Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!
I'm thrilled to be included with the awesome co-hosts for this month: PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard.
Can you believe we're through the 1st quarter of 2021? And more than a year into the covid pandemic? Time flies when we're having fun...or not. I received my 2nd covid vaccine and although it's not been two weeks (this Friday) yet, I have seen my grandchildren in person and gotten much needed hugs. Many states are opening up vaccines to anyone 16+. I hope you/they take advantage. If you're interested in my weird take on the vaccine, check out my post on Paranormal Romantics. I hope you get a chuckle.
Writing (other than blogs) continues to be a challenge. I hope next month I'll be able to be more positive.
On to this month's optional question.
Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?
Definitely. I'm an eclectic reader--science fiction romance, cozy mysteries, action/adventure, romantic suspense, historical fiction, even a little biography. So, in my writing, I love to delve into something different. In most of my writing, I stick to 3rd person point-of-view. In my cozy mystery Alex O'Hara PI series, I use 1st person pov. Most mysteries are. I love that. My whacky sense of humor comes out. I used 1st person pov in my one foray into middle grade fiction, a Science fiction adventure. It seemed appropriate for the genre. I use what works best, for the genre and for me.
I hope everyone has a great month. Stay safe. I'll be around visiting today, this week, and probably well into the month. Fun!
Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.
I do agree. The more varied your reading, the more varied your writing. Thank you for co-hosting. Happy IWSG.
ReplyDeleteI love being a cohost. I get to meet so many great bloggers.
DeleteCongratulations on your vaccine. I have had mine but am still waiting for most folks I love to be all set with theirs. Meeting in person will be such a relief.
ReplyDeleteIt will be such a relief. I love Zoom for meetings, but in-person is so much better.
DeleteGlad you were able to hug your grandkids.
ReplyDeleteI read a variety but I tend to write one genre.
Thanks for co-hosting today!
Love being a cohost, Alex. The hugs were wonderful.
Delete(HUGS) are so important, especially now. Got to grab onto my grandguy for the first time since last March - a whole year! Today, my son gets his first shot. Funny the things we celebrate these days. LOVE you post and the variety of good reads you produce (more frequently, please!). Thanks for co-hosting, Di!!
ReplyDeleteGetting our covid shots is great to celebrate. Hug the daylights out of your grandguy. I did with mine.
DeleteThanks for co-hosting. Glad you hugged your grandkids. I just got my first shot. I just ate with my daughter for the first time since November and started visiting my mom. I love how you branch out into so many different genres.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie. How wonderful you could visit your mom. So important. I want to go out to lunch or dinner again. Still, not real sure yet.
DeleteThank you for co-hosting! Grandchildren are the bestest!!! I'm hoping to get my first shot sooner than later...
ReplyDeleteGrandchildren are the bestest. I agree! Good luck getting that shot.
DeleteYay for hugging the grandkids! I got my first shot, the second is at the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI love writing writing cozies in first person too :)
Thanks for co-hosting!
Those hugs are wonderful. Good for you getting your shots. You know how much I love your cozies. Mollie is such a hoot.
DeleteThanks for co-hosting, Diane. I'm glad you're safe now. We haven't had our shots yet. It'll be a relief when it happens.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe how relieved I felt after the 2nd shot. For a while, I thought I'd never get notified. Then, boom. It happened so quickly. Good luck getting yours.
DeleteWow! You certainly read and write across a huge range of genres! Any favourites?
ReplyDeleteI write travel articles mostly, but I've recently ventured into short stories and travel literature. It's early days but I'm enjoying it enormously xx
This probably sounds cliche, but my fav genre is the one I'm writing. Enjoy the writing. Have fun.
DeleteGreat, postive post. Glad you got those needed hugs. The light is getting brighter at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting this month!
Mary at Play off the Page
Oh, Mary, you are so right--a light at the end of the tunnel. It's been so scary, worrying about loved ones getting covid, etc. I know we haven't reached the end yet, but I have hope.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that you have had both covid vaccinations. I haven't had the first one. Still waiting. However, I am on the list.
wishing you all the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Glad you're on the list, Pat. It was such a relief to be protected. Thanks for cohosting.
DeleteI love your "wacky" sense of humor! Yay on the vaccine! Me too, done! Thanks for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Lisa. I can be wacky, though lately (with covid and Hubs' illnesses) I haven't felt like being too out there. Thanks for cohosting, too.
DeleteIt's good that you can be so flexible and use what works for the project you're working on. Thanks for doing the co-host job this month, Diane.
ReplyDeleteLove being a cohost, Lee. Being flexible makes life easier for me. I can't imagine the stress if I wasn't.
DeleteThanks for co-hosting this month. I think the biggest risk I could take would be to write something middle grade or YA. Glad you were able to get those much needed hugs. I've gotten a few too.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd write for kids--until the grandkids came along. I wrote my MG sci-fi adventure for my older grandchildren since they can't read my adult stuff. lol It was fun!
DeleteI enjoy both first and third person POV and write in both. I am not a fan of multiple POV in the first person, however. I find it very distracting (wait, now whose chapter is this?).
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting!
I agree, Lee. I remember reading a book where each chapter was titled by the character whose 1st person POV was written in. So distracting. Not a fan.
DeleteI've always naturally gravitated towards third-person omniscient, since I have large ensemble casts instead of just one MC. Even my books with a focus on just one person or two people (which I don't do very often) are third-person. Only VERY rarely do I feel called to first-person.
ReplyDeleteYou've found what works for you. That's super.
DeleteI only used first-person POV in one of my short stories. My usual mode is third-person POV. Maybe I should experiment more with that and see what happens?
ReplyDeleteSee what happens. Go for it. Can't hurt.
DeleteHi Diane! Thanks for co-hosting with me today! I'm an eclectic reader too, and also writer. Glad you got your vax!!
ReplyDeleteBack at ya, PK. Cohosting is fun!
DeleteIt's so much fun to explore different genres and POVs.
ReplyDeleteNo, I cannot believe it's already April and a year into the pandemic. Crazy!
Where did that year go? Glad it's gone. Hopefully, we learned and will return to some type of normal.
DeleteSometimes I write my novels first-person. I feel more comfortable writing third-person when it comes to my shorts. Perhaps I should branch out a bit. Take more risk. Thank you for co-hosting. Happy IWSG Day!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we can get too comfortable. Good luck taking a risk.
DeleteYou are definitely a risk-taker. 1st person in MG. Hooboy--my hero!
ReplyDeleteLOL Thanks, Jacqui.
DeleteI did a couple of my Princelings in first person and it really worked best for them. I find it much easier than deep third person POV and mulitiple POVs. Glad you've had your second jab - not long till mine, now :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting today!
Jemima
Thanks, Jemima. Some stories lend themselves to a certain POV. Good luck getting your 2nd shot.
DeleteThanks for co-hosting and for enduring support for everyone, Diane. I enjoyed your self-described weird take on the vaccine!
ReplyDeleteThanks, PJ. Sometimes the weird just pops in my head. lol
DeleteI used to think I was a third POV writer only, but I've been experimenting with a shiny distraction project (not the main thing I'm working on) with second and first person point of view. It might just turn out to be a writing exercise, but it's been fun to try.
ReplyDeleteThank you for co-hosting today!
I love that you tried something different. Stretching and growing. Good luck.
DeleteThe risks fit the genre...I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteThanks, S.E.
Delete1st person opens up some unique opportunities.
ReplyDeleteOur state just opened it up to all for vaccines. If forced, I know where to track down the J&J shot, the least risky of the three. Although a fourth in the making is made from plants and being touted as perfect for vegetarians. LOL
That's fascinating about the 4th vaccine. I didn't know that or that there were concerns for vegetarians.
DeleteLately I've gained some insights just by looking into what the differences are between suspense, thrillers, and mysteries. I've pondered the fuzzy lines between each. Then, when I throw in whether there is a supernatural aspect involved or not, it becomes even more interesting to analyze.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, Laur. Keep exploring and experimenting.
DeleteI'm so glad you've been fully vaccinated, Diane! It's a relief, isn't it? I'm looking forward to family hugs. How wonderful that you have received them!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a relief.
DeleteHappy to hear some good news from you. Take care.
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Thanks, Anna. I needed some good news, too.
DeleteGood to know you're all vaccinated now. Take care of you.
ReplyDeleteDamyanti Biswas
Thanks, Damyanti.
DeleteOh you are so lucky, Diane! I still can't seem to get my vaccine. I'm in Pennsylvania and they say possibly by April 20th, we should be able to get the vaccine no matter our age. Here's hoping! Bravo to you to get hugs from your grandchildren. So needed, especially in today's world. Stay healthy, my dear. And thanks for co-hosting IWSG's question for April.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I hope you're able to get your vaccine soon. They opened up Mich. to 16+ this week. Good luck.
DeleteHooray for humorous writing!
ReplyDeleteLOL Thanks, Yvonne.
DeleteSo glad you received all your shots. I'm getting my second one next week. I'll be so glad to get together with some friends and family we haven't seen in person for more than a year.
ReplyDeleteMy writing isn't going smoothly either. We'll get back there.
I'll be glad, too, to get together with friends. It's been too long. Glad you're getting your 2nd shot.
DeleteCongrats on your second jab and the much needed hugs :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynda. Those hugs made my day!
DeleteYay for vaccines AND for grandchildren who hug with such passion! Like you, I read across genres, though my writing tends to be historical fiction with a recent jump into romantic suspense (art crime). But I never thought of writing first person. What a great way to reveal so much more for that feisty heroine! Have a great month. Stay safe -- and keep writing.
ReplyDeleteArt crime sounds fascinating. Thomas Crown Affair (both versions) are my fav. Hugs with passion. Perfect way to describe those 3-yr-olds' hugs.
DeleteI received my 2nd vaccine last week and the side effects weren't too bad. My daughter got hers on Wednesday (the newer one dose version) and she suffered from aching muscles for a day. She's still happy she got the vaccine though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting IWSG this month.
Glad you got yours, Ken. Both my kids had reactions to the 2nd vaccines. The nurse who gave me mine said younger people are having the most reactions. Guess there's a plus to getting older.
DeleteYou definitely have a wide variety of genres. That's a bit of risk-taking fun (to ward of stagnation). ;-) Thanks for co-hosting IWSG. I'm just getting into the swing of things with this group and I like it!
ReplyDeleteHere's to many more hugs from grandkids. :-) Cheers.
Glad you joined and left a comment here, Sarah. We are such a mixed group. I love it.
DeleteI love the eclectic range of books you read and how you've delved into writing different genres. I like what you wrote about 'using what works best, for the genre and for me'. I write much the same and feel one's voice come through in the story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my website too, Diane. Keep well and safe.
Thanks, Luciana. I'm eclectic, all right. LOL Glad you liked my comment on your post.
DeleteI like trying out different things in my writing, too! Thanks for co-hosting last month!
ReplyDelete