This Off-Grid Writer in a Techy World
Have you ever wanted to escape to an island or mountaintop to write your memoirs? Picture it. (Hum if you’d like) You and your laptop lazing in your shanty. You are peering out at the ocean between bursts of amusing prose filling the screen.
The only sounds are the waves crashing; the wind whispering; the birds cheering you on. No mail delivery carrying bills will arrive. It won’t interrupt the purr of elation coming from the depths of your soul.
But then a voice invades your bliss. ‘Your battery is low. You must plug in very soon. Your battery is very low. This computer will shut down in 15-seconds. Save your work…’
Yep. Our world spins forth techy devices faster than we can acquaint ourselves with them. They’re great! I embrace more better ways of doing things. But they all have one thing in common… they need a source of power to function.
Consider this:
The first manuscript I sold was typed double-spaced and error-free. My typewriter was a portable suitcase style Smith Corona.
I typed it three times before I packaged it. Then I stuffed it into a manilla envelope. Finally, I mailed it off to Gold Prospector’s Magazine with a cover letter and self-addressed-stamped envelope (SASE) enclosed as well. The process was cumbersome, expensive, and frustrating. It was even more so if the manuscript came bouncing back in that SASE. It often included a friendly ‘Thank you, but not today’ note.
And no, I’m not as old as Methuselah, but I am well over 21.
On the plus side of the equation, no electricity or telephone was needed to start and finish the process. But life has changed dramatically, to say the least.
Today, a computer and an internet connection are unavoidable. Manuscripts are uploaded; books are downloaded; paper and ink are obsolete. Even the market for books is zooming around out there in cyberspace.
What’s a backwoods, off-grid writer to do?
Adapt and count your blessings because with technology has come freedom, sharpened resourcefulness and opportunity.
Freedom to create wherever your desires take you (as long as you have internet service).
Daily mind gymnastics to keep your tools charged up and in tip-top condition.
Opportunities to write, publish, and sell wherever the internet flows. No postal service required.
I’ve written and published over 40 books. I did this while I was perched on a mountaintop or buried in tall pines that whisper in the breeze. I also wrote alongside a babbling brook, or two. I even string words together in my tiny off-grid abode in the Sonoran Desert.
How do I do it?
Because this is a short blog, I’ll limit my sharing to what I do today. Yesterday’s generators and giant solar systems are history in my world.
Four handy little techy inventions power-up my writing world. One could almost fit them inside a backpack.
When you peer inside my writing world, here is what you see:
- 2-300 – watt portable power centers. One is charging while the other is being a power source. (I choose Jackery or Litheli brands as the best—so far.)
- 1-100 – watt lightweight portable solar charging panel (or a 900-watt gas generator if you live where the sun rarely shines).
- 1 laptop computer to write, upload, and download. Rewrites and editing are done in a flash. No paper or ink is needed.
- 1 – smart phone with hot-spot capabilities to upload, download, and communicate with readers wherever they enjoy your creations.
And there you have it. I call it empowerment. And it’s how I spell freedom.
This is the system I use to ask you: Which title piques your curiosity more?
Too Many Bodies and a Burro OR Quest for Forester’s Landing
And… which cover grabs your attention first? (Click on the picture you saw first)
It’s also how I can offer you a 5-star cozy mystery for only 99 cents. Simply click through the direct link below the next cover.
Sally, an energetic 87-year-old woman, faces this exact dilemma. Intrigued by the animals, she decides to investigate why they keep returning to her property. What she discovers shocks her to the core – their water trough is contaminated with a body. But whose body is it? And how did it end up in the water trough?
With no one else around but a goat, chickens and a pup, Sally is alone. Is the body their missing caregiver? As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.
Join Sally on her thrilling and perplexing journey as she unravels the truth behind this mysterious misadventure.
Prepare to be captivated by the twists and turns in “The Secrets of the Tainted Trough”. A tale filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected revelations.
And share a recent review for the same story.
Secrets of the Tainted Trough Audiobook Review:
Book Rating: 5 out of 5
Narrator Rating: 5 out of 5
Review:
An entertaining and fun adventure for the amazing Sally, with a lot of twists and plenty of humour. Schann Stewart’s narration is excellent, I loved Sally’s voice.
And now that I’ve bared the simplicity of my off-grid techy laden world with you, I will get back to my work-in-progress. I encourage you to do the same.
Happy reading and writing…
But first…
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