A New Blog

My name is Richard and I’m a writer.  No you’re not in a writers anonymous group, this is my new blog.

I’ve always been fascinated with writing.  My first story was written way way back when the (geek alert) Motorola 68OO was still a top of the line processor for what passed as computers.  The story was about a kid who hacked a computer system for fun and found himself in a lot of trouble.  The acoustic coupled modems, the floppy disks, the 48K of RAM, the well woven plot…but I digress.

A few years back I decided to pursue fiction writing and I have written hundreds of thousands of words since.  I have a stack of stories, some need to be edited, some are in various status of submission, and some will never see the life outside my office. And no, I am not currently published. During this journey I quickly discovered it was best to connect with other writers and draw on their experience.  After all it is the ultimate teacher. Interacting with other writers and listening to their challenges was a bit of an eye opener.

One of the first critique groups I participated in always involved, at least one writer, going on a rant about their computer or some form of tech they used to create their story. I kept thinking, writing should not be hard. I was always taught, a writer writes. Period. But these people were spending as much time fighting the tools of writing as they were writing. I saw a need.

I helped were I could, verbally, through email, and eventually started teaching a class at Tulsa Community College. So what qualifies me to help writers when I am yet to publish? I have an extensive and eclectic work history with technology. I’ve written several users manuals, how-to guides, basic instruction sets, more reports than I want to think about, and a few white papers. I have taught hundreds how to use applications, about network infrastructures, and some how to use their first computer. None of these endeavors would have been successful if I had spent more time fighting technology than using it to create the text.

There are several blogs, websites, (insert social media here) out there that address this subject. I now add my voice to that community. The plan is to post entries focused on using technology to create. This blog will explore other blogs, other websites, there will be how-to’s for applications, we’ll discuss eReaders, iPads, smartphones, smartpens, electronic submissions, and even some  older technology such as fountain pens (some were very high-tech for their day). And some entries will be devoted to reader problems.

The writing community has always helped me out when I needed it. This is my way of paying it forward.