Progress... by Christine Bush

I’ve been a writer for a long time.  Pretty much all my life.  As a kid I wrote stories, in high school I wrote for the school newspaper.  Along the way I wrote magazine articles, poetry (bad), and contributed to about a dozen newsetters.

 And then… I wrote a book.  It wasn’t really planned.  I was bored, home with a new baby who blessedly was a good sleeper, and had no unread books in the house.  So I decided to write one, a story that I would like to read.  Sweet romance, with a touch of mystery.

 

There were no computers in those old days.  But I had this amazing little portable typewriter that had been a high school graduation gift from my dad.  The Olivetti Underwood  Studio 45.  Bright blue. With carrying case.  This was high tech in the day.  I loved it and typed away!

 

I kept the cherished pages in a typewriter paper box.  That was storage.  One copy.  I typed my first book three times.  Once was the convoluted first draft.  Then a more coherent second draft, on which I did edits and corrections in red ink. Then the final draft.  Each page with no errors.  Think about it.  If you decided to add a line or paragraph on page 23… you were going to have to retype the whole pile.  Sometimes I wonder how I ever did this.  No cut and paste.  No backspace. No white-out.  Manuscripts had to be perfectly clean and correct to submit.  They were mailed to the editor in the box.  Can you imagine it?

 I wrote my first three books on that beloved typewriter.  They came out in hard cover with a wonderful publisher called “Avalon Books.”  And I kept writing.

 

The miracle of computers came into my life. I was REALLY high tech now. My IBM was amazing. Bulky, slow, full of gliches, but amazing.  A delete key. A search function. And we had storage on these amazing little things called floppy disks.  And then an A drive.  It could hold a whole book!  A whole book!

 

Today, things are so different.  Researching on the internet.  We have computers that are fast and complex and very portable. We can write, read books, watch movies, order anything we need, and zoom away all over the world. 

We can store an amazing amount on a little memory stick.  Or better yet… in the cloud. The sky’s the limit!

 

What’s next?  We’ve come a long way in our technological progress.  I can’t wait to see the next generations of computers and gadgetry.   Though, I have to admit, sometimes I long for that little blue Olivetti Underwood Studio 45 typewriter that started it all.

 

How about you?  How has technology made changes in your life?  I’d love to know!

 

 Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense.  She can be found living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and spending time with her 14 grandchildren.   When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent

Check out her latest mystery/romance, "SWAN SONG"! Available in print or ebook!

                             Swan Song: Bush, Christine: 9798424148651: Amazon.com: Books