100 Word Challenge: Fear

This week I began a six-week, online course to hopefully learn the basics of HTML5. The course is offered through edX. According to the website:

Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere.

Fortunately for me, the course is self-paced, open-book, and free. I spent a lot of time on the first day adding reference bookmarks, reading and watching tutorial videos. Just perusing the preliminary material has me stressed. I expect the next month and a half will be rife with “final-exam-in-a-class-I-never-attended” nightmares.

Regardless of what some people might think, having a blog/website, does not, by osmosis, imbue you with vast computer design knowledge and skills. I have picked up a few rudiments of coding though.

I can create hyperlinks, change fonts styles and sizes, and headline styles. I know how to insert “More” and “Next Page” links, and I can add Pop-Up Text. But, I also have a “cheat sheet” so I don’t forget the very specific symbols, spaces, punctuation and words necessary to make all of that happen.

There are no plans to become a web-builder, or tweak my existing blog – now, I know just enough code to cause a catastrophic melt-down should I get one < or > out of place. I want to improve my odds of not crashing my site.

Other than my writing and photography, I haven’t done much lately that has challenged me (if you don’t count hand-feeding five newborn kittens). We won’t mention the last time I as in a classroom. Let’s just say there were chalkboards and no laptops.

I think, all I really want to do is see if I’m up to the task.

“Do one thing everyday that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt

This week’s word is:

Fear

Using “fear” for inspiration, write 100 Words – 100 exactly – no more, no less. You can either use the word – or any form of the word – as one of your 100, or it can be implied. Include a link in your post back here, and add your story to the Mister Linky list. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your submission in the comment section, or as a Facebook status post. Remember to keep spreading the love with supportive comments for your fellow wordsters.