IWSG June 2020

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time once again for our meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted once again by Ninja Cap'n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the group offers a safe space where writers can share their insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Pat Garcia, J. Q. Rose and Natalie Aguirre.

It's June! Hard to believe we're almost halfway through the strangest year I'm sure many of us can remember. A big insecurity here in the UK is the lifting of the lockdown and the fear that things are happening too quickly - some kids back at school, more shops opening up. We won't be doing anything majorly different until August when schools are planned to come back in Scotland - we'll just need to see where we are then, and again, it's only what we're comfortable with. As a diversion, let's take a look at this month's IWSG question: "Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?"

Hmm, I don't think I have secrets as such - nothing overly dramatic, anyway - and I'm pretty open about stuff, but one thing that wouldn't be obvious from my work is that my childhood dream was to be an actor. This went as far as performing with the drama club in comedy revue shows during high school, with our own self-penned material, but stage fright was pretty much a constant - I soon realized that the writing part was what I preferred, and things just developed from there!

I'm sure many more fascinating secrets will be disclosed by the authors found at the IWSG sign-up list here. I look forward to checking them out! 

IWSG May 2020

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and one thing we can rely on for certain is that means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by the Ninja himself Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share their fears and insecurities without fear of being judged. Probably something we need more than ever. This month's excellent co-hosts are Feather Stone, Beverley Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi and Chemist Ken!

So it's my first proper IWSG post for a couple of months, although I thank you for the messages that were left on my placeholder post last month. I'm not going to dwell too much on COVID-19 because I think it's good to talk about other things, but I'll just say that we're all still doing OK here while keeping an eye on the news and the talk of coming out of lockdown - a far more worrisome prospect than being in it for us, and although it's pretty safe to say schools won't resume until at least after the summer in Scotland, it's very hard to picture it (although things are going to look different, that's for sure). Youngest daughter is set to start high school in August, a transition that's tricky at the best of times. Like with this entire mess, we're just going to have to wait to see how it pans out, and we're not going to be doing anything we're not comfortable with.

Let's turn to this month's IWSG question, which is: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share?

No rituals as such, but the best thing I can do is remind myself that my writing is time-limited. Despite the lockdown, my routine hasn't changed a great deal and I'm being kept plenty busy with freelancing work (thankfully), so I'm able to carve out thirty minutes to an hour in the morning for writing - basically until the dogs ask to get up for breakfast! After that I'm dealing with work and I'm in a different mindset, so the time is gone if I don't use it. At this particular time, I'm also in a "relatively new and shiny WIP" phase and I'm enjoying finding out where this story is going, which always helps. If you wake up excited about writing, it becomes much easier.

So that's where I am. How about you? Any rituals to share? How are you coping with things overall? Many more IWSG posts can be found by clicking here.

IWSG April 2020 - Still Here!

Hello! Not a proper post this month - I'm on a borrowed laptop after mine gave up the ghost, and therefore I wouldn't have time to visit others or return comments, which is a huge part of participating for me. Nonetheless, I still wanted to drop in and let you know that me and mine are safe and well, and I hope that's the case for all of you. I'm hoping to get round and visit all of you later in the month - until then, stay safe and take care!

IWSG March 2020

It's time once again for another posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Headed up by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share fears and insecurities without fear of judgement. This month's excellent co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre and Shannon Lawrence.

Not feeling particularly insecure this month - spring is in the air (or perhaps autumn, depending on your whereabouts). In any case, changes are afoot and I always find that an inspiring time. I'm moving along with the project I had previously mentioned, a story I had first started over a year ago, and it's progressing nicely. Perhaps I'd like to up my daily word count, which is averaging around 500, but it's been a while since I've written on a daily basis. I'm hoping to increase my productivity over the next few weeks. The story itself is opening up in unexpected ways and I've been taking a lot of notes about what could happen down the line. So, apart from being slightly insecure about the actual number of words being committed, I'm happy to roll and see where it takes me!

The optional IWSG question for this month is: "Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?" This one stumped me, but I'm interested to read other answers. You can find many more IWSG posts here.

IWSG February 2020

It's time once again for our group posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to allow a safe space to share our writing woes and insecurities without fear of being judged. February's excellent co-hosts are Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse von Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine and Tyrean Martinson. Why not join us if you haven't already?

Today's IWSG question is an interesting one, asking: "Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?" Well, I've written for competitions that involved a photo prompt, and even had some success with one, but I'm not sure that counts, does it? I didn't choose the photo myself or come across it "in the wild". I'm not a particularly visual writer, but this question makes me think I should open up more to seeing images as inspiration. Food for thought!

As to my insecurity this month, I'm pondering how to get back into a piece of writing that I started over a year ago. With 2019 being a fallow year, I'm keen to pick up where I left off, but that initial rush of excitement isn't quite there any more. That said, I'm still intrigued to see where the story could go. I'm only 6,000 words in, so would it be better to treat this as an opportunity for a totally new start? Have a do-over from the beginning?

Do you have any advice for resuming a piece of work after an extended break? What's your response to this month's IWSG question? Don't forget to check out more IWSG posts here!

IWSG January 2020

A new year - a new decade - and what better way to see it in than with the first Insecure Writer's Support Group post of 2020? Hosted as ever by Ninja Cap'n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the role of the group continues to be to offer a safe space where writers of all kinds can share their fears and insecurities without fear of judgement. January's co-hosts are T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp and J. H. Moncrieff!

If you don't mind, I'm going to use this as my "looking ahead to the new year" post - always a time of some insecurity but an exciting one too. I've started off on a good foot by typing "The End" on the last book in my trilogy. This one still needs a lot of work done to it, but for now I'm happy to reach that milestone. I'll be working towards a publication in spring or summer while at the same time, I'll be working on something new - it's been too long!

Another great way of starting the year would be bagging yourself an agent or publisher, and that might just come to fruition with the next #IWSGPit Twitter Pitch event. Simply ready your tweet-length pitch and get ready to post on January 15. Only a week away! Check out more details here. And of course, you can find more IWSG posts here.

How's your 2020 looking? What are your hopes and insecurities?

IWSG December 2019

It's the first Wednesday of December and that means it's time for us to convene for the very last IWSG of 2019. Hosted as always by Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space for writers to share fears and insecurities without appearing foolish or weak. If you haven't joined yet, why not make it your first resolution for 2020? Today's excellent co-hosts are Tonja Drecker, Beverly Stowe McClure, Nicki Elson and Tyrean Martinson!

I'm skipping over this month's question - which I think is a good one, I just feel like focusing on the here and now and what I can do in this moment. We're approaching the end of the year and that traditionally means it's time to take stock. Well, I may not have got as much done in 2019 as I wanted, but I did get the second part of my trilogy out to quite a favourable reception, and I'm determined to finish the year out strong by completing the first draft on the finale. So basically, the same goal/insecurity I've had in previous months, but it will feel like a massive achievement considering the rather "fallow" year I've had. I'm looking forward to 2020 containing new adventures, including getting that conclusion to my series into the hands of readers, and I definitely want to get started on at least one new project. There's quite a few ideas I'm excited about, and as you probably know, a backlog tends to build up if you've been working on one story for a long time. So for me, 2020 looks like it has plenty of possibilities and potential. How's it looking for you?

Have a great Christmas, and don't forget to check out more IWSG posts here!