[This is from the archives, but it's the perfect time to pull out this post again]

I hate waste, so autumn drives me kind of crazy. All my neighbours sweep their leaves to the front kerb, where a big borough lorry comes along and sucks them up. Then, in the spring, everyone has a truck load of mulch delivered.

I say: stop the insanity! Use your own leaves to make your own mulch! Build a leaf bin!

	It doesn’t take much. Just a roll of hardware cloth, a piece of scrap wood and a way to fasten them together (I used a cable staple gun that we had lying around. I bought a 10′ roll of 3′ tall, 1/4″ mesh landscape fabric from the local big hardware store.
Step 1: Unroll the hardware cloth and lay it flat on the ground. Stomp on it a bit to get it to unroll if you need to. No need to get it totally flat, though, as you’ll want it to roll up again in a minute.
	Step 2: fold one end of the mesh around the piece of wood (which should be just a bit taller than 3′, so you can bash the end of it into the ground to help support your leaf bin). Staple the mesh to the wood, all along the length.
Step 3: Fold the mesh over so the free end is touching the wood.
	Step 4: Staple the end to the wood, as neatly as you can while wrangling 10′ of metal mesh.
Step 5: Stand it up. The mesh is strong enough to support itself, but the wood helps. You can then pound the wood into the ground to hold your new leaf bin in place. You can also use metal or wood stakes to define its shape a bit better and give it extra stability.

Shred your leaves with a lawnmower or a leaf muncher; pile them up and let the microbes save you a pile of money. Know what’s in the mulch you’re putting on your soil (nothing but natural ingredients).

Related posts:

1. Building A Leaf Bin
2. Frugal Friday – Vegetable Stock
3. Ms. Messy

When I said I was going to write a Story A Day in May, plenty of people looked at me with *that look* in their eyes, or said thinks like,
‘Well, good luck…”.¹

“Why?” was the most common question. Good question. If we’re not writing for money, then why do we write?

“How ?” was the second most common question.

I wasn’t 100% sure about the answer to either. After a month of attempting to write a story a day I do have some answers.

How To Be A Prolific Writer – Even When You Don’t Have Time

I’m not going to lie and say it was easy to find time for writing this month. In fact, I almost never ‘found’ time. I ‘made’ time.

Making time means something else had to give. Sometimes it was housework, but more often it was the relatively random consuming of information that I do. The BBC news website might have been minus a few thousand hits this month, my personal blog was updated less. The grocery shopping got more, er, targeted.

But the biggest lesson I learned about the “How” was this:

How To Write Anything

1. Start writing.
2. Write until it is finished.

It is one of those annoying pieces of advice that mean almost nothing until you try it.

Sitting down to write can be paralyzing. It is so much easier to get up and walk away — tell yourself you don’t have time — than it is to start writing.

I had to, so I used story prompts, memories, jokes, other people’s stories, to get me started. I put my pen on the page (quite literally) and told myself to write a sentence. Anything. One day I started by simply describing where I was sitting. It turned into a story about a homicide detective!

So, the answer to ‘how to write’ becomes quite simply:

Commit to doing it. Make time. Start writing.

(I did learn a bunch of other trick for helping with that, which I’ll be writing about soon. Why not subscribe now, so I can share that article with you when it is finished?)

Why Write?

Once I had started figuring out the ‘how’ I was amazed to discover a n amazing set of benefits in the ‘why’ column – some that I had not expected.

I found that, if I sat down and got a story started in the morning,

• It energized me. I was more (not less) likely to take care of the laundry, the dishes, the 1001 other mundane things that we usually blame for getting in the way of our writing.
• I became more responsible and attentive to all my obligations, from family to my business.
• My brain was less fuzzy. I spent less time worrying about all the things I ought to be doing, and, instead, started crossing things off the list, prioritizing better than ever, in order to get back to my writing (to make time for it).
• I paid attention to the world around me. I was doing that thing people talk about as ‘living mindfully’. I was doing it in order to gather ideas and snippets for stories, but no matter why you do it, mindfulness is acknowledged by religions, psychologists and hippies, to be A Good Thing.
• I found I had more time to give to people, because I wasn’t constantly feeling like I ought to be doing something, or resenting the time they were taking from things I really wanted to do. I had made time for myself and my thing, and now I could take an interest in you and yours.
• I even wrote my way out of a really foul temper one day, just by letting my characters do and say things I never would, in real life, being all well-brung up and all that.

So the sort answer to ‘why do you write?’ is just this:

It makes me a better, happier person.

As an added bonus, posting some of my stories, made some readers happy. Granted,a lot of them were related to me, but some were complete strangers.

Meanwhile, why not subscribe to the StoryADay.org mailing list, so that you’ll be among the first to know when we’re gearing up to do this all again next May?

Related posts:

1. Day One; Story Done!
2. How To Write A Story A Day
3. How To Write A Story A Day

So, remember when Barack Obama stood up and said we were going to have to increase public transportation to help with the energy issue?

I cheered, but thought ‘no way you’re getting the people I know in the US to take public transport’.

Then I heard this report about how teenagers are less likely to get their drivers’ license straight away these days (in the 70s, 75% of 16 year olds had their learner’s permit. Now it’s more like 50%). The article went on to talk about how it’s harder for them to find time to learn later, after college, when they’re working and liable for the full cost without their parents’ help.

Yah, though I. We’re going to HAVE to increase public transportation, for that next generation!

But apparently not. According to Green Planet, there is no money in the new Energy Bill for public transportation.

And if there is no money for public transportation, going IN to the committees I can’t see anyone adding it.

However…

I took a look at the Politifact site, who are keeping track of the campaign promises. And it seems the record on Transportation is not all doom and gloom. Sure, a couple of things are stalled, but there are some good things happening.

There was money for high-speed railways (something this country could use. Trains are slower than buses here.) and general public transportation improvements in the stimulus bill. There’s a new way for employers to give tax breaks to employees if they use public transportation instead of only being able to give benefits for car-based schemes like carpooling. And there are a bunch of other promises on transportation that are ‘in the works’.

So look at that. A little research and my big outrage-bubble has just lost all of its air. My rant has turned into a reasoned look at the world.

Oh, now I can see why the news outlets and ‘agenda’ websites don’t bother doing research and reporting both sides of stories. It makes for a much less fiesty report and fewer outraged commenters.

Or am I just being cynical?

Related posts:

1. Money for Medicine

With the release of better and less-expensive Kindle I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people who know I love mine and are wondering if they should be getting one.

So here, I present my answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions I hear about eReaders like Kindle. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll add answers.

Do I Have To Connect It To My Computer To Buy Book?

No, the Kindle has a built in wireless connection to the web that uses the cellular network to allow you to connect anywhere and slurp books from the Amazon Kindle store into your Kindle.

(The new, cheaper wi-fi only version will only do this in areas that have a wireless network connection to the web. If you can browse the web using your laptop, you’ll be able to connect using this wi-fi only Kindle)

Is There A Monthly Fee or Plan?

Nope. Amazon takes care of the charges for connecting to their “Whispernet” network to download books.

Can I Get Any Book I Want?

No. You can get lots of books. But it’s up to the publishers if they want to allow their books to be available on the Kindle. Sometimes they do sometimes they don’t. But there are hundreds of thousands of books available, including most new releases and publishers are working to get their back catalogues into ereader formats, pretty well. There are also thousands of books from small and independent publishers and self-publishing authors as well as free books: everything from classic literature to business books.

I Hate Reading On Screens. Why Won’t I Hate This?

Reading on an eInk screen is nothing like reading on a backlit computer screen, or phone screen. It looks like paper, the text isn’t pixelly, the contrast doesn’t strain your eyes. It is no more taxing on the eyes than paper. I swear. There is no glare and you don’t have to dog-ear the pages to keep your place.

Will I Be Able To Read Outdoors?

Yes. In fact, the display is more crisp in sunlight than artificial light. Forget your digital camera’s LCD screen or your phone’s screen, even your iPad’s or laptop screen. This is like paper. The brighter the light, the better it likes it. No glare, either.

I haven’t taken my Kindle to a beach, it’s true, but reading in the garden, in parks, and, I dare say, beer gardens, are all very much on the menu.

Can I Lend Books

No. The BN Nook has a lending feature: you can lend Nook editions to other Nook owners IF, and this is a big ‘if’, the publishers approve the feature. Kindle does not currently have this feature and frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if the big publishers block this on their titles.

You can, however, share your notes and highlights and see what other people have been highlighting in the same books your reading. It can be amusing or annoying, depending on how you prefer to read (I mostly keep this feature turned off but sometimes use it. I have been known to send quotes directly from my Kindle to Twitter or Facebook, which is kinda cool).

How Much Do Books Cost?

There was a bit of a war going on between publishers and Amazon and readers earlier this year. Publishers wanted nothing to be below $14.99 and readers wanted nothing to be more than $9.99. As things stand now you can pay anything from $0.00 and up for books, but most newer titles are around the $9.99 mark. Things you could pick up in mass-market paperback are usually between $5.99 and $9.99 and some new releases come out around that $14.99 point.

Amazon is manoeuvering behind the scenes to find ways to pressure publishers to keep the prices down, so we’ll see.

How Many Books Does It Hold?

Enough. Seriously, the earlier Kindles hold over 2000 titles (of average size) and the newer ones say they can hold over 5000 titles. That’s plenty for me and probably you. But if you run out of space, you can simply archive titles at Amazon and download them again (no extra charge) whenever you want to access or re-read them).

What Is The Keyboard For?

The keyboard is there so you can type in titles, words, search terms, and even make notes directly on your Kindle.

Say you are reading some giant Russian tome and can’t remember the first time Ilya turned up or who he’s related to. Simply type ‘Ilya” and the Kindle will find all instances of his name, starting with the first. You can jump to that section, then press the ‘back’ button to return to where you were reading, secure in the knowledge that Ilya is, in fact, the farmer from Chapter 3.

If you like to make notes in your books, highlight a passage with the cursor then use the keyboard to make our comments in a little file. Next time you come back to this passage you’ll see the highlight and be able to bring up your note. Also, you can view all your notes and highlights on one screen and back them up at Amazon’s site so you never lose them.

Does it have a dictionary/thesaurus?

Oh yes. As you’re reading, if you get stuck on a work, just move the cursor to the start of the word and a definition pops up, unobtrusively, at the bottom of the screen.

Will It Read To Me

Yes, the Kindle can read to you. It’s no substitute for a great audio book recording (see my analysis here) but it’s nice if you’re in a pinch. Also, you can turn the volume down and let it just turn the pages for you while you read (great for knitters, crafters and moms with babies). It’s not available on all titles, again because the traditional publishing industry is scared by all this progress.

But I Love Real Books….

I do too. I love the feel, the smell, the heft of real books.

But what I love even more is reading them.

With my Kindle I can read them anywhere. There are smart-phone apps that sync with your Kindle account so you can read a few pages on your phone if you’re out and about and forgot to bring your Kindle. It starts up right where you left off, even on a different device.

I love never having to remember where I put my book down. never having to find scraps of paper for bookmarks, or cursing when I lose my place.

I love being able to hear an interview on the radio and buy the book while the author is still talking, all without leaving my house.

I love that I’m reducing my carbon footprint by not driving to a bookstore and buying a dead-tree book that has been processed and printed and shipped half way around the world (an awful lot of books are printed in Asia, you know)

Should I Buy A Kindle Or A Nook?

I’m sentimental. I love the fact that Amazon did this because they believed it in. B&N did it because it made business sense so I’ll stick with Kindle as long as they make it and support it.

(the very savvy Chris Brogan has a compelling argument here for sticking with Amazon and Kindle.)

The Nook has a couple of features that aren’t part of Kindle. One is the color screen at the bottom that lets you browse by cover art. As a Kindle-lover, I see this as unecessary frippery that’ll probably drain the battery and cause the end of world civilization. But you might like it better than browsing the text-only list of titles on the Kindle.

That Nook Lend-To-A-Friend feature is appealing too. I’m just not convinced that a, the publishers will go along with it and b, that Kindle won’t implement it too.

The selection of books is pretty much the same (why would publishers go with one device and not the other, and reduce their sales?).

Kindle or Nook? I guess it comes down to whether you want to buy your books from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Ready to buy?

Click here to buy through my affiliate link (I get a kickback) or here to buy with no links: http://amazon.com/kindle

Want To Read More?

Read my other articles:

Nook and Kindle Comparison, from when the Nook was released last year

How To Publish Your Book On Kindle

Using the iPad as an eReader and how it stacks up to Kindle

Related posts:

1. iPad vs Kindle
2. Open Letter to the Authors' Guild re: Text To Speech on the Kindle 2
3. Kindle 3: Is Now The Time To Buy?

Another generation of Kindle is here, Kindle 3 and now you’re asking yourself,

“Should I buy a Kindle 3?”

With the new, wi-fi only Kindle 3 priced at only $139, how much longer are you going to be able to resist? (The Kindle 3 wireless version, with free 3G connectivity AND wi-fi, is still $189. The new version of the larger Kindle DX is $379)

What’s New With Kindle 3 And Do I Care?

Have you read my Kindle FAQ, yet? If you have basic questions, start here.

High-Contrast Screen

The big thing that caught my attention about the Kindle 3 were the words:

“All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen, 50% better contrast than any other e-reader”

If I’m totally honest, I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed with the contrast on my Kindle 2. The page seemed a little greyer than on my original Kindle and I would have loved just a bit more contrast. It never bothers me when reading in natural light, but under poor light conditions it made a difference.

They’re touting ‘new, improved fonts’ too, which is always nice.

Faster Page Turns

You really do adjust to the flickery, eInk page turns, but making them “20% faster” is no bad thing.

Double The Storage Space

I’ve never had a problem with my Kindle becoming too full because I archive books (send them back to the Amazon server) once I’ve finished with them. Slurping them back into the Kindle is a matter of a minute or so.

Some people might like to have all their books right on the device all the time, however. With the new “wi-fi only” option, too, having your books on the device makes sense, in case you aren’t within wi-fi range when you feel a desperate urge to re-read last summer’s hot thriller.

Smaller Body, Same Screen Size

Anything than makes the Kindle easier to slip in to a pocket or handbag is a good thing.

Less body also means a lighter Kindle, although I already thing it’s a great weight.

I just hope the new, smaller body still leaves somewhere to grip onto without covering the screen in smudgy fingerprints.

Quieter Turn Buttons

This is a wonderful thing for those of us who like to read in bed while someone else is falling asleep next to us. I’ve been accused of something close to Chinese Water Torture while clicking my way through a book some evenings….

Enhanced PDF Reader

Kindle 2 had PDF support added as an after-thought. This one has an enhanced reader with dictionary look up and the ability to make notes and highlights.

PDFs are always going to be at war with progress, however, as they were created to fix a page-design to a certain format and new technological interfaces are all about reshaping content and delivering it how the reader (not the author) wants it presented.

However, if you do read PDFs on your Kindle, it’s certainly be nice to make notes and highlights.

New Web Browser

If you don’t have a smart-phone and you don’t have an iPad or another way to easily access the web while away from your desk, this might excite you. It certainly excited me when I got my Kindle…but then I got a smart-phone and never used this function on the Kindle again. Still, nice to see they’re working to improve it.

There are two versions of this new, dark-grey Kindle available:

The all-singing, all-dancing download-books-anywhere version for $189 and

The slightly less flamboyant Wi-Fi-only

Does “Wi-Fi Only” Mean And Will I Hate It?

So I’ve been talking about this “wi-fi only” feature on the cheapest Kindle.  What does that mean?

Well, on the other Kindles, you use the cell-phone network to download books directly to your Kindle. You don’t need a plan or anything: Amazon has a deal worked out with Sprint and they pick up the cost (or the publishers do…but that’s getting too far behind the scenes. All you need to know is is you get free access to the Amazon store wherever you are, as long as you are in range of a cell tower).

“Wi-fi only” is going to be more restrictive. Like the early iPads, these Kindles will only connect to the store if your home has a wireless network (can you browse the web from your laptop on the sofa? Then you probably do) or if are in a wi-fi hotspot (like a McDonalds or a Starbucks or one of the zillion other places that offer Wi-Fi to entice people to come and hang out there).

So, you won’t be able to download books as you stroll down the street.

You will have to find and  access an open wireless network

BUT

• If you are doing most of your reading at home, or have easy access to lots of wi-fi hotspot
• If you don’t care about downloading books wherever you are and can probably wait until you get home to do it
• If you want to save $50 on the device and buy yourself five books instead…

This is a great deal. Buy it now!

Related posts:

1. iPad vs Kindle
2. Kindle FAQs
3. Kindle Software Update

Last week the Old Spice Guy took over the world with a cute ad, a cute spokesman and a very cute campaign where ‘he’ made video responses to questions posed on social media networks.

Here’s the original ad.

Now, please enjoy a wonderful parody made by the Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library:

Makes my heart happy!

PS The Old Spice Guy also had something to say about libraries last week.

Related posts:

1. Happy Anniversary
2. A Third

“Healthfully Air-Conditioned!”

When they filmed “The Blob” at our local movie theater in the 1950s, there was a banner on the cinema proclaiming it to be “Healthfully Air-Conditioned”.

Every year for Blobfest they put up a replica banner (among other things. You really ought to come for Blobfest some year) and it takes me right back to our days in Boston where we lived without air-conditioning (and were too poor & stupid to buy more than one fan). I used to go and see movies on my day off, or go to the mall, just to get out of the heat. Today I walked back into the house after being outside and the lovely air-conditioned 77°F (25°C) felt positively chilly.

Life Without AC

I once asked my 82-year old friend Emily what they did about the heat in her childhood when cooling-off options weren’t as easy to come by.

“Well,” she said thoughtfully. “We sat really still.”

She laughed at the memory and continued.

“You did any baking that needed done, early in the morning. Then my mother would draw the curtains and tell us to be quiet. We played a lot of board games and did a lot of puzzles!”

We are so soft. Can you imagine being imprisoned in your oven-like house with several small children for a couple of months in the summer, telling them to be quiet and not move?

I know folks now who live in older houses and only have an a/c window unit in one room. They spend a lot of time at the pool. (Our local YMCA pool stays open an extra hour, until 9 pm, on days when the temperature gets above 90). Everyone camps out in the air-conditioned room on really hot days. Down south, those big verandas you see on old houses used to be known as ‘sleeping porches’, because that’s where everyone ended up, to survive.

Adaptation

My friends laugh at my tales of headlines in The Sun proclaiming “Phew! What a scorcher!” when temperatures in the UK reached 80°F. But then I explain that no-one has fans, or air-conditioning, or the clothes for that weather, or bug screens or outdoor pools to cool off in.

I’m sure people from the deep south 150 years ago, who worked all day in woollen clothes, would be disgusted by our dying fly act in the summer vacation with abundant air-conditioning and near-nudity perfectly acceptable.

It’s all about norms, what we’re used to, and what we expect.

Related posts:

1. Home Again, Home Again, Jiggetty Jig
2. Phew!
3. Millennial Mom Mondays – Summer Review

It’s 98 degrees out there, and humid.

I tell this to people who have never experienced this kind of heat and they say things like,

“Well, that certainly sounds hot.”

and

“What’s that in Centigrade?”

and

“I have no idea what that feels like.”

To address these points, allow me to take them in reverse.

I Have No Idea What 98 Degrees Feels Like

Yes, you have, but probably not on the outside of your body. So here’s what I propose:

Close your mouth for a minute or so. Then stick your fingers down your throat. (Try not to gag)

That? That’s body temperature which is around 98.2 (±1.3) °F.

That’s what the air feels like.

And the gag reflex? That kicks in after about 30 minutes outside.

Also if you could put your oven on for me, until it gets up to a decent temperature, then open the door and stick your head right in front of the rush of hot air that happens as you open it? That would be what it’s like when the wind blows.

And for the humidity (which isn’t as bad yet as it can get), if you could please go and boil the kettle. I’ll wait.

OK, done? Good. Now, pour some of the boiled water into a bowl. Place your face over the bowl and take a big breath.

That horrible wet choking sensation where it feels hotter than the air really is, and where you feel like your struggling for breath and where your hair sticks to your face making you feel even worse than before? That’s “humid”.

What’s That In Centigrade?

I don’t know because not only does the US eschew the eminently sensible metric system, they don’t even do that thing that Britain did when I was growing up, of showing everything on two scales, so everyone learned to sort-of-semi-convert-things in their heads.

But, because I love you, I’ve Googled it. It’s 36.66666etc°C.

Which actually doesn’t sound that terrible. I’ll get back to you in August when it hits 104 (40C).

Also, 98°F is 306.9 Kelvins. That sounds much more like how it feels.

Well, That Certainly Sounds Hot

Yup. There was a heat advisory on the radio this morning that said things like,

“If you must be outside, drink four cups of water every hour.”

and

“If you start to get a headache and feel nauseous, get into the shade, try to get cool and, if it doesn’t get better within 20 minutes, seek medical help.”

and

“Don’t leave anyone inside a closed car, even for a few minutes. It could be fatal!”

Related posts:

1. Up, Up, and Away
2. Phew!

This is a delicious, rich dark chocolate butter-cream frosting recipe, with hints of orange. Perfect for icing an 9×13 cake or 8″ or 9″ round layer cake.
Rich and chocolatey. No eggs in the mixture, but firm enough to spread.  Substitute vanilla essence or other fruit flavoring if you don’t want the Cointreau/alcohol.

Julie’s Orange Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4oz salted butter, softened
1/2 cup Dark Hershey’s cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp Cointreau

Method

1. Pile all ingredient into a bowl and beat until smooth.

2. Eat.

(This much icing will more than ice the middle, top and sides of an 8″ double-layer sponge cake.

Related posts:

1. Better Breakfasts – Southwestern Scrambled Eggs
2. Chocolate Milk — Breastfeeding At Hershey Park
3. It's A Beautiful Day

As a reader I’m a big Kindle fan. As a writer I’m…also a big fan.

While the big publishing houses seem to be missing the point with Kindle, authors are not.

A whole host of authors – from traditionally published to newbies – are self-publishing their books on Kindle, climbing the best-seller charts and writing about how they’re doing it.

I’m researching the topic for a series of how-to articles. Before I get to the technical side of things I wanted to share some resources on the just-as-important side of sales, marketing and ‘what you can actually get from publishing on Kindle’.

So here’s some further reading for you, if you’re a novelist wondering if Kindle (and ebooks in general) are worth your time and attention.

(Hint: the answer is ‘yes’)

AUTHORS ON KINDLE

Yes, People Are Buying Kindle Books

JAKonrath on selling 16,000 copies of his ebook (this one sparked controversy in the traditional-publishing world when Publishers Weekly dismissed his success in a snooty — and inaccurate fashion — and Konrath jumped into the debate. Fun!).

How novelist Elisa Lorello’s first novel reached number 6 on the Kindle bestseller list (her second is up there now).

Aaron Ross Powell on selling a draft novel on Kindle (and landing a publishing deal).

What If I’m Not A Well-Known or Published Author?

JAKonrath again on authors whose books are selling better than his, even though he is a mid-list published author and they (as far as he can tell) are not.

Promoting  Your Kindle eBook

How to promote a Kindle ebook, featuring an interview with Boyd Morrison who landed a traditional publishing deal based in part on his Kindle sales numbers.

Pricing Your Kindle eBook

One more from JAKonrath, on the importance of pricing.

Related posts:

1. Kindle 2 Text-To-Speech
2. iPad vs Kindle
3. Create Your Own Kindle eBooks