The Ebook Adventure

I once attended a workshop led by our exceptional students' teacher where we teachers were given a taste of what being learning disabled really meant. This super-exceptional teacher passed out worksheets for us to do, simple worksheets similar to a typical classroom assignment of read and answer questions. Only in this case a few of us (including me) were set up to fail, without our knowledge. She had jumbled the words, misplaced some, twisted spellings, and done everything possible to make reading/comprehension difficult, if not impossible.

The control group hurried through theirs. I became frustrated. They were all clicking along like A-team students. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I click right along, too?

I finally gave up in frustration and waited for the others to finish the lesson so I could hear what was going on and then copy them.

Lesson learned, and it was a lesson that brought a new clarity to me. I have no memory of the content of the assignment, but to this day I know what exactly the real lesson was - the emotions brought about in daily challenges and struggles of children with alternate learning styles. I was no less intelligent or worthy than anyone else in the room, but I began to doubt myself, even in that short period of time. I had never experienced struggle, since all things academic came so naturally to me. I enjoyed the thrill of learning - until that moment.

All this background to say I had one of those struggling moments this week when I doubted my intelligence and had no joy in the thrill of learning. I uploaded my latest book to Kindle, not that I haven't done it before, successfully, I might add. This one was different. I needed to get a square picture book into a rectangular ebook.

At issue: How to convert this 8.5X8.5 square into a 9X6 rectangle

No easy task. Frustration. Self-doubt. The same emotions from that workshop wound their way to the surface. Thank heaven for kindle create and YouTube. I'm a visual learner. No problem, once I realized what I was doing. I chose the comic/graphic novel option, and whoop, there it was! (After three days)

I also had to redesign the cover, so I went totally in a different direction.

From this:

To this: 

Now it's a done deal, available on line, and I've learned the lesson, no, I re-learned the lesson from this ebook adventure. I am no less intelligent or worthy. I struggled, but I DID IT!!!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Highest Bidder Takes Home Fly Fishing Basket

A couple weeks ago I posted about a gift basket I had put together for auction. We have results!

As announced by the Red Awning Gallery:

We are happy to announce that our first gift basket in our series of baskets went home with a long standing friend of Western North Carolina Society of Artisans and The Red Awning Gallery who wanted to remain anonymous. When asked what his primary interest in the basket was and he said actually it was primarily Gretchen’s book and as an avid fisherman thought it had some interesting equipment in it that he really appreciated.

Our next basket is a beach themed basket that is being put together and donated by Iris Wyvill, a member of WNCSA and displays in The Red Awning Gallery. She has included a painting she created especially for her basket. You can see more of her paintings at the gallery.

Proceeds from this basket series goes toward meeting the goals established by Western North Carolina Society of Artisans and The Red Awning Gallery.

So now you know. I hope the bidder is as thrilled as I am!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen