IWSG: December 2019

Welcome to the last post for IWSG for 2019. I hope you're joining this amazing group of writers led by Alex J. Cavanaugh and his team of hardworking administrators. Find the entire list of participants at the IWSG site.

This month's optional question:

How would you describe your future writer self, your life and what it looks and feels like if you were living the dream? Or if you are already there, what does it look and feel like? Tell the rest of us. What would you change or improve?

I think we all change our dream a little bit or maybe a lot as we learn the true nature and difficulty of this business. I've achieved my dream of being multi-published (23 romance novels and 4 fantasy novels) but it didn't make me rich or famous. All my published books are with a small press but I do still dream of TOR taking on my next fantasy series. My feelings are up and down about if I'm living my dream or not. I feel like I could work harder, do more, but I'm also happy and content with my life. 

"A contented mind is a continual feast."  Old Farmer's Almanac

Hope your Thanksgiving was great. I did more traveling than I intended and took up too much of time. But the entire family got together. They all get along so well, it's a joy to have that time. I have more than most to be thankful for and it's wonderful to witness how thankful my children are.

"Gratitude is the sign of noble souls." Aesop

My granddaughter is done with the stitches. Still a little mark but hopefully over time it will fade. She's become very verbal and tells entire stories over and over again. She's so happy and cooperative all the time. We're doing Christmas decorating today. We cleaned yesterday and she helped with everything.

"Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they ever find?" 
Dr. Samuel Johnson

Later this week, V-Wars is coming to Netflix.  I'm so excited for this. Jonathan Maberry, the author of the books V-Wars is based on, is someone I know personally. He is a member of

Pennwriters, the Pennsylvania writers group I belong to and which I serve on the board. And best of all, he's going to be our keynote speaker at our conference in May, 2020. He's such a nice guy and very supportive of other writers. I wish I had his work ethic. He writes 5,000 words per day!

Then The Expanse returns to Amazon next week. The Witcher come to Netflix the week before Christmas. Christmas Eve will have the second season of Lost In Space on Netflix. I really enjoyed the first season of that remake though lots of critics didn't like it.

Are you living your dream? Are you excited about anything coming to Netflix or Amazon in this last month of 2019? Was Thanksgiving good for you? Are you ready for Christmas?

Lessons Learned

Jonathan Maberry, super nice guy and a very successful writer, shared some wisdom at the writing conference I attended in May. He led a workshop on using social media to build your brand. He said so many things that made sense I could turn this into a very long post by sharing only half of it. He uses Twitter and Facebook. You can follow him and see how he uses the social networks.

Here are a few things Jonathan says to remember.

"We're in the entertainment industry."  Chose the personality you reveal on social media. You want the readers to remember you, not the title of one book. Stay out of politics and avoid religion. Use humor but keep your audience in mind as far as level of crudeness. Share personal stuff but not private stuff. Ask questions instead of just making statements. Don't say, 'I love this movie,' but rather ask for an opinion on the ending. And don't be a celebrity all day long. Talk about things other than writing or your books.

"Never respond to a negative review." Jonathan shared a personal story of making that mistake early in his career. It really is a no-win situation for the writer. In addition to that, never talk about rejections on social media. Only share your successes. Also use your social media to be a cheerleader for your genre.  Here's what Elizabeth Spann Craig has to say bout responding to negative reviews.

"Remember this is a business when talking to agents or editors." This isn't about social media but about not making a fool of yourself to another professional. Jonathan pointed out how many writers make sport of the quality of writing in such series as Twilight or the Fifty Shades of Gray books. We claim our writing is nothing like that. Jonathan points out that any agent or editor would love nothing more than to contract a hit series like those books. We're talking major money like in the billions. Every agent wants to discover the new Twilight. Saying our work is nothing like that series only shows that we don't understand that writing is a business.

And now this picture because we all need a smile today. Have one of those at work?

Like many of you, I get most of my news online. When news worthy events are unfolding, Twitter can be the source of fast up-to-the-second reports. But it's really scary to see the viciousness expressed on Twitter. What is more disturbing? That people have such hateful thoughts or that they share their virulence for all to see? Let us all be kind in words and deeds.

Hot weather found us last week and we're expecting more of the same this week. I love this weather. Not sure if I'd feel that way if I didn't have my pool, but I do have it so I'm loving it. Ankle has healed enough that I'm back to walking but a ways from jogging yet. And I'm staying on flat surfaces and not setting any speed records. It still feels good to be exercising outside again. And it gives me an excuse to buy more music.

Do you agree with what Jonathan said about Twilight? Have you read some horror stories about authors responding to bad reviews? What would you like to see in vending machines?

My Species

The keynote speaker at the recent writers conference I attended was Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author or thrillers, horror novels and comic books. He has so many things going on like having one of his series being in development for a TV series and another for a movie. A good place to start with his books is Patient Zero.

Jonathan was a member of Pennwriters early in his career. Now that he is big time and living in California, it was really generous of him to return to our writers' group and lead workshops and give a dinner speech that left everyone laughing, applauding and truly inspired. Not only did he travel across the country, but he arranged for a copy of one of his books to be distributed to every attendee and then hung around to sign them. All weekend, he made himself available for questions and discussions. For three days he gave back to the society of writers.

After giving a brief personal history of his writing career, Jonathan explained why he enjoys the company of other writers so much. Writers are his people. His species. No matter how much our family and friends support our careers, there are things about being a writer that only other writers get. Like how when you're sitting at your desk staring blankly at the wall, you are working. When you're listening into the argument going on behind you at the restaurant, you're working. When you do all those weird Google searches, you're working. Sitting on the porch reading? That is working. Only members of your own species understand that. Thanks to Jonathan for being so generous.

Thinking about writing a short story? Maybe submit it to an anthology? Check out Alex J. Cavanaugh over at Anne R. Allen's blog and his post, Anthologies: How They Can Advance Your Writing Career.

Tomorrow is Flag Day here in the States and also my oldest son's birthday. He's a pretty patriotic guy so it fits. He doesn't care about his birthday and never has. He's excited about the upcoming football season so the quote today is one he lives by or rather coaches by.
"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." Vince Lombardi

I'm still toiling away on my WIP and it's going so much slower than I expected. So this quote if for me.
"Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned." Emily Dickinson

Do you feel the species love with other writers? Are you thinking of being part of an anthology? Have you heard of Jonathan Maberry? How do you give back to your writing community?

IWSG: Happy Aniversary

It's that time of month. No, not that time, it's the first Wednesday and that means the Insecure Writers Support Group post time. Two years ago, Alex J. Cavanaugh, started this wonderful group where writers offer support, advice and generally help each other through the wonderful, confusing and sometimes lonely business of being a writer. You can find an entire list of participating writers on this list.

Two years is a long time for a blogging group like this to continue on and on. I believe it does continue to grow stronger and sturdier for a couple of reasons. Number one is our tireless leader, Alex Cavanaugh. Alex sends reminders, encourages members and welcomes the newbies. There are also so many experienced and talented writers on this list that every month I learn something or find a link to someplace I need to be. In any given month, there were be a wide variety of posts, some asking for help and others offering assistance even if it's just advice. Yes, this group is strong because of its members are.

Enough cheerleading for today. Recently I read an interview in a writer's magazine that really struck a note with me. The article caught my eye because I personally know the writer. I don't know Jonathan Maberry well but we belong to the same writer's group and I've spoken with him and heard him speak at conferences. He's a very prolific writer and I've enjoyed many of his books. But to the point, Jonathan was questioned in the interview about writer's block. He doesn't believe in it. He thinks that people struggle to put words on the paper(computer screen) because they're 'trying too hard to write a perfect first draft.' He recommends getting that first draft done and then fixing it. His philosophy works for him and he writes fast.

I personally have never experienced writer's block so I'm not sure if Jonathan is correct or not. But if you are having some difficulty getting those words from your mind to your computer, perhaps you should consider his theory.

I'm not sure if I've been here since the start of IWSG but I think I have. How long have you been a member? Do you know Jonathan Maberry or have you read any of his books? Have you ever suffered from writer's block? What do you think causes it and how would you recommend someone overcomes it?

Don't forget to visit other blogs in the IWSG.