Inside the Outsiders

Here it is the first Wednesday of the month when members of the Insecure Writers Support Group devote our posts to thoughts of the wows and woes of writing in the welcoming warmth of an online writing community where there are no outsiders. See what everyone is talking about and enjoy!  IWSG

Outsider. The word alone can feel like a life sentence unless we remind ourselves that Insiders aren’t just born that way. For instance, the dismissive, often derogatory term was commonly used as a description for Super-heroes and Sci-fi fans worldwide. Now they, along with every aspect of the genre(s) in general, are looked upon in awe. How about that?

I once had the less than gratifying opportunity to be the only self-published author seated at a large round table at a southwestern author’s conference. As is my normal mode, I remained silent at first, as I got a ‘feel’ for my fellow writers and authors. Between the somewhat arrogant speakers at the podium and the caustic little cackles of those around my table, I no longer wanted to speak at all. I really wanted to hide under a rock. But, you know what? That was the last time.

Because, as no stranger to the murky depths of insecurity, I can sense it (in others) faster than my girls (dogs) can find a cookie in your pocket. The issues those new and seasoned writers had with Indy-publishing were their problem. Not mine. Perhaps they hadn’t heard of Hybrids?

On the subject of hybrids, here’s a great article by Chuck Wendig ; it’s a little dated, but nonetheless insightful.

And speaking of publishing, this relates rather closely to my answer to the question of the month, which is: What was your first piece of work as an aspiring writer, and where is it now?  Would you believe I’m sitting on it? Well, not literally. It’s under my desk. In a dust-covered, shoe-scuffed box, my very first completed novel; edited, revised, edited, revised, partially re-written, and favorably reviewed by ten readers is neatly tucked away to wait in plaintive silence for me to take the next step. But here’s the kicker, of all I’ve ever written it’s important that this one is traditionally published.  Yeah, I know. Good luck with that, right? 

Moving on to things that are possible, here’s something happening right now! If you enjoy flash fiction (as I do), you’re going to love this new platform called TaleHunt. At 250 or less, it’s a bit more than Twitter (at 45 characters) and way more than Hemingway; the master of flash fiction himself, but who couldn’t use a handy launching pad to success in the craft of our dreams?

So, how’s your journey? Where are you in the publishing process? What are your publishing plans?