Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can’t find you to comment back.
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the September 7 posting of the IWSG are
Kim Lajevardi,Cathrina Constantine,Natalie Aguirre,Olga Godim,Michelle Wallace,and Louise - Fundy Blue!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?
Since I’ve just experienced this, I can say without hesitation, Romance. There’s a long story behind why I set my pen to paper (figuratively) to create a romantic story, but I’ll save that for another time. Just let it suffice to say that I’ll never do THAT again!
I’d no sooner written one scene than I knew I wasn’t cut out to finish the story I had in my mind. Since I was co-writing this one, I was terrified that my partner would be upset if I pulled out. She’s a good friend, so I didn’t know exactly how to say, “Sorry. Can’t do this. Hate writing romance. Can’t, in fact.”
Amazon- https://tinyurl.com/34uvz479
B&N- https://tinyurl.com/38f54kj2
Kobo- https://tinyurl.com/4rr78vks
So, I dragged my feet (ignore cliche, please) in telling her, and we continued co-writing for several more weeks. Then , one evening after one of our discussions about the book, we looked across the table at each other and said-almost in unison-“This isn’t working.”
That was the end of our romance, but the beginning of our women’s fiction with Gothic elements journey. Now, that we can write. We have a solid first draft, and by next year, we hope to have an outline for book two in the series.
Here’s one thing for sure. I’m really glad I tried my hand at a different genre. I learned a lot about it and about myself. I still have those early scenes tucked away somewhere, and who knows but that they’ll come in handy sometime in the future.
This was a good question, and I’m sure there will be some excellent answers.
About That Blogging…
Some of you may have noticed that I’m not blogging each Wednesday. I thought I’d have the time and the desire to go back to writing more frequent post, but the truth is that hasn’t happened. I’ve decided I stand a better chance at posting regularly if I stick with doing so on the first Wednesday of the month.
Quote of the Month: “You can’t write any form of fiction unless you enjoy reading it.” ― Charlotte Bingham, author
Ooh, I like the idea of trying something out of one’s comfort zone. I’d like to try horror, for instance, because learning how to build suspense and tension could be useful across genres.
Congratulations to all the anthology authors!
It’s good to challenge ourselves. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. I think I could write a romance. It’s not my favorite, but if it’s paired with another genre, like mystery and history, I enjoy it. I’ve been listening to Amy Harmon’s books lately, and they use all those elements. Two faves: The Songbook of Benny Lament and The Unknown Beloved.
Happy writing in whatever genre sparks a story!
Hi Lee - I’m so pleased you found your blog again and sorted out the mess. Nightmare … I don’t even like to think about the possibility … mind you perhaps a good story could come out of it. I couldn’t write erotica, heavy romance, or horror … or even a book! Cheers, good to see you, even once a month is fine! All the best - Hilary
I really haven’t tried my hand at romance, but per the quote above, I’d not succeed, because I don’t read it and don’t care to. Right now, I’m even leaving the bits of romance out of my cozy mysteries because I just don’t want to go there.
I don’t read horror either, and pretty much all my attempts at writing it, even flash fiction, have ended up as comic horror. Sci fi I enjoy, but am too lazy to do right (i.e., with the research into the science).
Probably the only thing I am positive I can’t and won’t write is erotica.
It’s fantastic that out of it doom something blossomed into something you’re both happy with. 🙂
Hi Lee,
Wow… sorry your Romance collaboration couldn’t work. But, something even better came out of it. Congrats! I can write romance, but it is not my favorite genre to write. I was surprised and DELIGHTED that my sweet romance story was chosen for the IWSG anthology. I formatted my story very differently from the usual romance story; perhaps that is why I enjoyed writing it. Will I write more? Maybe, but not at the moment. I am currently working on a Chicago Noir piece. Lots of atmosphere and intrigue…much more to my liking. LOL
Sounds great, Michael. And another congratulation from me on your newly published story!
There are a lot of people who make fun of romance, but it’s no easy task. It’s great you tried something new, even if you realized it wasn’t for you. I like writing short stories for that purpose. I’ve written many genres and I’ve come across a few that are not for me like historical. Also poetry is not for me. Yet it’s marvelous to try at least once!
Experimenting is always good. IMHO. The worst that can happen is you fail. The best, you like this new thing.
So it worked this time, Lee. Seems every time we make changes, it goes haywire. And losing comments sucks. The links in your comments on mine and other’s blogs is still not working.
Funny about romance. One person in this round said if they wrote romance they’d be publishing books all the time seeing it was so easy. NOT!!! I don’t write pure romance about billionaires and princes and secret babies, but I write women’s fiction heavy with romantic elements. There is a big difference. I’m intrigued to hear of a WF with Gothic elements. Bring it on!
Thanks for trying again when you found that my website had vanished. I could throttle GoDaddy because once I’d tracked down the issue, all they had to do was finish the migration, which they hadn’t done. Sheesh! The worst that happened was that I lost all of my early comments and replies. It could have been worse.
I like romantic elements in a story. Afterall, love is something we can all relate to. I’m just not keen on that “pure romance” you mentioned. Some peopleit, so like it, so it’s good that there are writers who can create it.
leod fitz says
I picked romance as well, though for slightly different reasons. But I have to say, I’m impressed that you’re able to write with a partner. I’ve tried that a couple of times and it’s something that I’ve always struggled with. I’d love to be able to write with somebody, but you have to have a shared vision, and that’s something I can’t seem to do. At least, not with novels.
The partnership has been interesting. We don’t always agree, but so far we’ve found a way to compromise. I still prefer to write by myself, but this has been good in many ways.
I think it’s always good to experiment and learn what we enjoy writing about! Glad the project led to another path.
We both know about experimenting, don’t we?
There you are! Couldn’t find you yesterday, but I think a lot of us had problems. The sheer number of writers who say they won’t or can’t write romance is amazing, given how prolific the genre itself is in the marketplace.
Glad you and your co-writer found a way around the genre dilemma. I’m sure you’ll both be happier with the results 😉 Good luck!
My blog vanished due a technical glitch, so that’s why you couldn’t find it yesterday. I finally resolved the problem and I’m up and running again. Thanks for perservering!
I agree. Romance is not my cup of tea! I can write lighter shades of it to enhance my character when they take over the narrative. But that’s about it. I’m more of a “crime fiction” gal! 😀
You do a bang-up job in your genre!
Romance isn’t easy… all those feelings, yikes! I couldn’t write horror or science fiction.
I’m glad you’re back up today. Tried several times yesterday with no luck.
Yesterday was a mess. Glad I could fix it. All of my comments disappeared, but it could have been much worse.
Yes, romance is all about feelings and human nature. You’d think any writer could deal with that, but that is not the case.
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
I’m thankful that you got your site up and running again, dear friend, but sorry you lost yesterday’s comments. As I mentioned in my email, literally two seconds after I submitted my reply to your comment on my site yesterday, the thunder I mentioned hearing outside my window suddenly erupted into a bolt of lightning that knocked out our internet and power. When it was restored, I quickly headed over here only to find that your site was down. It was a frustrating experience for both of us.
The question of the month is interesting, and I appreciated your response. Several times in my life I have applied the brakes, skidded to a halt and thrown it in reverse when my instincts told me I was on the wrong path and engaged in a fruitless endeavor. It takes courage to admit to your peers that you don’t have it in you. I admire you for cutting your losses in the early stages of the collaboration. As you pointed out, the time was not completely wasted, because you learned something about yourself and what works and what doesn’t. You were also wise to save the scenes you already wrote, because there is always a possibility that the romance story muse will someday possess you.
The quote of the month makes sense to me. My career in TV news revolved around reporting the facts and, to this day, everything I read is nonfiction. Therefore, I doubt that I could write a very good novel. I also don’t think I’d be a good writer of children’s books because, even in early childhood, I was already more interested in the trappings of adulthood.
Enjoy the rest of your week and month, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
Well, you create some interesting stories on your blog, so I’d say you use your talent as a non-fiction writer to its fullest! Thanks for the email message about the vanished blog! What a mess that was.
It seems that Romance, hands-down is the toughest genre for most writers.
I thought it might be at the top along with sci-fi and horror. Those are challenging writing experiences.