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!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG
The awesome co-hosts for the January 3 posting of the IWSG are Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria!
January 3 question - What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?
I struggle constantly with this, because I really *want* to be planning and scheduling and being very productive. But I'm not. I do try to set publication dates, but not until I'm close enough to done to be confident I'll make it--and that means no schedule through most of the process. But I'm working on the process, and as I said in my post on New Year's Day, I am very close to announcing a publication date for Death By Ice Cream, the 3rd book in the Pismawallops PTA mysteries.
I am also hoping (planning might be too strong a word) to do more short-story work this year, in part in recognition of the life changes that will make it harder to do big projects. In part, that is also a result of the encouragement I got by (checks watch to be sure it's okay to say this) (sound trumpets) having my story, "The Tide Waits," accepted into the new IWSG anthology, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime! I am over the moon about this wonderful start to my year, and have gained fresh motivation from this much-needed encouragement.
So watch this space for further announcements about the anthology, about Death By Adverb, and other news from a writer who is feeling fractionally less insecure than usual (but who still can't make a schedule and stick to it).
***
And now for an exciting announcement from author Chris Fey, and some blog-hop fun:
Flaming Crimes Blogfest
Prompt: What is something ridiculous you would save if there was a
fire?
For a Californian in 2017, this is a
hard question to treat lightly. Too many of our neighbors (in a manner of
speaking) have had to make this decision, if they had time to grab anything.
But on the other hand, it means I've thought about it.
There are so many ridiculous
possibilities, or at least things that would make you go "huh?" But
maybe my first choice would be...the bread loaf pans my mother got as a wedding
present from her sister, and which have been in pretty constant use by her and
then me since 1958.
Series: Disaster Crimes #4
Page Count: 304
Digital Price: 4.99
Print Price: 16.99
Rating: Spicy (PG13)
BUY LINKS:
BLURB: Beth and Donovan are now
happily married, and what Beth wants more than anything is a baby. Her dream of
starting a family is put on hold as fires burn dangerously close and Donovan
becomes a victim of sabotage.
Donovan escapes what could've been a deadly wreck. Their past
enemies have been eliminated, so who is cutting brake lines and leaving bloody
messages? He vows to find out, for the sake of the woman he loves and the life
they're trying to build.
Amidst a criminal mind game, a fire ignites next to their home.
They battle the flames and fight to keep their house safe from the blaze
pressing in on all sides, but neither of them expects to confront a psychotic
adversary in the middle of the inferno.
Their lives may just go up in flames…
About the Author: Chrys Fey is the
author of the Disaster Crimes Series,
a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with
the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s
also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.
Author Links:
That's sixty years worth of bread.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on making it into the anthology!
Thanks!
DeleteYes, a lot of bread, and the pans are beautifully smooth and seasoned as a result.
Congrats on getting into the anthology. Bread pans make good sense to me.
ReplyDeleteBread pans: sentimental AND useful! If there's time, I'll grab Grandma's teapot, too.
DeleteCongratulations on the anthology! An excellent way to start the new year! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I thought so :)
DeleteCongrats on the anthology and your upcoming release!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Now just to get my mind back to work on the book...
DeleteCongratulations on making it into the anthology! Best of luck to you in the new year!
ReplyDeleteIWSG post: Taking Chances
Thanks!
DeleteCongratulations on placing in the IWSG Anthology! Isn't it a wonderful way to start the New Year?
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Chrys too, her writing theme for this series is epic!
Happy 2018!
Thanks--and same to you! I'm honored to share the space with you!
DeleteCongratulations on winning the IWSG contest - I look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI didn't mean for the question to make light of fires. I know very well the dangers of one first hand. And, you know, I have a bread loaf pan that is old that I keep in a safe place year round. I'd want to save it, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in my blog hop!
Congratulations on winning the IWSG contest!!!
I knew you weren't making light of fires, and after I swallowed down a gulp, it was both fun and thought-provoking to consider what I would save. Also makes me think about my relationship to things, which is stronger than it should be.
DeleteI'm the same way about planning. I don't set release dates for books unless I'm confident I can finish it before that date.
ReplyDeleteHaving to change them is a pain.
DeleteAnd when I read Jemima Pett's post, I realized that I haven't even thought about a marketing plan. I know that's super important, but when I sit down to do it, I just kind of stare at the page and drool. I have no idea.
I think it makes total sense to grab a family heirloom like your bread pans, since they're not replaceable. Congratulations on your publishing success! May 2018 bring you clarity, peace, and lots of writing time.
ReplyDeleteThanks--that's a big wish, under the circs!
DeleteIt certainly makes sense to grab a heirloom like the bread pans. Let's hope you never have to worry about a fire so close to your home!
ReplyDeleteI hope not! Where we are now is pretty safe, but hard to say where all we may be in the coming years. One set of family members was burned out in a wildfire in 1990, so I have some idea of the devastation that can cause, and I don't want to do it!
DeleteCongrats on the story in the anthology!!! Looking forward to reading it :)
ReplyDeletePlanning is always more than a little bit scary!
Thanks--I'm excited to see the other stories, too.
DeleteI do better at planning backpacking trips than books and marketing :)
Didn't connect until I visited your blog that you are a fellow contributor to the anthology--glad to meet you!
DeleteGood to meet you as well! :)
DeleteIt's such a good jolt of hope and energy when you get a big "Yes!" from something related to your writing. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteMan--no kidding! It came at a time when I was looking at my sales and thinking that it might be time to give up. So that made this doubly helpful!
DeleteThat sounds like a worthy grab to me and a piece of your history. Happy 2018
ReplyDeleteJuneta @ Writer's Gambit
And a happy 2018 to you, too!
DeleteCongratulations, Rebecca! What an honor to have your story selected for the IWSG anthology. I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm also excited to see the other stories--some good folks in there!
DeleteDeath by Ice Cream and Death by Adverb are clever names for mysteries.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you on getting your work into the anthology, and congratulations to Chrys on her book!
Thanks! And I didn't even mention #2, Death By Trombone :D
DeleteYou know what I think of planning :)
ReplyDeleteI must check the sell-by dates on my small store of tinned food in the top cupboard in case of being marooned by flood. They have probably passed, but tins are okay for decades.
The first thing I'd grab... the guinea pigs, of course. I doubt whether they'll come quietly in an emergency, but since Bertie was extremely happy to be picked up and petted during the very loud fireworks display for New Year, I might be surprised.
I think the piggies would count as those essentials you get out first. You have to pick something else! :)
DeleteI also need to sort some tins of stuff, though I keep most of that stuff in motion. I do keep a fair amount of non-perishable food on hand. Got a wake-up call last night to remind us that fire isn't the only thing to worry about here--a 4.4 quake across the Bay from us at 3:40 this morning. Just big enough to make me lie there wondering if it was going to be the Big One.
I've found a new liking for writing short stories after making it into the anthology. Congratulations on your win!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I was thinking the same thing. It does at least give me courage to submit some. I mean, I write flash fiction all the time, but that doesn't seem as big a commitment.
DeleteCongrats on winning the anthology. It's a talent to be able to write one well. Hope that writing them more works out with your goals.
ReplyDeleteBread loaf pans! I love it. Bread baking is also a tradition passed down in my family. Congrats on having your story selected for the anthology. I am honored and thrilled to be sharing those pages with you. Cheers to 2018!
ReplyDeleteYou know, one thing I hadn't even thought about was the way the anthology would connect me with new writers. Just another exciting aspect of a really exciting event! I'm looking forward to reading your story (and all the others :D ).
DeleteCongrats on your story being selected for the anthology. Yeah! Sounds like you have great plans for 2018. Wishing you the best of luck with your writing.
ReplyDeleteYour bread loaf pans sound very special. :)
~Jess
Thanks, Jess!
DeleteOf course, I know that great plans all too often fall on their faces, but without plans, you have nothing at all, so I keep planning :)
Congratulations on making it into the IWSG Anthology! A lovely and encouraging start to the new year!
ReplyDeleteI love the titles: Death By Adverb and Death By Ice Cream.
Happy Writing!
Congrats on getting your story into the anthology, Rebecca! That's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel any better, a successful indie author I know never sets or promises a publication schedule anymore, because if she can't meet it, for whatever reason, she feels like she's disappointing her readers. So she just gets the books out as soon as she can.