Hello there!
Whether
you’re just passing through, or looking for a comfortable online group in which
to share your writing journey, you’ve come to the right place! The
Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers resources, tips, timely news,
how-to’s, and don’t do’s – all the support we writers can use to make the most
of our craft.
We meet on
the 1st Wednesday of every month. Feel free to browse around and
mingle. As in the words of IWSG founder and “Cassa Series,” author Alex Cavanaugh, “Your words may be the encouragement someone else needs” Join us!
This month’s
gracious co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence!
We’ve had an
extraordinary amount of rain over the last several months, so much so that our
city has now declared it unnecessary to continue filling our historically-dry riverbed
with treated water. Rumors of the return of near-extinct fish and wildlife
notwithstanding, there are reports of never before documented species beaching
on the banks to bask beneath the branches of what looks for all the world like
summer foliage. We may not sport the bright green clovers, but we’ve got the
yellow bloomers, alright. These hardy flowering shrubs in brilliant golden
splendor prove beyond a doubt that no, it’s not THE dreaded virus, the sneezing
fits will pass. It’s merely March in the desert. March already!
It’s not
only March
into Literacy and Paws to Read Month, but we’re also smack in the
middle of National
Words Matter Week, and posting on none other than National Grammar
Day! Don’t nobody panic ;-)
Today is
also Discover
What Your Name Means Day. As a kid, I pretty much judged what my
name meant at any given moment by the tone in which it was spoken. Were they
requesting my company or demanding my presence for a missing cookie
inquisition? This is probably why I
learned to love the written word. The writer chooses the words that set the
tone. Pretty empowering, huh? Some of us
even manage to do it artfully. I’m still working on that ;-)
One of my
favorite things about March is the celebration of St. Patrick, the non-Irish
guy who reportedly brought Christianity to Ireland. Rumor has it St. Patrick
also drove out all the snakes, though according to Mental Floss and Popular
Science, snakes can’t survive on islands. Harder still to grasp is the fact
that up until the 1970s all the pubs were closed in observance of St. Patrick’s
Day. My all-time favorite tales about
March are the legendary miniature gold-collecting cobblers called Leprechauns.
I’m fascinated by the mythical sprites and thoroughly enjoy the folklore,
including one story where a farmer caught a Leprechaun who then had to disclose
where he’d buried his pot of gold. The farmer tied a red ribbon around a tree
to mark the spot and went to get a shovel. Upon his return, he was astonished
to find red ribbons tied around every tree in the forest. My kind of shenanigans!
So, in
answer to this month’s IWSG Optional Question: “Other than the obvious holiday traditions,
have you ever included any personal or family traditions in your stories?” Absolutely!
I've got a developing series for children starring a Leprechaun in
search of new adventures and in need of cooler duds, better tricks, and the answer
to one burning question when he finds himself far from the verdant forests of Emerald
Isle, and way out of place in the western desert town of Sunburnt.
Trivia Question: What book idea did Irishman Hugh Beaver
originate?
Happy Writing!
