Tag: #IWSG

Tales of the Dark #IWSG

  By IWSG
 

It’s the first Wednesday of October, and time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post.

 
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!
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the  October 2 posting of the IWSG are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!
 

October 2 question – Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What’s your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

 
I’m not a big fan of ghost stories. I’ve come close to the edge of the other side a few too many times to be comfortable with them. But the one that has always fascinated me is what I call the wanderer. Others may call him the walking man. The story has variations in many places across the United States, from Pennsylvania to Wyoming to Oregon.
 
But the basis is always the same. The man (well, almost all the stories I’ve heard make it a man, not a woman) seen on the side of the road. Sometimes he’s hitchhiking, many times just walking. He may be a figure of goodness, but most often he’s to be feared, a cautionary tale about not picking up hitchhikers. He’s always ragged, skinny, with wild eyes.
 
He’s been the basis for stories and statues. A solitary man, alone in the night, in the shadows, almost always older. One tale speculates he’s looking for his wife who was killed in a car accident. If you turn to get a second look, he’s gone. Seemingly, only a figment of your imagination.
 
What happens if you stop and talk to him? Offer a ride? The tales differ from place to place. Most often, he simply vanishes.  Or you do, and no one knows what happened.
 
He’s a modern-day ghost story and I’ve never heard what older tale he spawned from. If you know, tell me in the comments. Of course, some tales warn that even talking about him can be a bad omen. Does that extend to writing about him on the internet?
 
To hear more ghostly tales, follow the links below. And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 

Writing Rules That Are Wrong #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!

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.

 

September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I’m really lucky. Through grade school and high school, I had excellent teachers who taught a broad curriculum. We were exposed to a wide variety of literature, not only from English and American culture, but from other backgrounds as well. They started from the basics—spelling, grammar, and sentence structure,— and moved into full essays with footnotes and bibliographies. (We used the MLA format.)

The difference was apparent when I got to college. 

The essays I needed to write for the first-year courses were a breeze, compared to the requirements of my high school senior assignments. Not all my classmates felt that way, and I was thankful for my previous classes.

 

Granted, the classes were aimed mostly towards non-fiction and literature. Still, the basics apply to fiction as well. I haven’t had to unlearn anything, but there was still plenty to learn when I started writing my stories.

So, there’s nothing I learned that messed me up. I got a great foundation for future writing. I may be a rarity, but we can find out by checking out some of the other posts on this hop.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

Favorite Word Processing Software #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
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!
 
The awesome co-hosts for the  July 3 posting of the IWSG are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!

July 3 question – What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

 
The first word processing software I used was Novell’s WordPerfect. (Does anyone use it anymore?) That was back in the late 80s/early 90s, when Microsoft programs didn’t rule the world. It was an easy move to Microsoft Word and the rest of the Office Suite when I switched jobs. With all the changes since then, Microsoft has turned Word into more than a simple letter-writing tool.
 
But they also changed the payment model. Unless you purchase a stripped down-version, you pay to use it either monthly or yearly. 
 
No, thank you. That’s why I use LibreOffice, free software that emulates all the basic functionality of Word. Yes, enough of the commands are different to beat copyright claims, but it’s easy to learn.
 

I have another choice for editing.

 
While LibreOffice is great for a first draft, it doesn’t have all the editing functionality as Word. I have another favorite for that. I’ve tried Hemingway, Grammarly, and several others. The one I settled on was ProWritingAid. The free version was useful, but the full version made a big difference. And I received a lifetime subscription as a Christmas present.
 
One caveat: I’ve noticed more errors getting through ProWritingAid in my current editing. I don’t know if I’ve messed up a setting somewhere or what, but I need to check into it.
 
So, that’s what I use. I’ve used both in the writing of this post. I’m making bets on what the most popular answers will be. Check out a few of the other answers by following the links below.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 
 
 

What Comes Next? #IWSG

  By IWSG

 
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
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the June 5 posting of the IWSG are Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim!

Remember, the question is optional

June 5 question – In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?
 
Good question. If I could figure out the answer, I wouldn’t be part of this group with other struggling writers. But I can’t see into the future. Heck, it’s hard enough to stay current with what is happening in the writing world on a week by week basis. I feel like I’m always getting in on the tail end of the “next big trend” in publicity.
 
One thing I’ve always wanted to develop is a site where authors can share potential events and opportunities for selling books in person. I’m talking community festivals, local book signing days, and the like. It could be a site where authors share with others about their successes and which ones didn’t pan out. It would take a lot of work, and I don’t think any one person could maintain it. Who would have imagined that the Chugwater Chili Festival was a hot market for books?
 
 
Anyway, that’s my suggestion. I’m looking forward to see what ideas everyone else has.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 

Squirrel! #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
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!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
 
The awesome co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

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.

May 1 question – How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

 
Or as they used to say in the office before I retired—Squirrel! That was the standard response to any of our IT experts getting distracted by a new project, which happened frequently. But it applies equally to my endeavors in writing as well.
 

Image by moonflower5 from Pixabay

 
It could be anything-going down a rabbit hole in research, spotting an interesting post on social media (I should block myself from Reddit) to one of the other people in the house tapping me on the shoulder to ask me a question. (Recently, I moved my desk to a more ‘public’ area in my house and I like to listen to music as I write, so with my headphones on, I’m easy to sneak up on.) Depending on the type of distraction, I might not return to my writing immediately, or I might need to get out of my chair and go do something else.
 
How derailed do I get? That depends on what I’m working on at how long the distraction lasted. If I had to make a run to the kitchen while I was working on a blog host, I likely will get right back to work. But in the case of something like stopping to do yardwork or run a load of clothes, it might be hard for me get back into writing mode.

That’s not always a bad thing.

A break gives me time to refocus my thoughts. If I’m working on a tough spot in a chapter, the answer may come to me while mulling it over as I do something else. When I get derailed while doing research, I may stumble across a fact that fits in with my topic. If I’m composing a blog post, a temporary absence may give my mind time to come up with other points I should cover.
 
Don’t let my post fool you. It’s not all sunshine. I might not get back into my writing groove for a week or more. It frustrates me, and I don’t have a consistent cure.
 
What do other authors have to say? Check out a few of their answers by following the links below.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 

It Feels Like Forever – Blogging #IWSG

  By Open Book
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!April 3 question – How long have you been blogging?  What do you like about it and how has it changed?

I had to turn on my way back machine to answer this month’s question.

When I realized I needed to do publicity for my first book, Wolves’ Pawn, everyone told me I needed to have a blog. So, I started one. That was probably in 2013 or 2014.
I wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t post on a regular basis, and I had no clue on topics to write about. I didn’t like to post about my personal life, and I’m no expert in the field of writing. What was left?
Back then, I used Blogger. It was free, and I wasn’t committed to it. But it was fairly easy to post, and Blogger + helped  me gain followers, as well as keep the ones I had.
Then the + went away. In no time flat, a large portion of my small band of readers disappeared, never to be seen again. It was time to rethink my position. What if Blogger went away entirely?

So, here I am. On my own website.

Still struggling to find and keep followers, but since I joined this hop and another, at least I am posting on a regular basis. The stats for how many followers I supposedly have feels like a lie, because it isn’t reflected in my views.  Still, I keep trying.
Most of my posts are about writing in general, but more of ‘me’ gets in there. I don’t know that it has helped me sell books, but I keep trying. At least I have something to point to when I’m asked where someone should go to find out more about my books.

Here's something personal, just to prove I'm not a bot!

Here’s something personal, to prove I’m not a bot!

I have the general impression that people don’t read blogs as much as they used to. More focus is on other types of social media, mostly visual. You know what they are. I’ve dabbled on one of those, but prefer written media.
Lot’s of other folks are blogging on this same topic today. You can check out their posts by following the links below.
And, as I always say in closing, please stay safe until the next time!

Please Don’ts For A Writer’s Website #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
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!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!

February 7 question: What turns you off when visiting an author’s website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author’s books? Constant mention of books?

Remember MySpace?

When every page was bright, flashy, twinkling fluorescent colors that sparkled and hurt your eyes? Please, don’t do that to my poor old aged eyes. Or post anything that is seizure-inducing. (Confession time – I never had a MySpace page.)
 
Other than that, I’m pretty easy. Well, I have one complaint. Don’t throw a huge ‘sign up for my newsletter’ block up before I’ve had a chance to even view your information. I’m not saying don’t have one. Maybe have it in a sidebar or somewhere else. Because if you place it on the front page, I’m going to close it without even reading the message. I may even skip checking out your site. (But probably not. I’m too stubborn for that.)
 
Yes, I know this goes against all the marketing advice out there. Oh, well! Chances are, I’ve come to your website looking for something in particular, and the demand for a newsletter signup annoys me. But I’ve often said, I’m not your standard consumer and all ads turn me off. That’s one reason I stopped watching TV.
 
One more thing. Please make your menu easy to navigate. I may be stubborn, but sometimes I’m lazy.
 

Having said all that. I’ve got to go back and check my website.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a major update. But I promise you, no flashing font!
 
If you haven’t done it yet, please check out some of the other authors on this hop. (See the many links below.) And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.
 
 

Following And Being Followed on BookBub #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
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!
The awesome co-hosts for the January 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Olga Godim, Diedre Knight, and Natalie Aguirre!

January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors?

 
I’m glad it’s a quick and easy question for the new year.
 
I put effort into building a BookBub following a few years ago, but never got too far with it. (I’m sitting at 359 followers.) And yes, I will follow back anyone that follows me. But since I only get notification that I’ve added followers, and not who they were, it can be hard to figure out who to follow back.
 
So, I’m pretty close to following the same number of folks on the site as are following me. I get lots of notifications of authors adding books, putting books on sale, etc., but never get any feedback if folks get similar notices for me. Adding reviews seems like a good way to get more attention, but haven’t developed the habit.
 
Here’s my BookBub link if you would like to follow me. I’ll be sure to return the favor. https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-j-maclayne
 
I wish you the best for the New Year. As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 

It’s NaNoWriMo Time Again #IWSG

  By IWSG
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!
The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!

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.

November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I almost missed this month’s posting! November 1st snuck up on me.
 
Yes, I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month. . In fact, that’s what got me hooked on this little endeavor. I didn’t ‘win’ with my first attempt-I only reached 49.000 words- but I realized how much I enjoyed it. I rewrite that book several times, including switching the point of view, but I could never make in into something worth publishing. It was overly-derivative of someone else’s story.
 
But I learned a lot from the attempt. A year later, I tried again, and that year I reached the goal of over 50,000 words in November. That book wasn’t good enough to take further either, but I learned even more about the process of writing. I have written books during NaNoWriMo that I have published.
 
I won’t be trying this year. I need to put all my efforts into my WIP. It’s up to 42,000 words and I’m feeling good about it. I’m really stretching my abilities in my current effort, but I think it’ll be worth it.
 
For folks who haven’t attempted NaNoWriMo and are considering it, I say unleash your creativity go for it. Even if you don’t make the  goal, you still win.
 
By the way, Happy November!
And until next time, please stay safe.
 
 

AI – Assistance or Threat? #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

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!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the October 4 posting of the IWSG are Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!

October 4 question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

A while back, I talked about AI in a blog post. While I don’t use it in a major way, I do use a computer program for spell and grammar checking. Although the program I use (ProWritingAid) also offers potential fixes for problematic sentence structure, that feature feels inadequate, and I mostly ignore it. 

I haven’t used any AI program to ‘write.’ I’ve run into what I suspect are AI generated blog posts, and found them lacking in their content and writing style. But would an average reader feel the same way?

My worry is that until better tools are created to identify what is computer generated vs. what a human has written, AI content will be a threat. There are already bogus books on Amazon that Amazon hasn’t figured out how to detect. (But Amazon has always had a problem with ‘fake’ books.) If readers get bitten by additional sham books and dodgy writing, the whole writing community will be suspect. That could be a major problem for indie authors.

It feels as if we are in for a rough transition. I hate to see authors losing income to people who are churning out content with little or no effort on their part. But AI tools can also be beneficial if used properly.

Check out some of the other writers on this hop my following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.