IWSG 50: WRITERS EVOLVE

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more click here.

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Co-Hosts: | Nicki Elson | Juneta Key | Tamara Narayan | Patricia Lynne

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

Writers evolve because over time not only do we get better at the craft we see all kinds of possibilities we ignored in the beginning. Most of us start off modest. Well, I did at any rate.

now i have a goal

My goal lately is to find an agent, but like many of you that’s not how it started. It started with entering a contest and receiving an honorable mention. After many more words and a few published shorts, it brought me to the Insecure Writers Support Group.

Like everyone else that enjoys membership I write because I can’t stop. It’s amazing how secure I feel when I know I’m not alone.

I get lost in storytelling

Sometimes I’m secure and brave enough to start brainstorming, or outlining.

I get moments when I’m lost in my imagination and can live there for months. I don’t mind the hard work of getting the story down. I’m happiest when I’m up to my elbows and don’t worry about where it will lead.

Too scary for me, so I won’t over think it.

When I incorporate feedback and think the work is polished enough, I live in moments of bravery or madness and submit. Sometimes it pays off. I try not to over think that either.

someone else liked my work

It turned out someone thought I was worth publishing. It was validation. I got it. I guess I want more of it.

Seeking Representation is evolution

So things have changed from contests and short to novels and seeking an agent. I could be mad, as in crazy as a loon, or maybe I’m brave. In the end it won’t matter. What matters is moving forward one word at a time.

Big plans or little. How’s it going for you?

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IWSG 49: Using Word Association For Naming A Book

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more click here.

~~~oOo~~~

 

Co-Hosts:

Beverly Stowe McClure | Tyrean Martinson

Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor

IWSG Question: What’s harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

I have fun with choosing names for both.

Here’s what I do for book titles.

I go in thinking it is a working title and try not stress about it. Let’s face it if my publisher or agent suggested something better I’ll take it. I’m a writer not a marketer. I’m sure that’s obvious.

I use word association just like a therapist. I choose words that capture the essence of the overall project. Sometimes I’m thinking mystery which often leads to murder, suspects, sleuths, motive, unfinished business, and in one occasion ghosts.

And White Light was born. I chose it because many claim to see a white light when they are brought back from death. And the idea of a white room where a spirit was trapped seemed to grow out of that tiny idea.

With one of my dragon stories I played on the words  cat’s eye, moon, and a mother leaving her child too soon.

Dragon Eye  was based on a different kind of guardian angel.

And with my latest WIP Symbiotic Slip, I wanted my title to hint at two planets relying on each other’s resources and being knocked out of sync.  ‘Nough said there I think. 😉

Characters…

My process for picking character’s names is very simple. I use the name generator I found in Scrivener. But there are tons of generators out there…. Google it and you’ll see what I mean.

What did you do to title your latest WIP? Any hints for us?

IWSG 48: How To Set Up an Interview

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more click here.

~~~oOo~~~

Co-Hosts:
JQ Rose | C. Lee McKenzie | Raimey Gallant | E.M.A Timar

No optional question today…

Because I’ve got something else on my mind—Interviews for research.

After being stuck in Small-Town-Heaven, I need to get out. Most of my research is done online. It makes sense mountain roads can be dangerous in winter, and I’m miles from almost everything.

But I do have another reason I’ve not reached out. More of an excuse really.

We all know the feeling of rejection.

One of my biggest fears when researching is being rejected before I can ask any questions. It happened when I reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police a few years back. They have a contact webpage. It looked so inviting.

They responded almost immediately telling me that it would take some time to get back to me. The answers never came. My questions were sucked into the black hole of indifference and I’ve listened to crickets for years.

I’m definitely not a reporter—chasing leads, pushing to the front of the crowd, and ignoring any and all snubs.

I’m really sorry it was my first attempt at reaching out because it’s left me gunshy.

Unfortunately for me, most of Canada is policed by the RCMP. There are exceptions: Ontario and Quebec have their own force and so do some cities throughout the country.

I just discovered one place that has city police—Nelson BC. It’s not far from me. I’m excited and terrified. They may be too perfect for me.

I like writing about small towns and small-town cops. Nelson is not huge. An interview would be great. If I find the nerve to contact the Nelson Police Department and set something up.

I’m not sure if failure is imminent but it sure feels like it.

Help me, please.

If you’ve reached out successfully for an interview, how did you do it? And yes I mean step-by-step directions, or any advice that may help me do this right.

IWSG 47: KINDNESS IS IMPORTANT TOO

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more click here.

~~~oOo~~~

 

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question:

When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

Co-Hosts:

Olga Godim | Chemist Ken | Renee Scattergood | Tamara Narayan

Sometimes I land up very insecure about what I’m doing or not doing. I get carried away by what I think everyone else is writing and I think I’m not good enough. Maybe we all do this.

The only thing that makes me feel better is remembering…

I used to partake in the NaNo month and camps until I dug so deep I felt like a dry well. That scared me more than not writing for a few weeks when I needed a break or when I needed to think about where my story was going and how I was going to get there.

We all are different. We should allow ourselves to create the way we need too. Some of us push creativity out like toothpaste from a tube and others let it happen. Whichever way you create doesn’t matter.

Creation is a gift and so is your talent.

Follow your heart. It’s all about nurture and self-care. Talk to yourself as if you are your best friend or a vulnerable child. Be respectful of who you are and how you function. Know it is okay to take a long time or pump it out. It’s your journey. Jog. Walk. Smell the flowers.

Nothing about creativity is standard.

The only thing that matters is it feeds your soul and you’re proud of the final product. Something I try to remember when it’s cloudy and the rain is falling.

IWSG 46: Dealing with Insecurity

I’m reposting my first IWSG post from May 2014 because I’m too ill to post an original. Let’s see how much I’ve changed. 🙂

link: https://emaginette.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/iwsg-1-dealing-with-insecurity/

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This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more, click here.

It comes in waves of harsh reality. I can’t do this and it doesn’t matter if it is in my blood or if I’ve written everyday for most of my life. It doesn’t mater that I spend hours imagining stories that entertained me. It doesn’t matter that I’ve learned how to write them down and share what I’ve learned with whomever wished to learn.

In between the waves I submit, letting the tide take me where it will.

Am I scared? Oh yes, but when something runs deeply it’s hard to keep it to yourself. It is harder to turn your back on it. I’m not saying I’m a great writer. I wish I was, but I do understand something about the greats of the human race. They all had this drive, and they kept going until their vision changed the world. I’m not arrogant enough to think I’ll be doing this, but I’ll be reaching for it.

It scares me like nothing else in my life has — the brass ring, the open window, the big chance. It’s there and I can see it beyond my fingertips. I’m not alone. So many hands, and so many chances, yet we stand together like an army trying for greatness. And I wonder which of us will find it.

There is no doubt that some of us will.

I don’t care who makes it. To be a part of such a community is pleasure enough. I love the creativity, excitement, and will until the day I die.

Being an insecure writer is who I am and until the last few years I kept it to myself. With the internet I’ve discovered I’m not alone. Many of us bob along between the waves of bravery and terror.

If you are part of this, be excited, be afraid and love every moment of it. You’re alive and doing something truly remarkable. I face my fears, as you do, and every time I submit I jump in over my head, wondering what will happen next.

Now that I have found you, hold my hand and let’s jump together.