A Writing Pitfall I Wish I Knew About #IWSG

This month's IWSG question:  What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

After a few years of writing under my belt with a few short stories, a novelette and a Daily Devotional book (Cling to God) published, I feel the biggest pitfall writers come across is the doubts that surface when too many people offer advice.

When we first start writing, we throw ourselves into the task. Later we discover we have a lot to learn and we are eager to learn. That's a good thing. I will always advocate the need to continually learn our craft. However, with the advent of easily accessed information via blogs and other social media avenues, we are inundated by so many supposed 'rules' and opinions, that the waters can grow muddy. Suddenly we think we can't write that, we're doing it all wrong, and we have to please everyone.

My humble advice is, yes, learn the guidelines and why those guidelines are in place, but understand they can be broken. Your story trumps all. If it demands it starts on a dark and stormy night, then let it start on a dark and stormy night. Sure, you will cop some grief by other writers who only see the rules, but are they really your audience? Most readers won't care about those details if your story is awesome, written in a way that makes that story shine. Ultimately it's only you who knows that way.

Yes, it's important to have critique partners and editors (which is another pitfall by thinking you don't need them). You will find they may have opposing views. You can't please everyone. When in doubt, consider all options, consider the validity of their advice and the experience behind that advice, then go with what your story is crying out for. Does the advice enhance the story, make it more powerful? Is your reader missing the point of your scene? Why is your reader missing the point of your scene? Can you adjust that scene so your next reader doesn't miss that point?

What's the biggest pitfall you've come across on your writing/publication journey?

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Announcing The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Theme: Masquerade
A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren't. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions: September 5 - November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges who will be announced September 5.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

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The IWSG has also formed a new partnership with WEP – Write-Edit-Publish.
We encourage our members, blogging and Facebook, to join this month’s challenge.

The August WEP Challenge – A Change of Heart
Who hasn’t had one? This one’s easy, right?
A commitment made when a prospect looked attractive, a decision on a course of action, and then regrets and reluctance to follow through. It could be an engagement, a date, a diet plan, a chore someone said they’d do and didn’t follow through. A strip poker-game. Or maybe a gamble with super-high, panic inducing stakes. A break for independence that once made, gives pause for second thoughts. A bolt for the grass-always-greener pasture and then wanting to vault-n-turn right back. Something offered, then withdrawn. Myriad ways to go.

Here is the permalink which will go live on August 6:
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2018/08/writing-together-with-wep-and-iswg.html

Calling for Submissions #IWSG

Today I'm thrilled to announce the next big IWSG guide calling for submissions. Please read the guidelines below.

Guidelines:

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit--This will be a non-fiction book like our Guide to Publishing and Beyond.

What to write: Share experiences about making a profit as an author, what it takes to become a successful writer, the many skills a writer needs to learn other than writing, share the experience going from hobby writer to published author (without making it a self-promotion piece), the fallacies behind writing for profit, the little known facts learned along the way, what you wished you knew when you first started writing, or marketing tips based on experience of what has worked and what hasn't. Please include a title, your name, and a link to one of your sites. Send as an attached Word file or pasted into the email.

If you have any questions, email us at admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Word limit: 500-1000 words.

Submission eligibility: All members of the IWSG Blog Hop, IWSG Facebook group and/or members of our IWSG Goodreads Book Club. It's free to join any of these groups and a great benefit to be a part of these communities.

Deadline: July 31, 2017

Send your submission to admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com as an attached Word document and note which IWSG group you belong to. Please include your name, a one line bio, and one website link.

The one hundred best entries will be included in the book.

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June's optional question is: Did you ever say “I quit”? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?

I did quit writing for a long time. Silliest thing I ever did. It was the love of story and words that brought me back. But having taken that massive break, I found it really difficult to get back to the same skill level and ease of writing I had before I quit. But what is just as damaging is quitting reading. It can easily happen when you get busy and decide to sacrifice reading time so you have time to write instead. Big mistake! It has the same effect on writing as if I'd quit writing. So I recommend all writers make the time to read as well as write.

How about you? Did you ever quit? What brought you back? 

Zen and the Art of Research #IWSG

This month's IWSG question is about research: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story? I've done so much research for writing that it's hard to name the weirdest or coolest.

I've researched where pippies grow, the atmosphere on Venus, the make up of the sun, how to  artificially make rain, the guns used by detectives in the early twentieth century, what goes into creating artificial intelligence, natural remedies to clear acne, and various backgrounds of martial arts, among other things. Then there is the endless searches for names for my characters, ensuring they fit not only the character's personality, but also the year they were born.

Now for the zen part of this post: A poorly researched story can disturb a reader's calm. I've read stories where it was painfully obvious the author's only research came from watching movies. Anachronisms, falsehoods and inaccuracies can destroy an otherwise enjoyable story.

So my advice is this: Never bank on your readers to care little about the details, to be ignorant of the facts, or to lack an understanding of how physics works. The more accurate your story world is, the more immersed your readers will become--even if it's a fantasy. Don't mimic something you might've heard at a barbecue, or seen at the movies, or glanced across on the internet. Check your facts. Besides, your research might lead your story to a completely different, yet serendipitous, direction.

What do you love or dislike about research? What are some of the things you've had to research?
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Hero Lost:

Mysteries of Death and Life

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Can a lost hero find redemption?

What if Death himself wanted to die? Can deliverance be found on a bloody battlefield? Could the gift of silvering become a prison for those who possessed it? Will an ancient warrior be forever the caretaker of a house of mystery?

Delving into the depths of the tortured hero, twelve authors explore the realms of fantasy in this enthralling and thought-provoking collection. Featuring the talents of Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these twelve tales will take you into the heart of heroes who have fallen from grace. Join the journey and discover a hero’s redemption!

Website - Goodreads 
Amazon ebook - Amazon Paperback
Barnes & Noble - Nook
Books-A-Million - iTunes - Kobo

If you haven't already, pick up your free copy of "Finding Satisfaction in Christ" by joining my mailing list. With your free copy, you will also receive the occasional devotional from me and a free Christian wallpaper.

And don't forget my daily devotional, Cling to God available in the usual places.

The IWSG Short Story Contest Winners

Wishing everyone a happy New Year! I'm hoping this year will be far better than the last one. Above is a quick snap I took in Brisbane's Botanic Gardens.

And now on to good news: The much awaited results for the IWSG short story contest have come in. Below are the winners in no particular order:
Erika Beebe - The Wheat Witch
L. Nahay – Breath Between Seconds
Tyrean Martinson - Of Words and Swords
Elizabeth Seckman - Mind Body Soul
Olga Godim - Captain Bulat
Ellen Jacobson - The Silvering
Roland Yeomans - Sometimes They Come Back
Yvonne Ventresca – The Art of Remaining Bitter
Sean McLachlan - The Witch Bottle
Sarah Foster - The Last Dragon
Renee Cheung - Memoirs of a Forgotten Knight

And the grand prize winner:

Jen Stanton Chandler - The Mysteries of Death and Life

Congrats to everyone who took part! The stories were all fabulous and it was a difficult task for the judges to pick their favourites.

What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?
Can I say all of them? When people treat these rules as absolutes and take great joy in picking apart published works that break the rules, then I must admit I get a little upset. No rule is absolute. Every rule can be broken. If you want to head hop through the story, then head hop! If you want fractured sentences, then fracture them! Shatter them if that's your desire! Have a field day with backstory, tell to your heart's content. But ask yourself, does it work? Are you doing it out of laziness or ignorance or stubbornness, or is it part of your master plan? In other words, does it have the full impact you intended for the story? Yes? Then go for it!

 How about you? What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

IWSG 2016 Writing Contest Announced

I got my first review for Cling to God on Goodreads! Check it out here. I'm so thrilled. Also, if you haven't already, and would like to, then please mark my devotional to-read in preparation for the release on October 18th. Eek! Thanks again to everyone who helped me with my cover reveal. Most recently my two favourite Carols posted the cover on their blogs: Carol Riggs and Carol Kilgore. Thanks so much! Please visit them and say hi from me.

And one more thing re my book and then I'll stop nattering your virtual ears off about it, but I just had to share. It's the freakiest thing in the world to see your book cover on a t-shirt, mug and playing cards, but here it is!! So, if you are in the USA, you can pick them up here.

The IWSG: sign up here
September’s question: How do you find the time to write in your busy day? 
That's a difficult one to answer at the moment. I'm in the middle of selling house and moving interstate, plus doing final checks and edits on my book, plus getting ready for launch day, plus reading an author's book for review, plus... plus... there's so much going on at the moment that I haven't had any time to write. All my other projects are currently on hold. That happens sometimes. It's ok. It's part of life. I guess I'm still gathering ideas, my creativity is still percolating away, so that's a part of writing isn't it?

Announcing the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest!

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free. 

Word count: 5000-6000 

Genre: Fantasy  

Theme: Hero Lost. It could be about a hero turned villain, a villain's redemption, a hero's lack of confidence, a hero's lack of smarts, etc. It can be about any kind of hero including superheroes, mythological heroes, unexpected or unlikely heroes, or a whole new kind of hero. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines. No erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence. 

Deadline: November 1st 2016 

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details and if you are part of the Blogging or Facebook IWSG group. 

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges. 

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word! 

Our amazing judges this year:
Richard Harland finished his first novel in 1993 and resigned a university lectureship to become a full-time writer. With seventeen fantasy, SF and horror novels published since, he went international with his steampunk fantasies, Worldshaker, Liberator and Song of the Slums. He has won six Aurealis Awards and the A. Bertram Chandler Award in Australia, the Tam Tam Je Bouquine Award in France. Writing Tips 

Ion Newcombe is the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January 1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through electronics into literature and communications. 

Elizabeth S. Craig writes cozy mystery series for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. She curates links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig that are later shared in the free search engine WritersKB.com. 

Laura Maisano has an MA in Technical writing and is a Senior Editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian Fiction. She’s excited to release her debut YA Urban Fantasy SCHISM, and she’s finishing up the sequel UNITY. 

Russell C. Connor has been writing horror since the age of 5, and has been in the self-publishing industry for a decade. He has published 8 novels and 4 novellas in both paperback and eBook, including the Box Office of Terror Trilogy and "Whitney," an epic horror novel about hurricane survivors fighting a washed-ashore sea monster. He also designs books for clients and assists them with self-publishing endeavors. 

Dawn Frederick is the founder of Red Sofa Literary, previously of Sebastian Literary Agency, and she brings a broad knowledge of the book business to the table—with multiple years of experience as a bookseller in the independent, chain, and specialty stores; sales, marketing, & book development at a YA publisher, a published nonfiction author, and an agent associate literary agent at Sebastian Literary Agency. 

Michelle L. Johnson is a literary agent, the founder of Inklings Literary Agency and has a business administration background in addition to a lifetime of working with books (sales, editing, and writing) and authors (marketing, promoting, event planning), and also has been a script/story consultant for an independent film. 

Lynn Tincher, Author, Public Speaker, and Executive Producer, born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the beautiful city of La Grange. She has written four books, with the fifth one currently in the making. Her first book, Afterthoughts was optioned for movie production by Kilted Pictures and Dancing Forward Productions in Los Angeles. It is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in Louisville, Kentucky very soon.

So, how do you find the time to write? Are you going to enter the contest? 

Focusing on the Positives #IWSG

The curious thing about being a writer is it’s a whole lot harder than it looks. Part of the job of being a writer is to question every scene, every paragraph, every sentence. Does it express everything I want it to express? Could it be better? Am I using the correct grammar? Have I broken the rules in a way that adds to the text rather than taking away from it? What needs fixing?

The list of questions is endless, but they are questions writers need to ask if they want to push themselves to make the piece the best darn writing they can produce. Of course, the questions can have a negative impact. They can cause the doubts to come knocking. This is natural and normal but doesn’t mean those doubts need to stay. The best way to send them packing is to focus on the positives—which brings me to this month’s IWSG question: What’s the best thing someone has said about your writing?

I must admit I don’t often think about the answer to this question, but perhaps I should. It’s a great reminder that yes, I can touch people through my writing, enough for them to say remarkable and unexpected compliments.

Apart from, “Yes, I will publish this piece,” I think the best compliment I ever received was over a fantasy character I’d created. My reader, rather than simply saying, “He’s good,” said instead that he seemed so real and cool that he could see stuffed toys being made based on him. And it was said with genuine enthusiasm and was followed by a string of true gushing. Wow. When I get feedback like that I’m reminded how much I love writing and that yes, I can get people excited over my characters, which was unfathomable previously (and still is on occasion).

So what’s the best compliment someone has said about your writing? How do you focus on the positives?

Next month’s IWSG question: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?

IWSG Anthology Contest - Vote to Select the Genre
The second annual Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology contest is coming up soon and this year, members get to select the genre!

Edit: The votes are in and FANTASY won!


Photo: I'm in the middle of a stressful time at the moment so my gorgeous husband took me to the National Park for lunch last Sunday to relax. We decided to go for a walk along a random track. The further we went, the more overgrown it became. Then a patch of sunlight came through the brush and I was able to capture the above closeup pic of moss on a log. I had to share.

This post was written for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.