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!
Remember, the question is optional!!!
November 1 Question: Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?
It's the day after Halloween and I'm hoping that you have lots of candy to keep you going today because you probably stayed up too late last night either Trick or Treating, hanging at some costume party, or watching a scary movie marathon!
The Boy as Ghost Rider (2017)
Am I insecure this month? Yep.
I'm 99% sure that I have figured out my title for book 3 in the MC series, which is great because I was really starting to wonder if this was just going to be 'Book 3' or 'Bobby's book' for all time.
If I ever want to see this book published, I have to do the other hard parts, like the blurb and the synopsis.
I'm just not very good at them. Really not good at them. Anyone got a magic formula for either of these torture devices?
***
Happy NaNoWriMo Day you crazy writing peoples! Best of luck and...
Hosted by Alex
J. Cavanaugh and Heather M. Gardner.
Remakes – most
of them suck. Now and then, one comes along that is as good as, if not better,
than the original. And after all of the bad ones we’ve endured, we want to know
about some good ones.
On November 13,
2017, blog about your favorite remake: movie (or television show into movie and
vice versa), song, or book – or all three! Post a YouTube video and links where
we can find these treasures. Tell us why THIS remake doesn’t suck!
Sign up below.
Post on November 13 and visit others on the list. Time to unearth those good
remakes!
The local electric & gas company is at my house replacing the original gas line today and they're kind of cute. :) Not warm enough for shirts to come off though. :)
On the other hand, I keep waiting for the house to blow up.
Needless to say, I'm a little anxious.
***
I'm thankful I saw the movie trailer for American Assassin because it convinced me to go get the book from the library. I liked the first book so much that I'm now on the third in the series. I really love this character, Mitch Rapp, and the stories are great.
The author, Vince Flynn, may he rest in peace (so sad he passed away from cancer), is a fantastic writer, but he head hops like a million times in these books. It's driving me nuts, especially since I used to get yelled at for that all the time by editors. How he got away with it, I have no idea. Getting to read this much has been awesome. Not that I wasn't reading, but mostly ebook romances that weren't very good and I jumped around in them a lot to find 'the good parts' except I wasn't finding them.
You might think I'm referring to the naughty bits, but my favorite parts of books ... amazing dialogue.
I love banter and fighting and heartfelt admissions and fighting and misunderstandings and fighting. You know, the good stuff! Carrying an actual, physical book around with me that I can just open and read anytime has been wonderful. I hadn't realized how much I missed it, cause there was a time I had a book on me, one in the car, and one on my nightstand at all times. I read four or five books a week, easy.
Now, I normally I have my writing notebook or something to edit with me or I end up with my eyes glued to my phone, but reading is so much better.
That being said, now that I'm a few books in, I know the movie isn't going to be the same, but it's got some really cute guys in it!
Sparks
flew the moment fifteen-year-old Molly Kaff and Jamie Burnham locked
eyes across the dusty Camp Chimalis parking lot. From that moment, they
were undeniably and irrevocably in love.
Until they weren’t.
Months
after the demise of their fifteen-and-a-half-year marriage, a mutual
friend from those treasured summers at camp dies, rattling their tight
circle of friends to the core. Her dying request? Bring everyone back to
camp one last time.
Returning
proves more emotional than Molly expected. Sweltering heat in
un-air-conditioned cabins is just the tip of the iceberg. Memories, both
delightful and dispiriting, press down on Molly as she grapples with
the momentous grief from the loss of her friend…and her husband.
Trying
to honor her wishes with the ex hanging around is one thing, but being
stuck in the woods with no cell service and years’ worth of hurt and
resentment is another. As Molly tries to navigate her way through the
heartache, she starts to wonder if she was wrong about the reasons
behind her failed marriage. And if maybe her friend orchestrated their
Chimalis homecoming from beyond…
Can a few evenings sitting by the campfire eating s’mores be the salve her battered heart needs to finally move on?
I have the winners of the IWSG contest below, but I wanted to remind you about the awesome IWSG Anthology contest.
There are still 21 days left before the submission date of November 1st. That doesn't sound like a lot of time, but you only need to write and polish like 6000 words.
You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by entering this contest! Check out some of these amazing judges and then get writing!
The annual IWSG Anthology Contest!
Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is
encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be
previously unpublished. Entry is free.
Word count: 3500-6000
Genre: Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Theme: Tick Tock. The story revolves around a clock, is time
sensitive, or has something about a specific time. This theme has plenty
of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines. No
erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence.
Story deadline: November 1st 2017
How to enter: Send your polished, previously unpublished story to
admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes.
Please format double-spaced, size 12 font, and no headers or footers.
Include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of
the Blogging or Facebook IWSG group.
Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges:
Elizabeth S. Craig
writes cozy mystery series for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and
independently. She curates links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig that are
later shared in the free search engine Writers Knowledge Base.
Anne Hawkinsis
a partner in John Hawkins & Associates, Inc., New York. Founded in
1893 by Paul R. Reynolds, it is the oldest literary agency in the
country. She works with mainstream literary and commercial fiction,
including mystery, suspense, and thrillers and a wide variety of serious
non-fiction, particularly history, politics, biography, science, and
natural history. A number of her books have gained distinction through
award nominations, book-to-film contracts, significant foreign rights
sales, major book club selections, or placement on the New York Times
bestseller list. Anne Hawkins is a member of the Association of
Authors’ Representatives.
Candace Havens
is the Editorial Director of Covet has written multiple novels for
Berkley, Entangled and Harlequin. Her books have received nominations
for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. She is one
of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists, runs a free online
writing workshop, and teaches comprehensive writing class.
Author, Public Speaker, and Executive Producer, Lynn Tincher
was born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the beautiful city of
La Grange. She has written four books, with the fifth one currently in
the making. Her first book, Afterthoughts was optioned for movie
production by Kilted Pictures and Dancing Forward Productions in Los
Angeles. It is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in
Louisville, Kentucky very soon.
Ion Newcombeis
the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running
online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January
1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through
electronics into literature and communications.
Patricia (Pat) Stoltey
is the author of four crime fiction novels published by Five
Star/Cengage including a historical mystery called Wishing Caswell Dead
(https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Caswell-Dead-Patricia-Stoltey/dp/1432834401/)
(December 2017). She lives in Northern Colorado with her husband Bill,
Sassy Dog, and Katie Cat. To learn more about Patricia and her books,
visit her website/blog,Facebook, and Twitter.
Mason Canyon
had a love of books since childhood encouraged by a mother who loved to
read. A 30+year career in journalism fueled her desire to know what a
story is all about. Blogging at Thoughts in Progress since 2009 and
operating MC Book Tours for over a year. Loves to read and share great
stories with others. MC Book Tours
Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by
Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive
royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have
the honor of giving the anthology its title.
We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of
this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start
writing. And spread the word!
IWSG Show Your Writer
Insecurity Contest Winners
It was so much fun visiting all the participating blogs and seeing what they had created for the contest!
Thank you so much for entering! Here are the three winners!!!
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
Remember, the monthly question is optional!
October 4 Question: Have you
ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters,
either by accident or on purpose?
Hope you are all well. I know its tough out there. There are lots of reasons to get bogged down in the negative, but we must keep moving forward. Step by step. Day by day.
"I don't care what you believe, just believe it." S. Book
Have I ever slipped personal info into my characters? Absolutely! I'm sure I've added my traits, personality quirks, and my personal pet peeves into all of my characters. They're a part of me, stuck in my weird brain, so it only makes sense that they would pick up my bad habits and charm.
How about you?
***
Are you proud to be an insecure writer? Then show us!
Today, post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag
or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG
website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo.
(All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but
photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)
The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:
Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick
Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of
Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M.
Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.
Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by
Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie,
audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White
by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.
Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter
spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured
Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for
October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.
Shaun and Hamish showing off the IWSG business cards and website!!
***
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Writing for Profit Available Now!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this free anthology. From writing to publishing to
marketing, the Insecure Writer's Support Group members provide tips on
making money as a writer. This guide represents the spirit of the IWSG -
to encourage and support writers everywhere! It is our hope that this
book will benefit you as a writer, no matter where you are in the
journey.
I'm in this one! My submission is Selling yourself in public for profit!!!
***
Don’t forget the annual IWSG Anthology Contestdeadline is November 1! Genre: Mystery/Crime/Thriller Theme: Tick Tock.
We have an awesome panel of judges this year and the winning entries will be published in a royalty-paying anthology.
See the IWSG Anthology Contest post for details.
I originally wrote this blog post in December 2012. I've updated some of it below.
Dear
News Media, you still suck. Just because we have instant access to you doesn't mean we don't want you to checkyourfacts and confirm information before you blab it all over the air! Go look up journalism. I'll wait. Dear
Law Enforcement officials, you're stronger than they are. Don't cave to
the news media and government officials when they beg and threaten you
for inaccurate crumbs to feed to the tabloid media machine. Just say no. Dear
Law Enforcement and First Responders, we love you. We're so sorry that
you have to see such terrible things. We hope our love and support is
enough to get you through each day. There is no one we trust more than
you. Dear [insert slimy politician here], don't tell the people that we will do everything we can
so that this terrible tragedy doesn't happen again. You can't prevent
them. No one can. If someone wants to harm others they will, by any means necessary. It's not
pretty, but its the truth. Dear
Families affected by the tragedy in Las Vegas, we are all thinking of you. We are all sending our
love and support. We are so sorry. We know it can never be enough. Dear
America, nothing is black and white. You should know that by now. It's
not something we can fix by saying if we take away A then B will never
happen. Life doesn't work that way. Stop trying to place blame everywhere except where it belongs. It's not non-religious people vs. religious people. It's not gun owners vs. non-gun owners. It's not Democrats vs. Republicans. It's just people. We the people.
We need to care more. We need to pay more attention to our kids. We need to help each other. We need to be more compassionate, kind, and empathetic. And not just when tragedy strikes. I'm sure my words aren't new. I'm sure my words will anger some. But, they are my words and I will stand by them. My
comfort is this, for every single [insert deviant type here] out there, who
wants to harm others to try and fill whatever hole they have in their lives,
there are thousands and thousands of good people doing the right thing for others every single day. Maybe one day the news media will report those stories.
