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?