IWSG: The Working Writer

 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 October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!

Thanks to everyone who left lovely, supportive comments last month. August was a rough month and September wasn't much better. Hubs' health issues took over my life. Stress went up, creativity disappeared into a black hole. He's improved, we had home health care who were marvelous with their suggestions. Right now, we're dealing with the unknown--diagnosis and prognosis. Next month, after a major evaluation, we hope to know more. Again, despite the fact that I didn't leave a post last month, many of you offered support. Thank you so much.

October 7 question - When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

Not to be facetious, a working writer is a writer who works. One who writes on a consistent schedule, who doesn't sit around and wait for the Muse to hit them on the head. Until a few months ago, I used to see myself as a working writer. When I started writing back in the 1990s, I treated my writing as a business. I took classes in starting a home-based business and followed the criteria. I worked every day, probably more than my family thought I should. 😃

Right now, I'm neither working nor writing. As I wrote above, my creativity is at an all-time low. I think about writing. I think about the characters in a story I'm (sort of) writing. I want to write. I want to finish the sci-fi romance I started probably three years ago. But I don't have the discipline or inclination to open the file. I'd rather read or binge watch British mysteries. So, I can't call myself a working writer.

From past experience, I know I will come back. Hubs and I will deal with this latest crisis in our nearly forty-eight years of marriage. Our children live close and are supportive. We will get through this. As we know better what we're dealing with, I'll figure out how to be a working writer again.

Meantime, I hope October is a great writing month for you.

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.

#IWSG: May

Happy Insecure Writers 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 May 6 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken!

They say April showers bring May flowers. That really applies to my part of the world. Daffodils and tulips are blooming with other perennials poking through the ground. We had some lovely sunny days in the 60s and even a 70 degree day last weekend. People want to rush out and buy plants (nurseries are one of the few businesses now open). Those of us who grew up here know better. My dad always said no planting until Memorial Day. The ground isn't warm enough. To illustrate, we're now dipping into the 30s and 40s with a possibility of snow flurries this week. Hey, it's Michigan.

We're still sheltering in place. With Michigan being 3rd in the country with corona virus deaths, our governor is trying to protect us and limiting what businesses can open. Boy, are some people mad at her. Those of us who appreciate what she's trying to do stay home and if we have to go out, we wear masks. Still not visiting with our grandkids. Our son (chef) and son-in-law (doctor) are working and could unknowingly bring home the virus. No hugs and kisses is probably the worst of this crisis for me.

The other problem is my lack of focus on writing. Maybe if I had a ritual to get me in the zone (this month's question), I'd be better off. Obviously, I don't. Our church has virtual services. Last Sunday's sermon was on fractured lives. How true is that! The pastor talked about so many things that hit home for me and for Hubs--lack of focus, sleeping more but not feeling rested, the unknown. 

The unknown is getting to most of us. I like to know when something will end. (Don't we all?) I want to know that the sacrifices we're making is going to be worth it in the end. Our lives are fractured. We don't get together with family. We don't go out to lunch with friends. We're scared to go out at all. That fear is making us edgy. We have cabin fever in May when that's a January/February "disease." Sure we can go out and work in our yards, we can take walks, our Lake Michigan beach is open, as long as we practice social distancing.

My science fiction romance ran into a big snag three months ago. And I can't seem to fix it. Talk about painting myself into a corner. The worse is it's the last 15% of the story. Sheesh. Should I slash that whole section and start over? Probably, if I could focus.

I hope you're staying safe. Sending virtual hugs to everyone who's insecure.

Meantime, check out our latest anthology.

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Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a voyage of wonder into history. Get ready for an exciting ride!

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.

#IWSG: Insecurities

It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's Insecure Writers Support Group time. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. And thanks to this month's awesome hosts Charity Bradford, S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda!

I wish I had advice to give those struggling with insecurities. We all have them. It’s part of our makeup as writers. To be a good writer, we have to be sensitive. Not just feel emotions, we have to be able to write so well that we elicit emotions in our readers.

That’s a tough job.

So being sensitive people, we are easily hurt when someone says our “baby is ugly”—aka, rejection. Not just formal rejections from an editor or agent, but by critique partners when they point out what isn’t working in the story. Or a family member who thinks we just sit around all day and drink coffee. (Okay, we do a lot of that, too.) Nobody but another writer knows how hard it is to put words on a page (or screen) in a cohesive way that forms a story. When we don’t receive positive support, we hurt.

We read how we need to toughen up, develop a thick skin. Yeah, right. We throw our heart and soul into our work, an editor loves it enough to give it life, and a reviewer thinks it stinks. Ouch. How do we deal with that? Not read reviews? Then we might miss those 5-star reviews that make our day and give us that proverbial pat on the back we need.

Working in solitude, we often feel alone. In online writer groups like this or groups that meet in person, our peers bolster us and help us deal with insecurity. Hurray for the Insecure Writers Support Group where we can let our insecurities hang out and know that someone (many someones) will offer words of comfort and encouragement.

As a reminder, here's the purpose of IWSG: 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!

Happy Writing and don't let insecurity get you down.

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.