#IWSG: Roller Coaster Ride

It's that time again. The first Wednesday of October. The Insecure Writers Support Group meets once a month online where writers share and encourage each other. 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 TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Shannon Lawrence, Stephanie Faris, and Eva E. Solar.

This is a crazy business we’re in. It has more ups and downs than an amusement park ride. One minute we’re flying high from a good review, a terrific critique, validation from a beta reader, a new contract/release. Then we get the reverse and we’re in the dumps.

How do we keep a level head? That is probably the $64,000 question. Not only is it difficult to deal with a bad review or critique, we can’t just bask in our success. Sure, we can celebrate a new contract and/or release. For a day or two. Same with that pity party. No dwelling on failure.

Wait. There’s no such thing as failure. Each disappointment is a learning experience. Not sure about you, but there are days when I’ve had enough learning.

We are such perverse characters. Usually, we deal well with success. We don’t let ourselves get swollen egos—not publicly, anyway. When we announce our accomplishments, we share rather than boast. But hit us with any form of rejection and we’re devastated, paralyzed. We think we’ll never be good enough.

The only solution to success and “learning experiences” is Nora Roberts’ advice BICHOK: butt in chair, hands on keyboard. An injection of confidence helps, too.

So the next time you’re on that roller coaster ride, remember why you got into this business and get back to the writing.

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.

IWSG: Life's Weird Curves

Can it be the first Wednesday of the month again? Then it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group where writers can let all our insecurities hang out and someone (many someones) will offer suggestions, support, and understanding. A big THANKS to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this group and keeping it going. And to this month's awesome hosts Tina Downey, Elsie, Elizabeth Seckman, and Julie Flanders!

Yesterday, my niece posted this on Facebook: 

What a powerful quote. Does life ever go our way? Sometimes. Many times not. So what do we do when life throws us unexpected curves? We could give up. Or we could change tack, adjust our sails.

I’d like to think that I wouldn’t give up no matter what comes my way. I’ve weathered some pretty good storms—my family’s health, my own, financial worries, deaths of loved ones, the demise (or so I thought) of my writing career. I’ve had to make adjustments but, in the end, I came out okay.

Look at the palm trees. How they weather hurricane winds. They bend but don’t break.

If we’re writing with the intention of being published, we’re bound to be rejected. Oh, not us personally—our work. If we don’t get rejections from editors or agents, reviewers can do the job. That should keep us from getting too big for our britches (as my grandmother would say). How we deal with rejection or the rest of life’s curves is more important.

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.

Off topic: This is “Read an E-Book Week.” Visit my previous post to find out how I’m celebrating.