Undawntech: Innovative Creativity

Since technology is ubiquitous in our modern lives, sometimes it is nice to peel back the layers and see how devices serve us, to identify when we are serving them and break that negative feedback loop. Technology in its proper place enhances our life experience. That brings us to the scope of this column. Our discourse will range from computers, writing and image software, artificial intelligence, video creation, social media, and other applications, as well as our handy peripherals.

Creators are barraged with advertisements and gadgets to make their lives as writers easier, but do they really make our lives better? When faced with the new versus the old, which one wins out in the end? And are expensive items just a gimmick when a tried and true device will do? Or, is this situation another case of buying a different waffle maker each holiday season to the point where the cupboards are filled with old versions of the same gadget, but they no longer serve a real purpose? Let’s clean out the storage, make a list, and remove what no longer serves our ability to do what we love. Then we will have what we need to create from our imaginations, instead of worrying about the next waffle maker.

For instance, spellcheck and grammar programs, I have two different ones on my computer to see which one serves my needs. One tells me that I require a comma for a clause. The other one tells me to remove the comma from the sentence. Which one is correct? Could both programs be right? Wrong? In the age of technology, sometimes the simplest answer is to read the language rule to decide, if the comma is necessary or not. There is nothing like computer program arguments to wish for a time without them.

Technology can be foreboding, yet indispensable in the creative arts. In the coming months, we will work together to build a knowledge base that helps unleash the creator in us all while working with technology and allowing it to serve our greatest and highest good.

I look forward to Writing to be Read readers joining me on this new adventure.

_____

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.

As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawnted.com.

__________________________________________________________

Want to be sure not to miss any of DL Mullan’s “Undawntech” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or informative, please share.