It’s First Wednesday again – time for the IWSG pep talk for all us insecure writers! August 3 question – When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want? When I set out to write a story, I write…
I use two –ok three–pieces of software to keep my writing life organized. OK, I will admit that one of the three is Microsoft Word. I think nearly every writer uses this software. It’s easy to learn, most every editor and agent will accept it, and it gets the job done. If all you’re doing is…
I’ve been working on several projects this month. They range from writing short stories for anthologies to continuing to edit the sci-fi novel to writing articles for pay on Upwork. I’ve finished editing the Sisters in Crime story for the anthology “Rock & Roll & Ruin” and included a new plot twist on the advice…
It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post! This month’s question is: How do you define success as a writer? Is it holding your book in your hand? Having a short story published? Making a certain amount of income from your writing? I define success as following through on your dreams and finishing your…
I have gotten into an anthology. This is one of my crime/mystery tales of the velyr, and will be in the Sisters of Crime Triangle Chapter’s anthology entitled “Rock & Roll & Ruin.” It features Tel and Tano solving a mystery from the 1930s, using an old letter they found inside of a musical instrument.…
It’s First Wednesday so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog. It’s so easy to self-reject, to feel insecure. That seems to be the default setting for any creative person. You compare yourself to those who are “making it” in the public eye and come up short. Your work sucks. Your talent is…
It’s time for yet another Insecure Writer’s Support Group Post! We’re talking about some ways to combat insecurity today. Insecurity can become a hurricane-force cycle of depression and negativity. There are ways to break this cycle, though. You can even start thinking of yourself as a successful writer. Some of these techniques are borrowed from…
I’m co-chairing our local critique group meeting Monday evening, since our regular chairwoman is on vacation this week. My duties will be keeping track of who’s reading and in which order the critique-ers will speak. This is good, because I don’t think I could handle running the chat room all by myself. SCWA meets every…
Have a new anthology or two we’re trying to get into. One’s a weird history detective story that will feature Badi, our favorite velyr PI. I like his sarcastic noir attitude and am setting the story in 1800s Savannah so it’ll fit in with the anthology’s guidelines (they don’t want anything after the turn of…
My alter ego and I are submitting various stories to various contests and anthologies. I’m working on two anthologies: Inclusive Future Magazine’s “What Will Gender Be Like in 50 Years?” and Writing The Future You Need’s “Navigating the Ruins.” I may also submit something later in the summer for “Prohibition.” My alter ego is sending…