NANOWRIMO and Scrivener and Tanning Salons!

I'm well pleased with myself this morning because a few nights ago I finished my NANO project. The last 1067 words were stumping me. I didn't know where to add another chapter or to extend one already created. So, I did both in a way. Luckily I still have a week to go before Nov. 30th! So I can keep right on typing if I want to.
When I was reading through correcting spelling and taking "ly" and "s" off some words, I realized I had no animals in my story. If it was a city setting that wouldn't have been a problem, but out here on the Eastern Shore it seemed to border on impossible.
So, to knock off that final 1000 plus words I wrote a dog into my story. It meant going through certain parts of it to make it work but, before I knew it I had my thousand words and then some. So, I was pretty happy with that.
NANOWRIMO is an annual event. This was my first experience with it and their site is almost daunting for the uninitiated. But, I roamed through it every time I needed a break from some of my characters and tried to get comfortable with it. You can have a look at it by visiting: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node
It seems that some people use emails for messages. Personally, I use emails as letters. So, I was getting quite a few emails from people in my regional area which were in most cases, messages. I didn't know any of them and they were, or seemed to be arranging write-ins all over the province. I of course could not go to any of them because I live too far off from all of them. I also doubted I would get much writing done in those venues.
I really like the peace and quiet of home when thoughts can go uninterrupted for hours if necessary. And, being on a limited income tossed a spanner into long drives with only social purposes in mind.
Many of the participants had done NANO before. So, they had a fair idea of what to expect, but being new to this experience I was completely unsure and I still am

Scrivener

In addition, I was using a beta version of Scrivener. Now APPLE users have had the benefits of Scrivener for some time, but it's only recently that this powerful program became available to the WINDOWS user.
And, I'm really glad it has done. What a sweet program. It keeps you organized. Completely organized especially in the composition of a novel or story of any length. Scrivener offered the beta to NANO participants on trial with a percent off next month if you decide to buy it. I shall be buying it.
I usually write in WORD and then move it over, but I started this draft in blog so I might as well finish it.
When I did reach my 50,000 + words for NANO I felt pooped. So, when that happens to a writer, it's best to go do dishes or some other activity until your body catches up with your mind or vice versa. I've had some great ideas since but not for that project. So, I might get some other things completed and then return to it.

TANNING SALONS

In today's paper the NS government has decided to pass some legislation on tanning beds which will make it an offense to sell tanning services to anyone under 19 year so age. I have a small tanning salon that is about ten years old now and I've never sold tanning services to anyone under eighteen without their mother's coming to see me and me seeing their mother, sign the permission card. Now the government has decided to be "mother" instead of those who do the job already.
In the ten years I've been in business I've never once had a representative of government inform me of ANY legislation in regard to the services I sell. They do take the registration fees I pay to be in business and they're certainly not above accepting my HST reports annually.
Now, out of the blue, they have rules. Not only rules, but "legislation"! It is my sincere hope that all tanning salons in the province of Nova Scotia will get copies of these new rules and all the legislation covering tanning salons. I may have to wait a while for them, but I don't mind.
It comes down to who you want to believe. In certain parts of the world, (like Australia) the ozone layer that protects people's skins from the sun is damaged. So, children MUST wear hats to protect them. Australians of course are not vitamin D deficient as people are in certain parts of North America. You get very depressed if you are vitamin D deficient and your physical well being can be damaged and at risk for all sorts of things.
Certainly the overuse of ANYTHING is harmful. In my salon, people do not over-tan. I just don't allow it. I do know that some salons are not as vigilant, and allow some people to tan twice or three times a day! Can you imagine what THAT would do to your skin?!?!
Tanning is a cosmetic product and should be used and sold as such. At Ticker's it always has been. I'm not advertising because most of my clients come back annually. Ninety percent of them are adults, so NOT selling tans to teens will not effect my business one iota.
I guess the point of my rant is, that in ten years I've never heard anything from the provincial government on or about tanning. Now, out of the blue they've made decisions regarding it and not one tanning salon owner was participant in those rules or legislation. I guess that tells me everything I need to know.
Stay Well, until next time.