Random Ranting: The Digital Divide

    As a writer, I can practice my craft anytime I have a pen, paper, and a clear head. 

    Unfortunately, as an aspiring author in the digital age, I things are not this simple. Last month revealed a hidden start up cost. I NEED a stable computer and internet connection.
     
   Building reader rapport demands networking. I live in twenty miles from anything bigger than a bait shop. So, social media to the recuse, right? *eye twitch*

    There are some things that my urban friends just don't get. Internet is not a regular utility like electricity or water. You have to fight for it, and is often a losing battle.
    My late father had weekly calls with the phone company about packet dropping. Doesn't matter how fast you push the data through if bits are missing. It wasn't like we could switch companies; they were the only one with lines out here. Cellphone companies charge through the nose and satellite is a crapshoot (...that's older term for dice gambling.)

    "Well, just make a backlog and go to a coffee shop." Oh, how wonderfully simple that sounds. I just have to wait for a nearby town to hit Starbucks or McDonalds' 'this-won't -lose-us-money' population number.
    Small town libraries are also a mixed bag. The access hours are minimal, and parents offload swarms of grade-school kids because there's no daycare. (The librarians however are wonderful, understanding people. Thanks for giving me a card although I don't live/work in the 'official' city zone.)

    An actually broken computer is just a cow patty atop the septic line. When my laptop blitzed this month, I had to drive to a repair shop and as well as handover my precious backup drive. Later I got the bill - cue small panic attack.

    The digital divide is real and frustrating. It's one thing to be a reclusive author, but chronic dropping off the grid isn't how you attract readers and publishers. 
   (The only bright spot is that I'm going to able to torment my nieces and nephews with "You kids don't know how easy you have it. In my day...")