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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

IWSG: Writing Season?

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
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

 

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: It's spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?
Fanstastic Co-Hosts:
JQ Rose, C. Lee McKenzie, Raimey Gallant, & E.M.A Timar!


It's that time--how's the writing going? Can I just say here that I really like the monthly IWSG check-in, and I find everyone's posts inspirational? 

My own writing is having a bit of a vacation. Despite the question of the day, though, I don't think it's the season--some years I do a lot in the spring (summer, however, is pretty consistently bad, as we usually travel, have our kids home, have guests, and the garden needs to be weeded when I am home). No, this time I'm just having to scale back the writing in order to deal with life, as we prepare our home of 20 years for sale! You start looking around your house with the eyes of a potential buyer--and suddenly you realize you need to hang up the word processor and get out the paintbrush!

Due to this infusion of reality I've not really tried to do anything big in the way of writing since my book came out March 28. I've managed to pull off a couple of pieces of flash fiction, and I'm shifting my attention to short stories, with a resolution to make at least some submissions each month (I'd like to say "4" or something, but that would probably be unrealistic). Those of you who follow this blog know I've been saying that for a while, and I do struggle with matching up my stories with the calls for submission, and in a timely fashion.

So: my good news for this month is that I succeeded in making three submissions!

Of course, those were followed by three rejections, but that's not the point. The point is that this insecure writer managed to complete a story and send it out three times! I also got some feedback that I may be able to use to make the story stronger. A second story that I think might have more potential *if* I can finish it is giving me trouble, but I'm hoping maybe inspiration will come while I'm pulling weeds and slopping paint around. Wish me luck, because I think I should manage a couple of submissions each month. 

So tell me how the seasons affect your writing, or if you've managed to meet any resolutions this month!

29 comments:

  1. Selling your house of 20 years - that's a huge change, and a lot of work. Are your moving into something smaller and have to downsize as well? Well done on the three submissions, which is totally the point, not the rejections. Cheers - Ellen

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    1. Moving into storage for the next year while we go walkabout! Talk about a huge change!

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  2. Good for you for submitting those stories AND learning from the rejections AND continuing to get your work out there! Hey, maybe you'll get a story idea or two out of all the house selling prep you're doing.... :)

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    1. I'll have to think about the house prep that way! I have to admit that 3rd rejection kind of shook me, even though the feedback is educational.

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  3. Awesome that you submitted! And yes, sometimes big things in life, like a move, get in the way of writing. And it just is what it is.

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    1. Yes. I do have to prioritize, and much as I love writing, it's not paying the bills (maybe buying the coffee, though :) ).

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  4. Yeah, on the submissions!! Can't sell it unless someone sees it. Boo on the distractions of moving. Been there all too recently and my boss is in the process now. So many details, so little time and no chance for inspiration to get a toe hold. Hang in there!

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    1. Thanks. I'm trying to remind myself that the next year is a time for living and experiencing and maybe giving myself more to write about.

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  5. There seem to be a lot of people I know selling houses at present. I wonder if it's to do with the uncertainty in the world.
    I don't think writing and life-changing events work well together. Unless you write to escape the life-changing events.

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    1. I think you are right. Even our selling is in a way due to the changing world--too much traffic in our area, and the inflated home values make it too good a chance to pass up :)

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  6. My writing has been on vacation for mostly a year. lol My muse needs to come back already! :P

    Congrats on your three submissions!!! I love your attitude. Although you got rejections, celebrating your courage for submitting (and being able to submit) is a wonderful thing to do.

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    1. Here's hoping your muse is barrelling down on you now, Chrys, because you do good work!

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  7. Congrats on overcoming the insecurity of submitting! You're right - the rejections don't matter. The fact is that you're putting your stuff out there! I hope the sale of your home is for good reasons, like you're moving into an even more amazing place :) Good luck!!

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  8. Woot! 3 submissions. Way to go!

    Selling a house... That is such a beast of a task. I wish you sanity as you work through it all. And cheese.

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    1. Sanity would be good. Cheese, too, though coffee and wine are probably more to the point :p

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  9. Good luck with selling your house. It's never easy to let go... Congrats on getting three stories ready for submission :-)

    Ronel visiting on Insecure Writer's Support Group day: Autumn Decisions

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    1. I hate to confess it...but that was one story 3 times. Major revision in order before it goes out again.

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  10. Good luck with selling your house.

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  11. You have a fabulous attitude about the submissions. Very inspiring to writers. Wishing you success in shaping up your house for sale. I always wonder why we live in a place, then fix it up for someone else. Hmmmm...I do understand the situation. Just choose your priorities and be comfortable with the choices.
    JQ Rose

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    1. I wish I could always maintain that attitude, but I'm working on it.

      And yeah, that business of not fixing up the place until we are leaving... I never actually saw the finished version of my childhood home, as Dad didn't get everything done until just before the sale, and I was living far away by then :)

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  12. Way to go, getting those submissions out! You are a rock star! I hope everything goes well with your home prep, and even though writing will have to take a back seat for a little while, I can tell you will be wordsmithing away as soon as you can.

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    1. Thanks! Getting started with submitting stories is, in some ways, the hardest--working up courage to do it.

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  13. I'm on a bit of a hiatus from my book as well. Hoping to get back into it soon. You wrote and subbed three pieces of short fiction? That's fantastic! I wrote one last week, and it's finished, but I haven't even thought about subbing it anywhere. I'll get to it. :) Happy IWSG day!

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    1. Actually, I only polished up one story I'd been working on all spring, and sent it out 3 places :) So not really all that impressive!

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  14. Three submissions is amazing! Keep it up! Keep sending those out and write a couple of more stories and pretty soon you'll be a writing, submitting machine! And guess what? The more you submit, the better the chance that eventually something will be accepted. And that's always a great feeling.

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    1. Exactly! I only managed 3 because they were so quick with the rejections, but I have to admit I appreciate not having the long, long waits of the mail-in era. I MUST get the other stories finished!

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  15. Well done on making those submissions and I'm glad you're looking at things in a positive light and focusing on what you have achieved. It takes a lot of courage to put your work out there!

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