Today when I was out walking, I took a rockier route than I normally do. I wanted to photograph some shaggy beasts that live down the road. I was paying more attention to the creatures instead of where I put my feet, and I went sprawling. The whole thing was a bit ridiculous. I’d taken the same walk yesterday for exactly the same reason, though yesterday when I tried to take the photos, I discovered the camera batteries were dead. On my way home, I tripped on a branch embedded in the ground and fell. So today, I very carefully stepped over the branch and tripped on a rock. Sheesh.
I did get some photos, though the beasts were too far away for me to get a good image. I think they might be yaks, but it’s hard to tell.
The point of this article is that if you trip over a rock or a branch, you have to pick yourself up and continue on your way. Assuming you’re not hurt, of course. (This is hilarious! MsWord has just told me “you’re” should be “you is.” As in “Assuming you is not hurt.” Yikes!) If you trip over words while writing . . . ah! What joy. You can go back and untrip. Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to deletion, insertion, revision. (You really didn’t expect me to let a chance to moralize about writing slip by, did you?)
So what doe
s this have to do with my Daughter Am I blog tour? Not a thing. However, since you asked —
Today I am being interviewed at the D.C. Examiner: Pat Bertram discusses her obsessions, reading, and latest projects.
I am also discussing my writing space at Savvy Verse and Wit: Pat Bertram Shares Her Writing Space.
You can also download 30% of Daughter Am I free at: Smashwords.
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Bertram's Blog 
November 3, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Poor old Word. Must be all those years in software QA – I find myself figuring out the algorithms from the mistakes…
I’ve been supporting my son through major exams and I’m worn out. Tripping over leaves as I raked the yard. But the only creatures I saw out there were squirrels – very bold, very noisy squirrels.
November 4, 2009 at 12:22 am
I find it strange — in almost two decades here, I’ve seen but two squirrels and one was black. I had no idea squirrels came in any color other than tan.
November 4, 2009 at 2:09 am
I do love the photos – and I love the fact that in writing we do have the control of deleting and inserting after the fact. That is assuming you decide it is worth the bother and that the writing isn’t entirely beyond saving, though very few things are.
November 4, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Cassandra, sometimes it’s more fun to start over with a completely new story, another thing writers have control over. Just chuck the past and create a new one!
November 4, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Considering that some days I walk with the delicate grace of a one-legged goose, I can relate. And that is nothing to the looks I get from my six year old when my tongues starts tripping and brain starts mixing up words when I’m trying to read the sixth six-minute rhyming princess tale.
And yes, my arch nemesis of the computer world – ms word. It dislikes uniquely Canadian spellings, and persistently “corrects” my grammar with things that make no sense in the english language, turning sentences into gibberish.
November 4, 2009 at 7:17 pm
The delicate grace of a one-legged goose? What fun it is to hang out with writers, especially ones like you who can come up with such great images.
From various comments you have made, your six-year-old sounds like a handful. Watch out that she doesn’t get published before you do!
November 4, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I is relating to your spell check dilemma, Pat. My spell check quit on me. And I didn’t even trip. But I did discover something that is totally unrelated to your post. If you own a Mac and your spell check quits… go to Word, preference, spelling & grammar, click on Dictionaries, then remove your dictionary.
Problem solved. Seriously.
November 4, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Joylene, I don’t own a Mac, but I’m sure all the Mac users will be pleased with your discovery. Incidentally, I didn’t know that spell checks could quit.