#IWSG - January 2021 - The winners!! - Dark Matter: Artificial.

 

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the link above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. We encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!


Want to know more about the IWSG?  

Operation Awesome recommends it and has a post up about it this week. Check it out!
 

We need co-hosts for the next few months! If you can help February, March, April, or May send Alex an email.

January 6 optional question - Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

2021 so far for books ...

Book 1. DNF - stopped reading when a perfectly nice female MC was torn, but professional, about the way her boss made her apply for a promotion she wanted and when she didn't get it she turned into a crazed trash-talking psycho. If it had been one of those 'take this job and shove it' moments, I would have kept reading. But don't make the lead character a nutbar in chapter 2.

I'm out!

Book 2. DNF - stopped reading when the female MC mentions that the guy she works with, who will be the love interest in the book, has 'humped and dumped' at least fifty women in the 3 years that she's worked with him. That she know about. Yeah.

I'm out!

 

And now....

 

IWSG Anthology winners!!!

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Dark Matter IWSG Anthology Contest:
Stephanie Espinoza Villamor - a librarian writer mom who lives with her husband and young son just outside Las Vegas.
CD Gallant-King - a loving husband and proud father of two wonderful little kids, C.D. was born and raised in Newfoundland and currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario.
Kim Mannix - a fiction writer, poet and journalist currently residing on Treaty 6 territory in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
Steph Wolmarans - an educator, mother, wife, beekeeper, and speculative fiction author.
Tara Tyler - Tara Tyler is a math teacher who writes to share her passion for reading with others.
Deniz Bevan - a firm believer in burning the candle at both ends, she is generally writing a new novel while editing another, and blogging about her reading and research adventures—and sharing travel photos—weekly on her blog
Charles Kowalski - his thrillers for adults have won the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold Award and been nominated for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award and the Adventure Writers Grandmaster Award.
Olga Godim - a writer and journalist from Vancouver, Canada.
Elizabeth Mueller - an award-winning author, Elizabeth lives in Texas with her husband, five lively children, five indoor kitties, a few outdoor kitties, seventeen chickens, and a horse named Hazel.
Mark Alpert - a contributing editor at Scientific American and the internationally bestselling author of ten novels.


As Stephanie’s story was the official judge’s top pick, her story is now in the title.

Dark Matter: Artificial

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Discover dark matter’s secrets…

What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?

Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies (FIC028040) / Space Exploration (FIC028130) / Genetic Engineering (FIC028110)


Big thanks to the official judges:
Dan Koboldt
Julie Gwinn
Damien Larkin
Ion Newcombe
Colleen Oefelein
Lynda R. Young
David Powers King

And don’t forget, the IWSG Twitter pitch event, #IWSGPit, happens January 20!

2020, stick a fork in it! - All of my ebooks are 99 cents!!

I want to say Happy New Year.

I want to say things will be better in 2021.

I want to say that there is hope at the end of the Covid tunnel.

Until everyone in this country understands that we all need to help each other, that we're all vulnerable, that we all want to get our lives back, nothing is going to change.

Please. Be safe. Take care of yourself, your family, your friends, and your neighbors.

***

All 3 of my ebooks are for sale on Amazon and Smashwords for 99 cents each!!

AMAZON

 

SMASHWORDS 

 

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#IWSG - December 2020 - Twitter pitch / Book Club / and some funnies!

 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!

December 2 optional question - Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?

 

 The awesome co-hosts for the December 2 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Sylvia Ney, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Cathrina Constantine, and Natalie Aguirre! 


Lots to talk about in our final month of 2020 so let's get to it!!

We would be honored if you guys would help The #IWSG - The Insecure Writer's Support Group make the list again!

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The next #IWSGPit will be in January 20, 2021
8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 20, 2021, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS:

 

Our book club is changing things up!

We will have quarterly book selections now, giving us more time to read. We will also have one fiction book selection and one writing craft book selection. Members can read both or choose between them. Finally, we won’t be offering 5 optional discussion questions anymore. Instead, we will be utilizing the polls that our members enjoy, so there will be one poll question for the fiction book and one for the non-fiction book on Discussion Day.

Our December/January/February reads are…

Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor, a book written in second person. Since many readers haven’t read a book in second person, and many writers haven’t written in second person, we figured this is a great chance to explore something new.

Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters by J Lenni Dorner. This will be our writing craft book, with a focus on settings.

Discussion Day for both books will be February 24, 2021!

JOIN US!

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/214387-the-insecure-writer-s-support-group-book-clu

Thanks,

Chrys Fey

 

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How can you connect with the #IWSG?

Insecure Writer's Support Group website

Facebook Group / Newsletter
Twitter / Book Club / Instagram

IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond and IWSG Writing for Profit
Anthology: Parallels /  Anthology: Hero Lost
Anthology: Tick Tock / Anthology - Masquerade
IWSG Merchandise

 

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 ~~~~~~~~POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 15 seasons, Supernatural has ended. In my opinion, it was not an ending that reflected all the amazing work the cast and crew had accomplished for 15 years together. Part of the blame goes to COVID, which has screwed up just about everything on the planet.

 

But, I can't blame it all on a virus. Decisions were made about the characters, and the paths they took, that were just ... wrong.

 

Meanwhile, one of my favorite shows is over and I'm feeling a little bereft. I know I'll see these guys soon in other shows, but I will miss this one tremendously. Thank you to the cast and crew of Supernatural. It's been amazing.

  ***

 

It's been a tough year. Everything changed for everyone in the blink of an eye. Lots of sadness and disbelief. In the US, lots of failed leadership.

 

There is always hope.

 

We are too stubborn to put up with this shit for much longer. Things will get better.

 

Whatever you celebrate in December, may it be safe, happy, and warm. 

 

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#IWSG - November - To snack or not to snack! That is today's musing.

 

 

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

November 4 optional question - Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write? 

 

I totally stole this blog post from my other blog post on the IWSG site! Sorry for the repetition, but there was no way I was coming up with two topics today!!

__

It's my turn to post on the main blog and I'm late! I even have my calendar set to send me a reminder and I still managed to screw it up!

But...I'm here now and I'd like to talk about something that's really important to writers...

 Snacks

There are a few types of writers.

Those that eat snacks while they write.

Those that don't eat snacks while they write.

Those that eat snacks as a reward system.

Those that eat snacks when they can't write. 

Those that forget to eat all together.

 What type am I? All of the above. Except that last one. I don't think I've ever forgotten to eat. :)

If you're wondering why beverages were left out of this post, its only because beverages are imperative to writers.

So, do you have a writer snack type? What's a favorite snack? Do you need a snack intervention?

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The next #IWSGPit will be in January 20, 2021
8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 20, 2021, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.

Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents. 

Go HERE for more info and the rules!

#IWSG - October is here whether we're ready or not. :)

 The Insecure Writer’s Support Group 

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!

Our Twitter is @TheIWSG and hashtag #IWSG.

October 7 optional 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?

  The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!

  Be sure to visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Website!!!

 

 

Hello and Happy October!

Like so many of you, I'm not writing / publishing / marketing anything. The current country/world situation(s) dominates every moment of our day. It's hard to focus. It's hard to write. It's hard to find the zone. It's hard to do anything. 

 

For the month of September, I joined a free accountability challenge, with about 300 writers, run by a professional editor. (By the end of the month there were less than 100 writers.) It was a really great way to kick-start my writing again.

The challenge began by choosing a goal and then you would be accountable to yourself, a small group of writers in the same boat as you, and the editor.

My goal was to work on a new genre for the first half of the month and if I didn't like where that was going I would switch and work on my original Rock 'n Roll Romance MS.

 

The new genre was a bust, so I'm working on my old MS. It's a good story, just poorly written. It's a very slow process, and I have to take some time between edits to decompress, but I'm determined to get this stupid thing re-written.

 

I must remind myself that I'm an author and I need to get back to doing what I love to do, even if it makes me drink booze and eat chocolate!

 

I hope you guys are doing what you love! And staying safe. And wearing a mask.

 

And now...for the funnies...

 

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Facebook Group / Newsletter
Twitter / Book Club / Instagram

IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond and IWSG Writing for Profit
Anthology: Parallels /  Anthology: Hero Lost
Anthology: Tick Tock / Anthology - Masquerade
IWSG Merchandise

 

 

The next #IWSGPit will be in January 20, 2021
8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time