Restart with a Bang!

by Tara Tyler

"Reset" in TICK TOCK

"Sentient" in DARK MATTER

Anthologies are a great respite and exercise for your writing muscles, especially when you're stuck on your WIP. I've been very discouraged about writing for quite a while. I was used to cranking out a book a year for several years, then BLAMMO, BANG, BOOM! I was blown away by several bombs aimed at my writing life. While I was crawling to safety, I almost gave up.

via GIPHY

But my heart and brain were still hanging on. If I didn't have the IWSG monthly blog posts, I'd have surely been done for. Instead, I slowly recovered, patching myself up with short stories and anthologies. One of my stories miraculously made it into a Christmas anthology ("A Cold Case for Christmas" in MAGICK AND MISTLETOE) I've always wanted to do a Christmas special, and having it published gave me a real boost.

That led to me telling others about it, and several teachers at school showed interest in my writing. They read POP TRAVEL and raved about it, reading more of my books, which encouraged me even further. At the end of the school year, I gave a couple of copies to interested students -- I was just happy they wanted to read at all! And the final push was my son's girlfriend who took Pop Travel on vacation. When she returned, she told me how much she loved it and is now reading the other books in the series.

All that reminded me how much I love writing and connecting with readers. Not to mention that there are still readers out there! So, hallelujah! I'm finally working on CONDUCTION, Pop Travel #4 again. Though it's been mostly done for about two years, I was frustrated with editing and procrastinated fixing it. But now that I'm getting back into it, I'm excited! And all because I didn't give up. I even created some mock covers (part of my process)...

And here's a blurb:

In 2085, cutting edge technology is the most valuable currency. Jared Nertz is an ex-juicer gone legit working for Pop Travel Technologies. As soon as he finishes his long-awaited Conduction project - the process of using live specimens to store data - someone immediately steals it and kills his mentor, framing him for the murder. Now it's up to his lawyer wife Miki and their loyal, resourceful friends, Geri and Cooper to prove Jared's innocence by recovering the stolen tech before the thief and killer sells it. But that's only the beginning, as they discovery a deeper deception when they dig into the case.

Don't give up on your dreams -- even if you have to put them on hold for a while. Listen to your heart!

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband, though they still love to travel and visit their three boys. She has two novel series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the maidens save themselves. She's a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that... Make every day an adventure!

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How Did the IWSG Begin?

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

On September 7 of this year, the IWSG will celebrate its twelfth year. Twelve years! Considering where we began, that’s just incredible. And just where did it begin? 

via GIPHY

Here is its story.

I’d noticed blog posts from writers mentioning their doubts, concerns, and lack of confidence. I also saw the positive replies they received and realized that the writing community offered an abundance of support. Writers want to see other writers succeed. An email exchange with another author led me to tell him that he needed an insecure writer’s support group. That’s when the lightbulb came on!

What if we posted as a group every month? The group would act as a form of therapy, letting writers post about situations where they need encouragement or to offer words of encouragement to others if they have experience. I tossed out the idea to my fellow writers and on September 7, 2011, we launched the monthly blog posting of the IWSG.

On the first Wednesday of every month, we share our thoughts about writing on our blogs. We also have an optional monthly question to assist with member's posts, which can be found on the Sign-Up page. But it’s become a great way for members to not only receive support, but to stay in contact with one another.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group has grown since conception. Over 130 people are a part of the blogging community that posts on the first Wednesday of every month, known as IWSG Day. (At one point, that number topped out at around 330.)

The group has expanded beyond blogging into other forms. We have a Facebook Group with 5000+ members, an Instagram group with 1200+ followers, and a Twitter account with 12,100 followers. Our free monthly newsletter, which has featured industry experts like Jane Friedman and Sandra Beckwith, has 700+ subscribers. We have an IWSG Goodreads Book Club as well. And of course, the website boasts thousands of links to other great writing sites and databases.

For several years now, we’ve run a Twitter pitch event, #IWSGPit, every January. Many writers have signed with a publisher or agent as a result. (IWSG Admin Diane Wolfe, who runs Dancing Lemur Press, has signed four authors from #IWSGPit!)

We offer two free guides for writers: The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Guide to Publishing and Beyond and The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Guide to Writing for Profit. Our anthology contests have produced seven books - Parallels: Felix Was Here, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Dark Matter: Artificial, and First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts.

We even have our own merchandise which include pens, magnets, and a T-shirt! All profits from those sales goes into paying for the domain and IWSG site. Otherwise, it’s all volunteer-run and with no ads.

I and the other administrators are actively pushing the group to greater heights. Nothing is impossible when insecure writers band together. And we welcome to suggestions and requests; whatever it takes to make the group better for writers!

 

Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and is the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. His Cassa books are Amazon Best Sellers and winners of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.

Website  --  Insecure Writers Support Group

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#IWSGPit  --  IWSG Merchandise

Tackling Writer's Block

by Deniz Bevan 

I’ve written a few blog posts before about overcoming writer’s block.

Sometimes it’s the result of a dearth of ideas, other times due to factors beyond our control.

One of the oft-suggested methods of overcoming a block is to repeat the same action every day.

I find it easier to write every day than to exercise every day!

The Maiden’s Tower, Istanbul

Still other times, it’s insecurity that gets to us. When every word sounds stupid and clichéd and nothing the characters say seems plausible or remotely exciting. A good cure for this is to go out and live life for a while. Step away from the page and interact with others. Do something fun and unexpected!

For those times when we can’t do that – faced with a deadline or the need to by-gum-get-things-done – I’ve got a few tips and tricks that have helped me:

Read poetry, especially something that’s written in a style completely unlike what you’re used to reading or writing. Penning a dark urban mystery? Read some Gerard Manley Hopkins. Creating a lyrical literary masterpiece? Browse some Bukowski. The contrast, and the turned-on-its-head way of looking at the world, tends to jump start creativity.

The ancient town of Ephesus

Research. Not in a long-term, leading-to-procrastination way, but in fits and starts. What’s the view from the castle at Naples? A two second Google image search. Can you use coltsfoot in stew? Another split-second search. Don‎’t get distracted by photos of the Italian countryside or delicious recipes. Search, find the answer, return to the manuscript. Done! Hopefully, that’ll satisfy any urge you might have had to click over to social media…

Lake Geneva shoreline

Plan for writing time. “Today I will write from 1 to 3 p.m.” Watch your writing time get eaten up by family, freelancing, chores, what have you. Get mad. Write anyway, even if you lose an hour’s sleep. Go away from your usual haunts and write somewhere new.

Browse images!

I love my Story Inspirations board

It’s useful for so many things:

--seeing the exact expression on a character’s face

--visualizing a location you haven’t had a chance to visit yet

--remembering to include details of colours and textures into descriptions!

--capturing the feel of a kiss (if you’re writing a romantic scene)

The Aegean Sea

It’s also useful for story prompts! Not sure how to wade into a scene? Pick a location or a pose or an object (yes, my latest pin is of a clawfoot bathtub!), slide a character into position, and begin to write!

What are your go-to methods for finding inspiration at the start of a writing session? 

Deniz Bevan - DARK MATTER: "One to Another"

Deniz Bevan has lived and worked in Turkey, and her non-fiction work, including travel articles, book reviews and personal essays, has most recently appeared in the trilingual (English, French, and Turkish) newspaper Bizim Anadolu. Her short story 'Where There's Life' was shortlisted for the Surrey (Canada) International Writers' Conference Storyteller's Award in 2013. Her contemporary romance, Summer Fire is out now with Carina Press. And there’s a playlist for that story, and many others, on her YouTube channel! And her Story Inspirations board on Pinterest features images of all her characters.

A firm believer in burning the candle at both ends, she is generally writing a new novel while editing another, and blogging about her reading and research adventures -- and sharing travel photos – weekly on her blog, The Girdle of Melian. Other days, she tries to stay off the web altogether, as she delves into the history, mystery, and romance of her characters’ lives.

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