. . .until you realize that the big-ass whoosh of wind that is scattering the leaves so artistically is intent on taking your empty garbage barrel for a little joyride. So I bundled up in something that wouldn't be too shocking to any neighbors that happened to be out performing the same rescue mission, and then I got rained on like the heavens above thought I was a crispy dried-up plant that needed watering.
I told myself I "should" be writing today, to meet my writing goals. Yet after that blustery day adventure, I definitely needed a break from the "shoulds".
I remembered this subversive little post I'd seen a while ago called "the best goal is no goal", on the zenhabits blog. According to Leo Babauta, the author of this post, a goal-based system sets you up for failure. This is because "[w]hen you don’t feel like doing something, you have to force yourself to do it. Your path is chosen, so you don’t have room to explore new territory."
We are such a goal-oriented society, and we all know that if you aren't going to have goals, then by goodness, you're going to have guilt. Everyone getting stuff done will make sure of that.
However, Mr. Babauta doesn't advocate sitting around and doing nothing. In fact, he suggests you spend your time absorbed in what you feel passionate about. As he says, "In the end, I usually end up achieving more than if I had goals, because I’m always doing something I’m excited about. But whether I achieve or not isn’t the point at all: all that matters is that I’m doing what I love, always."
So this post inspired me to make an apple pie today.
Now I've been wanting to make an apple pie for a little while. I've never made one before, and it felt like something I "should" do at least once in my life. I tweeted a few days ago that I was going to do it, but I chickened out. Guilt was starting to make an appearance, because I'd already bought the apples from a local orchard, and I didn't want them going to waste. So today was the day.
Only after re-reading Mr. Babauta's post, I wanted to approach pie-making a little differently. I didn't want it to be another item to "get done", something I could scratch off the list. I wanted to enjoy the experience of it. And I did. It may not be the prettiest pie in the world, or the most delectable, but I had a ball making it, and I was grinning while cutting the first slice, because I'd had so much fun accomplishing something.
That's the same feeling we want to have about our writing. Instead, all the "shoulds" hover over us, reminding us to write every day or get a certain word count done. They tap us on the shoulder to remind us of the rules we're breaking. All of a sudden it's easy to start thinking of writing as the last chore you'd ever want to do. Heck, cleaning cobwebs from the ceiling ends up higher on the list of fun tasks.
Maybe it's time to revert to those long-ago exciting moments when we took our first stab at writing down a story. Remember how fun that was? We had characters that weren't like anybody else's, and they said the most amusing things, and our only goal was to write that story, blissfully unaware that it was actually work.
So today I'm declaring this a "should-free" zone. Let's be excited about writing. Love what you're doing. Don't make it a dreaded task you've got to do, your teeth clenched together to keep from swearing. Explore. Enjoy. Be creative. Be joyous.
Let's make writing a choice, not a chore.
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Who knew procrastination was such an effective writing tool? Here's a snippet from my post at Romance Writer's Revenge:
Every once in a while I feel like I’ve run out of blog post ideas. I can think of plenty of topics, but I seem to shoot them down the instant they appear, before they have a chance to make it safely to that part of my brain where they can incubate, and possibly hatch into something interesting.
It’s put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me, until I finally realized what was wrong: I was thinking too far ahead.
I was trying to PLOT, rather than PANTS.
If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I can’t plan things more than a few days ahead of time, and even when I do, it’s gonna be in pencil—while I’m brandishing an eraser in my other hand.
That’s when I realized I needed to call upon a higher power: The Power of Procrastination.
You can read the entire post at "Behold, the Power of Procrastination". But don't wait too long!
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As writers, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Partly that's because we're trying to be the best storyteller we can be, and partly we know that the publishing bar gets lifted higher and higher – especially when it seems we're getting closer to vaulting over it. So we keep pushing ourselves, striving to reach our goal of a near-perfect story, perfectly written, in the shortest timeframe possible.
Yet the more pressure we put on ourselves, the more stressed we feel, which makes us feel inadequate. Then we either can't write or we're convinced what we've written originated from the back end of a donkey with serious digestive issues.
Stress can actually help us, toughening our hide for those days we encounter critics (even our own). However, too much of this can be detrimental, and we start looking for relief. By a show of hands, how many seek out chocolate, or a beverage of an alcoholic nature, or the distraction of the internet?
These are all great stress relievers, and I'm not suggesting they should be ignored or avoided. I could do an hour-long infomercial on the efficacy of each one and still feel like I needed more time to extol their benefits.
However, maybe it's time to expand our repertoire with a few other tricks of the trade.
Obviously none of the things I'm about to suggest could be classified as avant garde or radical. We all know these things, but sometimes we need a reminder. That's why we read blogs and articles and self-help books: to retrieve good advice that we've stored away in the deep recesses of our brain.
So let's get those mental backhoes out and start excavating! Way back there, in that section labeled, "Self-Care Advice I Plan to Use Someday When I'm Exhausted and Finally Ready to Acknowledge How Much I Really Need It".
These are my suggestions. Now I'd love to hear what you do to relieve stress and increase your writerly well-being. Any and all ideas are welcome. Please share!
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While my new laptop gets used to its new space, and its new responsibilities, I thought we could take a trip down memory lane with a post I did about how wildly different our writing methods--and needs--can be.
When I worked as a Tasting Room Manager at a winery, I'd often get asked, "What's your favorite wine here?" And I would just smile and respond, "Today?" We'd all laugh, since obviously I had a lot of potential favorites to choose from, so how could I possibly have the SAME favorite every single day?
If I were asked what my writing process is, I'd respond in a similar way. It seems to change not only with each book, but with each day's wildly different writing needs. Some days I can't commit to putting the new words into the Word document that contains the "official" manuscript. So I open a brand new file, a kind of "this-is-a-pretend-not-really-permanent" document.
You know, like if Etch-A-Sketch had a word processing program.
This is very liberating, because on the days when the words seem permanently stuck behind an immovable mental obstacle, this technique lets things loose. I don't have to keep these words if I don't want to, because I didn't formally introduce them to the other words in the manuscript.
These new words can do all kinds of crazy cartwheels and jumping on the trampoline and giggling uncontrollably, and it's okay, because there's no guarantee they will be invited to stick around. Since they don't know if they're going to stay, they go wild and show me all kinds of cool things the old words didn't, or couldn't. A lot of my favorite ideas show up this way.
Imagine what it's like when these crazy ideas start trying to one-up each other.
The writing process involves two distinct types of tasks: creating, and editing. Since these activities utilize completely different areas of the brain, I often get ideas for editing one book at the same time I'm flying through the creation of a different book.
So I open another document – and download the contents of my brain onto that page. Then I can go back to the first book, and pick up where I left off before I got that little tap on my shoulder. Sometimes a perfect line of dialogue flashes before my eyes, or the best synopsis description ever rappels down a thought ganglion in my head. Off they go, into a document, for safekeeping, until it's their turn to be in the spotlight.
It sounds like a messy, barroom brawl kind of process, having to stay alert to what's in front of me, and then spinning around when I hear something yell, "Lookout! Over there!" and then back to the first one swinging to get my attention.
But it's also invigorating. It keeps my brain on its toes, so to speak. It doesn't have a chance to whine, "I'm booooooored." The internal editor can't keep up either, so she's twirling around, trying to figure out who to criticize first, often falling down exhausted without bitching about anything.
So. That is today's process. Tomorrow? Who knows. It could be very staid, typing away with no distractions, only one document in use. Or it could be even wilder than today's process. It's unpredictable.
That's what makes this writing thing so much FUN.
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Tragedy struck on Saturday when my laptop of three and a half years suffered a fatal injury. There was no warning, no indication at all that the motherboard had a defect that would spell the end of its existence.
It's hard not to feel sad at the loss of Dell Inspiron 1501. It was a real workhorse, aiding in the creation of I Do. . .or Die, as well as edits and revisions on Lord Midnight. In fact, it was in the midst of revisions for Bad Sex Karma when it fell ill and ultimately failed to recover from a restart.
There were signs that 1501 wasn't feeling its best, but I refused to acknowledge them. Not long after upgrading the RAM and replacing the hardrive, the DVD burner failed. The video card had frequent spasms, yet it always managed to recover, telling me so with a pop-up window intending to assure me that all was well. Lately the fan seemed to be working harder than necessary too, but still it soldiered on.
I will admit I was not always kind to DI 1501. There were a few food crumbs in the keyboard. (Okay, it could have doubled as a lunchbox.) I thought the screen was getting dim, until I realized it was a layer of dust obstructing my view. It deserved a better owner, yet it never complained or tried to run away from home.
I have already selected its successor, a worthy choice, and one that I'm sure 1501 would have approved of. While I was tempted to let the blog go dark for the week it would take for the new Dell Inspiron to arrive, I know 1501 wouldn't want that, so I'm pressing on, using a friend's desktop to help me through this difficult transition.
So, raise your glass to the departed Inspiron 1501, in recognition of all its contributions and achievements these past years. And make sure you show your computer each day just how much you love it while it's still around.
They leave us way too soon.
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