#IWSG: Marching in like a Lamb

 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 March 3 posting of the IWSG are:  Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose!

In Michigan, March came in like a lamb. I dread what's going to happen when it leaves. GRRROAR!

Last month, I was pretty jacked up over my January writing. My plan was to write a paragraph a day and I ended up writing over 6k words. I was thrilled with my progress. On February 1st, Hubs fell and broke the top bone in his neck (the C-1) in 2 places. Neck brace time and a huge setback. He'd been doing so well after the stroke at the end of December. Today, the physical therapist said he's finally back to where he was at the end of January. A whole month of going backwards. Initially, I had all I could do to take care of him. With the help of our kids and the home health care workers, he's more independent and improving bit by bit. Even though I lost a whole month of writing, my attitude was that I would do what I could do and not stress over what I couldn't.

While Hubs improves with baby steps, I'm writing in baby steps--a paragraph a day. My biggest goal is to improve my patience. To accept what is and be patient not just with Hubs but with myself.

March 3 question - Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

Reading has kept me sane through Hubs' continual health issues. I read to escape. I read just about anything fiction. Not horror or graphic violence, though. I'm not fond of nonfiction. I tend to read what I write--cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and science fiction romance. I love adventure stories, which sort of encompasses everything I read . . . and write.

I belong to a local readers' group. Because of covid, we've been meeting via Zoom. This group has made me read out of my comfort zone. We've read biographies, historical fiction, literary fiction. Sometimes, I don't finish the book. But that's my choice. Life is too short to read something I'm not interested in, but I give the book a try. Our discussions can be very lively. Twelve to fifteen women with strong opinions love to share. LOL

Leaving this post on a good note, I got my 1st covid vaccine shot last week. I'm looking forward to mid-April when I can get real hugs from my grandkids.

I hope everyone has 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.

No Shortcuts

My original plan for today’s blog was to redirect you to Misty Simon’s blog where I’m visiting. Then I went to the Mid-Michigan RWA chapter meeting on Saturday. The program given by my friend, Nancy Gideon, was worth driving through snow squalls and a white-out. Nancy’s speech made such an impression I wanted to share my take on it with you.

There are no shortcuts. Beginning writers need to take the process one step at a time. Learn the craft, develop the skills, don’t rush. I wish someone had said that when I was starting out. Maybe they did and I wasn’t listening. My problem was rushing the process. An editor said they wanted to see a manuscript and I rushed it off before it was ready.

While Nancy's speech was directed to writers, isn’t this true of more than just writing a book? What about losing weight? Never mind it took how many years to pile on the pounds. We want it gone now. There are no shortcuts. We have to change our lifestyle—how we eat, what we eat, our activity level. It’s a slow process. The same with learning an athletic skill or playing an instrument. We have to learn and develop the skill. And practice, practice, practice. We can’t rush the process.

That is so contrary to the mentality of our times. We want it all and we want it now. Maybe what we need to do is develop patience first. It is easier to be patient with others than it is to be patient with ourselves. Take recovering from surgery. There’s a good reason post-operative directions include what not to do. We’re in such a hurry to get better we can do more damage than good.

Besides impressing on her listeners to take things one step at a time, Nancy reminded us to enjoy the journey. Take the time to look back at how far we’ve come. Again, I was reminded of recovering from surgery. When I had my knee replaced, within hours of surgery the nurse made me walk. From the bed to the door and back was an accomplishment. Next time out into the hall; then down the hall to the next room; then to the nurses’ station. Each time a little farther. The nurse’s “good job” made the pain and exhaustion worth it. Maybe we need to tell ourselves “good job” as we take time to see what we’ve accomplished whether it’s writing, learning to golf or play the piano, or losing weight. Celebrate the little steps.

And remember, there are no shortcuts.

Now, if you’re so inclined, hop on over to Misty Simon’s blog. She had some unusual questions for me.