#IWSG – EXPERIENCE AS WRITER VS. READER

Hello, all! It’s the first Wednesday of the month and we know what that means:

It’s time for another meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group – #IWSG.

The amazing Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh founded this group and it has become a safe haven if you are an insecure writer.

Click the image if you would like to be a part of the #IWSG family. You won’t regret it.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak.

The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy and Joylene Buter!

Make sure you take a moment to thank them for their hard work!!

February 1 Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

A lot of what I learned about writing I learned from members of this very same group. Whereas I used to read just for the joy of it (obviously, I still do), now I pay closer attention to things like POV, writing style, depth of characters, etc.

I’ll read a book and make mental notes of things I do and don’t want to include in my writing. What are elements of the story that stick out to me? Are certain passages or elements critical to moving the story forward, or are they superfluous incidentals that don’t add value?

Critical thinking is key to developing your own style. It’s one of the reasons I read from various authors and genres.

What about you? How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

 

 

 

#IWSG – HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello, all! It’s the first Wednesday of the month and we know what that means:

It’s time for another meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group – #IWSG.

My hero, the amazing Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh founded this group and it has become a safe haven if you are an insecure writer.

Click the image if you would like to be a part of the #IWSG family. You won’t regret it.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak.

Co-hosts for the January 4 posting of the IWSG are Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner,  Heather Gardner, and yours truly!!

First off, Happy New Year to everyone! Hope your holidays were spectacular!

 

January 4 Question: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

I always have trouble with active vs. passive voice. More often than I care to admit, I’m guilty of using passive voice in a lot of my writing. Using passive voice leads to excessive word usage and vaguer sentences. Using active voice provides more ‘pop’ to your writing. Thankfully, the programs I use all let me know when I’m using passive instead of active voice. I re-write the sentences to make them active which makes it frustrating and time-consuming.

Mind you, an occasional passive sentence is fine with me, but I need work on using active voice more often. In everyday conversation, I speak with an active voice (obviously) :), but in my writing, it seems to be the opposite. How sad is that, considering this is probably rule #1! How I wish there were no difference!

What writing rule pushes your buttons?

 

 

 

#IWSG – SHORT AND SWEET

Hello, all! It’s the first Wednesday of the month and we know what that means:

It’s time for another meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group – #IWSG.

My hero, the amazing Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh founded this group and it has become a safe haven if you are an insecure writer.

Click the image if you would like to be a part of the #IWSG family. You won’t regret it.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak.

The awesome co-hosts for the December 7 posting of the #IWSG are Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!

Take a moment to thank our wonderful co-hosts for their hard work!

December 7 Question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

 

Even with my recent move and the obstacles that came with it, I was still able to write about 13k words last month. I used NaNo as my guide, though I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete it. It did, however, help me keep my motivation to write fresh.

 

In five years, God willing, I will be a published author. I plan to continue writing, taking free courses to help with plotting, structure, POV, etc. because I still struggle with those things. I read like crazy and it helps to see other writers methods.

If you’re unpublished like me, how do you plan on moving forward with your career? If you published your works, what helped you get to the finish line?

 

 

 

#IWSG – NEW ENDEVOURS

Hello, all! It’s the first Wednesday of the month and we know what that means:

It’s time for another meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group – #IWSG.

My hero, the amazing Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh founded this group and it has become a safe haven if you are an insecure writer.

Click the image if you would like to be a part of the #IWSG family. You won’t regret it.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak.

The awesome co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley!

October is going to be an exciting month for me. My close friend Vivian and I are going to try our hand at scriptwriting a scene for a short film. Not only are we going to write it, but we’ll also be acting in the scene. We’ll be given credit as writers AND actors! Yeah, no pressure…

I won’t divulge the name of the film yet because I want to see how well this works out. I’m crossing my fingers that the producer will accept our scene when it’s done. Stay tuned for more info as the deadline approaches. 🙂

October 5 Question: When do you know your story is ready?

Unfortunately, I don’t. That’s why I have so many stories that are still in draft and editing stages. It’s something I definitely have to work on. 

Are you trying anything new or outside your comfort zone? How do you know when your story is ready?

 

 

 

 

#IWSG – WRITING AND STUFF

Hello, all! It’s the first Wednesday of the month and we know what that means:

Click the Image to Join!

It’s time for another meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group – #IWSG.

My hero, the amazing Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh founded this group and it has become a safe haven if you are an insecure writer.

Click the image if you would like to be a part of the #IWSG family. You won’t regret it.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak.

 

Our awesome co-hosts today are C. Lee McKenzie, Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata!

Please take a moment to thank them for their hard work.

 

September’s question of the month – How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

 

My days are ‘busier’ in the sense that I’m far slower in doing tasks than I was before 2011. I do find time in my routine to write. I recently discovered an app for my iPhone called Werdsmith, and I love it. I use it to jot ideas, notes, and sometimes even paragraphs when I’m in a car, or in bed and too lazy to power up the computer (or pull out a pen and paper). 

I still manage to write (type) before bed, even if it’s for twenty minutes/half-hour. 

I also opened a free account with CELTX, a scriptwriting program that I’m trying to familiarize myself with. It looks straightforward. There’s an app for that, too – and it can also be upgraded to a paid account. The free is good for beginners like me. 

I’d do well with Scrivener if I could ever get through the tutorial without becoming completely flustered. (It’s the brain). *Sigh* I’ve had it since I won NaNo in 2013 and still haven’t been able to enjoy it. 

Have you wanted to learn something so badly, but seemed to get stuck at every turn? How did you conquer said obstacle?