Archive for July, 2008
D Kai Wilson on July 30th, 2008
I started using this very cool app last night called ‘RescueTime‘. Basically, you download a little piece of software and every half an hour, it transmits the things you’ve been doing (in general terms, like the websites you visited, the software you’re using ‘etc’ back to the web, where you can categorise, align, and generally spend time seeing when you…spend time.
After I got over the privacy issues (cause, it’s watching me!) and the fact that tagging takes 10 minutes out of every three hours or so (though I’m thinking that’ll be a transient thing cause there’s only so much I need to tag and the rest can go in ‘NOS’) and so far, I’ve learned that I spend WAAAAY too much time in my email. We’re looking at an hour already today because I just wasn’t disciplined enough to say ‘all right, lets close this sucker’. Part of it is that my todo/task list is in there too, but mostly, I’m just hugely undisciplined when it comes to my email.
And then I procrastinated some more and spent thirty minutes cleaning stuff that, in reality, didn’t need cleaned. I’m weak, really.
I’ve set myself a goal of two hours of writing a day - less than two hours in email, one hour of ‘professional’ blogging, and the rest for client/server work, so I’ll have to see how that goes.
Writing is going painfully slowly. Thanks to the people that have offered or expounded on thoughts - it has put everything on my todo list back (including installing and designing themes for freinds/blogs), but I’m slowly, but surely, getting there. one of you suggested that I’m on overload at the moment, because it’s been, effectively, two years since I had any meaningful time away from the kids, when before I had whole weekends, and that my brain is just having problems adjusting, and I tend to agree. I’ve been ‘forcing’ normality, because my newer set of freinds really don’t understand bipolars, and it’s painfully obvious when I say something that others recognise as a red flag and they just continue on thier way, and it’s hard work. I don’t like ‘normal’, even if it is just a setting on a washing machine. Between that, and Uni, and dealing with a couple of things that are lingering from the end of last year (I wish they’d just go away, already!)I’m completely, and utterly, knackered. I need headspace. I get it at the end of this week, hopefully.
I’m also still trying to decide if I really need to install a daily/weekly/monthly/project based wordcount. The question I’m currently asking myself is ‘who cares enough to watch that’. I guess it would answer questions like ‘when are you doing more celestaine’, and would, in the end, be a great fan selling point (she’s 3/4s of the way through the book….wooot!) but for the moment, I’m not sure anyone would want to see what I’m working on and where it’s going. I might be wrong. It’s probably worthwhile, if only so when I’m really down, I’ve got an archive of what I actually managed. RescueTime helps with that too.
(Disclosure - Rescuetime is free if you’re not using it in a group setting, it doesn’t have an affiliate link, and most importantly of all, though it can ’see’ what you’re doing, it can’t SEE what you’re doing. It can tell what you’re using, on the surface, but not what you’re using it for in other words. And you can tell it not to track certain things too).
Technorati : Rescue time, blogging, email, procrastination, time management, writing
D Kai Wilson on July 28th, 2008
It occurred to me whilst setting up my deadlines for the next set of stories I#m going to aim to write that I could share my ‘deadlines’ with other people.
So, I’m going off to set up a couple of programs to do a couple of things, and tie it in with one of my older sties - so if you’re interested, let me know.
What will probably happen is when I do my updates, depending on what sort of deadlines you’re interested in seeing (I tend towards horror and erotica, but if it’s a successful ‘thing’ I could be convinced to add others).
Oh and Heather, there are six (count em, SIX) zombie anthologies, story call outs, halloweeny things and more coming up. I’ll email you em later if you want. All around a month away, giving you (and me!) plenty of time to attack them if we so choose 
For the moment I’ll be posting a plan static list on semiskimmedcola.com though, so feel free to head over and have a peek. And if you want to find your own deadlines to approach, check out duotrope - it’s got some really nice listings for some really cool stuff.
D Kai Wilson on July 28th, 2008
And those in the surrounding areas of course
My beloved, the kids and I are commuting up to the Burgh on the 2nd of August (Saturday). We probably won’t be available to hang out till at least Sunday night/Monday as we’ve just gotten engaged and both of our families want to see us to do various family things.
We’re only up till Wednesday, when we commute back to Cheltenham (with no kids!) whilst they stay with thier dad. So we’ve got Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday to see people. We don’t want to spend the night in a pub if at all possible, but if it’s the only way to see people en-masse, that’s ok.
I also have a priority list of people we want to see, so people might not get thier ‘first come, first served’ usual rules of arranging ’stuff’.
And yes, we’re bringing the cat with us. We bought her a bigger carry box, and we’re planning the commute carefully. We know that she can’t have catsan, so we’re using wood based litter - she’s hating how hot it is down here (we can’t let her out till after she’s been vaccinated, which is after we get back 
) which means we’ve got to keep the doors closed to the back yard. She’s more than worth it but the weather down here is hot - hot - hot! I can’t deal with temperatures like this, to be honest, but I’ve got a nice tan now
Anyway - shout in our general direction if you wanna do coffee, meetups, or anything else. We’ll try and fit in seeing as many people we can, which means we might need to combine stuff, so hopefully we’ll get as many of us together in as many places as possible ;).
D Kai Wilson on July 27th, 2008
I’ve spent the last week thinking.
Not writing - not coding - not messing with websites. Thinking.
I’ve come to the grand conclusion that I don’t know what I am any more. I mean, yes, I’m a mother, writer, fiancee to my beloved, bipolar…I don’t think coding and webmistress should be missed off of there, but sometimes, I wish it was.
But mostly, I’ve forgotten how to write - how to immerse myself in story worlds that I adored. How to find the words to describe the images in my head - to excorise them, and move on to new ones. I’m *supposed* to be a writer. Why can’t I write?
So, that’s what I’ve been working on. Working out why I’m only writing scraps. Pushing on with the scraps.
So, at the moment, what I am is a wanabee. I wanna write. I will get to again - but for the moment, I’m fixing the little fractures, and the big cracks.
D Kai Wilson on July 21st, 2008
The first week of the holidays just started - so far, the wee fella has played in a 1500 point game of Warhammer 40K, madame has baked a cake, and we’ve all painted models and I’m now settling down for a day of work. Tomorrow we’re (hopefully) going swimming, depending on the weather (weather looks fine tomorrow!) - but I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea- I’ve never taken them both swimming on my own before. Having said that, it’s an outdoor pool, and if I keep them both in the kids pool, I’m sure it’ll be ok.
On the Kushka front - I think it’s fair to say that she now owns the house. We’ve found her in bed with us several times, and she’s incredibly affectionate, but moreso when she’s expecting to be fed ;).
She’s very purry though, which is nice - I get lots of kisses and nibbles, though, I really wish I could work out what she spends most of her day yowling at - she ’sings’ a lot, even when she doesn’t want stroked or played with. I think she’s just used to making a nise cause she’s lonely.
On the writing front….check out semiskimmedcola It’s far more interesting, trust me.
D Kai Wilson on July 18th, 2008
If you read the first article on this, I covered the evolution of my pattern of blogging. I thought I’d go a bit more techie.
I started blogging on static HTML pages. It was irregularly updated, and basically, it was a personal website, with artwork and short stories.
From there I moved to b2 evolution. It was kinda cool - I liked the multi blogging ability, but I got spammed to DEATH. The central commenting system wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that great (for what I needed). I found it hard to template too, but at that point I was just learning PHP, so it wasn’t hugely important to me.
From there, I moved to Greymatter (breifly), and again, found it hard to use and template. At which point I decided to get serious.
I tried Moveable type. That was in 2004. I again, found it incredibly hard, so moved, in pretty rapid succession to WordPress.
And I’ve been there ever since.
The WordPress evolution itself hasn’t actually been that dramatic at the core. The posting system is about the same - but there have been tonnes of improvements and tightenings to the code. It’s evloved with the web itself in many ways.
I also think it’s become easier for people to use - it’s fairly easy to teach people to blog now, which is the most important thing - but at it’s core - WordPress feels the same and I like that comfortable, comforting feel that the core will always be fairly recognisable, and that no matter where I go, I’ll always use WordPress.
D Kai Wilson on July 17th, 2008
Lorelle, over at Wordpress.com, put up a blogging challenge that I was quite keen to respond to.
I’ve been blogging, on and off, since 2002. I’ve STILL got most of my old public archives (that I recently kicked to freinds only) at livejournal. I started blogging because people were using blogs to keep up with freinds - and I got a couple of gigs out of that in quick succession - Scribe And Quill for a start.
Read the rest of this entry »
D Kai Wilson on July 16th, 2008
One of the biggest things about blogging in two places is that when the plugin that lets me do so without breaking things is that when WordPress upgrades, sometimes, my plugin breaks.
So, I’m cross posting using a lovely program named ‘Zoundry Raven’.
It does mean however, that in the next couple of weeks, the banner won’t appear on my blog linking back to Kaiberie.com - I will not always cross post either, so if you don’t mind checking in occassionally, I’d really appreciate it.
Today is a writerly day. I’ve already done two character outlines and some other bits and pieces for my books. I’m also going to be putting up information on my books.
I also (also) started a lens yesterday - you can see it at BooksbyKai. Generally, I’m enjoying pulling back to being a writer again - and not much more. I can dabble in other places, but I am, and always will be a writer, and that suits me just fine.
D Kai Wilson on July 15th, 2008
I was thinkin about callin this one ‘two steps forward, three back’ because I get up every morning and tell myself ‘Today’s the day!’.
Today’s the day I can write and smash through my blockages - today’s the day for writing those first new lines.
And then, I look at my todo list - I look at all the things I want to accomplish - on and offline - and I look at the house, and I wonder when I’m going to actually write.
Today is the day though - Both my blogs have restarted - (Semiskimmed is my writing blog, Kaiberie is my personal blog), and though, yes, I’m doing the design for both of them at present (and that’s always an ongoing thing with me anyway) I’m buckling down to get some writing done.
The books I’m covering
As I’ve been asked which books are ‘first’ on the list, I’m going to just break the ’suspense’. It’s not to say that I won’t be adding snippets and bits and pieces to other books, but my MAIN commitment at present is to ‘first draft in 30 days’ing on:
Glass Block (more information at DarknessPD from next week ;))
Voidwalkers (no site)
Soul’s Road Salvagers (no site as yet)
Of the three - all three are serials, which means I’m adapting the first draft sheets to working on serials, rather than one off’s, but to be completely fair, I’ll not know how well they function till I’ve gone through the sheets. At which point, I’ll write up some reviews, move on to the next three and then come back after a gap.
I’ll post more information on the books in the next few days once I’ve finished writing the information that I want to post in public, BooksbyKai is also getting an overhaul, but I’m really happy to be settling down to write, at last.
Technorati : fiction, novels, write, writing
