IWSG August 1, 2018 Writing Journey: Warnings & Wisdom
IWSG AUGUST 1, 2018
INSECURE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP
FOUNDED BY
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Writer’s supporting, encouraging and learning from each other. Post on your own blog about your struggles, your triumphs, and your successes. Talk about your works in progress the good, the bad and the ugly or some other writing relating topic on your mind. Read others, interact, comment, and grow within this wonderful author community. Every month there is an optional question for those who may need help figuring out what to post about.
Erika Beebe,Sandra Hoover,Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery!
The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest
Word count: 3500-6000
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Theme:
Masquerade
A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren’t. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.
Submissions accepted: September 5 – November 4, 2018
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.
Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges who will be announced September 5.
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.
Our book selection for August/September is:
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
This one is for our memoir writers and anyone who has ever thought of writing a memoir. The discussion will start September 19th and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you’re able. Join Us.
[themify_box style=”black”]GIVEAWAY!
Book club members have the chance to win a paperback copy of Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. This is a used copy, but it’s in great condition.
To enter, go to this Rafflecopter Form.[/themify_box] It’s free to enter, but you have to be a book club member. We will verify this, so join us on Goodreads!
One winner will be randomly selected on August 8th, and Chrys Fey will email the winner to get mailing details. All info will be kept private.
DISCUSSION
September 19th, Join Us.
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The IWSG/WEP COLLABORATION
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group has entered into a new partnership with the Write…Edit…Publish Challenge (aka WEP) which is the brainchild of Denise Covey, a long-standing IWSG member, who runs this challenge with her wonderful team.
WEP is a free online writing/creative community.
Choose from the following formats: FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, ARTWORK, PHOTO ESSAYS
SUBMIT your name to the Inlinkz list that will be provided on the WEP blog. The list opens 01 August which is TODAY!
2. CREATE your entry for the August challenge – CHANGE OF HEART
3. EDIT your entry
4. POST your entry on your blog/face book page on August 15 – state feedback preferences
5. READ other entries, giving feed back
ALL GENRES WELCOME except erotica – 1,000 words maximum.
Visit the WEP site for more information.
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OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question:
[themify_box style=”orange”] What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?[/themify_box]
STOP! Procrastination, Perfectionism, Fear! Butt In Chair Writing. Just Do IT! Send your inner critic on vacation and tell him/her they will have plenty of work to do once the first draft is finished, after all, the editor/critic cannot play on a blank page. Tell’em you will give them a whole story world to play in if they will hush until the end. For the editor/critic, it will feel like they won the lottery.
Give yourself permission to write crap. If you don’t write that first draft you have nothing to work with, edit or market. You can’t sell or share a blank page. Remember write first. You have to have a book to market it.
You write alone BUT it takes team effort and support to market and sell a book, so build your network and give back when you can.
As for the rest, I am still on the journey, but I take every opportunity to learn, network and listen to good advice and direction. I am learning also how to make myself take the actions I need on the sage advice and JUST DO IT!
Just finished my plot board and outline and the writing begins or maybe I should say starts again.
Loose Ends Suspense Fiction by Jennifer Haynie
Patricia Josephine Tempting Friendship Paranormal Romance
NEXT STORYTIME BLOG HOP OCTOBER 31ST, 2018
August 13, 2018 @ 15:28
I always have problems with that write crap thing. Perfect is going to eat me, sooner or later.
August 11, 2018 @ 04:18
Always a good tip!
August 8, 2018 @ 19:03
I should heed that advice. Sometimes I have my spells of writing, but I’ve become very lax of late.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
August 6, 2018 @ 23:30
It’s kind of like we have to take this leap of faith during the first draft. It’s an awful lot of time to invest in something we can’t be 100% sure will work out in the end, but you’re right, butt in seat is the only way to find out!
August 7, 2018 @ 15:41
Right just can’t know which makes the writing life a bit of the unknown until you can establish yourself. and even then there is no guarantee.
August 6, 2018 @ 18:27
Great advice, especially to give yourself permission to write crap. Sometimes, we really do need to just write crap. lol
August 7, 2018 @ 15:42
Yeah, lol, I need to listen better to my own advice.
August 5, 2018 @ 10:49
There’s a lot going on this month in the IWSG world. Sound advice, Juneta. Our worlds, determination, satisfaction, accomplishments and success start once the first word is written down.
I hear you about putting the critic aside in the first draft. It’s difficult to do, probably for all of us “perfectionists”. The way I found a balance with my memoir, is to let it all flow in the first draft, but, before starting the next chapter, give the previous one a look over and make some corrections. This worked for me. It didn’t halt my creativity and it felt like I had something decent to work with in the second draft.
I love the layout of your blog, by the way and how you put this post together.
August 7, 2018 @ 15:39
Thank you. I also read the paragraph before to get my start on the next me or sometimes 2 or 3 so I can get my head back into it.
August 4, 2018 @ 14:03
This is the #1 best advice for writers. I have a Terry Pratchett quote, “the first draft is just you telling yourself the story” taped to my screen. It reminds me that the first draft is just that, and once I’ve told myself the story, I will revise revise revise until it’s ready to tell the story to others.
August 7, 2018 @ 15:57
That is great advice. I just taped it to my screen too. Thank you for the quote.
August 3, 2018 @ 14:27
Hi Juneta. Love your energy. Yes, it’s wonderful to allow yourself to write the less than perfect paragraph. I’m trying something new this time around. I’ve been a panster for the past fifteen years. This time around, I’m working on a summary first. That might reduce the number of times I have to rewrite the whole dang novel, LOL. What do you thing?
August 7, 2018 @ 15:37
Definitely think it will help reduce rewriters because you are writing with some structure in mind so maybe will get you closer to want you want first time. I also am a pantster and I am trying an outline and plot board this time around.
August 3, 2018 @ 13:04
Nice summary! Yes, the inner editor has to shut up so you can write the draft (though I do know a few who are “perfect-as-you-go” writers. They write beautifully but the toll it takes on them is huge).
—Rebecca
My IWSG Post
August 7, 2018 @ 16:01
I am a bit too laid back I think to manage the perfect as you go and impatient. I ten to think in concepts first, and then go back to figure out the details. A born pantsier for sure. I am teaching myself to use an outline sketch of the story and that does seem to help and make it go a little better.
August 3, 2018 @ 09:48
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I love your advice about telling the editor to wait. Just writing is often the key. We writers sometimes just don’t do enough writing.
August 7, 2018 @ 16:02
This is a new practice for me. Visualizing the editor going on vacation. I am bumping along with it but it does seem to help a bit.
August 3, 2018 @ 03:34
Great advice 🙂
August 2, 2018 @ 22:44
Butt in chair is where it’s at! I’ve had students want to talk about marketing, projected income, and publishing venues. I always politely ask that they present their book to me first, and then I’ll discuss avenues and venues.
August 7, 2018 @ 16:03
LOL, Right if they don’t have that the rest don’t matter. Smart.
August 2, 2018 @ 21:54
Great advice, Juneta. “Give yourself permission to write crap.” As much I hate doing that, you’re right. It is the only way froward.
August 2, 2018 @ 19:25
You are so right! Butt in chair writing is the first step, and give yourself permission to write crap. Once you have that, you can turn it into a real story through editing.
August 2, 2018 @ 19:24
Great tips. I especially like ‘giving ourselves permission to write crap’. It’s so important. We put enough pressure on ourselves as it is!
August 1, 2018 @ 21:50
I need to put words on those blank pages. Sometimes that the biggest challenge for me.
August 7, 2018 @ 16:05
It is for me. That is why I say all that. I am ready to get past it and on to the next challenge.
August 1, 2018 @ 21:02
“Just do it” has been a motto of mine for a long time. Sometimes I need that kick in the pants.
August 1, 2018 @ 20:14
“Butt In Chair Writing. Just Do IT!” YES!!! I love this! Thank you. We write. we learn. We write more and we must not stop. Thank you. Happy IWSG Day 🙂
August 7, 2018 @ 16:06
Thank you. Happy IWSG.
August 1, 2018 @ 18:10
Just do it! Not just a Nike slogan anymore.
August 7, 2018 @ 16:07
lol, RIGHT! I forgot about that until you mentioned it. Too funny.
August 1, 2018 @ 14:58
Permission to write crap is a huge one. It took me a bit to get over the fact I wasn’t a genius. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
August 1, 2018 @ 14:11
We just have to do it! Then get help along the way.
August 1, 2018 @ 12:03
Yes! You’ve gotta do it if it’s gonna get done!