The Journal, Monday, 5/29

Hey Folks,

I allowed Microsoft to install the “Creator Upgrade” (something like that) on my computer yesterday.

This morning when I started to write on my novel, I wrote about three words and my cursor was jumping all over the place because of the incidental contact of my palm with the touchpad.

Okay, it’s a new update, so I assumed I needed to go back into my Device Settings and disable the touchpad again.

Nope. Can’t do it. The option is gone.

Long story short, I finally had to revert to the previous version of Windows 10 in order to get back to having the option to turn the touchpad on or off.

My attempts to disable the touchpad, including searching the Internet, installing (and then uninstalling) two programs designed to block the touchpad (they didn’t work), etc. and finally reverting to the earlier version of Windows 10, sucked away almost three hours of my writing time.

What I DON’T need is some pimple-faced 20-something MBA at Microsoft deciding for me what I need or don’t need. That’s just annoying.

I found it particularly ironic they choose to call the most recent edition of Windows 10 the Creator’s Upgrade (ostensibly for “creators,” you know, like novelists) when the upgrade itself further limits my creative choices.

So a caution — if they offer you the Creator Upgrade and if you don’t want to have the touchpad crammed down your throat, don’t accept.

Today, and Writing

Rolled out a little after 4. Being lazy.

To the Hovel at around 7 to get back on the novel. What ensued next is detailed above.

Finally to the novel at 9:30.

Wrote off an on until 2 p.m. and finished the novel. In the interim, I started some laundry, put the water on the yard, made a gallon of sun tea, and saw my son off on his way to Flagstaff.

Back tomorrow.

Of Interest

From The Digital Reader, https://the-digital-reader.com/2016/09/06/whale-math-reasonable-ebook-prices-devalue-books/. (Hint: The proposition is pure, unadulterated BS.)

Fiction Words: 3080
Nonfiction Words: 330 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 3410

Writing of His Mother’s Virginity: A Stern Richards, PI Case File

Day 1…… 2751 words. Total words to date…… 2751
Day 2…… 2986 words. Total words to date…… 5737
Day 3…… 2961 words. Total words to date…… 8698
Day 4…… 2612 words. Total words to date…… 11310
Day 5…… 2205 words. Total words to date…… 13515
Day 6…… 3739 words. Total words to date…… 17254
Day 7…… 2988 words. Total words to date…… 20242
Day 8…… 3239 words. Total words to date…… 23481
Day 9…… 3338 words. Total words to date…… 26819
Day 10… 3080 words. Total words to date…… 29899 (done)

Total fiction words for the month……… 45313
Total fiction words for the year………… 292907
Total nonfiction words for the month… 13780
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 88470

Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 381377

The Daily Journal blog streak……………………………………… 551 days
Calendar Year 2017 Novel Goal (15 novels)………………… 5 novels
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 25
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 3
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 167

2 thoughts on “The Journal, Monday, 5/29”

  1. A piece of paper tapes over the trackpad. A cardboard coaster. Paint it with clear nail polish . Wear gloves.

    So many ways to save so much precious writing time. 🙂

    • Yep, I’ve done that before. But I should have just been able to turn it off. And now I can, so it’s all good. I only mentioned that to warn folks about the new upgrade.

      Also, with my personality the paper/coaster/tape etc would be as distracting and therefore annoying to me as the cursor leaping about.

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