Krith the Dwarf was the first to travel to other worlds. It was an accident actually. His sister Kardri was trying to find a quicker route to the Elf and Gnome lands, and he found himself on another world entirely. Unfortunately, he had no way of telling his sister where he was and couldn't get back by himself.
Krith discovered he was on a world called Earth and it was populated by Humans; no Dwarves, Elves or Gnomes. He struggled at first to fit in, but he soon found his niche. His magical abilities allowed him to manipulate materials into other things. A sheet of tin could be easily formed into a whistle. A block of wood was soon a toy boat. Krith became a toymaker. His customers were children. The parents would often give him something for the toys, but he never asked for anything. It was enough for him to see them happy. He traveled all over Europe making and giving away toys.
The children of Europe loved Krith and whenever he entered a town they greeted him warmly. Over time those children grew up and, as adults, they treated him with fondness and gave him whatever he needed, clothes, food, a place to sleep, etc. Krith, even though he had no home, lived quite well.
Meanwhile, his sister Kardi was in a desperate state trying to find out what happened to her brother. Some accused her of killing her brother. Others encouraged her to keep trying, and others said Krith would find his way back on his own. Kardri never stopped trying.
Finally, Kardri was able to duplicate the same magic that lost Krith. She opened a portal to Earth. She was nervous about stepping through to our world, but she was not about to ignore the chance to reunite with her brother.
Krith traveled by sleigh in the winters. the smooth runners slid across the white snow and dark mud with ease, no matter how heavy his load was. He had originally used horses to pull it, but he discover that deer were much faster. They became as much his trademark as his toys.
Bells jingling, his deer drawn sleigh pulled into a town in Germany. All the people there came out to greet him. He gave away his toys and laughed jollily with the children. Mothers brought their babies and toddlers to meet him and sit on his lap. The men in the village made any repairs needed on his sleigh, and fed watered and groomed his deer and took them to the inn's stable.
Krith carrying his large bag of toys went to the inn with the children following close behind. Upon entering, he sat in a chair by the fire, reserved just for him, and the children gathered all around him. Krith always began with telling the children what he had done and the places he had seen since he last came to their town. Then each of the children told him of their own adventures. He listened very closely to what each of them said and found a toy in his sac just for them.
This took most of the day, but Krith was in no hurry and the children lingered as long as he did, listening and watching everything that happened. No one went home for dinner. Dinner was brought to them by the parents. It was always a special occasion when Krith came to town.
As the sun went down, he was still there, with most of the townspeople, listening to the children and giving away toys. A weary traveler entered the inn, and sat at an empty table in the far corner of the room. The innkeeper's daughter was telling Krith about her experiences, and was too engrossed in listening to her to notice. The traveler began to sob.
Krith held a finger to the mouth of the young girl on his lap, and motioned for the others in the room to be silent. This was such an odd thing for him to do that they all obeyed immediately. Krith set the girl down and followed the sound of the quiet sobbing that now everyone could hear.
He placed a comforting hand on the traveler's shoulder. "What can I do to alleviate your sorrow?"
The traveler raised her head just enough to whisper, "I lost my brother, and I don't know where to look for him."
Krith smiled. "I know many people throughout Europe. What is your brother's name?"
"Krith."
Krith froze. The only person he knew with that name was himself. "Kardri?"
Kardri's head snapped up and she looked at her brother. "Krith!" She hugged him fiercely, laughed with joy and hugged him again. "I thought I would never see you again. I almost gave up hope. I'm so sorry I lost you."
Krith held on to her, too happy to say anything. It had been over fifty years since he had last seen his sister.
The Humans, at first stunned by this reunion, soon began to laugh with the siblings and showed Kardri as much hospitality as they had shown Krith. Everyone was happy and filled with joy, as always happened when Krith came to town, but now with his great joy of finding his sister, their joy was tenfold.
Later that night after the others had left Krith and Kardri talked of their lives since they had been apart, and what they planned to do next. Krith was hesitant to leave Earth. He loved bringing toys to the children and listening to them. Kardri wanted to go back to Orean, but not without her brother.
After long discussion, it was decided that they would both go back to Orean. Kardri would perfect her magic of creating portals, and Krith could come back to Earth whenever he wanted.
As time went by and Krith became busy with marriage and his own children, his visits to Earth became less and less frequent. He asked the children to write him letters. A Postman asked him where he lived so he could delivered the letters, and Krith laughed and said everywhere but the north pole. It became a joke and the children addressed their letters to him to The North Pole.
Kardri set up mini-portals in the post offices for his mail. The mailmen simply had to drop Krith's mail in the hole and it was delivered instantly to him. Krith would read each letter and set aside a toy for each child. Once a year shortly after the winter solstice Krith, with the portals his sister made, would deliver the toys. As his children got older, they too helped with the deliveries all over Earth.
Krith never achieved great wealth on Orean, much to the embarrassment of the other Dwarves, but he and his family were happy. They found the greatest joy in giving joy to others.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
TOPIC: JOY
Joy to the world! it's December! that means Christmas! Woot! ok so because holidays make me so happy the topic this month is JOY.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Dajer the Dragon
In another age and time
When the races were ravaged by war
Sapphiric in his hue
Dajer the Dragon brought order to chaos.
The proud Elves of the western forests
Daily carving life from the trees.
The spunky Gnomes of the eastern shores
Melting the sands of time into timeless treasures.
The industrious Dwarves of the northern mountains
Mining minerals and ever increasing their wealth.
Dajer the Dragon focused their efforts
Three great palaces arose among the peoples of Orean.
The Dwarves laid stone
The Elves carved wood
The Gnomes blew glass
The three entwined together
Architectural masterpieces arose on each horizon
Peace spread like a blanket
Dajer the Dragon returned to the waters
He and the other Dragons were gone forever
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
When the races were ravaged by war
Sapphiric in his hue
Dajer the Dragon brought order to chaos.
The proud Elves of the western forests
Daily carving life from the trees.
The spunky Gnomes of the eastern shores
Melting the sands of time into timeless treasures.
The industrious Dwarves of the northern mountains
Mining minerals and ever increasing their wealth.
Dajer the Dragon focused their efforts
Three great palaces arose among the peoples of Orean.
The Dwarves laid stone
The Elves carved wood
The Gnomes blew glass
The three entwined together
Architectural masterpieces arose on each horizon
Peace spread like a blanket
Dajer the Dragon returned to the waters
He and the other Dragons were gone forever
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
LAUGHTER
Jolly as a joke
Contagious as a smile
All who hear join in
Laughter fuels the soul
Laughter imbues happiness
Laughter enjoys life
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Contagious as a smile
All who hear join in
Laughter fuels the soul
Laughter imbues happiness
Laughter enjoys life
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Limerick Attempt #2
Phew!
I think there’s a thing un'er my bed,
It’s blue and it’s black and it's red;
But a voice from down there,
Says with a confident air,
“I regret that it’s all in your head.”
Phew!
Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Phew!
Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Limerick Attempt #1
Back to School
A werewolf, a witch and a ghoul,
Decided they’d go back to school;
When met at the door with a blade,
A pitchfork, a torch, and a spade,
They decided they’d rather play pool.
Back to School: A Limerick
By Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
TOPIC: POETRY
new month=new topic. okay so i've noticed that we don't particularly care to write poetry. let's face it, it's just not as fun as prose. on the flip side it's really nice to be able to use your own stuff when you need it. every now and then i find myself in need of poetry to make a story complete. and rather than muck about with a thousand different poets it's so much easier to write it myself. so this is practice for when those times occur when we need something that fits our work just so. and in recognition of Thanksgiving let's run our poems along that theme.
some things to pay attention to are meter and rhythm. words have stress sylables that give a poem hard and soft beats. creATing STOry. Dr Seuss is brilliant at this sort of thing
here's a list of some types of poems, but there are many more that i don't have listed below. feel free to write as long or short a one as you like, and as many as you like.
haiku - Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.
limerick - humorous, frequently bawdy, verse of three long and two short lines rhyming aabba
sonnet - poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.
free verse - poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
sestina - The sestina has six stanzas, each comprising six unrhymed lines, in which the words at the end of the first stanza’s lines reappear in a rolling pattern in the other stanzas. The poem then ends with a three-line stanza in which the words again appear, two on each line.
quatrain - stanza of four lines, esp. one having alternate rhymes
couplet - two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit
some things to pay attention to are meter and rhythm. words have stress sylables that give a poem hard and soft beats. creATing STOry. Dr Seuss is brilliant at this sort of thing
here's a list of some types of poems, but there are many more that i don't have listed below. feel free to write as long or short a one as you like, and as many as you like.
haiku - Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.
limerick - humorous, frequently bawdy, verse of three long and two short lines rhyming aabba
sonnet - poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.
free verse - poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
sestina - The sestina has six stanzas, each comprising six unrhymed lines, in which the words at the end of the first stanza’s lines reappear in a rolling pattern in the other stanzas. The poem then ends with a three-line stanza in which the words again appear, two on each line.
quatrain - stanza of four lines, esp. one having alternate rhymes
couplet - two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ghost Story (w/corrections)
By Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
October 4, 2009
The path before me was barely visible under an overcast moon. Approaching the black iron gate I slowed to a stop, and shone my light on the letters that spelled out, Carlsbad County Cemetery.
A voice to my left made me snap around, “It’s haunted you know.”
In the beam of my flashlight stood a pale girl about my age. Straight brunette hair hung to just past her shoulders. She winced holding up a hand to block the beam. “Excuse me?”
I lowered the beam so it was aimed at her feet. “I know it’s haunted, or that’s what the locals say. That’s why I’m here. Legend says that a ghost always makes an appearance around midnight every night; ”
“Uh-huh,” she said, then added, “I’m Rachel,” as she turned and stepped through the large gate. “You coming? You don’t want to miss all the action, do you?” she said looking at me over her shoulder.
I followed her past a series of large pale gravestones. A sliver of silvery moon peaked out from behind a thick veil of dark cloud cover. She stepped into a shadow, and I lost sight of her. As I stood looking around for a sign of her, she called, “Over here.”
I saw her dimly waving me over from the shadow under a large tree. Somehow she’d located a marble bench and was waiting impatiently for me. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw that she was patting the seat next to her.
“Turn off your flashlight for a bit. Maybe the ghost will rear it’s ghastly head if the light is off.” She’d said ghastly with a little too much relish.
“K.” I said, pressing the switch watching all traces of light vanish in a moment. Gradually my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“Do you think we’ll see one?” She asked as I looked out over the cemetery. I looked out into the cemetery grounds and slowly glanced back and forth over numerous pale grey stones and into the surrounding woods. I thought that the moon must have come out from behind the clouds because everything seemed to be lighter, the shadows deeper. From my vantage, under a canopy of leaves, I couldn’t tell. “I dunno, maybe.”
“You’re a skeptic.” she said, amusement played at the edges of her voice.
“Not a skeptic, necessarily,” I said. “I prefer ‘realist’. If I can see or touch something, then I know it. If I can’t see it, well...”
“That’s baloney,” Rachel sneered, “You can see the moon, but how do you know it’s real? What if it’s just an illusion, or some technological miracle? Sometimes we need to trust that a thing is real, even if we can’t see it, touch it, smell it, hear it, or taste it.”
I snorted, leaning forward under the curtain of leaves, looking at the moon which was now full.
“It’s right there!” I said pointing.
Rachel didn’t move out of the shadows to look, but gave me a look that said, You’re not getting it.
“Men have been on the moon,” I thrust an open palm toward it, “Astronauts have stepped on it, put a flag on it, drove on it,” I said.
“...or so they claim...,” she looked up and away from me, her lips pursed in protest. “You’re trusting that they’re telling the truth. Believing that what they told you is true.”
“But...” I started. She held up a hand, stopping me short.
“Have you been to the moon, I mean, you personally, have you been there recently?” Rachel was now looking at me with interest. After a pause, she said, “No? Then you’re trusting that what they’ve written in the history books is accurate.”
I didn’t answer right away, I was thinking, but Rachel took my silence to be defiance, and added, “It’s okay to trust,” she said with less passion, but no less conviction, in her voice, “And it’s also okay to experience a thing in order to believe it. Seeing can improve our knowledge, but we ought to believe without seeing from time to time, that builds trust.”
“I can’t argue that. Though...” and this time I held up a hand, silencing her, “I still prefer the hands-on approach. Experiencing a thing is the best, most practical way of getting the facts.”
“Okay,” Rachel said, smiling slightly, “we agree.” She stuck out a hand, and I took it. Instantly her hand shot back out of mine. It was my turn to smile.
Rachel’s eyes scanned me, first in disbelief, then methodically.
“My parents will never believe me, when I tell them I’ve met...you.”
“Then it goes back to what you said about trust. They’ve never seen me, but will they believe, second hand?”
“You make a good point,” she said, standing and moving into the moonlight. The light seemed to glisten on her pale skin. She tilted her head far back, as if basking in it’s glow. “...and you didn’t tell me you were the ghost everyone in town is talking about.” She glanced sideways at me, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back again, facing the moon.
“I was enjoying your company, and our conversation. Why spoil the moment?”
Rachel blindly made a check mark in the air, “That’s two for you. I’m glad you didn’t spoil it,” She smiled sincerely, then her expression turned melancholy. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said.
“Go?” I asked.
“Yup, I’ve got to run. And I’m sorry for not telling you the whole truth about me. Though I’m not sure you would have believed me anyway.” She smiled a Cheshire cat smile, rows of canine sharp teeth shone in the light of the full moon. “G’night Ghost,” she said, and this time I heard a hint of a growl in the back of her throat. She sprang forward running with incredible grace and speed. In a moment she was on all fours, and sprinted into the darkness. By the time she reached the edge of the woods, mere moments, her human form was gone, and in it’s place, a large majestic wolf.
For a long moment I watched the spot at the edge of the woods where moments before she’d disappeared. All evening something had been nagging at the back of my mind. At that moment, as I stared out into the darkness it dawned on me; when we’d first met, in spite of the night being overcast, she wasn’t carrying a flashlight. I chuckled as in the distance I heard the bay of a werewolf.
“There goes the neighborhood,” I mused affectionately.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
DINOSAURS
What if dinosaurs still roamed the earth? My nephews said we would all be dead, because they would eat us. I think we would simply be trampled…
Dwarves carve their homes out of the mountains. Humans would have to adapt this building method as well.
What if John built his house down by the river? This would be like the pig who made his house of straw. A dinosaur would go down to the water for a drink. Oops! John no longer has a house. Dinosaurs, like so many other animals, don’t care about Human constructions. If John is lucky enough to be alive after the dinosaur has destroyed his home, has to spend his savings on a new home. If John had done like the other dinosaur-surviving Humans and lived in the mountains he would still have his home. The bigger dinosaurs have no reason to climb mountains, and, if they did, they wouldn’t smash a mountain.
The mountains would be very crowded. Can you imagine stuffing six billion people into the mountains? Maybe the solution is underground. No more amber waves of grain.
What if Kelly decided that underground farming was for the rabbits and planted wheat out on the plains? Oh so like the pig who built his house of sticks, it is not a good idea. A herd of dinosaurs could travel through and destroy the wheat. Kelly would cry herself to sleep that night.
Humans would be forced to live in mountains and underground. Dark and dreary, they wouldn’t go to the beach, play baseball, hunt deer, or grow crops. Most Humans would never see sunlight. Laws would be passed preventing anyone going to the surface. Young people would rebel against their old fashioned elders, and insist on going topside.
Life would not mirror what we see on The Flintstones. The world would look empty.
On the other hand, The Jetsons would be a distinct possibility as we try to reach above the dinosaurs.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Dwarves carve their homes out of the mountains. Humans would have to adapt this building method as well.
What if John built his house down by the river? This would be like the pig who made his house of straw. A dinosaur would go down to the water for a drink. Oops! John no longer has a house. Dinosaurs, like so many other animals, don’t care about Human constructions. If John is lucky enough to be alive after the dinosaur has destroyed his home, has to spend his savings on a new home. If John had done like the other dinosaur-surviving Humans and lived in the mountains he would still have his home. The bigger dinosaurs have no reason to climb mountains, and, if they did, they wouldn’t smash a mountain.
The mountains would be very crowded. Can you imagine stuffing six billion people into the mountains? Maybe the solution is underground. No more amber waves of grain.
What if Kelly decided that underground farming was for the rabbits and planted wheat out on the plains? Oh so like the pig who built his house of sticks, it is not a good idea. A herd of dinosaurs could travel through and destroy the wheat. Kelly would cry herself to sleep that night.
Humans would be forced to live in mountains and underground. Dark and dreary, they wouldn’t go to the beach, play baseball, hunt deer, or grow crops. Most Humans would never see sunlight. Laws would be passed preventing anyone going to the surface. Young people would rebel against their old fashioned elders, and insist on going topside.
Life would not mirror what we see on The Flintstones. The world would look empty.
On the other hand, The Jetsons would be a distinct possibility as we try to reach above the dinosaurs.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
GHOSTS IN A TOY STORE
"Hey! Quit pushing!"
"You pushed me!"
"I wanna see too!"
The three ghost children crowded close to the toy store window. It was late night. All was dark and still.
"Let's go in."
They entered the store via the window. Tony started up the display train. Betsy found a family of stuffed rabbits. Jerry set up an army invasion.
As Jerry was about to begin his epic battle of good and evil, he paused. He sat back and stared at the little army men lined up to destroy the enemy. He shook his head and fired the canons. "Blam! We need reinforcements! Bang! Bang! Gah! I've been shot! I'm..." His voice trailed off. He picked up one of the army men and stared at it for a long time.
The train passed before Tony's face. He was staring off into nothing. Faint echos of a train whistle resound in his ears, followed by the sounds of people talking quietly amongst themselves, babies crying, and a man's voice. "Everyone raise your hands where I can see them!" A gunshot. The rattle of the rails.
Betsy played happily with her little rabbit family. They dressed up, had tea and gathered berries in the woods. One of the baby rabbits got sick. It couldn't get out of bed for a long time. Why did it hurt so? Why was it too weak to get out of bed? "You're dying," whispered Betsy.
The ghosts sat there, numb to everything around them. Death is a terrible thing to happen to someone who doesn't understand it. They were children. No one told them about death. When someone died they were simply told that they had gone to another place. Tony thought that meant Texas. Besty assumed it was India. Jerry wondered if it was Fiji.
It was none of these places. It was somewhere else. They hadn't even realized they were dead. Death was something that happened to other people. What were they supposed to do? Haunt toy stores for the rest of eternity?
Betsy cried. Tony sniffed and wiped his nose. Jerry quietly put away his toys and joined the other two. "I want to go home." The others nodded. They left the store.
"Where is home?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," said Jerry.
"Well, wherever is, we'll find it," said Betsy.
The three ghost children took each others' hands, set their jaws, and began the long search for home.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
"You pushed me!"
"I wanna see too!"
The three ghost children crowded close to the toy store window. It was late night. All was dark and still.
"Let's go in."
They entered the store via the window. Tony started up the display train. Betsy found a family of stuffed rabbits. Jerry set up an army invasion.
As Jerry was about to begin his epic battle of good and evil, he paused. He sat back and stared at the little army men lined up to destroy the enemy. He shook his head and fired the canons. "Blam! We need reinforcements! Bang! Bang! Gah! I've been shot! I'm..." His voice trailed off. He picked up one of the army men and stared at it for a long time.
The train passed before Tony's face. He was staring off into nothing. Faint echos of a train whistle resound in his ears, followed by the sounds of people talking quietly amongst themselves, babies crying, and a man's voice. "Everyone raise your hands where I can see them!" A gunshot. The rattle of the rails.
Betsy played happily with her little rabbit family. They dressed up, had tea and gathered berries in the woods. One of the baby rabbits got sick. It couldn't get out of bed for a long time. Why did it hurt so? Why was it too weak to get out of bed? "You're dying," whispered Betsy.
The ghosts sat there, numb to everything around them. Death is a terrible thing to happen to someone who doesn't understand it. They were children. No one told them about death. When someone died they were simply told that they had gone to another place. Tony thought that meant Texas. Besty assumed it was India. Jerry wondered if it was Fiji.
It was none of these places. It was somewhere else. They hadn't even realized they were dead. Death was something that happened to other people. What were they supposed to do? Haunt toy stores for the rest of eternity?
Betsy cried. Tony sniffed and wiped his nose. Jerry quietly put away his toys and joined the other two. "I want to go home." The others nodded. They left the store.
"Where is home?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," said Jerry.
"Well, wherever is, we'll find it," said Betsy.
The three ghost children took each others' hands, set their jaws, and began the long search for home.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
TOPIC: GHOSTS
October is upon us. Fall. Halloween. Cider. Candy. ok so the topic is ghosts. ghosts come in all shapes and sizes. Casper. Phantoms. Memories. Ghosts haunt us. When we are young we fear the white spooks that go "Oooooo" When we are old we are haunted by our past. mistakes we made. bad deeds done. pain inflicted. when we are neither old nor young we are haunted by both ad well as those of the future. in A Christmas Carol Scrooge was visited by 3 spirits. the childlike ghost of the past. the jolly ghost of the present. and the dark forbidding ghost of the future.
Haunt us with your Ghosts.
Haunt us with your Ghosts.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
TOPIC: WHAT IF...
what if... that is huge. it encompasses everything. brilliancy has been inspired by what if... what if... apple began with Z, Humans could fly, Dragons were real, America became an empire, juries were outlawed. what if... anything. the possibilities are endless. write one. white a character that gets one. do whatever you like.
what is your what if...?
what is your what if...?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
PETER AND ELIV
I did both options for you as examples. you only have to do one or the other (or both if you wish). they all read differently... i hope i didn't slip up somewhere and get things mixed up
Option 1
Passive Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv is shouting at his mercenaries. They are gathered in a parlor room of an inn.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” a mercenary is saying in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards upon which Eliv and his mercenaries are standing, there is a small storage room. Peter is hanging from grapplers that he has attached to the ceiling. Through a crack in the boards, Peter is listening to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” another mercenary is saying in a hesitant voice.
Eliv becomes still. His blue eyes are becoming ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he is sneering. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary was willing to meet his fierce gaze, nor willing to answer him. Eliv is seething with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare at the mercenary who spoke becomes dagger-like. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
While the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter has released the grapplers from the ceiling and is putting them in his sack, when he stops to listen to another voice above. “My Lord,” the thug is saying in a quavering voice. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find them.” He yells at the others who are already leaving the inn. “Get back here!” They are shuddering as one man and are shuffling back to Eliv. “Search this place for spies. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds them.”
The mercenaries begin to look around. Peter is exiting by way of a small window that hardly looks wide enough for him to fit through. His exit is in a back alley. The Mercenaries are still searching the inside of the building. Peter is stepping out of the alley and into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug is educated in a valuable lesson, as he is falling to the ground. Peter is showing his hands to the thug’s empty eyes. One of them is holding a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Active Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” asks Lord Eliv.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling in the room below. He listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes harden to ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “Just look for three people traveling together!”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
The mercenaries file out of the room. Peter releases the grapplers from the ceiling and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens to another voice above.
“My Lord,” says the thug. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“There’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “Search the place for a spy. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds him.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window. He comes out in an alley. The Mercenaries still search inside. Peter steps out of the alley and into the knife of a thug. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. He holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Option 2
Passive and Active Voices
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv shouts.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling of the room below. Through a crack in the boards, Peter listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary in a hesitant voice.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes are like ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
As the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter releases the grapplers and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens as another voice is heard above. “My Lord,” the thug hesitates as Eliv’s eyes narrow. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others already leaving the inn, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds the spy.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window and comes out into a back alley. Peter leaves the alley and walks into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. In one of them, he holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Option 1
Passive Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv is shouting at his mercenaries. They are gathered in a parlor room of an inn.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” a mercenary is saying in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards upon which Eliv and his mercenaries are standing, there is a small storage room. Peter is hanging from grapplers that he has attached to the ceiling. Through a crack in the boards, Peter is listening to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” another mercenary is saying in a hesitant voice.
Eliv becomes still. His blue eyes are becoming ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he is sneering. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary was willing to meet his fierce gaze, nor willing to answer him. Eliv is seething with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare at the mercenary who spoke becomes dagger-like. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
While the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter has released the grapplers from the ceiling and is putting them in his sack, when he stops to listen to another voice above. “My Lord,” the thug is saying in a quavering voice. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find them.” He yells at the others who are already leaving the inn. “Get back here!” They are shuddering as one man and are shuffling back to Eliv. “Search this place for spies. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds them.”
The mercenaries begin to look around. Peter is exiting by way of a small window that hardly looks wide enough for him to fit through. His exit is in a back alley. The Mercenaries are still searching the inside of the building. Peter is stepping out of the alley and into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug is educated in a valuable lesson, as he is falling to the ground. Peter is showing his hands to the thug’s empty eyes. One of them is holding a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Active Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” asks Lord Eliv.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling in the room below. He listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes harden to ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “Just look for three people traveling together!”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
The mercenaries file out of the room. Peter releases the grapplers from the ceiling and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens to another voice above.
“My Lord,” says the thug. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“There’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “Search the place for a spy. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds him.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window. He comes out in an alley. The Mercenaries still search inside. Peter steps out of the alley and into the knife of a thug. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. He holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Option 2
Passive and Active Voices
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv shouts.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling of the room below. Through a crack in the boards, Peter listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary in a hesitant voice.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes are like ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
As the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter releases the grapplers and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens as another voice is heard above. “My Lord,” the thug hesitates as Eliv’s eyes narrow. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others already leaving the inn, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds the spy.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window and comes out into a back alley. Peter leaves the alley and walks into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. In one of them, he holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
TOPIC: ACTIVE VOICE VS PASSIVE VOICE
this is an exercise on active and passive voice.
active - relating to or denoting the voice that attributes the action of the verb to the person or thing from which is logically proceeds - ex. she ran
passive - denoting or relating to a voice of verbs in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb - ex. she was running
what emotions are conveyed by each example? active voice gets the blood pumping and builds tension. why did she run? was she running from or to? what's going on? passive voice is just that; passive. ho hum. she was running, that's nice. passive is more for inner reflection and questions. there is no action involved.
when in the mind of a character passive reveals the character to the reader, but needs active punctuation to keep the reader from becoming indifferent. passive uses more than one verb. usually 'to be' + verb. never use passive as a dialogue tag. 'he was saying' is jarring to the eyeballs.
action ALWAYS needs active. keep readers on the edge of their seats. make them sit up and take notice. during high tension action shorter sentences are better. don't muck about with descriptions. say exactly what's happening and move on to the next action. 'she hit him, spat in his face and ran.' that's a lot of visual in a few short words.
ok now let's put this to use. you have 2 options here. option 1: write a scene all in passive then the same scene all in active (post both together). this will give us an opportunity to see the effects of each doing what they do. option 2: write a scene using both passive and active. a story well laid out is it's own reward. (either way it is ok to post something you have already written, it does not have to be something new)
active - relating to or denoting the voice that attributes the action of the verb to the person or thing from which is logically proceeds - ex. she ran
passive - denoting or relating to a voice of verbs in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb - ex. she was running
what emotions are conveyed by each example? active voice gets the blood pumping and builds tension. why did she run? was she running from or to? what's going on? passive voice is just that; passive. ho hum. she was running, that's nice. passive is more for inner reflection and questions. there is no action involved.
when in the mind of a character passive reveals the character to the reader, but needs active punctuation to keep the reader from becoming indifferent. passive uses more than one verb. usually 'to be' + verb. never use passive as a dialogue tag. 'he was saying' is jarring to the eyeballs.
action ALWAYS needs active. keep readers on the edge of their seats. make them sit up and take notice. during high tension action shorter sentences are better. don't muck about with descriptions. say exactly what's happening and move on to the next action. 'she hit him, spat in his face and ran.' that's a lot of visual in a few short words.
ok now let's put this to use. you have 2 options here. option 1: write a scene all in passive then the same scene all in active (post both together). this will give us an opportunity to see the effects of each doing what they do. option 2: write a scene using both passive and active. a story well laid out is it's own reward. (either way it is ok to post something you have already written, it does not have to be something new)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Things to know before you buy a computer.
1. How much money you have to spend.
How much money you have is the absolute deciding factor in what you get (unless you have money coming out your ears). Brand new computers generally range from $200 to $25,000 so what you can fit in your budget is supremely important. Please keep the price of the software that you need in mind as some of that can be quite expensive.
2. What software you need to run.
A computer’s sole purpose is to run software. Some are more demanding on hardware than others. Computer games are the most demanding thing most people do with their computers, and if this is what you do, you must configure the computer accordingly. Computers designed for gaming are usually expensive and very dependent on a good graphics card. Other software, like web browsers, office software like word processors and money management software don’t require as many resources and can be pretty much run on any new computer.
3. What operating system you want.
The operating system you want is also extremely important. Linux will run on anything and is very flexible and fast, but it is hard to use and the learning curve is enormous. Windows is fairly easy to use and compatible with most software out there, but it has a history of stability problems. Mac OS X is very powerful, easy to use, stable, robust, and comes with some of the best software in the industry, but it may not be compatible with all of the software you want to run (though dual booting with Windows is an option these days).
4. What features you need.
Do you need a computer that is mobile? Do you need a good price to performance ratio? Are you going to need things like a webcam, printer, scanner, camera, mp3 player, or other devices for your computer to interface with? How many USB ports are you going to need? Will you need Firewire, parallel ports, serial ports, or a Bluetooth module for the devices you need? Do you need an optical drive (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or can you do without one? What about floppy drives? If you have a laptop, is it going to need all the features and power of a desktop, or will it need to be thin, light, and highly mobile? Will you need to play movies on your computer? Do you want to watch them in HD? Will you be using the computer to play music? Will you need quality sound? How much storage space are you going to need? Whatever you do, don’t buy a laptop only for use in the home. That’s a lot of money for a feature that’s not even being used (mobility). Laptops are great for students who want to take them to class. Laptops are also good for LAN parties, but you’ll need one powerhouse of a laptop to even begin to compete with the guys that have gaming-grade desktops.
5. The computer’s display.
In certain respects, the old CRTs are still the best computer displays out there. However, any new computer will come with an LCD display (if it comes with one at all) which, even though CRTs perform better, this still isn’t a bad thing. It is very important that you try out many computer displays to find one that suits your eyes in terms of resolution and size. Bigger monitors usually have higher resolutions. For example, a 24 inch monitor usually has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This is good enough to display full HD 1080p (which is 1920x1080). Some 17 inch laptop displays also display at this resolution. Is this going to make the text too small for you to read easily? Would a smaller resolution suit you better? Would a tiny 10 inch screen bother you? What resolutions do the software you run support? Most require at least 1024x768. Keep this in mind.
6. Tech support.
Do you know enough about your computer to fix your own problems, or are you going to rely on friends or tech support to fix your computer if it breaks? If you’re in the latter group, a computer company with a good record for tech support (Dell and Apple are two of the best for that) along with an extended warranty is what you want to look for. Some computer companies only offer tech support for as long as the warranty is active (which is usually only two or three years). Do not buy a used computer and actually expect to get tech support. Chances are you won’t get it. If you buy from a company like Dell that lets you pick from a 1-year up to a 5-year warranty, consider that five years is a long time to have a computer and you should get the warranty for the length of time you intend to keep the computer. Also keep in mind that tech support may vary even within the same company depending on what computer you buy. Dell, for example, offers the best tech support to small and medium businesses. All SMB (small/medium business) support is right here in the US, so you don’t have to talk to someone in India. Dell Optiplex and Latitude computers have lifetime phone support, while the others only last as long as the warranty is active. Apple also has a lot of tech support based here in the US.
7. Can you build your own computer?
Building your own computer has many benefits. The price to performance ratio is the best there is in home-built computers (except for laptops, where building your own doesn’t really get you any benefits). Can you even build one yourself? Do you know what parts you will need inside the case? Keep in mind that home-built computers don’t get tech support. If the thing breaks, you’d better be able to fix it yourself or know someone good enough with computers that can that is willing to help you (or that you can pay for).
8. Don’t get scammed.
Do your homework. A lot of retailers sell lots of different kinds of computers. Best Buy, for example, sells a large variety, but they handle all warranties and tech support themselves. In the case of Dell computers, this is a bad thing. Dell’s tech support is better than Best Buy’s. In other computer’s cases, this may actually be a good thing. As far as tech support and computer repair goes, avoid Best Buy’s Geek Squad whenever possible. They charge an arm and a leg for things that are fairly easy to do (they charge $50 to install RAM, which is really easy to do yourself). Most importantly, DO NOT TALK TO A SALESMAN TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED! You should know what you want long before ever talking to a salesman. Salesmen don’t know anything about computers and will do anything to sell you something that is far more expensive than you need.
9. Learn what a computer is and what it does.
I kid you not, there are people who call in for tech support that don’t even know that the computer needs electricity to run or that it has an on/off switch. If you are one of these people, I recommend taking some time to learn what a computer is and what it can do for you. A computer is only as good as its user. Also take a little time to learn some basic computer jargon. Learn what words like hard drive, optical drive, processor, memory, motherboard, operating system, bit, byte, malware, antivirus, background process, keyboard, mouse, software, power supply, application, monitor and network mean. If there is any of those words that you don’t know what they mean, it’s time you learned. They’re very basic and fundamental terms that could mean the difference between getting your computer fixed, and really annoying the support tech and making him wish you would die after the call is over because it is your incompetence that caused the call to run on for four hours. Please, PLEASE, learn the difference between memory and the hard drive. One of the most frustrating things for me is when people have nice computers, but all they ever use is Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Your computer is capable of so much, it seems a complete waste to buy one just for that.
10. Learn about protection.
We’re pretty much all aware of the presence of malware these days. For those of you who don’t know, malware is an umbrella term that covers viruses, adware, and spyware. Bad stuff. It is possible to live quite happily without these ever becoming a problem and also not having to use antivirus software or antispyware software (which can be a major pain and consume valuable resources) to keep them out or get rid of them. My computer, for example has no protection, and also has no problems with malware. This is because I know how to not get viruses in the first place. Delete questionable emails without opening them. Do not go to online gambling sites. Many online gaming sites that don’t have gambling are still riddled with viruses. Avoid programs like BitTorrent or Limewire. The programs themselves are safe enough, but who knows whether or not what you’re downloading is really what it says it is. Avoid programs like Kazaa, Weatherbug, and MyWeb. These programs are riddled with spyware. Above all, avoid porn sites like the plague. Your soul is not the only thing damaged by that stuff. It’ll wreak havoc on your computer too. One of the most important things you can do is back up your data. I recommend backing up your data to both optical media and external hard drives in case you have to wipe your hard drive because of corrupt files on your computer, viruses, or failed hard drives. Depending on how important your data is, you might be well off to have backups offsite. For example, when the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, many companies that were based in there were up and running the next day because they had backups that were located elsewhere. Some companies lost their files forever because they had no backups, or the backups were inside the buildings that collapsed. These companies never survived. Seriously people, back up your data! I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve gotten from people who are seriously miffed that they will lose all of their data because they didn’t back it up. Don’t be one of those people. Important data to back up may include music files, Power Point or Word documents, financial files from programs like Quicken, photos, movies, projects from programs like AutoCAD or Photoshop, etc. Anything on your computer that you can’t afford to lose or can’t replace if it was lost. Above all, just remember that you never know when your computer will be lost, broken, stolen, or infested with a virus. People with children or are accident prone will probably want to purchase insurance or specific warranties that cover accidental damage for their computers. Remember, computers don’t last forever. If you’re still holding onto a computer that is more than five years old, it’s time to replace it. Even a cheap new computer that only cost $300 will likely outperform your dinosaur.
© Copyright 2009 Eric Williamson
How much money you have is the absolute deciding factor in what you get (unless you have money coming out your ears). Brand new computers generally range from $200 to $25,000 so what you can fit in your budget is supremely important. Please keep the price of the software that you need in mind as some of that can be quite expensive.
2. What software you need to run.
A computer’s sole purpose is to run software. Some are more demanding on hardware than others. Computer games are the most demanding thing most people do with their computers, and if this is what you do, you must configure the computer accordingly. Computers designed for gaming are usually expensive and very dependent on a good graphics card. Other software, like web browsers, office software like word processors and money management software don’t require as many resources and can be pretty much run on any new computer.
3. What operating system you want.
The operating system you want is also extremely important. Linux will run on anything and is very flexible and fast, but it is hard to use and the learning curve is enormous. Windows is fairly easy to use and compatible with most software out there, but it has a history of stability problems. Mac OS X is very powerful, easy to use, stable, robust, and comes with some of the best software in the industry, but it may not be compatible with all of the software you want to run (though dual booting with Windows is an option these days).
4. What features you need.
Do you need a computer that is mobile? Do you need a good price to performance ratio? Are you going to need things like a webcam, printer, scanner, camera, mp3 player, or other devices for your computer to interface with? How many USB ports are you going to need? Will you need Firewire, parallel ports, serial ports, or a Bluetooth module for the devices you need? Do you need an optical drive (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or can you do without one? What about floppy drives? If you have a laptop, is it going to need all the features and power of a desktop, or will it need to be thin, light, and highly mobile? Will you need to play movies on your computer? Do you want to watch them in HD? Will you be using the computer to play music? Will you need quality sound? How much storage space are you going to need? Whatever you do, don’t buy a laptop only for use in the home. That’s a lot of money for a feature that’s not even being used (mobility). Laptops are great for students who want to take them to class. Laptops are also good for LAN parties, but you’ll need one powerhouse of a laptop to even begin to compete with the guys that have gaming-grade desktops.
5. The computer’s display.
In certain respects, the old CRTs are still the best computer displays out there. However, any new computer will come with an LCD display (if it comes with one at all) which, even though CRTs perform better, this still isn’t a bad thing. It is very important that you try out many computer displays to find one that suits your eyes in terms of resolution and size. Bigger monitors usually have higher resolutions. For example, a 24 inch monitor usually has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This is good enough to display full HD 1080p (which is 1920x1080). Some 17 inch laptop displays also display at this resolution. Is this going to make the text too small for you to read easily? Would a smaller resolution suit you better? Would a tiny 10 inch screen bother you? What resolutions do the software you run support? Most require at least 1024x768. Keep this in mind.
6. Tech support.
Do you know enough about your computer to fix your own problems, or are you going to rely on friends or tech support to fix your computer if it breaks? If you’re in the latter group, a computer company with a good record for tech support (Dell and Apple are two of the best for that) along with an extended warranty is what you want to look for. Some computer companies only offer tech support for as long as the warranty is active (which is usually only two or three years). Do not buy a used computer and actually expect to get tech support. Chances are you won’t get it. If you buy from a company like Dell that lets you pick from a 1-year up to a 5-year warranty, consider that five years is a long time to have a computer and you should get the warranty for the length of time you intend to keep the computer. Also keep in mind that tech support may vary even within the same company depending on what computer you buy. Dell, for example, offers the best tech support to small and medium businesses. All SMB (small/medium business) support is right here in the US, so you don’t have to talk to someone in India. Dell Optiplex and Latitude computers have lifetime phone support, while the others only last as long as the warranty is active. Apple also has a lot of tech support based here in the US.
7. Can you build your own computer?
Building your own computer has many benefits. The price to performance ratio is the best there is in home-built computers (except for laptops, where building your own doesn’t really get you any benefits). Can you even build one yourself? Do you know what parts you will need inside the case? Keep in mind that home-built computers don’t get tech support. If the thing breaks, you’d better be able to fix it yourself or know someone good enough with computers that can that is willing to help you (or that you can pay for).
8. Don’t get scammed.
Do your homework. A lot of retailers sell lots of different kinds of computers. Best Buy, for example, sells a large variety, but they handle all warranties and tech support themselves. In the case of Dell computers, this is a bad thing. Dell’s tech support is better than Best Buy’s. In other computer’s cases, this may actually be a good thing. As far as tech support and computer repair goes, avoid Best Buy’s Geek Squad whenever possible. They charge an arm and a leg for things that are fairly easy to do (they charge $50 to install RAM, which is really easy to do yourself). Most importantly, DO NOT TALK TO A SALESMAN TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED! You should know what you want long before ever talking to a salesman. Salesmen don’t know anything about computers and will do anything to sell you something that is far more expensive than you need.
9. Learn what a computer is and what it does.
I kid you not, there are people who call in for tech support that don’t even know that the computer needs electricity to run or that it has an on/off switch. If you are one of these people, I recommend taking some time to learn what a computer is and what it can do for you. A computer is only as good as its user. Also take a little time to learn some basic computer jargon. Learn what words like hard drive, optical drive, processor, memory, motherboard, operating system, bit, byte, malware, antivirus, background process, keyboard, mouse, software, power supply, application, monitor and network mean. If there is any of those words that you don’t know what they mean, it’s time you learned. They’re very basic and fundamental terms that could mean the difference between getting your computer fixed, and really annoying the support tech and making him wish you would die after the call is over because it is your incompetence that caused the call to run on for four hours. Please, PLEASE, learn the difference between memory and the hard drive. One of the most frustrating things for me is when people have nice computers, but all they ever use is Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Your computer is capable of so much, it seems a complete waste to buy one just for that.
10. Learn about protection.
We’re pretty much all aware of the presence of malware these days. For those of you who don’t know, malware is an umbrella term that covers viruses, adware, and spyware. Bad stuff. It is possible to live quite happily without these ever becoming a problem and also not having to use antivirus software or antispyware software (which can be a major pain and consume valuable resources) to keep them out or get rid of them. My computer, for example has no protection, and also has no problems with malware. This is because I know how to not get viruses in the first place. Delete questionable emails without opening them. Do not go to online gambling sites. Many online gaming sites that don’t have gambling are still riddled with viruses. Avoid programs like BitTorrent or Limewire. The programs themselves are safe enough, but who knows whether or not what you’re downloading is really what it says it is. Avoid programs like Kazaa, Weatherbug, and MyWeb. These programs are riddled with spyware. Above all, avoid porn sites like the plague. Your soul is not the only thing damaged by that stuff. It’ll wreak havoc on your computer too. One of the most important things you can do is back up your data. I recommend backing up your data to both optical media and external hard drives in case you have to wipe your hard drive because of corrupt files on your computer, viruses, or failed hard drives. Depending on how important your data is, you might be well off to have backups offsite. For example, when the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, many companies that were based in there were up and running the next day because they had backups that were located elsewhere. Some companies lost their files forever because they had no backups, or the backups were inside the buildings that collapsed. These companies never survived. Seriously people, back up your data! I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve gotten from people who are seriously miffed that they will lose all of their data because they didn’t back it up. Don’t be one of those people. Important data to back up may include music files, Power Point or Word documents, financial files from programs like Quicken, photos, movies, projects from programs like AutoCAD or Photoshop, etc. Anything on your computer that you can’t afford to lose or can’t replace if it was lost. Above all, just remember that you never know when your computer will be lost, broken, stolen, or infested with a virus. People with children or are accident prone will probably want to purchase insurance or specific warranties that cover accidental damage for their computers. Remember, computers don’t last forever. If you’re still holding onto a computer that is more than five years old, it’s time to replace it. Even a cheap new computer that only cost $300 will likely outperform your dinosaur.
© Copyright 2009 Eric Williamson
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
TO WRITE
ok close your eyes.
breathe in.
breathe out.
clear your mind.
relax...
listen...
what do you hear?
open your eyes and look around.
what do you see?
this is the stuff stories are made of. everything around you feeds who you are. who you are feeds the stories you write. you are unique. no other person on this planet is you. you are the only one who can write your stories and/or poems. your perspective of life is unique to you. the effects things have on you is unique. billions of people and no two alike.
write what you feel.
write every day if you can.
write the stuff you are made of.
don't worry about criticism. people only wish to help. but remember that what you write is you. even if you are writing about dragons (which i do frequently) those dragons reflect a reality within yourself.
a first draft does not need to be perfect and beautiful. first drafts exist so they may become second, third, forth, fifth and more drafts.
enjoy.
life is full of joys. live them.
watch others. they have wonderful little quirks and mannerisms that fuel the fires of character.
what do you read?
what makes you happy?
what makes you sad?
grammar is a beautiful thing. (you may ignore my lack of it here)
the vast majority of the human population are good, honest people. don't neglect them.
get enough sleep. pay attention to your dreams. many authors keep a notepad by their bed so they can write down their dreams before they are forgotten.
breathe in.
breathe out.
relax...
write.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
breathe in.
breathe out.
clear your mind.
relax...
listen...
what do you hear?
open your eyes and look around.
what do you see?
this is the stuff stories are made of. everything around you feeds who you are. who you are feeds the stories you write. you are unique. no other person on this planet is you. you are the only one who can write your stories and/or poems. your perspective of life is unique to you. the effects things have on you is unique. billions of people and no two alike.
write what you feel.
write every day if you can.
write the stuff you are made of.
don't worry about criticism. people only wish to help. but remember that what you write is you. even if you are writing about dragons (which i do frequently) those dragons reflect a reality within yourself.
a first draft does not need to be perfect and beautiful. first drafts exist so they may become second, third, forth, fifth and more drafts.
enjoy.
life is full of joys. live them.
watch others. they have wonderful little quirks and mannerisms that fuel the fires of character.
what do you read?
what makes you happy?
what makes you sad?
grammar is a beautiful thing. (you may ignore my lack of it here)
the vast majority of the human population are good, honest people. don't neglect them.
get enough sleep. pay attention to your dreams. many authors keep a notepad by their bed so they can write down their dreams before they are forgotten.
breathe in.
breathe out.
relax...
write.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
TOPIC: MANUAL
This is a tough assignment for me! I was asked to post the NEW TOPIC! I seem to have writers' block most of the time.
The topic is, pretend you're writing a manual, perhaps a technical manual. If you prefer, pretend you are giving instructions to someone who can hear your voice, and you can see if they are doing it right, but you cannot use your hands or your visual, just talking the instructions.
What would I do with this topic? I have no idea.
The topic is, pretend you're writing a manual, perhaps a technical manual. If you prefer, pretend you are giving instructions to someone who can hear your voice, and you can see if they are doing it right, but you cannot use your hands or your visual, just talking the instructions.
What would I do with this topic? I have no idea.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
KING TOM
Golden summer days... Actually what made them so golden was the fact there was no school. From June to September there was nothing but sweet freedom. Tom and his posse gloried in their freedom. They played all day long and only went inside to eat and sleep.
Those whose mothers insisted on them doing daily chores would get up early and rush through them and be done before their mothers were out of bed. They would eat breakfast and the boys would meet up and the treehouse in Tom's backyard by eight. Then the fun would begin.
On this particular day, the boys had decided to play Camelot. Tom, of course, was King Arthur. The other boys filled in as his knights of the round table. The boys wore a variety of shiny armor, shimmery cloth, aluminum foil, tin can lids, and whatever else they could find. Their helmets were whatever they could get on their heads, pans, boxes, buckets, one boy even had a football helmet. Their swords were mostly plastic or wood. Daniel had a lightsaber.
"Honored knights of the round table, I welcome you here today with some grave news," said Tom.
"What does that mean?" asked Ted.
"It means bad," said Daniel.
"Right," said Tom. "The Lady of the Lake has been gobbled up by a dragon."
The boys all gasped. "Not the Lady of the Lake! Why didn't se use her powers?" said Johnny.
"She tried in vain. The dragon would not rest until he had his dinner," said Tom. "Our task is to go to the dragon's lair and fight it to the death."
"What if we're killed?" said Steve.
"Then you will die in glory and honor, and we will always remember your sacrifice for a just cause," said Tom.
The boys made their plans of vengeance and slipped quietly down the pole of the treehouse. Whispering and telling each other to shush, they approached the dog house.
"The beast sleepeth. It will be an easy kill," whispered Tom to his knights.
They nod and spread out around the sleeping dog. Jim dropped his sword. Tom's dog woke and stretched and padded over to Tom, his tail wagging.
The boys panicked. They couldn't let the dragon slay their king. They all charged the dog at once. The dog jumped out of the way, and ran around and barked playfully at the pile of boys.
Tom shook his head at his knights and thrust his sword, gently, in the dragon's ribcage. "Play dead," he ordered his dog. The dog obeyed.
"Knights! We have slayed the dragon! We are victorious this day! Our adventure shall be sung in song and story for centuries to come!" said Tom.
The boys all stabbed the air with their swords, and in one case a lightsaber, and shouted, "Glory to Camelot!"
The dog jumped up and barked. Tom gave him a hug, and got him a treat for playing dead.
The boys boasted of their conquest and went back up to the treehouse to plan their next feat.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Those whose mothers insisted on them doing daily chores would get up early and rush through them and be done before their mothers were out of bed. They would eat breakfast and the boys would meet up and the treehouse in Tom's backyard by eight. Then the fun would begin.
On this particular day, the boys had decided to play Camelot. Tom, of course, was King Arthur. The other boys filled in as his knights of the round table. The boys wore a variety of shiny armor, shimmery cloth, aluminum foil, tin can lids, and whatever else they could find. Their helmets were whatever they could get on their heads, pans, boxes, buckets, one boy even had a football helmet. Their swords were mostly plastic or wood. Daniel had a lightsaber.
"Honored knights of the round table, I welcome you here today with some grave news," said Tom.
"What does that mean?" asked Ted.
"It means bad," said Daniel.
"Right," said Tom. "The Lady of the Lake has been gobbled up by a dragon."
The boys all gasped. "Not the Lady of the Lake! Why didn't se use her powers?" said Johnny.
"She tried in vain. The dragon would not rest until he had his dinner," said Tom. "Our task is to go to the dragon's lair and fight it to the death."
"What if we're killed?" said Steve.
"Then you will die in glory and honor, and we will always remember your sacrifice for a just cause," said Tom.
The boys made their plans of vengeance and slipped quietly down the pole of the treehouse. Whispering and telling each other to shush, they approached the dog house.
"The beast sleepeth. It will be an easy kill," whispered Tom to his knights.
They nod and spread out around the sleeping dog. Jim dropped his sword. Tom's dog woke and stretched and padded over to Tom, his tail wagging.
The boys panicked. They couldn't let the dragon slay their king. They all charged the dog at once. The dog jumped out of the way, and ran around and barked playfully at the pile of boys.
Tom shook his head at his knights and thrust his sword, gently, in the dragon's ribcage. "Play dead," he ordered his dog. The dog obeyed.
"Knights! We have slayed the dragon! We are victorious this day! Our adventure shall be sung in song and story for centuries to come!" said Tom.
The boys all stabbed the air with their swords, and in one case a lightsaber, and shouted, "Glory to Camelot!"
The dog jumped up and barked. Tom gave him a hug, and got him a treat for playing dead.
The boys boasted of their conquest and went back up to the treehouse to plan their next feat.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
TOPIC: SUMMER FUN
Eeep! it's june 3rd already and i forgot to post a topic! my bad. ok this month's topic is SUMMER FUN. so whatever fun stuff that happens in the summer. pool parties, holidays, vacations, lazy days, etc. the story itself does not necesarily need to be fun, just put it with the fun stuff.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
FOOLS RUSH IN... OR IS IT OUT?
For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. It is an old phrase, but it can still be used today. Take my granddaughter Jenny for instance, she was a fool for following me. I told her that part of my life was over. I warned her. Still she rushed in.
I am a very old man, though to look at me you would never guess my age, or even come close. I have lived for hundreds of years. I have had hundreds of lifetimes. I have had hundreds of wives who have died of old age, illness, giving birth or any of a number of things. I have had more children and grandchildren than I can count. I admit I love them, but I get restless. I feel the need to move on.
My time in each place grows shorter as I continue my search. For what? I do not know. Jenny has not made things any easier. No matter where I go, she finds me. I have changed my name, traveled to the remotest places, and still she finds me. How does she do it? What does she hope to accomplish? She is only going to get herself hurt.
I have tried to start a new life, like I always have done after the death of a wife, but Jenny was there every time I tried. She has successfully scared off at least a dozen potential spouses. It has been frustrating. I have been forced to take drastic measures. I did not want to do this. I have always moved forward, never looking, or going, back, but she has left me little choice.
Time is like a river, flowing in one direction. People are content to simply ride the river, but that does not mean one can't go against the river's flow. It is not easy, but it can be done. I don't like traveling to the past, but here she can not find me. Here, she can not ruin my new life.
It has been nearly six months since I came here, and there has been no sign of Jenny. I am getting married again next week to the daughter of an Earl. It will be nice to live the posh life again. When I was married to Jenny's grandmother, I worked for an automotive company. The pay was decent and we lived well, but not like this.
"Excuse me, sir, but there is a young lady downstairs, who wishes to see you," says my fiancee's butler.
"A young lady? Did she give a name?"
"No, sir."
Who could she be? I couldn't be... could it? I descend the stairs. She comes into view. She is dressed according to the fashion of the time. It can't be. She has her back to me. I wish I could see her face. I wish I knew if it... I'm being silly. There is is no possible way it could be her. I reach the bottom of the stairs. I clear my throat. She turns.
"Hello grandfather."
No. No! NO! It's impossible! How did she get here? Never have any of my children or descendants ever shown the slightest indication of inheriting my power! I watch every generation closely to make sure they don't have it! She was just an ordinary kid like the others!
"That was clever trick, hiding in the past, but I still found you."
"H-How?" was all I could manage to say.
"I told you before. We are connected. Wherever you go, I will follow."
I feel weak. The world is slipping away from me. I sit on the stair to avoid falling. I am tired. For once in my life I feel old. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
She sighs, puts her arms around me, and kisses my forehead. "Because I am your granddaughter, and I love you."
"So? I have had thousands of grandchildren over the years. I just want to get on with my new life. I am done with my old one. I even had a funeral!"
"Are you happy?"
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"The most important kind."
Am I happy? I don't know. I exist. Some days are better than others. Some times seem brighter. But, looking back on my life, through all the many marriages, births and deaths, it all seems pale, like the world was painted in pastels. I never stayed in one place long. I was always moving on. Searching. For what? I don't know.
Am I happy? Have I ever been? "I don't know."
"Grandfather, this time we have spent in this game of tag, has been interesting. I have learned more about you than you realize. I have learned to use the power I have inherited from you. Everywhere you go you leave a trace of yourself. I know you have been looking for something. Something you can't see. Something you can't quite put your finger on."
She knows. I want the empty ache inside me to fill, to be satisfied. And yet... I feel the pull. The pull to move on. Move on to where? Where can I go that she won't follow?
"I will always be with you. No matter where. No matter when. I am a part of you. When you hide from me, you hide from yourself. Come with me. I will show you what you are missing."
Her hand hangs in the air in front of me, waiting for me to take it. Do I dare? She smiles and we are caught in the time stream. Our clothes change as we move forward.
We come to a stop in the livingroom where Jenny first learned of my immortal nature. Where I had spent many years as a grandfather clock, sleeping away the time until my wife died. Not letting go of my hand, she leads me to the kitchen where my daughter, her mother, is setting the table for dinner.
"Grandfather has something to say to you."
My daughter's left eyebrow rises as she looks at the two of us. Jenny pushes me forward. I don't know what I am supposed to say. "Kathy... I..." I turn to Jenny. "What do you want me to say? I'm older than I look? I lied to her and her mother? I'm immortal?"
"Tell her how you feel."
I look into my daughter's confused face. Her eyes are so much like her mother's, but that little twitch of the mouth that is always ready to break into a smile if she would only let it, is mine. Mine. That is what she meant. This is what I have been searching my whole life for. I have been a fool. Such a fool. All those centuries wasted, looking for what I had had from the beginning.
"I love you, my little Katty." I had called her that as a child. It was my name for her. No one else ever called her Katty. No one dared to.
Both her eyebrows rise now. "Dad?"
I nod. She hugs me. I hold her close.
"Thank you, Jenny."
For the first time in my life, I belong. I feel loved. I have connected.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
I am a very old man, though to look at me you would never guess my age, or even come close. I have lived for hundreds of years. I have had hundreds of lifetimes. I have had hundreds of wives who have died of old age, illness, giving birth or any of a number of things. I have had more children and grandchildren than I can count. I admit I love them, but I get restless. I feel the need to move on.
My time in each place grows shorter as I continue my search. For what? I do not know. Jenny has not made things any easier. No matter where I go, she finds me. I have changed my name, traveled to the remotest places, and still she finds me. How does she do it? What does she hope to accomplish? She is only going to get herself hurt.
I have tried to start a new life, like I always have done after the death of a wife, but Jenny was there every time I tried. She has successfully scared off at least a dozen potential spouses. It has been frustrating. I have been forced to take drastic measures. I did not want to do this. I have always moved forward, never looking, or going, back, but she has left me little choice.
Time is like a river, flowing in one direction. People are content to simply ride the river, but that does not mean one can't go against the river's flow. It is not easy, but it can be done. I don't like traveling to the past, but here she can not find me. Here, she can not ruin my new life.
It has been nearly six months since I came here, and there has been no sign of Jenny. I am getting married again next week to the daughter of an Earl. It will be nice to live the posh life again. When I was married to Jenny's grandmother, I worked for an automotive company. The pay was decent and we lived well, but not like this.
"Excuse me, sir, but there is a young lady downstairs, who wishes to see you," says my fiancee's butler.
"A young lady? Did she give a name?"
"No, sir."
Who could she be? I couldn't be... could it? I descend the stairs. She comes into view. She is dressed according to the fashion of the time. It can't be. She has her back to me. I wish I could see her face. I wish I knew if it... I'm being silly. There is is no possible way it could be her. I reach the bottom of the stairs. I clear my throat. She turns.
"Hello grandfather."
No. No! NO! It's impossible! How did she get here? Never have any of my children or descendants ever shown the slightest indication of inheriting my power! I watch every generation closely to make sure they don't have it! She was just an ordinary kid like the others!
"That was clever trick, hiding in the past, but I still found you."
"H-How?" was all I could manage to say.
"I told you before. We are connected. Wherever you go, I will follow."
I feel weak. The world is slipping away from me. I sit on the stair to avoid falling. I am tired. For once in my life I feel old. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
She sighs, puts her arms around me, and kisses my forehead. "Because I am your granddaughter, and I love you."
"So? I have had thousands of grandchildren over the years. I just want to get on with my new life. I am done with my old one. I even had a funeral!"
"Are you happy?"
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"The most important kind."
Am I happy? I don't know. I exist. Some days are better than others. Some times seem brighter. But, looking back on my life, through all the many marriages, births and deaths, it all seems pale, like the world was painted in pastels. I never stayed in one place long. I was always moving on. Searching. For what? I don't know.
Am I happy? Have I ever been? "I don't know."
"Grandfather, this time we have spent in this game of tag, has been interesting. I have learned more about you than you realize. I have learned to use the power I have inherited from you. Everywhere you go you leave a trace of yourself. I know you have been looking for something. Something you can't see. Something you can't quite put your finger on."
She knows. I want the empty ache inside me to fill, to be satisfied. And yet... I feel the pull. The pull to move on. Move on to where? Where can I go that she won't follow?
"I will always be with you. No matter where. No matter when. I am a part of you. When you hide from me, you hide from yourself. Come with me. I will show you what you are missing."
Her hand hangs in the air in front of me, waiting for me to take it. Do I dare? She smiles and we are caught in the time stream. Our clothes change as we move forward.
We come to a stop in the livingroom where Jenny first learned of my immortal nature. Where I had spent many years as a grandfather clock, sleeping away the time until my wife died. Not letting go of my hand, she leads me to the kitchen where my daughter, her mother, is setting the table for dinner.
"Grandfather has something to say to you."
My daughter's left eyebrow rises as she looks at the two of us. Jenny pushes me forward. I don't know what I am supposed to say. "Kathy... I..." I turn to Jenny. "What do you want me to say? I'm older than I look? I lied to her and her mother? I'm immortal?"
"Tell her how you feel."
I look into my daughter's confused face. Her eyes are so much like her mother's, but that little twitch of the mouth that is always ready to break into a smile if she would only let it, is mine. Mine. That is what she meant. This is what I have been searching my whole life for. I have been a fool. Such a fool. All those centuries wasted, looking for what I had had from the beginning.
"I love you, my little Katty." I had called her that as a child. It was my name for her. No one else ever called her Katty. No one dared to.
Both her eyebrows rise now. "Dad?"
I nod. She hugs me. I hold her close.
"Thank you, Jenny."
For the first time in my life, I belong. I feel loved. I have connected.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
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