I am interested lately in some developments that involve the flexibility of my brain.
I have a keyboard for my iPad. I use it a lot. Actually, I’ve been working on writing a book, which keeps my fingers flying for a good three to four thousand words a week. I doubt this book will ever see the light of day, but it I feel that writing it has really improved my skills.
For instance, I can spot immediately that the previous paragraph diverged into a tangent and is almost completely useless with regards to my actual topic.
The issue is that my keyboard is a tiny version of a real keyboard. I adjusted to this immediately and have no trouble with it. In addition to being small, the manufacturer decided to move some really critical punctuation. Quotes and semicolons are the most noticeable. The quote is where the semicolon ought to be; the semicolon is a special character hidden under the ‘L’.
My flexible brain has adjusted to this with absolutely no trouble.
Where I have trouble, though, is adjusting back. I find myself hesitating when I use a normal keyboard. This is not good. I use those characters enough when I write stories, but I use them a lot more when I do my job.
Thus, we have a real conflict between my regular job (for which I get paid) and my writing hobby (for which I have earned a total of about $120 over several years.) We shall see how this works out for me.
I’m hoping I can train my brain and fingers to just function in both worlds.
Or, possibly, I’ll buy a new keyboard for my iPad.