Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

writer

Why Can’t We Use Our Ruby Red Slippers?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Met with my writer support group on Saturday. Wonderful bunch of folks. We don’t critique, we talk about our works in progress and writing challenges. This time everyone had personal issues which were messing up our writing lives. Or the other way around.

My very own ruby red slippers. Dreams do come true.
My very own ruby red slippers. Dreams do come true.

Afterwards it dawned on me that no matter what happens in anyone’s life, mine included, we still have to do the work. Writers have to write. The elves are not writing for us and no one else can perform a Vulcan mind meld to get it out of my gray matter.

Since I am currently on knitting sabbatical, it reminded me that sometime no matter how much you want to write your muse is tired or fried and it’s just not time. We have to acknowledge that we are mere mortals and sometimes we need to pace ourselves and rest.

Which made me think about my ruby red slippers. Many years ago when I was at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., I made a point of seeing Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers from the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” Yes, the same movie that is being re-released in 3D in theaters Friday for one week and on a 75th Anniversary collectors DVD edition Oct. 1; how’s that for story staying power?

I told a friend many years later that one day I wanted to have my very own ruby red slippers. When you ask the universe……be careful. Several months later she gave me a bag. Inside were my ruby red slippers, complete with sequins, and in my size. OMG.

She found them at Goodwill for $5. They were the only ruby red slippers in the store. Now, I had no idea that’s where you buy ruby red slippers, but I love them. Not the same as Judy’s, but close enough for me. Tried them on last night just to make sure they still fit. They do. Clicked my heels together to see if they would write for me. Nope.

Writing might be easier if that had worked but the journey is part of the creative process, even when you wish magic would do your work for you. If we build the words, the magic will come; to borrow loosely from “The Field of Dreams” movie.

I know my writing time is getting closer, I can feel my muse flexing its muscles ready to spill out again. And that is how the ruby red slippers came to be in the first place, from the imagination of an author who made them silver to a movie costume designer who changed them to ruby red. All the artists did their work and we ended up with ruby red slippers.

Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers are one of the most asked about items the Smithsonian has in its collection.  But of course! Do you have ruby red slippers?

Read more about the slippers here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/press/fact-sheets/ruby-slippers

Who Is Going To Report On The Squirrels?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Girding myself for the big change coming to my life next month; the daily newspaper goes to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While this may not seem like a big deal to digital natives who popped out of the womb with a laptop, for us vintage folk it’s a major life change.

A furry friend in Camp Sherman, Oregon. Who knows what he might be plotting?
A furry friend in Camp Sherman, Oregon. Who knows what he might be plotting?

It is part of my morning routine to fetch the newspaper. One letter writer to the paper wanted to know how he was going to explain it to his dog who gets a treat when he brings in the newspaper. I’m thinking that guy is going to have to become Santa paperboy and place a dummy one outside on the porch each night.

Wondering how all this switch to the web was going to actually affect the reporters, the Sunday edition offered up this explanation of how the reporters would send in “Twitter-bits” of news, I’m going to call them, then the “curators” (formerly called editors) will try to muck all these bits together, grab a visual and throw it on the web. Okay, he said it better, but that’s what I’m thinking it sounds like.

Read the article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/09/peter_bhatia_digital_focus_mea.html

SO, it seems speed wins in this new era of digital journalism, but I thought that traffic safety ad said speed kills. We shall see. But even more fun for me was the serendipity I will miss of the daily paper where I found a huge squirrel article on the flip side of the editorial article. Titled, “Zapped by Squirrel Power,” in our paper, it is a reprint written by Jon Mooallem with the New York Times News Service.

Fascinating article about why the power grid goes down when squirrel’s  fry themselves by making a “bad connection.” I love squirrels. But this writer has been tracking how many squirrels are causing power outage havoc. Talks about how the power grid folks are trying to prevent squirrels from coming to bad endings.

Which made we wonder if the squirrel scientists are talking to the power grid engineers or if we can’t get some behavior squirrel modification training programs going. Those thoughts confirm I need to get off knitting sabbatical and get back to writing because my muse is running rampant with scissors.

So when I went to find the link to the original squirrel article, imagine my surprise when it ranked as one of the top New York Times articles right now. Squirrels are big nationwide. Who knew?

So what do power squirrels and my daily newspaper going to a four-day publication schedule have in common? I’m hoping they both don’t toast themselves in the process. Because the feature articles I used to write for the newspaper and my blog posts now are both longer than a “twitter-bit,” and they take some time to write; and that’s not a bad thing.

(Squirrel article here. You know you want to read it.) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/opinion/sunday/squirrel-power.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Do You Edit On Screen Or Paper?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Love the smell of school supplies in the morning. This time of year I buy school supplies to re-stock my writer gear, not that I need more but it makes me happy. Got me to wondering about how other folks edit their work. Since I am of the “every manuscript in a three-ring binder” persuasion, in case all the tech goes belly up, hard copy-edit is my preference.

It's school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I'm getting low on my stash.
It’s school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I’m getting low on my stash.

No matter how many times I look at something on the computer screen, my tricky brain can fill in words that are not even there until I see them in a finished manuscript. Argh! The weight and heft of a binder also lets me feel like I have accomplished something important instead of fonts in space.

When I first started writing fiction I worried about manuscript format, margin width, how many words the book should be, how many lines on a page, how many pages it took to make that many words, double spacing the manuscript, etc. Now I worry about the story. Seems to be the main reason people actually read what we write.

Binders require no batteries, USB ports or charging plug-in to cart it to a quiet spot and focus on editing. In the best of times editing is grunt work, tedious and requires a clear mind. What better way to let your inner critic loose than on paper with a purple ink edit pen – no red ink allowed; too many bad memories from corrected school papers.

So if you haven’t tried the three-ring binder method of manuscript editing, now is the perfect time to get out and purchase some fabulous new school supplies at bargain prices. Patterned binders. With zippers! You might need some paper too. And pens. And erasers. Cute pencil boxes. Not that I have an office supply addiction. Really. Glue sticks. Composition books.

Got school supplies?

Are We Being Good Blog Buddies?

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by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

WordPress recently wished me a happy second anniversary.  September 2011 is when I started posting on a regular basis. First it was family and a few die-hard friends following my blog. Then other actual real people started reading and commenting. I find that amazing. Real people! Obviously they are all brilliant.

Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.

My goal is always to educate and entertain. A lifelong learner, sharing information is a passion of mine; works out really well-being a writer. There is so much fun and interesting stuff out in the world for my creative brain to chase. Squirrel!

Recently I came across some “blog rules” all bloggers should follow. (First red flag – I never do what everyone says I must do.) One rule is to reply to every comment you get. Egad. I have not done that. Shame on me. Between working full-time and other commitments like family, eating and sleeping, I’m doing good to get the blog out twice a week. Then there is that whole pesky trying to write books time challenge.

I do not mean to be rude to my fabulous readers. I would love to reply to all comments and likes, but the best I can do is a few snippets here and there. That has to be okay for me, since there are only so many hours in a week and I keep running out of clean spoons and underwear. (Why do those two go together, by the way?)

But I would like to thank Steve at http://imagineerebooks.wordpress.com for all his likes – read he was not feeling well recently, but he appears to be better and back on deck at the keyboard. He, of course, is brilliant. Then there was my first actual real person comment from http://marlajayne.wordpress.com She must be fun and brilliant. Checked out her blog and she had chosen a “word of the year.” Liked the idea and decided I would choose “quality.”

So, you happy few, you happy band of blog readers – yes, I just edited Shakespeare from Henry V – thanks for reading my blog. I may not always get a chance to respond to comments and likes, but I appreciate you all and know – you are all amazing, beautiful and fabulous writers and/or artists! Wanted you all to know that. Thanks for being in my blog land!

International Seagull Dance Off Is On!

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by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

For those of you who follow my Happy Quirky Friday posts, I must alert you to a new trend sweeping the globe. Seems that avid tap dancing seagull we witnessed a few weeks ago is not the only foul feathered dynamite hoofer headed for stardom.

Seems a young Irish bloke has his sights set on making a name for himself in “Riverdance” style. Check out this talented two-footed hoofer and see what you think about his moves. I’m sure a tv series is next! Happy Quirky Friday!

Is Tech A Tool Or A Toy For Writers?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Started reading Kristen Lamb’s new book, “Rise of The Machines: Human Authors In A Digital World,” this past weekend. Great read. Really enjoying her recap of all that has happened in the publishing biz in the last several years and where we are headed.

Old desktop box on the left, cute new screamer desktop box on the right. HEPA filter on top, in case you wondered.
Old desktop box on the left, cute new screamer desktop box on the right. HEPA filter on top, in case you wondered.

In order to buy her Kindle book I had to read it on my computer. I have a Classic Nook and a Nook Tablet, but they won’t talk to the Kindle unless I do engineering hijinks I am not qualified to do. Could get the App for my Android Phone, but don’t want to use the small screen.

This all got me to thinking about how do we keep up with tech from a hardware standpoint as writers? At the day job last Thursday I got a brand new desktop box to replace the old one which has been clunking along for six years. Like getting a new Corvette! Man the thing moves and going from 2 GB RAM to 8 GB RAM is divine.

Now I want one at home. Both my day job and home computers were top of the line when I got them six years ago, but time moves in light years in upgrade land. Now I am trying to guess which way to go for my future home computer.

Since I switched over to digital photos from film and started making videos too, computer memory and processing power are now a big deal. While I like portability, I prefer a larger screen and keyboard when dealing with photos and video instead of a laptop. Tablets are nice for viewing, but for actual work, I find them frustrating when working with any type of “transmedia.”

Basic portable writing can be done on my pink laptop which cannot have its .99 GB of RAM memory upgraded, never even knew there was a soldered daughter board, but it can still compose and play Wheel of Fortune and Scrabble, so I’m good.

So what is my first tip? Whatever I buy, purchase the exact opposite. I have the Palm, Blackberry, Nooks and non-upgradeable laptop to support my case; plus my six-year-old desktop. Then there is the whole Windows 8 thing where they didn’t give us a start button the first time out. Seriously?

Hoping to hobble along a little longer before having to shell out some major pesos and “gasp” shift computers. While we use them as tools, they are also toys at times, expensive toys. But still cheaper than a Harley or a bass boat! I think.