December 21, 2011-Volume 54: Is There a Book in all This?

The Adventures of the Blind/Low Vision/Visually Impaired (BLOVI) Girl- Volume 54:  Is There a Book in all This?

This week I have been thinking, as I write my last blog of 2011, about turning these blogs into a book.  When I began writing my blog over a year ago I told myself I would write until the end of 2011 and then see what I had.  So now do I know what I have and if there is a book hiding somewhere in these weekly musings? That is the focus of my blog this week.  But first…………..

My WTF of the week is all the videos of that dancing robot chicken thing called Keepon.  My daughter loves this dancing chicken and I will admit it is cute.  But the original video of the Keepon is of the Keepon Pro that was developed and is used with autistic, Asperger’s and other kids with social and motor issues.  The mass produced Keepon available for just under $40 is obviously not going to perform as well as the one that is made specifically for use in therapeutic settings.  So the crazy thing is all the YouTube videos of people sitting their Keepon in front of a computer to see if it performs the same as the one in the original video.  Obviously it is not the same version so it is not going to perform the same. But there is something else that drives me nuts and that is the fact that they are putting the Keepon in front of a laptop computer and turning the volume up so that the sound is super distorted. The Keepon does not have a chance because it can’t hear the rhythm or baseline.  I have experience in dancing objects because I had a dancing palm tree in the 80’s.  And what I learned is that you had to put it on top of an audio speaker so it could feel the vibrations and pick up the sound. Problem is that no one seems to know what an audio speaker is anymore. The speakers in your computer or even the computer speakers you attach are not real audio old school speakers.  So that poor Keepon had no chance of doing his little dance. Unless he comes to my house where I have real speakers and an amp!

This week I can’t get enough of my new super sunglasses.  After losing my last super sunglasses, I broke down to buy a new pair because having quality sunglasses that are polarized and shatterproof are essential for those of us with blown pupils and retinal damage. This time I went with Maui Jin’s because they are the only company that has an anti-glare coating on the inside of the lens to prevent bounce back from sun coming in behind you.  My sunglasses are called shields because the lens is one big piece.  I thought they looked like glasses you would wear skiing, but was told they were actually trendy. My boyfriend actually said he saw one of the guys from the Black Eyed Peas wearing them.  Good enough for me. The sunglasses have a bronze lens for cloudy days and twilight and sunrise and they are awesome.  All those patents Maui Jin owns to make their super sunglasses also make them super expensive. So I asked every one of my family to contribute to the super sunglasses fund as my Christmas present. My hope is that I come somewhat close to breaking even. All I know is that the case had a clip on it and I may keep them attached to me at all times or put a microchip in them so that I can track via GPS along with a warning label that tells people I can find my glasses anywhere and will hunt them down.

After my accident I set out to write a book and ended up writing a blog. I did not know how long I would write or even why I was writing but I found it cathartic. Making the blogs into some kind of book had always been the plan but I never let it affect what I was writing.  Now, with 54 blogs and over 160 pages of writing I am wondering what I have and how it could be a book. So I will ask you, the reader, for feedback.

Here is what I am wondering.  Have I told enough of my story of the accident and the aftermath or is it unclear?  Do you need to know more about my life before the accident or have I eluded enough to that? Should I weave in my coaching type advice as I work out the chapters? I wonder what anyone would get out of reading the book-what is the main theme or message. Is it how to adapt to change and stay positive and resilient or is it how to deal with big life changes or is a story of adapting to a new disability or is it all that?

I am also wondering if I can really write this book without any background in writing or any real skill. I am of the mindset that I am going to need a ghostwriter to help me piece things together.  I think whoever that ghostwriter is should have some creative writing or journalism experience as well as a sense of humor and the ability to put up with me.

Many have suggested self-publishing. The thing to do these days is to write a book as a conduit to growing your business.  To me self-publishing seems like the Little Leagues. I am not publishing the book to grow my business, although that would be nice. I am writing a book because I think I may have an interesting and inspirational story and if that gets me on some major talk shows, so be it. I want to send my book to publishers and have a real publishing house publish it so you can buy it at Amazon or see it in a Barnes and Noble. It could be a small publisher, but self-publishing is just not an option. Maybe I am a dreamer but it is good to aim high. Really I would like to go on a book tour and do talks like former New York Housewife Bethany Frankel.

One day I may be getting to have a say in who plays me in the movie version of my book and that would obviously be my Facebook doppelganger Marisa Tomei.  It is actually fun thinking about who would play the roles of you and your family and friends in a movie.  I suggest just trying this for fun.  

So maybe, possibly coming to a bookstore near you in the future is my book, not yet titled. I was serious about the feedback and put lots of questions in the blog. So if you get bored during the Holidays, send me your thoughts.  Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Holiday!!!  And Happy New Year! 

Keep Moving Forward,

Beth (BLOVI) Medlock