#IWSG: June

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!

The awesome co-hosts for the June 2 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria!

Question of the month:

For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? 

It depends. Maybe a couple of days. I want to get right back to it. Usually, I have a list of things to fix, threads to tie up, or threads to delete. My first draft isn't really a first. As I write, I often go back and tweak something. I can't just write straight through. I heard it once called circular writing. Guess I'm not the only writer to do this.

Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?

I don't know about that. It's how my writing has evolved. And it works for me.

Last month, I added a picture of my broken wrist in a cast. The doc took that one off after 3 weeks. Then, he put on a new one for another two weeks. Now, I'm wearing a removable brace. One more week (I hope) it comes off. Still typing with one finger in the old hunt-and-peck style. Very slow.

I hope you have a great month. Stay safe.

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.

The Seventh Annual IWSG Anthology Contest! Guidelines and rules: Word count: 5000-6000 Genre: Sweet Romance Theme: First Love Submissions accepted: May 7 - September 1, 2021 How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group. You must belong to at least one aspect of the IWSG to enter. Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges. Our official judges: Author Nancy Gideon Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 70 romances ranging from historical, Regency, and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal and horror, with a couple of produced screenplays and non-fiction writing books tossed into the mix. She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, and Lauren Giddings. Agent Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002 with a focus on commercial fiction. Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers. Author Susan Gourley Susan Gourley is traditionally published in fantasy and science fiction romance using the name Susan Kelley. She is currently serving as the President of the Pennwriters writing group renowned for the annual conference. Author Meka James Meka James is a writer of adult contemporary and erotic romance. A born and raised Georgia Peach, she still resides in the southern state with her hubby of 16 years and counting. Mom to four kids of the two legged variety, she also has four fur-babies of the canine variety. When not writing or reading, Meka can be found playing The Sims 3, sometimes Sims 4, and making up fun stories to go with the pixelated people whose world she controls. Agent Melissa Gaines, Victress Literary Author Jennifer Lane Jennifer Lane writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She has published nine novels and two short stories, including Behind the Catcher’s Mask as part of the IWSG Masquerade Anthology. Agent Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Associates Rachel Beck joined Liza Dawson Associates in January 2020 after working at a boutique literary agency for four years. She has been in the publishing industry since 2009 and worked at Harlequin editing romance novels for nearly six years before transitioning her skills to the agent world in order to be an advocate and champion for authors. Author Loni Townsend By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head. People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don't let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human. Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint, Freedom Fox Press, next year in the IWSG anthology. (Please see their site for general submission guidelines.) Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. This is our seventh anthology contest! Previous titles include Dark Matter: Artificial, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Hero Lost, The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Parallels: Felix Was Here.