IWSG February 2021

It's time once again for our monthly posting 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 fears and insecurities without being judged. This month's excellent co-hosts are Louise - Fundy Blue, Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter and Nancy Gideon.

In terms of insecurities, I'm feeling quite good apart from those that have to do with homeschooling, vaccinations, variants... you know, what seem to have become the "usual" worries for most of us. I'm undertaking the second draft of a YA standalone novel that I hope to start submitting to small publishers this year, and I'm also still working on the last part of my dystopian trilogy that should be self-published this year also. I've got plenty to keep me busy, so I'm lucky in that sense. Turning to this month's IWSG question...

Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

Incredibly, later this year will see me reach 10 years of blogging, and I'm thankful to say that during that time I've met people I would consider friends for life, who I could count on for support and uplift with writing worries and anything else too. There would be too many to name here, but the Ninja Cap'n goes without saying, and I'll also give a shoutout to Kyra Lennon and Annalisa Crawford - great friends, amazingly talented writers, and awesome CPs!

Speaking of CPs, I'm currently looking for two or three more sets of fresh eyes for my standalone novel, and where better to ask than among one of the most dedicated sets of writers and readers on the web? This YA story is set on a distant planet colonised by humanity after Earth has become uninhabitable. Harica is a typical teenager who lives a quiet life on one of its orbiting moons, except she has an extraordinary gift - the power to defuse others' conflicts by entering their minds. Her use of this gift remains limited to resolving petty squabbles among her classmates, until she is headhunted by government forces to take on a much bigger assignment down on the planet - one involving an entitled princess, power politics and the lives and wellbeing of millions of people. Does she have what it takes to meet this challenge, and what will it teach her about her gift and, more importantly, herself?

With this book, I'm particularly looking to see if I've captured an authentic voice for my young female protagonist. It's uncharted territory for me. It goes without saying that I would reciprocate by offering a critique of anything you have in the works. I'd be looking to send you my book once I've finished my second draft, which should be by the end of this month but hopefully will be sooner. If we click, it would also be great if you could take a look at the conclusion of my trilogy later in the year - it's not necessary to have read the first two parts.

Thanks for considering, friends! Don't forget to check out many more IWSG entries here.