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 this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! 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.
Remember, the question is optional! March 4 question – What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?
I’m over at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group main website. Check my post out here. I’m talking about book launches.
The witch had violet hair, a raven tattoo that blinked when she signed books, and the audacity to set her signing table between Self-Help and Spellcraft.
Julian had only wandered into the bookstore to find a copy of The Existential Brooding of Owls, but the table, the glittering pen, and the woman holding court with a line of enchanted customers distracted him.
“Would you like your fortune with that?” she asked the woman ahead of him, who squealed and clutched her newly signed copy of Midnight Hexes & Herbal Regrets.
Julian did not get in lines. Not for book releases, not for coffee, not even for stardust pancakes at his cousin’s elven wedding. But he stayed where he was, because the witch had laughed—and it sounded like bells ringing at a funeral. Mournful. Beautiful.
When it was his turn, she looked up.
“Let me guess.” Her gaze slid over him like a warm wind through the Veil. “You’re here for the owls.”
He blinked. “How—”
“The Existential Brooding of Owls. Section 3B. Last copy’s hiding behind a grimoire on sentient fungi.” She tapped her temple. “My familiar listens to regrets.”
A small black cat on the table blinked at him with one golden eye. The other was a whirlpool of stars.
Julian swallowed. “I’m not here for regrets.”
She tilted her head. “Pity. That’s my specialty.”
She offered a book. Her book. The cover was embossed in purple ink that shimmered when touched. He brushed a finger over the title: Book of Binding Hearts: A Witch’s Guide to Love, Loss, and Lesser Hexes.
“You expect me to read this?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Only if you want something to happen.”
“To me?”
“To anyone.”
Julian hesitated. “I don’t do witchy things.”
“Neither did I,” she said, “until my ex cursed my houseplants and my left kneecap.”
He opened the book. A slip of paper fluttered out. It was blank on one side. The other read:
He’s late, but he’s here. —Future You
Julian looked up, heart thudding. “Is this some sort of trick?”
“I prefer the term ‘invitation.’” She rested her chin on her hands, watching him like a cat sizing up a songbird. “Or prophecy. Depends on the paper stock.”
He nearly left. He should’ve left. But the bookstore felt suddenly vast and timeless, like a moment caught between heartbeats.
He sat down.
“I don’t know your name,” he said.
“I know yours,” she replied. “Julian, ghost-whisperer who refuses to acknowledge the family gift, drinks too much Earl Grey, and mourns a mother who isn’t dead but is disappointingly alive.”
The color drained from his face. “You’re not guessing.”
“Nope.”
He reached for the paper. “Who wrote this?”
“You did.” She tapped the blank side. Words appeared.
Stay. You’ll regret it if you don’t. —Still You
“I don’t write prophecies,” he muttered.
“Not yet,” she said. “But everyone bookmarks their own story eventually.”
The cat purred. A tiny spark of lavender magic curled around Julian’s fingers.
“Have you ever met someone,” he said slowly, “and felt like the story changed the second they entered the scene?”
She smiled. “Yes. Once.”
Julian swallowed. “What happened?”
“He left before the last page.”
They sat in silence. A laugh echoed from the next aisle—someone had accidentally turned themselves into a small flock of pigeons. No one seemed alarmed.
Julian glanced at the slip again. More words appeared:
She’s the one who stays, if you ask her to. —Maybe You
“What if I don’t know how to ask?”
She handed him a pen.
“You write it.”
He stared at the pen. “This isn’t normal.”
“Neither are soul-tied bookstores, cats with cosmic vision, or men who accidentally awaken latent magic by flirting with a witch at a book signing.”
“I wasn’t flirting.”
She arched a brow.
“…Okay, maybe a little.”
She took the pen and scribbled something in his copy of her book. He peeked over the top:
Chapter 13: Love Spells That Backfire Gloriously.
“Are you trying to curse me?”
“Only if you’re lucky,” she said. Then she added, “Or brave.”
He stood, awkward. Unsure.
“Do I—do I come back?” he asked, voice low.
“That,” she said, “is entirely up to you.”
Julian hesitated, then turned to go. He made it three steps before the cat meowed—a sound that cracked open something hollow in his chest.
He turned back.
The witch was still watching. Not smiling now. Waiting.
He returned to the table. “May I… buy you tea?”
Her smile bloomed like a spell catching fire.
“I’d be enchanted.”
As they walked away, the cat leapt from the table, pawed open the Book of Binding Hearts, and turned to Chapter 14:
Our Twitter handle 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.
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 a 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. Remember, the question is optional! April 3 question – How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?
MY ANWSER: I write articles. Not sure that is blogging. I do not blog on a schedule, but as needed and depending on my focus. I do participate in the IWSG blog hop. I have been on Facebook and Twitter for over 20 years. Lots of changes—don’t like none of it — change is hard and disruptive. Twitter is HORRIBLE and now called X—Musk ruined that platform. Facebook, not better, just different and harder to use and get seen, especially if you use it in your book marketing. The one thing I like that is connected to Facebook is I think Instagram has gotten better, so there is that.
I had some tech issues and did not get the story finished that I planned to share today, so sharing an older one you may or may not have seen before. It is my free story when you sign up for my newsletter.
It had been a year since Ava, my twin, had died and I had taken up the quest to find The Boon a fabled artifact that granted a return to life without consequence.
The Boon had been Ava’s passion. She died to recover the ancient scroll that told the story along with a map with the warning that whosoever possessed the artifact drew Death to them.
Eleven months and thousands and thousands of miles had led me to this moment but not without incident.
I had escaped Death three times not because I faced him, but in my grief and anger, I became reckless in relentless pursuit of my mission.
The scroll said the artifact was buried with an Egyptian oracle of Anubis in a place long forgotten.
I slipped out of base camp once all had settled for the night and made the final track by myself. I guarded the scrolls changing my hiding place often never sharing them. Ava’s passion consumed me grief fueling my determination.
The wild trail twisted and turned until I arrived at the mountainside. I spent an hour hacking at overgrowth to uncover the crack, angled in such a way, to make it almost invisible to the naked eye.
Just inside the entrance a few feet, I encountered a sandstone stairway leading almost straight down. I gripped my light tighter.
Down, down and down.
I looked up. I could no longer see any hint of light above me. I kept going. I had to take several breaks, pressing against the wall to fight the feeling that if I leaned forward too far, I would continue to fall forever.
I arrived at the bottom chamber. A sarcophagus sat in its center in a circle of light. Not what I expected. I dropped my backpack.
Two hours later, I had managed to move the lid enough to peer inside. A single object lay within. I stretch, managing to pick it up.
A deep voice spoke behind me, the expanding vibration shaking me to the core. “Do not touch that.”
My breath stuttered as I gripped my chest and vision wavered. A dark silhouette stood just on the edge of the light.
“You scared me to death. I didn’t hear you come down.” He stepped forward. I could see his frown and the concern that laced his face. Eyes so deep and full of emotion for a moment I felt the pain as if my heart had shattered forever.
“It is not your time.”
This he said as we both looked down at my still lifeless body holding a heart-shaped stone box next to the crypt.
According to the scrolls, the gods ripped Death’s heart from his body placing the immortal organ in a special container in compassion for the task they had given him, so he would be better able to bear the sorrow of the world.
I knelt by my body. I still could not reconcile that I lived, and Ava had died. “So, it was Ava’s time?”
“No Jazz, it was your time. Ava made the choice.”
Grief gripped me. I found the artifact. In spirit, I touch the metal heart. “I choose Ava.” Silence.
“Nooooo.” I sat up holding the artifact. “I chose Ava.”
I screamed for death until I was hoarse, but The Boon was already spent. I lived.
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.
They inspired ME to start my Midlife Ghostwalker series project. These short form episodes are a outline for the first book and short story in this series. It was a Medium experiment I did. Some things could change in the novel, such as names, arrangement, and more stuff, magical hijinks and fun added.
The IWSG Book Club Presents: Falling Down Rabbit Holes by Toi Thomas, images by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
It’s the year of the Rabbit.
So, what does that mean for the IWSG Book Club?
Well, did you see that Tubi Superbowl commercial?
This next book club phase is all about discovering rabbit holes in your reading. We want you to discover or re-discover the joy of reading through exploration.
As an additional tool provided by the amazing Insecure Writers Support Group, the book club will never lose sight of its original objective to help writers hone their skills. Plus, we still like having the option to spotlight the talents of this dynamic group. So, while some things will never change, it’s time to shift gears and remember why we all started this journey- the joy of reading.
We’ve decided to place the book club in a position of comfort and support, giving each member a chance to shine their own light on what matters most to them as a reader. We are keeping our craft books and member spotlight books but will only be hosting discussions every three months. This is a perfect opportunity for those who’ve wanted to participate in a group read in the past but simply didn’t have time to join in. As always, we set up our discussions in a way that’s easy for anyone to participate in, even if they haven’t read the books. We are returning to our three-question format because people seemed to like it better. Sometimes the discussion is a good place to ask questions and learn more before committing to reading the book(s) if you haven’t already.
In addition to quarterly discussions, we’ll offer monthly activities and encouragement for members to pick and choose from, and perhaps, fall down a rabbit hole or two.
Each month we’ll offer a themed reading challenge where you call all the shots. All we do is provide the theme and some suggestions (which you are welcome to ignore). This is another opportunity to be part of the crowd but on your own terms. You pick your genre, your platform, your medium- it’s up to you. You could take the challenge each month or join when the theme calls you. (Sooo hoping to see some memes on this one!)
Each month we’ll host a discussion called, “What are you reading?” This will be an opportunity to talk about the books you are excited about, apprehensive about, or reading for work/education. Tell us all about it. We want to know. Perhaps we’ll add one of your books to our TBR or provide you with some encouragement to get through a tough read. So go ahead, get on your soapbox, and let us know, “What are you reading?” (Wouldn’t mind seeing a few memes here either.)
Last but definitely not least, in the grand IWSG tradition, we’ll host a monthly check-in poll allowing members to update the group on their reading progress. Perhaps they are taking the Goodreads Challenge, the book club challenge, or some other personal challenge or goal. Tell us all about it and we’ll be there to root you on.
Our first quarterly read is starting a little late but that’s okay. We have to start somewhere. For those interested in our quarterly spotlight reads, the first official discussion will be on April 27, 2023 (Yes, that’s 2 months, not 3 months, away). The featured titles are:
So, whatever it is that you are or aren’t reading, The IWSG Book Club is here to offer you encouragement. Remember, you can participate as little or as much as you like, but we truly hope to see you around. We wish you all the best with every rabbit hole you dive into. -Thank you. Toi
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