It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means time for our monthly 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--click the image to find the sign-up page and blog list.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The optional August
2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt
conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or
rewrite it?
I'm going to start with my Writer's Update
*A Coastal Corpse is ready for release any day now--just waiting on the cover, which is behind mostly because I put off getting one made. The book is available for preorders on Smashwords, with a planned release on Aug. 29! Kindle preorders will be coming soon!
*Short stories have been somewhat stagnant, but I'm trying to get one polished after significant revisions and will send it back out soon. I have one drabble out there and one short story, but have fallen short of my goals for writing and submitting shorts. I find it hard to work on novels and short stories at the same time, and have been pouring everything into the new book. In particular, I had a goal of writing and submitting more mystery shorts, and have been finding those very hard to write!
*I've not been keeping up my regular blog schedule, largely because I'm just not finding things to write about. My reading has been sporadic and not yielded enough candidates for book reviews, so I've been left with posts about writing, photos, and an occasional flash fiction. What do you blog about, and why?
The optional question: Have I written anything I was conflicted about?
A Coastal Corpse features a 70+ lesbian widow. I'm pretty comfortable with that. But I wrote a couple of scenes of people learning about her sexual orientation that, although I had thought they were good and funny when I drafted them, I later decided were stereotyped and offensive. Obviously, those came out.
Maybe more to the point, some of my flash fiction has brought out things that I was surprised to find lurking in my subconscious. I don't feel particularly conflicted about those stories, nor do I want to delete them. But I do sometimes look at them and think, "where the deuce did THAT come from?"
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Working away on the novel in camp.
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A Coastal Corpse
A corpse among the dahlias is no way to start your day.
Retired science teacher Seffi Wardwell has moved to coastal
Maine looking for peace, fresh air, and an accepting community. So far, she’s
enjoying the sea air.
When a corpse
turns up in Seffi’s flower garden, she can’t help asking questions about the
victim and his death. Police officer Miah Cox doesn’t want her assistance, but
Seffi’s curiosity is what made her a scientist.
The more she learns
about the dead man’s background, the more she wants to know. Estranged from his
wealthy family, and a village pariah for something that happened years before, the
dead man had plenty of enemies. At least one wanted to make him disappear
forever, and they’re all eager to see this case wrapped up and forget about
him.
The way Seffi
sees it, somebody has to care about him, and as a fellow outsider, she’s it.
But all of her poking around is stirring up trouble in the village. It’s up to
Seffi and Miah to figure out whodunit before they strike again, and before the
locals decide the handiest scapegoat is Seffi herself.
Leave me a comment about your blogging experience, or your conflicted--or surprising--bits of writing. And while you're at it, consider supporting my habit of writing novels wherever I happen to be by pre-ordering my new mystery.
Congrats on getting ready to publish your next book. I blog to help other writers and authors on their publishing journey. It's why I keep blogging even if it is a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteYou do great stuff in the way of supporting other writers.
DeleteI love the surprise when something pops out of the creative brain--"where the deuce did THAT come from". Been there! Good luck on this upcoming book.
ReplyDeleteI can be a bit disconcerted, especially at some of the dark stuff that comes out. I'm never sure if that reflects something in me or just the kinds of stories that fit flash fiction well.
DeleteThat is hard to say. Maybe it's a way to purge dark thoughts and heave you with the rose-colored glasses for real life (my favorite type). Can you tell my fictional endings are all HEA?
Delete:D I do rather incline towards the happy ending myself. Which is why when I write something where it all goes to the bad I'm a bit surprised.
DeleteCongrats on your upcoming book.
ReplyDeleteI've been blogging about monsters mysteries in Michigan. Cryptids, ghosts, and ufos are things I like to read about, and Michigan has plenty so why not highlight them. The Dogman is way cooler than Bigfoot any day. ;)
It's great to have something like that that relates to your writing! I'm not sure what would be an equivalent for me :)
DeleteAlso--I don't seem able to comment on your blog, and from the lack of comments suspect others are having the same problem.
DeleteIf you want help spreading the word about your new release, let me know! I would most likely share on IWSG day since that's the only time I post right now and therefore there are more eyes if it's on IWSG instead of a random solo post. (My email is my website name @ gmail.)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'll be in touch :)
DeleteI don't blog much outside of IWSG and WEP anymore. Life is busy and my writing time is mostly devoted to writing :) Congrats on the new release!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely makes sense to me. I'm feeling a bit that way, too. But I don't do any other marketing-type social media, so I feel like if I don't keep this up, I'll completely vanish.
DeleteGreat news, Rebecca! Congratulations. I think taking out sterotypical material is a good idea. Recognizing it can sometimes be a challenge so I'm glad you were able to do so.
ReplyDeleteI hope I got it all. I had some help :)
DeleteWhen a writer (or any kind of artist) is any good, her personality invariably comes out in her creation. When I first encountered this phenomenon in my own writing, it surprised the heck out of me. Not any more. My characters always reflect my personality, whether I want them or not.
ReplyDeleteThat mystery Seffi has to deal with looks like a lot of fun. And yes! I know the issue with the stories that come from the hidden areas of our lives. But that would be a great place for unique ideas that are honestly "us".
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. I can relate to your writing and reading journey at this time. I'm shifting quite a few gears to balance witing shorts and a novel. Best of luck with the release of your new book. I'm sure the cover will reveal itself at just the right moment.
ReplyDelete