Tag Archives: writing

General Posts

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

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There’s one annoying aspect of my neurological symptoms that’s still lingering.  When typing, I have difficulty timing how long I hold down the shift key to capitalize certain letters.  Slowly, it’s getting better, but with as much as I type, it’s fairly annoying.  The letter “T” seems to be the worst.  I have to retype it several times to get it capitalized.  I never really noticed just how often I begin sentences with a word that begins with this letter until I started having the issue.  Now, I’m more aware of just how often it occurs from the sheer volume of retypes I have to make.

Another lingering issue is getting my fingers to land with precision.  Before the illness, I was a fairly proficient, self-taught typist who could average about 60 wpm.  Now, I often miss the key I want.  I’ll think “E” but my finger strikes “F” for no apparent reason, and some letters I have a hard time pressing fully, mostly “A” and “O ” it seems.  Again, it’s getting better, and typing today is much easier than just three months ago, but it’s still frustrating to be slowed by something I can’t really control.  Hopefully, as I continue to heal, these issues will eventually fade away entirely, but there’s always the possibility that I’ll have to deal with this for the rest of my life.

In the grand scheme, it’s a minor nuisance, but for a writer, it’s pretty frustrating.  I’ve always prided myself on my command of the language and efficiency with getting my thoughts down on the page, whether typing or handwriting.  Now, I’m having to adjust and reread everything more closely to make sure I didn’t type the wrong letter or reorganize letters or completely miss one.  One positive from this adjustment is that I am paying a lot more attention to what I write as I write it, so I guess I should focus on the positive and not just accept the inconvenience as my current reality.

So if you’re reading an entry one day and see something I’ve completely mangled, please don’t judge me too harshly.  I really do know the language fairly well; it’s just that my fingers and brain aren’t completely back in sync yet.  As I’ve been typing this entry right now, I’ve had to make at least a hundred typo corrections along the way, and this one is less than five hundred words long.  That’s how frequently I’m still missing keys.  However, compared to just three months ago, that’s a big improvement.  Then, it seemed like I had to correct every single word as I typed.  At my worst, I was down to about 20 wpm.  Now, I’m back up close to 40, so I’ll accept that progress and hope that the healing continues.

General Posts

Sunday Afternoon Ramblings

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It’s been an exciting couple of months on the writing front.  Ever since the relaunch of the series by Seventh Star Press, there has been a palpable upswing of momentum, and for the first time in a long time, I feel as if all of the hard work has been worth it.  From two strong convention showings to some solid reviews, the series finally seems to be garnering a little respect.  I’ve always believed in the quality of the work, but there’s no substitute for hearing positive feedback from others, especially people who read vast quantities of books.  As if all of that weren’t enough, this blog has seen a huge increase in readership and interaction.  I’ve grateful to all of you who stop by to read my Ramblings.

Here are links to two recent interviews, one with Daniel Cann and the other with Sean Taylor:

http://www.danielcann.com/index.php/blog/q-and-a-with-d.-a.-adams#.T29SsGE7X4u

http://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2012/03/d-adams-and-lot-more-than-seven-dwarves.html

And here are links to reviews of the first three books by Daniel Cann:

http://www.danielcann.com/index.php/books/the-brotherhood-of-dwarves#.T29TG2E7X4s

http://www.danielcann.com/index.php/books/red-sky-at-dawn#.T29TE2E7X4s

http://www.danielcann.com/index.php/books/the-fall-of-dorkhun#.T29Su2E7X4u

Thank you to everyone for all of the support and encouragement.  Whether you’ve been with me for years or just a couple of weeks, I appreciate your time, feedback, interaction, and friendship.  Without you, I couldn’t continue to share my writings, and I’m grateful for all that you give to me.

General Posts

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

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Part of my healing process to become a better man, father, and partner has been to re-evaluate my life and look at all the twists and turns and missteps I’ve traveled.  I’ve worked in pizza on virtually every level, including mostly delivery; sweated and shivered in warehouses; drove a short-haul truck route; built a greenhouse; ran the front desk of hotels; cleaned tables as a bus boy; fallen on my face in retail; sold advertising, cars, and timeshare; tutored kids; lectured on composition, business communications, and speech; written books, short stories, articles, and Ramblings; and toiled at a variety of menial labor positions.  From each of these experiences, I’ve learned something about myself and others and life in general.

While not every choice I’ve made has been right, I wouldn’t trade one moment of my past for anything better.  Each step, each failure, each new attempt has brought me to today, to the man I’ve grown into.  I happen to like this man.  Sure, I’m stubborn and proud, battered and bruised, but I’m also more steadfast and dedicated to accomplishing my goals.  I’ve learned our greatest strengths as a species are our capacity for compassion and ability to forgive.  I’ve learned that through giving of ourselves without expectation of return we find peace and contentment.  Even the smallest act of simple kindness can impact a person’s life profoundly.

I’m still a work and progress and have much patience and maturity to learn.  I’m trying hard to let go of the anger and pain I feel towards those who have wronged me, and I’m hoping for forgiveness from those I’ve wronged.  I’m grateful for each and every person who takes the time to read one of my books or silly Ramblings, and I’m humbled whenever someone finds entertainment or inspiration from what I’ve written.  I’m blessed to have my health on the mend and grateful for each new day, each new opportunity to do something positive with my life.  I’m grateful for all the friends and loved ones in my life; you are the greatest blessing a person could ask for.

I’ve learned to define success on my terms, without the  encumbrance of preconceived expectations, and while I’m not financially where I want to be, in many ways, I’m more successful than I ever imagined possible.  I’ve learned who I am and what I’m worth as a man, a father, a friend, and a lover, and that knowledge alone is worth all of the hardships.  I’ve learned that nothing worth having comes easy, and while that may seem trite and mundane and cliche, it’s one of the truest truths in this world.  All I can do, as a work in progress, is keep working hard, keep learning, keep growing, keep maturing, and keep striving.  That is my path to my definition of success, and I will walk that path with my eyes open, my shoulders held high, and my head slightly bowed.  In that manner, I will traverse my road, and in that manner, I will enjoy the journey.