Day: September 10, 2012

bookmark_borderI know I’ve said this before, but

Posted on by PaulaO

I. Hate. Editing.

So I started editing The Awakening because it got to 120K and wasn’t really going anywhere. I stopped writing and backed up to go through and remove/trim several tangents. Which I did.

So why the heckaroni did the novel GROW, rather than SHRINK?

And now I am going through it AGAIN to trim yet another tangent. I like what this one adds to the plot but I agree I do too much dialogue within it. As I go along, I am trying to also narrow down the purpose of the book.

In To Sleep, the reader discovers several things. It ends with the MC and her friends going somewhere to recover and decide what to do next. In The Awakening, they are starting the task of “awakening” others like them. I need to decide if awakening them is the single purpose (besides growth of the characters). If so, then do I need to include the details of that or just the growth of that. And how much does the reader really want to know? Does the reader want to know every single meeting or just the results of the meetings? At the same time, I need to keep the MC grounded. She cannot go from a simple Human to being what amounts to the head of the new nation unless she is strong enough. The reader needs to find this believable. And they can’t find it believable unless I show her growth. And I can’t show her growth without displaying the details.

‘Round and ’round I go until I, like, barf.

And meanwhile, the wee little novel fairies sneak into my computer in the morning (between 8 and 10, to be specific) and add random words so that the word count rises instead of falls. Either that or I’ve been drinkin’ a wee bit too much Buffalo Trace and/or Knob Creek.

bookmark_borderTelemarketing Crap

Posted on by PaulaO

I’ve noticed over the past year, that we have been getting a lot of telemarketing folks. I mentioned this to someone who reminded me that the Do Not Call registry originally expired after so many years. The rules changed in 2007 and once you add your phone number(s) to the list, they do not expire.

I finally got around to taking care of this today after my seldom-used cell phone call one and then the house phone got one.

Go here: https://www.donotcall.gov/
Information about it is here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt107.shtm

There are exceptions. Businesses cannot add their number to the list.

And some organizations/groups are still allowed to call you:

#28: If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?

No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls. However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request. You should keep a record of the date you make the request.

and

#31: My number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. After I bought something from a company, a telemarketer representing that organization called me. Is this a violation?

No. By purchasing something from the company, you established a business relationship with the company. As a result, even if you put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, that company may call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase or delivery from it, or your last payment to it, unless you ask the company not to call again. In that case, the company must honor your request not to call. If they subsequently call you again, they may be subject to a fine of up to $16,000 .

(source is same as second link above)

I entered in our house phone (a landline) and our two cell phones. I then got a 3 emails with a link to click to finalize confirmation. Total time was less than 5 minutes. Would have been less but I cannot remember my own cell phone number and had to look it up. I got the 3 emails almost immediately.