I first started writing a novel when I was a kid in the late 70s. I armed myself with a big notebook, pencils and erasers, a dictionary, and a dog-eared copy of Roget's Thesaurus. I knew nothing about writing a book, but I figured, How hard could it be? (I see you all laughing out there!) After managing ten or fifteen pages of scribblings, I got overwhelmed and gave up.
(Don't get confused because here's where I get to the thing I'm celebrating.)
This week, I'm just grateful for the internet!
Everything's online now -- the whole world is literally at your fingertips.
- Online writing communities to give you tips and support
- Reference sites all for your dictionary, thesaurus and grammar woes
- Sites where you can research everything from quantum physics to jungle spiders to San Francisco cable cars
- Writing programs with that glorious auto-correct feature (I love that thing!)
- Info about what agents and publishers are looking for
- YouTube vids, shopping sites, or chatrooms for entertainment during your down time (and we all need down time)
I love the internet, don't you?
38 comments:
So true!
The internet has opened up a wealth of knowledge for us, and the writing community is one group of really generous people, willing to share.
As someone who, distinctly, remembers a time without it, I really love the Internet.
Without it, I wouldn't have access to many things....far off family, friends, and a ton of other things.
It's kind of like a time machine, in some ways, especially YouTube.
A great thing to be thankful for, for sure :)
I definitely do love the internet! How many times would I use the same adjectives and nouns in my book? Much more than I do now with the internet! I truly get why you're celebrating this.
This is so very true! I would have had a tough time becoming a writer without the internet because research is one of my least favorite parts of it all so I would probably have given up long ago if not for the magic of Google :)
I adore the internet. I practically live here. I wold have given up writing 10 times over if it weren't for my online friends egging me on....
It has made a huge difference! Between the information available and the connections, it's opened up a whole new world.
Oh god, I remember writing using a notepad and pencil! I've never been as grateful for anything as I am for word processing programs!
You are right. It is wonderful. Without it I would have not met so many marvelous people and got my hands on so good information. Congratulations!
Yes! I love that I can research, write, and connect with other writers and readers all online. It's great that we can have friends all over the world, too.
I think the Internet has eliminated many of the difficulties of writing a novel but this has meant a flood of manuscripts hitting the publishing world at a time when all of the publishing houses are downsizing. I think it's easier to get published today (because of e-publishiing) but it's harder to get read.
Oh yeah, I think the benefits of the internet far exceed the faults. It's definitely something I take for granted!
The internet has totally saved me as a writer! I found out about books, blogs and even met my writing partner all online. Not to mention meeting my beta readers and just having all kinds of ability to research things and places in ways that would have been impossible when I was a kid. I'm all about using it to its full potential.
Really great post!
I've grateful that I learned to type on a manual machine with blank keys, and that I learned shorthand. But yes, I love the internet - except that it is a great time-waster, if you let it be. But I love the blogosphere.
I'm grateful for the internet too. It is a wealth of information...sometimes misinformation, but over all it's a wonderful tool. I often think how amazing it is that I can connect with people all over the world, thanks to the internet. I live far from my Dad, but we use video chat to see and talk to each other once a week. It's been great for the kids to see their grand-father.
I definitely hear you on this one! I would not have published a book without it! We live in an amazing time to be an author and the community support has been HUGE.
I concur! The internet is one of my favorite inventions - along with central heating :)
it is sooo helpful! and connective! i doubt i'd be where i am without it! love my blogging friends!
I do love the internet! There's no way I could have learned everything I have in a book or class~ the interaction, the blogs, the posts on everything from writing craft to the query/agent/publication process...it's been invaluable :)
You are soooo right! Having access to the world is a remarkable thing!!! I know I'm glad to have gotten to know so many great blogging friends thru it!
Remember when we had to go to the library for everything? And still couldn't find half of what we were looking for. Now the world really is at our fingertips.
And a lot of cool friends as well.
I agree! The Internet is wonderful! How on earth can anybody get bored when you have the world at your disposal with the click of a button? Amazing!
I totally agree, don't know what I'd do without the internet! I use it to research my novel, chat with other writers, find writing tips and inspiration. It's also got me into blogging and NaNoWriMo, both of which have improved by confidence as a writer.
You couldn't be more right, Lexa. The world is at our fingertips, only a click away. I love this about the Internet! Although, I still enjoy road trips, museum visits and yes, strolls through local libraries.
The internet! Gosh that's worth celebrating! What would we do without it!!! How did we cope? I can't remember!! Great pick! Thank you for joining in ;)
I love bits of the internet, but I don't like those parts which lure me into having too much fun while I should be working. Roget's Thesaurus never did that!
The internet is amazing.
Yay for the internet! I didn't get to post this week because I have been ill and brain not functioning properly! Hopefully will manage to get back into things this week.
This is so true!
I sometimes curse the Internet though when I end up surfing and playing silly games instead of writing LOL. But that is my fault, not the fault of the Net. Great post for this hop. :)
YES! The Internet and COMPUTERS. If I had to type my books on a typewriter, I would have given up long ago!
I do love the Internet. It's definitely one of those things that is tricky to balance, but I can't imagine getting along without it.
The internet is amazing. Of course, it is also a challenge. It is perfect for writer research and resources.
I love it. I don't want to go back to what I used to be doing: snail mail, SASE's, and lugging around heavy books about the industry.
The internet is a great tool. So much information at our fingertips!
I LOOOVE the internet. Don't think writing would be as easy or as fun without google or other websites!
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
I do too!!! Great celebrations!
Yes! I love the online writing community too! You guys are like my support system.
Heck, yes!!! I can do novel research and go on Facebook and blog all at once. Hahaha. No, really, it does save time despite the distractions. BTW, I am adding your awesome blog to my blogroll on Idea City.
Yeah internet! I celebrate that every day. It's amazing how much the world has changed in the last ten/fifteen years just because of the internet. My students pick on me when I'm awestruck by the internet because they haven't lived any other way!
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