IWSG January 2026

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating holiday season, whatever and however you celebrate. Now it's time to reconvene for the first Insecure Writer's Support Group meeting of the year. Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray. 

Let's have a look at this month's IWSG question.

Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

Well, I guess this will handily double up as a 2025 roundup and a look towards plans for 2026. There's loads I planned to do last year, and I just hope this is the year I can get them wrapped up! The first month of 2025 I was still laid up in hospital having suffered a mini stroke and a leaky heart valve. Upon release it took a couple of months to get myself together to think about writing again. It started with gaining feedback from critique partners on the book I had previously finished. That was encouraging enough to make me start a brand new project, based on a vision I had of a girl waking up in a forest with no memory of how she got there. I optimistically hoped I could get a first draft down by the end of the year, but around September I set it aside to work on edits for my previous WIP. (One thing I'd like to achieve for 2026 is to learn to juggle multiple projects, but it's looking less and less likely!) I have now made two intensive passes and this week I returned to my unfinished draft. Surprisingly I had got as far as 40,000 words, and it goes to some very strange places. I've already got ideas for how to make the opening stronger. 

So - I have my plan for 2026, to finish that draft and continue refining Artificial Life. Yes, I have a title now - it might stick around, it might not. This is where I'd like to call upon the assistance of my dear IWSG friends. I have never used beta readers before, but I think I'm going to need them to get this book over the line. I would be honoured if you would consider beta reading Artificial Life. Here is a (hastily knocked together) blurb:

As a superfan of the hit teen show Blue Heart Bay and an influencer posting content based on her favourite character, the charismatic Randall, Corin has one thing on her bucket list: to enter a VR experience based on the show and meet her idol in the flesh. Or as close to it as the AI will allow. But she’s also a struggling student working two jobs, and the admission price is tantalisingly out of her reach. That is until she unexpectedly receives a complementary ticket from a mysterious benefactor.

Despite some reservations, this is an opportunity Corin simply can’t pass up. After being hooked up to a feeding tube in a Glasgow townhouse holding the mainframe that supports the program, she enters the world and meets Randall, and they become closer than she could ever have imagined. But when a mystery she’s tasked with solving takes a dark turn, she finds herself trapped in a universe where everything is turning against her. To escape and save her own life, she’ll have to take on a murderous artificial entity that’s become far too intelligent for its own – or anyone else’s – good. 

Genre: YA sci-fi

Length: Approx. 70,000 words

Mainly, I would be looking for advice on pacing (do any parts need tightened up, do any paragraphs need shortened), characterisation and authenticity of dialogue, but all comments are welcome. I would ask for all feedback to be in by February 28th, but just let me know if you need more time. Hopefully, this will be on a reciprocal basis, so if you've got anything for me to take a look at, I would be more than happy to. Drop a comment below or email me at mcwilfo(at)gmail(dot)com.

Well, that's it. I hope in 2026 all your plans come to fruition! As ever, the full list of fabulous IWSG contributors can be found here. See you next month.

IWSG December 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, and the last of 2025! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Lisa, and Natalie Aguirre. 

It appears we have a suitable question for the time of year. As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

Well, this takes me back to my earliest forays into the writing world. Ah, so much hope and so many possibilities back then. (Okay, they're still there, but tempered somewhat by years of rubbing shoulders with harsh reality.) I have to say I haven't been showered with authorly parephenalia - my family don't indulge me with mugs, T-shirts, mouse mats, or fridge magnets, but that's okay. I've received some excellent writing books over the years and the standout has to be Stephen King's On Writing. I think it's the fact this book combines advice with a chatty, biographical tone that makes it more engaging as opposed to a dry list of rules. It makes you see how the writing mindset can be incorporated into your everyday life. It's a while since I read it, but a lot of it has seeped in, such as the idea that inspiration can come from anywhere. 

What else do I have to report as we approach the end of 2025? Well, I'm almost through a first pass of my AI/VR-skewering satirical/dystopian project. I've identified some pacing issues with the help of my excellent critique partners and I plan to continue fine-tuning with the aim of having some solid by the end of the year. I also have a few more queries for my previous MS that I want to get out in December. In other words, I'll keep ploughing on. I think King said his only two days off were Christmas Day and the fourth of July. Well, only one of those is a thing where I am. 

I'll wrap up by wishing you an excellent, stress-free and rejuvenating festive season, however you celebrate, and I'll see you back here in 2026! In the meantime there's always the plethora of superb authors to check out at the IWSG list.

IWSG November 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw and Cathrina Constantine. 

There's an interesting question for this month's topic: When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

I need to cast my mind right back for this because I've been writing for so long that it's hard to remember my initial expectations. I'm not sure I really had any, although the pipe dream of being able to do this full time was probably always floating around (still tantalisingly out of reach). Maybe I thought it would get easier the longer I kept at it, and I've definitely been disabused of that - I struggle as much as ever. But that's because every story presents unique challenges.

I didn't imagine much about success and popularity because at first I only focused on getting a story finished, and it took a while to achieve that. Since then, it's always been about finishing the next story. Being on a bestseller list, or winning an award, would be nice, but I can't say I ever spent too much time pondering on these hypotheticals. The best thing I would say if anyone was starting out would be to live your story in the moment and concentrate on that. Let everything else spiral from that! 

While I'm here, I should update you on what I'm doing with my stories right now. Edits are underway on my YA sci-fi adventure about a VR simulation that gets out of control and traps a human participant, tentatively titled Artificial Life. Ten chapters have been reviewed. Finding a few plotholes, a lot of repetitive mannerisms, but overall I'm quite pleased at how solid the story is so far. This is a first pass so the real work is yet to come, of course. My querying journey continues for Mirror Me, and I recently got my first full request from an agent, so that's enough to keep me on this track for a while.

I'm interested to hear your answers to this question, and all your news. As ever the list of IWSG entrants can be found here. See you next time!

IWSG October 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier and Cathrina Constantine. 

I like this month's question because it invites positivity and reflecting on our strengths: 

What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

I am going to go for something published because that goes some way towards making it feel like a complete entity, if that makes sense - not that I need the validation to achieve something I've proud of but it feels like it reached a defined end. My first traditionally published novel, The Becalmer (2023) also felt like the first time I nailed down my MO, of ordinary characters dealing with extraordinary circumstances and undergoing a transformation, in a succinct way. I'm extremely fond of the main character, Harica, who starts out shy and withdrawn and burdened by her gift of being able to solve others' problems subliminally, and ending with the confidence of having stretched to achieve far more than she thought she could. She feels like ground zero for the strong female characters I've written about since. I also clearly remember starting the book in a way I really don't with others - of course, it was in the memorable surroundings of the first lockdown, which lent it a claustrophobia and intensity that got vacuum sealed in. Of course it was a great moment to get it published. It felt like a lot of things I try to do got crystallised here. I'm hopefully improving with any subsequent work, of course, but this'll probably be my favourite for some time!

I'd love to hear other answers to this. Many will no doubt be found at the IWSG sign-up list, which as always can be reached here. See you next month!

IWSG September 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight.

Apologies for missing last month, I haven't been the most organised lately!

I'm going to skip the IWSG question this month because I feel like I've already given my thoughts on this topic. Instead, I'm going to lean into this topic of organisation and how this might pertain to writing a book (the oldfashioned, human way - no outside artificial assistance!). Since leaving hospital at the beginning of the year, I've wanted to start writing a story, which is currently standing at around 35,000 words - doesn't seem like great progress, but it took a while before I was up to do anything. I would also like to dive into edits on my previously completed work, but working on two books at the same time has proven tricky, even when they're at very different stages. Lately I decided to set a goal of finishing 5,000 words of new writing per week, which would have taken me to my word count goal of 70,000 by October 10th (which also happens to me daughter's birthday). This went well for a couple of weeks, even taking time on the weekend to meet my goals. This week, though, I've struggled to get just 250 words down. Why? I'm not sure why my inspiration has taken a dip. Maybe the change in season, although I usually find autumn inspiring. Maybe it's just that dreaded midpoint sag. There are several ways the stories could go, so maybe it's a paralysis of choice, although that's better than being at a total dead end.

Maybe, overall, although organisation and goals are good for a writer, we need to accept there are days it's not happening - and even if you only get 250 words down that move the story forward, that's more productive than 1,000 that end up in the trash bin. Writing 1,000 words isn't a menial task such as delivering a certain number of parcels per day, to invoke a job I dabbled in before getting ill. Of course it's a balance because I don't want a book to drag on forever, but I think if I spend every day moving forward, even just thinking about where I could go next, that's more important than mechanically hitting a word count.

What's your thoughts on organisation as a writer? Must you be inspired to write? Is a daily word goal important to you?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts, and as ever, you can find other entrants to the IWSG bloghop here!

IWSG July 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour.

This month's optional IWSG question is: Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

This is a great question. I'm always interested in trying all sorts of genres, or at least elements of them - I'm a big believer in mashing up genres as it makes things more interesting, although I don't think it should be premeditated. You have to write the story first, and then whatever genres it might fall into will hopefully become clear. I like to think I write speculative fiction, but that can be a pretty broad church to start with. The novel I'm querying, Mirror Me, has a pretty strong sci-fi hook but with a nefarious criminal gang to be defeated, it has the beats of a thriller that give it some propulsion. I think that's something I've always tried to do since my first couple of books, which were more like straight-up thrillers, although not particularly successful.

My answer to this question would probably have been fantasy, a long-term love of mine but a genre that I've not yet dived into in my own work. There's some serious worldbuilding involved if it's to be done effectively. However, I can see that my latest WIP does incorporate some fantasy aspects with an age-old good-vs-evil battle going on behind the scenes - we have angels and demons manifesting as humans on Earth (or multiple Earths) and pulling strings - mixed with a multiverse construct and an exploration of the roads we could have travelled in a different life and circumstances. I'm excited to see how this all plays out. It'll be biblical with a firmly small "b." Overall, I think it's really important to stay open to taking in different genres.

Apart from that, what I have been up to? We had a ten-day break in Florida (including two days of travelling each end). Been home for a week and just about recovered! Disneyworld, Universal, waterpark, Cheesecake Factory - a lot was packed in. Great times with the family and it was the first time our son-in-law joined us. 

Have you been on holiday recently? Any new genre you're exploring? As ever, the whole list of IWSG entrants can be found here. See you next month.

IWSG June 2025

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melissa Maygrove and Jean Davis.

Today's optional IWSG question: What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult?

This is a great question that will generate a lot of discussion. Although, as a whole, Terry Pratchett's books had a great impact on me in terms of their skewering of human behaviour, I can pinpoint three titles I absorbed as a young adult that turned out to be a great influence on my writing years later and continue to be so today. These are George Orwell's 1984, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5. The dystopian, censorship and anti-war themes are extremely thought provoking in all of these, and made me think more deeply about how these problems exist in the real world - sadly, they are probably more relevant today than ever. They show how writing about challenging themes can highlight how humanity asserts itself even in the most straitened circumstances. That's definitely something refracted in my work and I think books such as these play a big part in that.

I'd love to hear your answers to these questions! In other news, it seems like age is catching up to me but I embrace it, grey hairs and all, not to mention my first ever glasses, which I need for reading and writing. I like them, but I'm not sure if they've increased my IQ.

Don't forget you can always check out other IWSG entries at the list found here. See you next month!