IWSG: March 2026

 

It's the first Wednesday in March and time for IWSG monthly blog hop. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the iwsg admins for keeping this amazing group going for years and years. If you want to learn and share with a lot of amazing writers, find them all on this list.

Apologies for missing last month's hop. I'm not sure where my head was at the time. Really busy with the planning of the 2026 Pennwriters' conference but I still shouldn't have missed IWSG.

I'm going to skip the optional book launch question, but I'm going to take notes on all the other answers. It's been a while since I had a book launch but I'm hoping that changes in the next 12 months or so.

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream." Author Unknown

Besides being busy working on the conference, I've still working on the second draft of my most recent WIP. I worked through a scene that was challenging me but need to do more work on it. Almost there because I hope to pitch it to an agent and an editor at the aforementioned conference.

I've been reading so many disturbing articles about AI and writing. I'm afraid of where this will go? But I'm going to keep on writing anyway.

"Life is like riding a bycycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving." Alber Einstein

In wonderful news, I found out that one of my five sons and my daughter are meeting on Facetime once a week to write together for an hour. My daughter has been writing for a long time but my son has just started. They're both so talented, I'm super excited.

And today, as you read this, our neck of the woods is supposed to finally get a break to this endless winter. After sleet and freezing rain yesterday, the temperature is supposed to climb to the fifties. Finally!

Except for all the not walking outside, all my other fun things are going great, crocheting, jigsaw puzzling, and writing, of course. I haven't made much of a dent over the winter in my TBR pile, actually added to it. But I've read so many great books.

So, what book launch advice are you giving? Are you worried about AI putting writers out of business? Is writing a family thing with you?

IWSG: January 2026

Welcome to the first IWSG blog hop post of 2026. I can't believe it's a new year already. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the other admins of this amazing group. Please visit some other blogs participating today at this list.

And this month's optional question:

Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

Yes, I'm going to concentrate on my writing. I've been busy for the past two years planning the yearly conference for Pennwriters. I love doing it, but it takes away from my own writing time and drains my socia battery. All the social interaction required exhausts me. That includes participating in events to promote my own books.  I hope I have the energy to do more events if I'm not so heavily involved in planning that one big one.

In the meantime, I'm working on the second draft of my WIP and hoping to pitch it to one of the agents at that annual conference.

I'm looking forward to the 3rd season of The Night Agent. I didn't love the 2nd season but am holding out hope. The ending of Stranger Things was okay and left me satisfied. I haven't started the next season of The Witcher. It's probably good for me that I haven't been watching much media lately.

I have starting the new year by getting back into my walking routine that had faltered a little during November and December. So far, so good with between 3 to 5 miles per day. Anything to keep the body moving and fight off old age for as long as I can.

I received some wonderful jigsaw puzzles for Christmas. Really challenging and enjoyable. Between walking, puzzling, writing, crocheting, conference work, and getting my granddaughter to the bus, my retirement days are pretty full. Retirement is the best job ever and I hope you all get there soon.

The holidays were wonderful because we had the entire family here for Christmas Eve this year. Usually, we miss one or two. It was so much fun and actually relaxing. Hope yours was the same.

What are you hoping to spend more time on this year? Did you meet goals you set for 2025? Were the holidays had a success for you? 

IWSG: December 2025

 It really can't be the last post of 2025. Where did the year go? But it is the first Wednesday of the last month of the year and that means IWSG montly blog hop. As usual, thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the IWSG admins for all they do which is a lot. Please visit as many blogs as you can on this list.

This month's optional question:

As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

I'm so fortunate. I've received so many great gifts over the years. The gift I needed most was a new laptop and there has been a few of those over the years. Coolest gift and most unexpected may have been the Ipad 13 one of my sons gave me last year for my birthday. And my children have given me so many great journals over the years, I don't know if I'll ever use them all. President Dan Arndt of Pennwriters gifted me a cool piece of art in thanks for doing so much work for the group and that livens up my writing space. Pennwriters also gifted me with a plague and a Meritorious Service Award a few years ago.  But the very best/coolest gift of all is the support my husband, children, and friends have given me over the years as I stagger along this writing journey.

Love the giver more than the gift. Brigham Young

I hope you have some great things planned for the upcoming holiday season. We have our usual family Christmas gathering on the 24th. I'm so grateful that all six of our children and our two grandchildren will be in attendance this year. It's my favorite day of the year. I wish I could gift all of you with the same joy and peace we'll share that day. If you are traveling, I pray for your safety.

"At Christmas, all roads lead home." Marjorie Holmes

In the meantime, I hope you're making plans for 2026. I'll share mine with you next month.

What terrific gifts have you received relating to your writing life? Are you traveling for the holidays? Are you making plans for 2026?

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. 

IWSG: November 2025

Welcome to the November version of IWSG. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the admins of IWSG. Please join the others on this list as we share all our current insecurities.  

Optional question:

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

Well, I expected success because I was naive and thought if I just worked hard enough I could conquer this career because that was how I'd pretty much gone thought life and career before. Wow, did I have a lot to learn and I'm still learning it. My success in on the low end of moderate, but I'm still working at it. 

One of the most rewarding part of writing for me is the need to keep learning though it is really difficult to keep up. And to add to the interesting part, there's always a new threat. I've been in the busiess long enough to remember the fears that e-books were going to close libraries. Then the big publishers and many of their authors spread the fear that small presses would ruin books and lower their quality. Than self-publishing would be the end of books.

Some threats have been constant, like book pirates. And now we have the AI threat, the first one I'm actually concerned about.

One thing I didn't expect in my writing career was how heavily I would get involved in a writing group. Pennwriters is amazing and running conferences for them is very fulfilling. But by next year at this time, I hope to have extricated myself from most of my responsibilities there and concentrate on my own writing. 

My husband and I are enjoying The Last Frontier on AppleTV and Slow Horses was its usual fun ride as the band of misfit spies saved the day again. Haven't started the new season of The Witcher yet. Still mourning the exit of Henry Cavill.

I'm finally going to get real glasses today instead of just the readers I use now. I've noticed road signs aren't readable as early as they used to be. I guess I should be glad to have gone over 60 years without needing them before now.

Fnished my 5,000 piece puzzle. It was pretty challenging because so much of it was similar colors. I have a 6,000 piece puzzle awaiting but I'm waiting until after Christmas to start. It takes up too much space and I need the room for family staying for the holidays. I did read a study that said jigsaw puzzles are major stress busters. I concur.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and have many reasons to give thanks. Save travels if you're going elsewhere.

How has your writing journey progressed? Disappointing, amazing, or inbetween? Are you traveling for the holidays.

IWSG: October 2025

 Fall is flying by and it's time again for IWSG first Wednesday blog hop. Our usual thank you to all the IWSG admins, our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the wonderful bloggers who participate. Find the list of participants here. Please share all your writing woes and victories with us.

This month's optional question:

What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

Easy question. Whatever novel I'm working on is my favorite and it always has been. I usually turn an idea over in my minds for months before I start a new novel or a new series. Once I start, the ideas expand and take unplanned twists and turns and keep me excited and the story flowing. I love working on a new series.

"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." Winston Churchill

This Saturday, I'll be at the Hershey Public Library as one of many authors participating in the Chocolate Town Book Fest. I can't wait. I'm sharing a table with a friend and many other writers I know are also participating. This is one step in my goal to attend more in-person book events where I can sell my books. I have three scheduled for 2026 so far. Wish you all could be there.

I haven't been spending any time watching movies or any TV. I don't think I'm missing much. My husband and I did spend some enjoyable hours watching The Last Ship, an older TNT show that is now on HBO. It was very tense and enjoyable. Later this month, the 3rd season of Dark Winds will be on Netflix. I hope it's as good as the first two seasons.

I know I'm an oldster now, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what that means. But the thing I didn't anticipate was that so many of my long-time friends as well as family would start facing so many health issues. It drags me down sometimes as I realize I'm going to lose them. I've already lost a few. Hug everyone you love while you can.

"Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." Eckhart Tolle

Do you have a favorite writing creation? Do attend book fests or participate in them? Anything about getting older that have surprised you?

IWSG: September 2025

Welcome to the September IWSG monthly blog. Thanks to all the admins of IWSG and our founder , Alex J. Cavanaugh. Visit all the participants of this blog hop on this list.

 What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, story bible, or creating outlines\beats?

Wow. 

The question of the year, decade, and century. Where are we going? Do we use it, ignore it, or be destroyed by it. Not in the Skynet way. I mean will AI destory the arts? Everytime I'm with a group of writers, this question comes up.

One of my friends used GPChat to edit her book! Another told me that AI is being used heavily in the tech writing world. Ask any teacher who teaches a writing course. It's a battle and hours of extra work for them to run student writings through an AI detection program. And as AI gets better, the detection will get more difficult.

I have had writers and professionals in the publishing world advising that one use AI to help write blurbs, outlines, and everything else.

As of today, I'm still writing the way I always have. I do my own outline and story beats. I use the spelling/grammar check in my documents. Of course, I use the internet to research. But tomorrow?

I don't know. I have attended workshops on AI where I've heard many pros and some of the cons. I know writers who have had their novels used to train AI without permission of compensation. I've seen amazing promotional items created by AI. The only thing I'm sure of about AI is that we should learn everything we can about what it does or we'll be blind-sided. 

Will future generations who do most of their reading on their phones or tablets going to be able to tell the difference between something created by a human and something created by AI? 

I personally have no interest in any story that has no character development. Can an AI write something with character development? Can it be taught to do that? If AI can create a new 'Beatles' song, will it also be able to eventually create a 'Stephen King' novel or a Harlequin romance?

I can't wait to read what you all think about AI. I believe this discussion will happen over and over again.

"The future's not set, There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." John Conner, Terminator 2: Judgement Day

I had to put a Terminator quote in there.

On the writing side of things, I'm about halfway through the second draft of my latest WIP. Lots of cutting, rearranging, and using better verbs.

Someone somewhere among my blogging friends recommended the show, The Last Ship, as a good series to fill the evenings with. I admit, I fell in love with it. So much tension. There are only 4 seasons available. Apparently, the 5th series was so bad, they don't even license it to streaming platforms. I'm kind of glad I didn't watch before the Covid pandemic.

I have so many great books to read right now, but I'm also busy with so much else. Hope you're enjoying some lovely fall weather. I am, before the miserable cold gets here.

Did you ever watch The Last Ship? Are you predicting a 'Skynet' scenario or can we tame AI into a useful tool?

IWSG: August 2025

 

Another month has flown by shockingly fast. Time for our monthly blog hop to share our insecurities advice and sometimes, our successes. Thanks to the entire IWSG admin team and our intrepid founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh we've been at this for a while. Find the entire list of participants here.

This month's optional question:

What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I'm not sure I would call it in the 'industry' but the illegal selling of ebooks has always been an issue. And now we have the illegal use of our books to train AI so that someday AI may learn to actually be creative in a really creepy way. Where will it go from here?

I'm looking forward to reading other answers to this question. I believe there are probably unethical things in most professions and some more horrible than what we face in writing.

I'm about a third of the way through my second draft of my WIP. I have a title for the book but not the series. It will come. As usual when I start a second draft, the first one isn't nearly as terrible as I thought it was.

If I didn't say it last month, I loved Murderbot on AppleTV. I've been reading the books since they came out and was thrilled they were doing a show. I was worried they wouldn't do it justice, but they did. I don't know if they'll do a second season, but I'm hoping.

Did some more planning for next year's Pennwriters Annual Conference. We selected our menu and it's one of the best we've ever had. The hotel updated their restaurant and selections. Chuck Wendig and Maria V. Snyder are going to be incredible keynote speakers.

My granddaughter is on a crafting binge so that is fun. I would enjoy it more if arthritis was n't destroying my thumbs right now. I had to give up crocheting and now needlepoint is becoming too painful. No sympathy needed. I earned all that damage with years of playing sports and other things that overworked and injured those joints. I feel grateful for all the phyical things I can still do like walking and swimming. And I always have my jigsaw puzzles. Working on my first 6,000 piece puzzle. It's wonderfully challenging.

Still enjoying the heat. We've had a few great days with temps in the high seventies and little humidity. We get about a dozen of those perfect days in PA so we appreciate them when they happen.

Hope your writing is going well. What nasty things have you discovered in the publishing industry? Do you enjoy any crafting? Have you read anything by Chuck Wendig or Maria V. Snyder?