The reason I have been unable to post is, as the nice blogger.com help guy says, “You’re using a fairly old version of Internet Explorer.” No joke. I’m probably one of the few writers in America who still uses Microsoft Word, version 97! When my spouse gets a new, work-financed, state-of-the-art, up-to-the-second laptop, he bequeaths his old one to me, which happened about a year ago. However, the software was not transferable, so I’m stuck in the technological dark ages.
Not that I’m complaining too much. Inheriting this laptop has changed my life. Since being blessed with children, I’ve had difficulty concentrating on writing at home. I don’t even attempt it when my kids are in the vicinity, but even when they are at school, I am distracted by the myriad mom/domestic engineer tasks piling up as I follow my bliss. Having a laptop enables me to pop down to the local coffee shop, where the only distractions are the intriguing, creative people working here on their laptops (it’s become quite the community—more on coffee shop computer culture another day). Having a portable computer also gives me the advantage of being able to write when the kids are at home (the occasional evening with Dad, afternoon with Grandpa, or when, Mommy is desperate, a babysitter).
When my next novel sells (notice I said when, not if), I will buy myself a state-of-the-art laptop with up-to-the-second software (after I have a celebratory bottle or two of beer).
