Necessity is the mother of invention or so the saying goes. For me it seems to be the cattle prod of progress.
I've taken a temp job in the hope of stashing enough cash to attend the RWA National Conference in 2011. My twenty-something boss is a good egg, but like most people of her generation she can text whole paragraphs at thumb-blistering speed. So naturally texting is her preferred mode of communication with me. Problem is, I'm expected to answer via return text, and before taking this assignment I'd never texted before in my life.
Close your jaw. Yes, I am aware this is 2010 and EVERYONE texts. And yes, I have needed to text messages on several occasions in the past: to communicate with a child who was in a movie theater and couldn't talk on her phone, to send a friend a requested phone number or email address to her phone, etc. But I'd never actually sent any of those texts myself. I didn't know how. So I'd call my husband and ask him to text for me. Pathetic, huh?
Well, it became clear quickly with this new job that using my husband as my text secretary just wasn't going to work. The volume of texting and the speed at which my boss was expecting an answer made that impractical. So in fits and starts, with laughable misspellings and texts sent to wrong recipients, and much strained peering with middle-aged eyes at keys sized for Lilliputian fingers, I've learned to text. I'm not yet quick, but I'm fast getting comfortable, and confident.
And that has me reflecting on something to do with my writing life.
For a long, long time I've put off learning how to do things I know will help me become a better writer and businesswoman. Things like learning to build and maintain my own website and create detailed synopsis-style outlines both agents and best-selling writers have told me are crucial to selling my work. Is it possible that, like texting, neither of these things is the monster I've imagined? Could it be that like texting, once I apply myself, I might find the going less painful than I've supposed?
I think I should find out.
Something that's helping me write today: this quote by John M. Richardson, Jr. "When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened." I'd add there's possibly a fourth sort: those who finally get off the sidelines and start participating in what is happening.
I've taken a temp job in the hope of stashing enough cash to attend the RWA National Conference in 2011. My twenty-something boss is a good egg, but like most people of her generation she can text whole paragraphs at thumb-blistering speed. So naturally texting is her preferred mode of communication with me. Problem is, I'm expected to answer via return text, and before taking this assignment I'd never texted before in my life.
Close your jaw. Yes, I am aware this is 2010 and EVERYONE texts. And yes, I have needed to text messages on several occasions in the past: to communicate with a child who was in a movie theater and couldn't talk on her phone, to send a friend a requested phone number or email address to her phone, etc. But I'd never actually sent any of those texts myself. I didn't know how. So I'd call my husband and ask him to text for me. Pathetic, huh?
Well, it became clear quickly with this new job that using my husband as my text secretary just wasn't going to work. The volume of texting and the speed at which my boss was expecting an answer made that impractical. So in fits and starts, with laughable misspellings and texts sent to wrong recipients, and much strained peering with middle-aged eyes at keys sized for Lilliputian fingers, I've learned to text. I'm not yet quick, but I'm fast getting comfortable, and confident.
And that has me reflecting on something to do with my writing life.
For a long, long time I've put off learning how to do things I know will help me become a better writer and businesswoman. Things like learning to build and maintain my own website and create detailed synopsis-style outlines both agents and best-selling writers have told me are crucial to selling my work. Is it possible that, like texting, neither of these things is the monster I've imagined? Could it be that like texting, once I apply myself, I might find the going less painful than I've supposed?
I think I should find out.
Something that's helping me write today: this quote by John M. Richardson, Jr. "When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened." I'd add there's possibly a fourth sort: those who finally get off the sidelines and start participating in what is happening.
9 comments:
Jen FitzGerald said...
Yay, Regina! I do a bit of texting with my kids and sometimes my hubby or employees, but usually short messages and I did get a phone with a full keyboard because I certainly can't make any kind of progress having to dial a letter to make a word!
Hope the job is going well otherwise as well.
Wendy S Marcus said...
Ha, ha, ha Regina! We are so much alike it scares me! I don't text either. Although, my daughter set it up so my children can text to my e-mail and I can answer from my computer and send it as a text message back. Now, I'm sure I could learn to text if I had to, but so far I've gotten by just fine without it!
Regina Richards said...
Hey, Jen. The job has been great, but it officially ends Saturday (or before depending oon if the work gets completed early). Yesterday my boss told me I was her best employee. Since this is my first out-of-home job in 16 years, that made me feel good.
Regina Richards said...
Hi Wendy. Texting to and from your email? It's mindboggling all the techie things that are possible these days. I can't keep up.
Jen FitzGerald said...
You only posted about this a few days ago...have you had the job for awhile now? (few weeks, a month?) And now it's over? I hope you got your RWA conference money.
Regina Richards said...
Hey Jen.
They'd told us 4-8 weeks. We got the work done fast so it looks like it's going to end up being just four. After Uncle Sam gets his I ought to get home with almost enough. Now let's see if I can hold on to it for a whole year.
Jen FitzGerald said...
Yay!
Regina Richards said...
Interesting note. Immediately after I posted this I got a letter from the U.S. government telling me I was forbidden to mention my job on my blog. Sorta creepy. Especially when you consider I never said exactly what job I was doing or gave any details.
Weird too that the government apparently follows my blog.
Regina Richards said...
p.s. I was making 14 bucks an hour so you know I was an unimportant grunt. Which makes the fact that they knew about my blog and took the time to send me a formal letter very strange indeed.