The Journey of a Novel

December 8, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

From Draft to Print

In 1986, all pumped up from a successful finish to my university degree, I began writing my “Great Australian Science Fiction” novel. I chose Science Fiction because I thought it would be easy to write.

Hah!

At every opportunity, I inflicted the latest chapter of this rough and raw work on my friends.
Below are the first few paragraphs of the very first draft of “Mary’s Story”, which 30 years later would be Mission of the Unwilling, written in 1986. The reason the title changed? Well, frankly, my writing mentor at the time thought the title, “Mary’s Story” was a bit lame. So, the book title had to change to something that would grab the reader. As a result, the main character had a name change.

*[Photo Scan 1: First page of MOU © Lee-Anne Marie Kling]*

Here I am inflicting this piece that needs a great deal of TLC to polish it into shape, so you can see that I was just like any other hopeful author, making all the mistakes common to novice writers. Have a look and see what you would’ve changed to improve this piece.

Twenty years passed. The manuscript languished in the cupboard. Unfinished. I had progressed halfway through. Lost my way. Lost in space and time, you could say.

Then a spark, and an idea. The story changed and continued to its end. As technology had progressed from Commodore and floppy disks to Windows PC and CDs, I had to rewrite the whole novel. Not a bad move, actually.

After printing off the reams of paper that made up the book, I took it to my uncle who was in the writerly business.

Suffice to say, he was not amused and gave feedback: Basic errors like no page numbers and glaring grammatical mistakes to using a ridiculous amount of speech attributions. It would seem that my years of motherhood had been detrimental to my writing craft. Bad habits in my writing had developed. He recommended joining a writers’ group.

Writing is a craft that requires honing skills and words to impact the reader in a positive way. Test readers, editors, fellow writers are essential to a manuscript developing from a rough draft to a polished piece ready for publishing. There is no shame in reworking or rewriting a story.

*[3. Sample of MOU after reworking from writers’ group feedback, before my mentor gave her feedback]*

I recall my writers’ group mentor saying that with feedback: listen to it, consider it and if it works for you, implement it. If not, put the suggestion aside. It’s your writing, it’s your voice.

You may see in the sample 4 and 5, that I took most of what my writing mentor advised. There were suggestions further on in their manuscript appraisal, that I didn’t agree with. One was the use of the expression “Man!” which they said wasn’t used in the 1980’s that it was only an expression that turned up in the 1990’s. I begged to differ, as I lived through the 1970’s and 1980’s as a teenager/young adult and behold, I remember the expression “Man!” being used; not just locally in Adelaide youth circles, but also on the television.

[4. Sample of mentor’s feedback]

My mentor stressed that we need to consider our readers. Who is our audience? What do you want your story to say to them? Is the story for entertainment? Or do you have a point to make? In the end, you won’t be sitting alongside them and being able to point to a word and say, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that—this is what I did mean.”

Our written work needs to stand on its own literal two feet and make sense to the reader without the author having to be the virtual translator, and thus committing the mortal writing “sin” of “author intrusion”. Author intrusion is when the author tells the reader how they should see, think and understand the narrative. For example, think of “author intrusion” like explaining the punchline of a joke.

[5. After many more drafts, and 30-years later—Mission of the Unwilling, those paragraphs as they were, published in 2015.]

The editing process never ends. More changes in 2022: A cover aligning with the War Against Boris Series, a new “preamble” chapter, more proof corrections and formatting done to make a second edition. check out Mission of the Unwilling as it looks now.

The final result is about refinement of the work: sentence tightening, word tweaking, word cutting and polishing the prose. All through revising and proof-reading.

Now I know you’re all hanging out for the nitty-gritty; the how do I make my writing good? Make it shine? How do I make my story clear and interesting for my readers?

For a start, invest in a good “How to Write” or “Grammar and Spelling” book. The reason we have and learn this language tool of grammar is to keep us all speaking and writing our particular language on the same page. It’s like a cake recipe. Follow the recipe, the cake bake is a success. It’s so that we understand each other. Adhering to the grammar and spelling rules helps readers understand what you have written. Not misunderstand. Of course, rules can be broken for effect, but you need to know the rules of your writing craft well to have the skill to know how to bend (or even break!!) them.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the World Wide Web is full of resources for writers. So, no need to “reinvent the wheel”. I have mentioned Microsoft Word Editor and Grammarly but there are other websites out there you can search for and find.

Our own Indie Scriptorium’s Mary McDee has some good grammar tips which you can look at. Click on the link here on her post on the Little But Important Words as an example.

I come back to the lesson I learnt from my dad: Keep It Simple.

Use basic sentences. Avoid purple prose. Use strong verbs and choose words that are understood by most readers. Be consistent.

After all, the aim of reading is for the reader to have an experience they find enjoyable and worth their time.

Writing Resource–Point of View

November 24, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Points of View in Story-telling

*[This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND]*

This blog was planned to discuss Deep Point of View (PoV). However, as I went through the previous blogs published by Indie Scriptorium, I realised we had omitted to talk about points of view in general. I decided to do a quick catch up on this important topic for writers.

Point of View in writing identifies who is telling the story. There are three main points of view to choose from: first person, third person and omniscient. The second person point of view can be used but is rare in fiction.

Discussions about PoV’s can be complex and difficult to get your head around so I will try to keep it clear and simple.

First person point of view – the story is written through the perspective of one character at a time and follows own their experience with everything else unknown to the reader. It is dominated by: I did, I saw, I thought, I felt etc. In most novels it follows only one protagonist but some books do have multiple first-person points of view. This PoV is mainly used for character development based stories and allows the reader to have an intimate relationship with the protagonists. It can limit the writer by its narrow focus but provides intimacy and immediacy. Applied to a frog it may read thus:
I surfaced into a dull, grey day. The water is cold. My stomach is empty so I look to the sky for an available fly but there are none. I am hungry, cold and lonely.
Third person PoV is a popular choice for novelists and there are a range of options which provide an author with a choice of perspectives.
Third person limited (sometimes called Deep PoV) is when the author writes as if from the inside of the character. Everything is filtered through that character’s senses, thoughts, feelings, experiences and opinions. It is useful to use when you want to focus on one character as they confront the dramatic elements of your plot.
The frog surfaced and felt the cold breeze. It looked around for flies and felt its hunger. There were no sounds of other frogs. It was alone. Third person remote is when the character is described as if from a point away from the character. This style is more useful when you want to focus on the plot and have multiple characters. The frog stuck it’s head out of the water. It looked around for flies but there were none. It went hungry.
Omniscient – or “God view”, in that the story is told by someone who knows and sees everything. It was a popular way of telling a story in the past. Think of Charles Dickens or Jane Austen where the author’s opinions and reflections are important in the telling of the story. Frogs are tailless amphibians, cold blooded and mostly carnivorous with a diet of insects. They live in small groups on both land and water. The frog illustrated has typical bulging eye and appears to be looking for food.

Many writers tend to select the PoV that they find most comfortable for both reading and writing. I love books written from the third person PoV and struggle with first person PoV. So, when I started writing I naturally wrote in third person.

There are also trends in acceptable writing conventions. Historically the omniscient PoV was popular but in modern times first and third person PoV novels are most common. In recent times many people strongly advocate for the third person limited PoV as it engages the reader with the characters and makes the writing zing. In fact, some editors and judges of competition see anything but Deep PoV as poor writing. This has become a rule that deserves a separate blog, so stay tuned.

There are lots of good articles on line with further information about PoV. I found
Complete Guide to Different Types on Point of View: Examples of Point of View in Writing provided examples and exercises. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/complete-guide-to-point-of-view-in-writing-definitions-and-examples

Also look at the Jericho writers blog, Points of View in Fiction Writing by Harry Bingham. https://jerichowriters.com/points-of-view-in-fiction-writing-with-plenty-of-examples/

Cheers Elsie

Elsie King © 2024
Feature Photo: Frog © This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Writing for Readers

November 17, 2024November 17, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Keep it Simple

A friend once told me: “Reading a novel is like eating cake. If you start reading something expecting “chocolate cake” but instead have “vanilla”, you feel cheated.”

Such is a reader’s experience when they pick up your book or download it as an e-book. They have certain expectations of the story from looking at the title and cover, reading the blurb, and glancing at page 100 (yes, that’s a thing).

However, the writing and language of the prose within can make or break the book’s success. If the writing is not up to standard, that is, it’s hard to understand, and a slog to read, then, you have lost your reader’s interest, I’m afraid to say.

In this blog I’ll stick to the “nuts and bolts” of what makes a piece of writing readable. That is, the language used, and writing conventions.

We may think that we have to wow the reader with clever phrases and words put all together like we are painting a fancy picture. This type of writing is called “purple prose”. Many writers have been there, believe me. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I have.

Thirty-something years ago, I wrote about climbing Mt. Giles with my dad, brother and cousins. I did just that trying to convey the magic of the MacDonnell Ranges and the beauty of the Central Australian landscape. I gave my offering to Dad. His feedback: too much “purple prose”. That “purple” piece has been binned, so, here’s an example from the Reedsy website and their blog on “purple prose”:

“The mahogany-haired adolescent girl glanced fleetingly at her rugged paramour, a crystalline sparkle in her eyes as she gazed, enraptured, upon his countenance. It was filled with an expression as enigmatic as receding shadows in the night. She pondered whether it would behoove her to request that she continue to follow him on his noble mission…”¬~Reedsy (What Is Purple Prose? Writing 101: Definition, Tips, and Examples)

The Lesson: Keep it simple. Write as you speak. I should have known, as this is what I’d been instructing my English students at the time. Stick to strong verbs (doing words) and nouns (things, places, people). But avoid, if possible, too many adjectives (words used to describe nouns) and adverbs (words describing verbs, usually ending in -ly). Again, the Reedsy blog mentioned above has examples of how to simplify and strengthen your writing. As an exercise of simplification from the Reedsy example above, I have rewritten the first phrase as: “The girl glanced at him…”

The Aim is to have a piece of writing that is easy to read, easy to understand, and to be a rewarding and growing experience—not a waste of time or hours your reader, if they persevere with your work, will never get back.

The reason the language we speak and write has rules and conventions is for the sake of the reader. We want our stories to be understood, don’t we? Like a recipe for a cake, or road rules for driving, spelling and grammar norms help readers understand and enjoy what the writer has written.

To help with keeping my grammar and spelling in line, one of the tools I use is Microsoft Word Editor to refine my writing. Check “Editor” out if you have Microsoft Word.

Another internet tool is “Grammarly”. I downloaded and took the “Grammarly” test with one of my chapters from a detective novel I have been working on The Culvert. I found the exercise helpful in highlighting where my grammar needs correction. “Grammarly” offers a limited free service, but for a more in-depth check, a subscription is required. For some writers, “Grammarly” might be just the editing tool they have been searching for.

Simply put, the best ideas for a story may be wasted unread if the writing is not easy to read for the reader. Remember, write as you speak, and keep it simple.

Writers’ Resources

November 3, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Resources for Writers

Writing a book is difficult enough, but getting it edited, published and marketed adds three additional jobs to the process. A new author must go through a tremendous learning curve and expend a lot of time and effort to get their book completed to a professional standard. Luckily, there are some places to turn to for help. I have listed three organisations I have used for support, advice and information.

The Institute of Professional Editors IpEd

“Editors work with writers for the benefit of readers. They help writers get their message across with greater clarity, elegance, forcefulness and insight.”

The Institute of Professional Editors encompass editors, of all types from both Australia and New Zealand. They offer some excellent services for writers.

Check out their website for helpful articles about what editors do, the three types of editing and how editors are trained and accredited. They also cover the skills needed to be an editor. They even have advice on self-editing.

The IpEd. web site offers information about how to brief an editor and how to make a contract with one.

The Find an Editor Service is an invaluable way of finding the right editor for your project, whether it’s a romance, a history book or an academic paper. The search engine asks you some simple questions and then provides a number of editors that will fit your criteria.

I have used this service and found a wonderful editor who whipped my two novels into shape.

For more information go to the web site: Click on the link here.

The Australian Society of Authors (A.S.A.)

This professional organisation has been established for over forty years. A.S.A. provides services to aspiring, emerging and established authors and illustrators.

Services Include:

• On-line courses on a wide range of topics.
• Providing advice on subjects such as copyright, royalties and contracts.
• Supplying information about fair rates of pay for authors and illustrators.
• Offering mentorships and manuscript appraisals.
• Providing guidelines and templates for contracts.
• They make submissions to Parliament about issues affecting authors and illustrators.
• A find service for creators and illustrators.
• Speed dating – 3-minute sessions to pitch your work to an agent or publisher. ($30 fee)

Annual membership fees (2024)
Associate – $160
Full member – $215

Contact information:

Website: https://www.asauthors.org.au/contact-us/

E-mail: asa@asuthors.org

Phone: 2911 1000

Writers SA

This is a state wide service for authors, both aspiring and published. They are located in the Institute Building on the corner of Kintore Road and North Terrace. Right next door to the State library.

People can join for an annual fee of $98. Concession card holders and young writers can join for $60.

They offer courses, workshops writing festivals and other activities both on-line and in-person. There are fees for all activities but members get a 30% discount.

In addition, Writers SA provide manuscript assessments, pre-submission assessments, mentorship programs, feedback, consultations and synopsis audits. All these services are provided at a cost. The fees are negotiable depending on the scope of the service and size of the manuscript.

It is certainly a good idea to browse through Writers SA web site. Look at Opportunities to discover competitions and publishers seeking submission. They also have a list of Writer’s groups throughout South Australia. You can also subscribe to their free newsletter and read their blog.

If interested in joining Writers SA contact them on 0476999002

E-mail: info@writersa.org.au

Website: https://writerssa.org.au

They are also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Postal address is Box 43 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000

Happy Writing

Words of Warning

October 20, 2024October 21, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Words and Meaning—Decimate Millions

Words are wonderful, a vital means of communication for most humans. They are powerful but often we don’t treat them with the respect they deserve. We abuse them. We change the meaning – at times because we don’t fully understand for some reason.

But before we give ourselves a rap on the knuckles for our mistreatment of words, remember that language is alive. If words remained the same, with the same meaning for all time, then the language we speak would be dead—like Latin. The problem is that the meaning of words changes over time, but some of us haven’t kept up with the latest contemporary meaning. Or some people may use and understand a current, an “urban” meaning of a word but be unaware of its original meaning.

This happened with “decimate”. Currently most of us use it to mean “almost completely destroyed”. Originally it meant “every tenth one”. This was because it came to us from “decem”; the Latin word for ten. An ancient Roman army conquered and decimated i.e., lined up those who’d been conquered, counted their “victims” and every tenth man was put to the sword, the rest enslaved. Far from “almost complete destruction” of that enemy.

Two words that currently fascinate me are “million” and “billion”. We all know they mean “a lot”: a million of anything whether it’s dollars, dwellings or the inhabitants of those dwellings is a very large number–a seven-figure number, you know, one with six zeros attached to it (1,000 000). But just how much? What does it look like if we were to imagine it? Hard to comprehend even though we casually talk about a house selling for over a million dollars; even though we hear on the news of a million or so people in some country or other…

I once knew of a primary school teacher in a small country school who was in charge of the “middle lot”: two- or three-year levels of seven- to ten-year-olds. She wanted to give her class an idea of just how many a million was, so she decided to have the children collect bread tags to use for a number of aspects of their Maths lessons.

It wasn’t long before the whole town got involved. Bread-bag tags by the dozens, the hundreds arrived, and were used in a variety of Maths activities, then counted; the results graphed, tabulated… and finally those tags were added to all the others in a handy, unused glass aquarium. All were agog to see if that aquarium would hold a million. Everyone hoped they’d reach that magical million mark by the end of the year.

It was not to be.

The collecting continued throughout the next year. And the next. By this time friends, relatives, aunts, uncles, grandparents from near and far, some from the other side of the country were avidly collecting and contributing.

After ten years that teacher retired, and the project came to an end. The aquarium was about two thirds full and the grand total of bread-bag tags. Not even a quarter of a million.

The point was made, loud and clear. A million is an enormous number!

So, the moral of this tale is that we as writers need to take care when using words. Even simple words we use all the time can be misunderstood by the reader.

© Mary McDee 2024

Feature Photo: Welcome to France © L.M. Kling 2014

Swamped

October 6, 2024October 6, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Word Meaning Analysis

For many of us, the word “swamp” doesn’t have much in the way of appealing connotations with its implications of boggy, muddy, and probably smelly too. Many a frustrated mother has applied the word to a child’s bedroom along with orders, “Clean it up! Or at least keep the door shut! Please!”

The Macquarie Dictionary tells us that a swamp is: “a piece or tract of wet spongy land; marshy ground; an area of still, often stagnant water, infit for cultivation”.

Nothing appealing there, is there?

Words are powerful. How we use them; the pictures we get in our head when hearing them are often beyond our conscious control—we hear, we respond (and at times react. Sometimes in quite unexpected ways!)

In the far South East of our state of South Australia, “swamp” has a vastly different meaning. Here the land is flat, seemingly as level as a tabletop. Apart from the many acreages that were cleared and planted with pines, the country is studded with magnificent, giant red gums: Eucalyptus Camaldulensis.

You could see this part of the world as upside down; a reverse of “normal” where usually so-called “flat land” is actually a series of low, rolling hills and shallow valleys. Here, mile after mile of the South East however, there is not a hill to be seen, not even a gentle rise. Instead of the “gentle rises” there are dips: downs rather than ups, huge shallow bowls in the land surface. As it is so flat there are no rivers of streams but in winter all those lower parts can function as drainage sumps. Again, due entirely to that word “sump”, a less that appealing picture.

The very earliest settlers must’ve found these vast stretches of winter water an impediment, their animals could well have trampled round and in and through creating bog holes while areas for cultivation and cropping were dictated by the sheets of water impeding their workaday world. To those folk, “swamp” would surely have been seen as appropriate.

Late settlers, however, learned to work around all the water. They learned to appreciate the myriad of water birds that flocked to their swamps. They saw beauty in all those clear, still sheets reflecting the giant gums so often standing alongside.

The children of these settlers had a magical childhood where they could catch tadpoles and tortoises; paddle around in homemade rafts; climb the nearby trees; construct cubbies; build boats; and, on a convenient bank, dig out dockyards for those boats.

This was also my childhood too and it was truly magical. Along with that magical childhood, I also learned how words can be used in a way that varies their meaning—there is much more to them than mere definitions in a dictionary.

“Lake” would be far more appropriate word for the magnificent sheets of water teeming with life that were an integral part of my younger years. But “swamp”, for South Easterners like us stuck.

Such is life!

Those of us who write, however, must always be careful with our words. We cannot assume our reader will interpret what we have written in the same way that we intend. And yet we mustn’t go into long, convoluted explanations—a sure and certain way to ensure we’ll have not readers! It is truly a balancing act demanding skill, awareness, and sensitivity.

Nobody has ever said that skillful writing, effective writing is, to put it colloquially, a walk in the park. It takes time, care. And consideration—lots of that! The rewards: the satisfaction; the sense of achievement outweigh the pain and frustration many times over though, don’t they?

So just keep on writing.

© Mary McDee 2024

Feature Photo: Swamp? Or Lake? Mt. Gambier, South Australia © L.M. Kling 2001

100-Word Challenge

September 29, 2024 / lmkling / 1 Comment

I have been mulling over what stops us. What makes us stall from reaching our potential? Our potential to write that novel in our heads. Finish that story. Take up the challenge we are given and run with it to the end. Often, it’s the way we see ourselves. Our limitations. When faced with the challenge, our song is, “I can’t. I’m not good enough.” We reinforce our self concept with the chorus, “I failed that (insert challenge) at school.” Or “I was sacked when I did (that particular challenge)”. It got me thinking that when we define ourselves by our limitations, we work ourselves into a corner.

One fun activity that our Writers’ group found useful was the 100-word challenge. This little task helps fire up the creative juices, refine writing skills, and simply work around the limitations we writers put on ourselves.

Below is an example from my collection.

Worked…

…Into a Corner

All afternoon, our backyard echoed with the hum of the cement-mixer, and intermittent scraping. Dad, armed with a trowel, smoothed the cement over an area pegged to become the back patio. Metre by metre, he pasted his way back.

Mum stood on the porch, and with hands on her hips, remarked, ‘And how are you going to get out of this one?’

In an ocean of soft cement, Dad looked around him, lost. ‘Er…um…I’ll work it out.’

Tracks back to the lawn-edge smoothed, Dad stood and admired his DIY job.

Next morning, paw-prints made their way to the rainwater tank.

© L.M. Kling 2019

Feature Photo: Dad Concreting back Patio © M.E. Trudinger circa 1978

***

Have a go at the 100-word challenge.

If you like you can drop us a line with your creation.

We’d love to see what you come up with in the comment section.

Further Education in Writing

September 22, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

University Options for Creative Writing

I was fortunate enough to attend a session curated by Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Amy T. Mathews at Flinders University at the 2024 Romance Writers of Australia conference. Called Romancing Academia I was intrigued to find out how a university course tackled the most popular form of fiction, romance.

It was an amazing revelation. Doctor of Philosophy doing romance?

The presenters were brilliant speakers who spoke passionately about their PhD. topics. Their analysis of the tropes used in Romance was entertaining, enlightening and inspiring.

It became obvious that Romance was much more than light entertainment to these academics. One session delved deep into the sociological, historical, psychological value of strong independent romantic heroines. It discussed how feminism is portrayed in popular literature.

Another session looked at the ways writer’s avoid incorporating characters of ethnic diversity or Indigenous characters for fear of getting it wrong.

The issue of informed consent in romantic relationships was another lively topic for a thesis.

Another speaker examined the arranged marriage trope which was contrasted with the reality of arranged marriages in many modern societies. It was explained that arranged marriages can be culturally acceptable and a welcomed way for single people to meet potential partners.

Romancing Academia was informative and enjoyable. It also highlighted for me the opportunities available for writers who want to hone their craft.

I’ve been writing for five years and have produced two historical romance novels. I’ve learnt lots by researching and writing blogs for Indie Scriptorium. I’ve honed my skills as I’ve analysed the work of other writers in my critique group. I’ve acquired information about writing romance from the Romance Writers of Australia articles and wonderful sessions at RWA conferences.

Looking back, it’s amazing how much my writing craft has developed. When I started my first novel, I didn’t have a clue about what I even needed to know. Luckily, I had two university degrees and a career in social work so I could portray characters well and understood the motives that drive people. I relied on good beta readers and editors to get my ideas into readable prose.

But do I need more? The more I write the more I realise I don’t have the skills to adequately portray the ideas, themes and goals that I want to write about. The Romancing Academia session made me think more carefully about what I write. I’ve come to realise that my passion is portraying realistic history in the format of entertaining fiction. I love history, especially neutralising the misogynist and racist biases that have been offered up over time. To do this with authenticity in fiction is not easy.

Romancing Academia opened my eyes to the possibility of enrolling in a university course that focuses on creative writing. A way of fast tracking the knowledge and skills I need to become a better writer.

In South Australia, all three of our universities offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Creative writing.

University of South Australia offer:

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing and Literature)
Bachelor of Creative Industries
Graduate and Masters degrees

For information contact 8302 2376 or you can submit an on-line enquiry. Visit their web site https://study.unisa.edu.au for more information.

University of Adelaide offer:

Bachelor of Arts majoring in Creative Writing

For more information phone 8313 7335 or 1800 407 527 or visit their website https://adelaideuni.edu.au/study/degrees/bachelor-of-arts-creative-writing

Flinders University offer:

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) (Graduate Entry)
Bachelor of Creative Industries (Writing and Publishing)
Master of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) and other Post Graduate Degrees.

For more information contact 1300 345 633 or visit their web site: https://www.flinders.edu.au/study/creative-arts-media/writing

For me, this is an option I’m considering.

Spring into Books–Wordfest

September 8, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

Our Indie Scriptorium Team has been busy this week preparing for a fantastic local author event, Wordfest. If you happen to be in Adelaide, come to Woodcroft Library, 3 to 7pm this Tuesday September 10.

Indie Scriptorium Self-Publishing Collective Anthology 2024 will be available in print from this date.

As well as the anthology, we will be selling our print copies of our books which include:

A Suitable Heir by Elsie King

The T-Team with Mr. B: Central Australian Safari 1977 by Lee-Anne Marie Kling

Cheers

Writing Community–Pearl in the Sand

September 1, 2024September 1, 2024 / lmkling / Leave a comment

[I was scheduled to do a post on the wonders of research via podcast. Ah, how the times have changed! But time, the last few weeks has been in short supply in the world of Lee-Anne Marie Kling. What, with an anthology to put together, my latest ghost-writing project, family history research and our local library “Spring into Books —Wordfest” in which Indie Scriptorium has embroiled ourselves…

Speaking of which, especially harking back to the anthology and having it ready to be available at the “Wordfest”, I came across this post that I wrote a few years ago. Reminded me of a certain member of our team’s mantra: “Computers, you can’t trust them.”

So, here’s a story based on my work experience in the 1980’s. Note: names have been changed for privacy.]

PEARL IN THE SAND

I slumped in my chair and slammed the report on the desk.

‘What’s wrong?’ my colleague, Gerry asked.

‘The boss’s not happy with the report and I have to do the formatting all over again.’

‘Glad it’s you and not me.’

‘Hmmm.’ I fished out the exercise book of computer commands from my pile of books on the desk and leafed through my handwritten notes on commands to do with formatting a document.

My colleague leaned back in his chair and slurped his fourth coffee for the day. ‘I don’t know how you do it. I don’t think I’ll ever get the hang on these computers.’

‘It’s the eighties, they’re not going away,’ I muttered.

‘They’re not user-friendly, you know.’ Another slurp.

‘I know! And the boss thinks I can wave my word-processing wand and poof! Formatting all done.’ I pressed the button on the tower, and then stood up. ‘Third time this week! Third time this week I’ve handed in the report, and he throws it back at me. More work to do. I’m getting a coffee.’

Gerry held out his cup. ‘You wouldn’t mind getting me another one, would you?’

I sighed. ‘Yeah, okay.’

By the time, I returned, the computer was just at the stage it was thinking about starting. Gerry blathered on the phone and the tech guy crouched over another computer, parts scattered over the floor of our office come passage.

Our manager opened the door and poked his head through. ‘How are you going with those changes?’ he asked me.

‘Getting onto it,’ I said and glanced at the screen still blank in contemplation.

My manager raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s starting up.’

‘We have a deadline, you realise. I want that report on my desk tonight.’

‘Yes, sir.’

I turned to the computer. It had decided to have a day off, its blank screen smug, stared at me.

Late spring, not so warm, but beads of perspiration gathered on forehead. I glanced around the small office area. Another workmate, Paul tapped away on a live computer.

I approached him. ‘Would I be able to borrow your computer sometime today? I have to fix up my report and have it delivered to the boss.’

Paul shook his head. ‘I have a document that must be done asap.’ He turned to me. ‘Isn’t there another computer?’

I surveyed the scene of devastation behind me; the tech guy’s handiwork of a dismembered computer lay scattered on the rug. ‘No,’ then with desperation in my tone, ‘I have to finish my report today, but…The launch is in two weeks.’

‘I too, have a deadline. Tomorrow.’ Paul turned back to his computer and resumed tapping away on the keyboard.

Tech guy entered the office holding his cup of tea in one hand and sandwich in the other. He stepped over the computer bits.

I looked at Tech guy. ‘I need a computer. Mine’s not working.’

‘The boss’ll just have to wait,’ Tech guy said.

I shuffled out of the office and to the café for lunch. Gerry lounged on a couch having an extended lunch.

‘Have to wait my turn for a computer,’ I grumbled to him.

He laughed. ‘Glad it’s you and not me.’

Back at the office, Tech Guy had my computer running. What is it with Tech Guys, they have this way with computers? I settled down to work when I heard sniffling from the PA’s office next door. I glanced at her. She wiped her eyes and hid her face from me.

I opened my mouth to ask her what’s wrong.

Tech Guy zoomed up to me and whispered, ‘The boss’s decided he doesn’t trust computers and he’s asked her to type out your report on her electric typewriter.’

‘What?’

‘Yeah, just after I spent the whole morning fixing up computers. I got yours going.’

The PA fed the paper into the typewriter. She then covered her face, stood up and raced out of the office.

‘No,’ Tech Guy scratched the bald spot at the back of his head, ‘I’m going to talk to the boss. She can’t do all the work for you. It’s just not right.’ He strode into the manager’s office.

A few minutes later, Tech Guy emerged, thumbs up and a smile spread across his face. ‘I made him see sense. The job is yours again.’

‘Thanks.’

Comforted by the fact that the PA had the load of my report lifted from her, but troubled that I must battle with the office computer, I gritted my teeth and spent the afternoon and into the evening tackling the formatting of my report.

When I handed my manager the report, he flicked through the pages and nodded. ‘Much better, well done,’ he said.

A week later I met with my Pastoral Care Worker. I’d been off work a week after succumbing to a virus.

‘Why did I have to go through all that? Why can’t things go smoothly?’ I asked him.

‘It’s the troubles,’ he said, ‘that refine and grow us. Like a pearl, the sand irritates it and eventually you get a beautiful pearl.’

Over the years, I’ve remembered those words of wisdom—the bosses that demand perfection, the prickly pears, the obnoxious computers that resist being user-friendly—all that irritates, has grown me.

And the “pearl”, one of my best memories after all those troubles in our office—the following week, a day before the launch of my report, unhampered by printers not able to print and collate the report for us, the team worked in unity and joy around the long table, collating and binding the report. I realised that projects are not a task we do on our own, but with others as a team.

Indie Scriptorium — Self Publishing Collective

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Resources for Writers

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E-mail: info@writersa.org.au

Website: https://writerssa.org.au

Postal address is Box 43 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000

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PEARL IN THE SAND

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