Archive for May 3, 2014
DISASTER IN REAL-TIME
In my novel, The Beast Awaits, I try to convey the atmosphere of impending doom which exits for populations thousands of mile away from the initial incident. As with everything I write it needs editing. I find that even to be true with work I have published. The process never stops. I recently had an experience which brought to mind the atmosphere I tried to create. I must go back and see if I can now find better words.
The incident I am referring to is the recent rash of tornadoes our country has experienced. I’ve always been a weather junkie and during the tornado outbreak I tuned to the Weather Channel. The meteorologists were following the storms in real-time, analyzing the radar and issuing warnings. A strange feeling crept over me as they recorded evidence of debris circulating in the air picked up by the tornado. These debris clouds were people’s lives being changed forever, perhaps the people themselves being destroyed, all as it actually happened.
Occasionally they would have people on the ground right after the storm passed and, together with the residents, survey the damage left behind. I sat in the comfort of my family room watching up to the minute changes in people’s lives.
In The Beast Awaits, I deal with events such as this and the emotions they create, the ‘I’m glad it’s not me’ feeling and try to convey the atmosphere that ‘your turn is coming soon’.
Car accidents also come to mind, how everyone slows down to survey the damage, mostly I’m sure glad with the ‘glad it’s not me’ feeling. In The Beast Awaits that emotion is short-lived, for just down the road will be your turn.
OUT OF THE LOOP
I’ve been out of the loop for a while, but the loop seems to have survived.
The reason for my exit was my router. I began having trouble with the internet and thought the reason was one of the millions of hackers who are more cleaver than security for anything these days. Come to find out my router was too old to pick up the new and improved single from my internet company.
Side note. I don’t want to name the company but will give a complex hint. The name of the company rhymes with the mathematical term used to express ‘never ending’.
I called the company and told they would send me a new and improved router.
The day it was due to arrived passed so I called again. After being on hold for 15 minutes I was told the they could not track the package and the router was out of stock. This did not help my paranoia there was some kind of plot for I could not think of how they could hope to track a package that contained an item that was out of stock.
Enough of my personal problems. This episode taught me something vital.
By the way, I am still without a router and now in the public library using WiFi so all the world is looking over my shoulder hacking the hell out of this conversation. Wait a minute, that’s good. Welcome to my blog, hackers.
Back to what I learned from this episode. For a writer, for anyone today the internet is a useful tool, and essential tool we take for granted.
Back in my much younger days I was on the road to becoming a famous poet. That road reached a dead end but I still plug along. To submit your work it all had to be done through the mail. I spent hours in front of my typewriter pouring out my words in erasable typewriter paper, and sending my efforts out along with a SASE. How times have changed.
So until my router shows up, I’ve rejoined the loop for better or for worse.
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