Writing Productivity or Lack Thereof #IWSG

The IWSG Question of the month is all about writing productivity. Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

Lately I've been having a hard enough time focusing on writing on a regular day let alone one that's full of non-writing distractions. So yes, Christmas and the time leading up to Christmas is super busy, so writing has taken a bit of a back seat. My NaNo plans only just scraped through. 

But, you know what? It's ok. Life happens. Life is full of distractions. It's abundant with family and friends. It's also full of unexpected side alleys. Some lead to great things, some not so much. Life is life. And the more we live that life, the more our creativity sings. 

Focus on the good stuff. Celebrate the joy.

Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful Christmas. 

What are your Christmas plans? Have you been writing up a storm or percolating ideas?

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.
 

Note: The image above is one I created via AI generation. There are some tell-tale signs a computer did this. Can you spot the main one? Hint, look at Santa's hands.

It's that Time Again #IWSG

The question of the month is, November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I’ve been taking part in NaNoWriMo on and off for years. If you're not familiar with it, the challenge is to write 50k words in 30 days. Wielder’s Fire, my third book in the Wielder’s Storm trilogy is a NaNo book. The fantasy and scifi I’m hoping to release next year are also NaNo books. They were all added to, of course, and heavily edited after the challenge.

NaNo helps me focus and encourages me to write a fast first draft. I love writing fast first drafts. This year I won’t be able to participate in the traditional way as I’d hoped. There will be too many interruptions and distractions in November. I will still try my best to get as many words as possible on a new fantasy I’m writing. 

If you’d like to follow along and be my NaNo buddy, then you can find me as Lynfaw 

How about you? Have you tried NaNoWriMo? Why do you love it (or not)? 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.
 

 

 

 

Note: This is a prescheduled post. I'm not actually here at the moment. Remember those distractions I told you about? I'm on one of them now, down south visiting family for a week. I'll pop around the blogshpere when I get back. In the meantime, stay safe.

When Life gets in the Way of Writing #IWSG

Life is a mite intense at the moment. Plans have been thrown out the window. Worries have multiplied. I'm not even home. I'm six hours away! There ain't no writing time for this struggling writer. When life gets in the way of writing, there are ways of coping, ways of moving forward, ways of taking it in and storing it all up to turn into inspiration later.

So if you know those ways, please share ;)

But seriously, I'm fine. Everybody is fine. God willing, I'll be back soon and I'll do the rounds then. In the meanwhile take care and be kind to yourselves.

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

The Worst Kind of Genre Writing #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month is an interesting one: What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

The thing about good genre writing is that it requires a certain amount of passion for the genre. Passion brings a desire to learn more about the subject, to throw yourself in and understand all its nuances. If you're not that interested, you probably won't read much in the area, which makes it hard to write within the themes and tropes.

I'd love to be able to write within romance subcategories because they're so popular and easy to define when marketing a book. The tropes are clear cut. The stories don't have to be long. I could whip out a bunch of them...if I had a passion for romance writing. 

The same goes with crime, historicals, thrillers. While my reading does include all those, I lack the desire and drive to write them.

My passion lies in fantasy and science fiction. I can't get enough. I love everything about them.

But the absolute worse genre for me to tackle? The ones I don't read or want to read. Erotica, westerns, military, world wars. No thanks. Not for me.

How about you? What would be your worst genre to write?

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE. 

 

 

 

Note: Blogger struck again and put some comments that needed moderating into the spam folder. I rarely check spam. Big mistake! Turns out some of you left comments on my blog and even though you've been commenting for years, they still went directly into spam. I only just discovered them last week. And here I was, thinking the blogsphere was getting more and more quiet... Doh! I'll make sure I check all the folders now. 

Writing Unique vs Writing to Market #IWSG

The IWSG Question of the month: When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?  

The short answer: A little of both. To a point.

The long answer: I’ve spoken to several writers who think writing to market means cheapening your craft. I’m not sure where they got that idea. If you want to publish with any kind of success, you’ll have to have some idea of where your story will fit in the market. 

It’s not enough to say it’s a Young Adult book, for example. What kind of YA? What are the subcategories? What are the reader expectations in those categories? It doesn’t mean you have to write cookie-cutter stories to fit into those categories. You can, but you don’t have to. 

With every story you write, you make it uniquely yours. You pour in your personal perspective, your ideas, your heart. 

Of course, you can always go the completely original route that blasts through genre walls, but you’ll have a harder time selling the story. Harder, but not impossible. You never know, you could trail blaze your way into a new genre. 

I’ve chosen the easier route. I write what I love and I just so happen to love some specific genres. They aren’t the wildly popular genres like many of the romance subcategories, but they have a loyal fan base. 

What about you? Do you write what you love to read or something completely different? 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE. 

Living in a Book World #IWSG

I’m currently in quiet, inspiration percolating mode at the moment, so today's post will be a short, fun one: 

The IWSG question of the month: If you could live in any book world, which would it be? 

I’d probably choose, Lord of the Rings. It’s a world with dragons, and while that might be bad for real estate if a dragon lived in your area…dragons!!! 

Big parties in the Shire where everyone knows everyone without social media. 

It’s where adventures happen, 

Where the good guys always win, 

Where treasures can be found, 

Where magic exists, 

And…dragons! 

How about you? Which book world would you choose? What have you been up to lately?

 

7 Ways to Find the Motivation to Write #IWSG

This month in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, we have these optional questions: When writing gets tough, how do you stay motivated to write? What holds you back from writing? How can you get your groove back? 

1. First you need to know why writing is tough, why you’ve lost your motivation. This can be any number of reasons. Below are just a couple. 

Fear and doubt are the biggest and nastiest creativity killers. If you let them, they will sap you dry and hold you back. Writing is such a personal endeavor that we leave pieces of ourselves in our words. They are there for all the world to see and judge. It’s inevitable the nasties creep in: Will my writing be good enough? Am I wasting my time? I got one bad review out of fifty, so is that the end of my career? 

Then there’s those outside forces we have no control over: Health concerns, jobs with long hours and high stress, family tragedies, and the list goes on. Caring for my brother with a terminal illness stripped away my creativity for two years. I had nothing left in the tank. And now, after two years of a pandemic, of being shut in and putting life on hold, it seems that also affected my creativity. 

So, how do we get that creativity back? 

2. Being kind to yourself. Life happens. Fears happen. But the more we stress over not writing, the harder everything becomes. Sometimes you have to give yourself permission not to write. Sometimes you have to deal with those unavoidable demands on time and energy. Remind yourself it’s okay if that’s all you have left. And remember that this too shall pass. 

3. Try not to isolate yourself. In isolation, fears and doubts fester. In isolation, that creativity tank remains dry. Inspiration comes from rejoining the real world. It comes from living through those hard times, enjoying the good times, and breathing fresh air. Try going for a walk, lunch with friends, a visit to the local museum. Soak in sunlight and laughter. 

4. Read more. Make the time to read. Read often. Read something new, something old, something within your genre, and something completely different. It doesn’t matter. Just read. Reading wakes up the brain. It triggers those creative juices and inevitably encourages us to get back to that blank page. 

5. Reassess those impossible dreams. If you’ve been secretly harboring massively grand dreams, like becoming the next JK Rowling or Stephen King, then maybe it’s time to have a long, hard look at what it takes to get that big. Is it even attainable? Is it what you really want? Or is there something else that fits you better? Is it novel writing you love, or do you actually prefer writing short stories? Do you have an achievable plan to reach those goals? These are things you might need to ask yourself. The answers might surprise you. 

6. Start small. If you’ve lost your motivation, try getting back into it by taking baby steps. Write something only you will see. Something short. Don’t write for publication. Aim to write a single paragraph, if that’s what you need. A bunch of small achievements eventually leads to big achievements. 

7. Remember why you started writing in the first place. Like all relationships, our love of writing needs to be nurtured. The moment you forget why you love it, why you used to spend hours at the keyboard, is the moment you start to fall away. I love writing because I love stories. I love creating different worlds and populating those worlds with interesting people. I love playing with words and scenes and bringing them to life. Writing fulfils me. 

Why do you love writing? How do you get your groove back? 

This month, the IWSG Book Club is reading my book, Wielder’s Prize. 

I’m honored and excited. Grab your copy quickly while the ebook is still only $2.99. The price will be going up soon.You can grab it HERE. 

Unable to control her magic, Jasmine is a danger to everyone, but someone worse on the high seas wants her dead. Wielder's Prize is an epic fantasy adventure that's full of twists and is hard to put down.

I believe the book club discussions begin on the fourth Thursday of the month, so 23rd June. You can go HERE for the discussion.

Happy reading!

A Quick Death and a Giveaway

A Quick Death

Death
Murder
The Afterlife 

These things fascinate our imagination. Delve into a collection of tales that explore death and murder. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to give you a quick thrill no matter how busy your day is. 

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE END? 

Amazon, Universal Link, Goodreads

Giveaway:

 

The giveaway runs from May 11th to 18th and is US only. Enter HERE.

About the Author
Patricia Josephine is a writer of Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Romance books. When she's not writing, she's watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. She's an avid knitter. She writes Young Adult Paranormal, Science Fiction, and Fantasy under the name Patricia Lynne. Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow. 

Website: -  Patreon -  Facebook -  Newsletter

Patricia Josephine:  Goodreads - Amazon Author Page  
Patricia Lynne: Goodreads -  Amazon Author Page   

--

My Writerly Highs and Lows #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group asked about my highs and lows in writing. I didn't have to ponder long to know the answers. 

The Low:
Now is my low. Writing is currently a struggle. I'm so very close to finishing a science fiction novel, but I just can't seem to make the final sprint to the end. It's a slow, meandering shuffle with a few staggers along the way. Frustrating to say the least.

The Highs:

Finishing a story and seeing it in print. 

Reaching a point where I know the beginning is right.

Reaching a point where I know I've done enough.

Creating a new character.

Starting a new project.

Having published three novels and two novellas.

Having published multiple short stories.

Getting those acceptance letters.

Bringing a story to life.

Getting fan mail.

Getting awesome reviews.

When I'm so wrapped in writing that I forget to eat.

Yeah, ok, the highs far outweigh the lows. What are some of your highs and lows?

--

New Release from C.D. Gallant-King:

Buy Now!

Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Audio Books and Updates #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month is, Have any of your books been made into audio books? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook?

Although audio books are growing more popular, I have not yet converted any of my books into audio books. I did have one of my short stories narrated for a podcast. That was truly awesome to hear my story read by a skilled narrator. 

What's been your experience with audio books?

--

A quick update on my writing status.

I had big plans for the year, but I'm way behind on all my goals. Still editing a scifi. My brain says I should be focusing on fantasy because that's what I'm known for and it would be better to expand my fantasy back list, but this scifi story has been calling for quite some time. So I thought, why not? I need a little peace from all its shouting for my attention. 

Also I've only read one book this year...that's terrible for both my sanity and my creativity. Got any good books you could recommend?

--

CassaDark

Alex J. Cavanaugh

A big congrats to Alex for his long awaited new release.

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by doubt. Could things get any worse? 

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prison planet. 

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each truth reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Amazon, iTunes, Audible

Tell me your happy news. I'd love to hear.

 

When Conflicted about Writing a Scene #IWSG

So...floods. We had a massive storm cell over us that dumped a stupid amount of water on southeast Queensland. The photo above only shows the river at mid-height in my area of Brisbane, but I used this one for reference. The black boardwalk railing went under and the lawn in the top right corner got swamped too. You could just see the tops of the hedges. I believe the river rose 3.4 metres. 

Lives were lost along with homes, businesses and property. I watched boats sink as huge amounts of debris rushed down the swollen river. The basement of my apartment building flooded. Luckily everyone got their cars to higher ground in time. But the lifts have stopped due to the sheer amount of water that's trapped in the lift wells. They won't be working for a couple days more. Consequently, I'm a little stuck. I ain't walking down sixteen flights. Actually, down isn't so bad, but coming back up might kill me. The terrible thing is, I'm running out of chocolate! Whatever shall I do?

I'm fortunate that I'm able to joke while safe at home. There are so many who haven't been so lucky. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

--

The IWSG question of the month: Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

Being conflicted is part of the story writing process. Will I send my characters into scary territory? Should I follow this theme or that? One time I needed to kill off a side character. I really didn't want to. He was interesting and fun to write. I spent days--no, weeks--stressing over it. Ultimately I did kill him, because it was integral to the main character's arc and the story demanded it. What can I do? I'm a slave to the story.

How about you? Ever have to face this problem? Have you experienced flooding where you live? Or some other national emergency?

A Quick Update and Writing Plans #IWSG

So I missed January. No idea what happened. I must've been sucked into some strange time warp thingy, because suddenly it was February. 

Thought I'd do a quick catch up. Creatively, I've been struggling. It didn't help that I recently lost a whole day's worth of writing when Word, set to auto-save, crashed. Initially I thought it had only been an hour's worth of work. Gah!

My plans for this year are to read more, get back to writing regularly, and release two new books. A scifi and a fantasy. So far, I'm behind schedule, lol. 

How about you? What are your hopes for this year and are you on schedule?

 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.