IWSG June 2026 Where Do stories Come From?

 Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news as we record our journeys. Check out the December newsletter here.

The awesome co-hosts for this month’s posting of the IWSG are:   Victoria Marie Lees, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and C. Lee McKenzie!

 

 Today’s entirely optional question: Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

You’d think I’d have a patented answer for this question by now, since it is one of the most commonly asked questions a writer ever gets. Back in the early days of swing-singing – before I could even spell my own name – the answer was easy: I reported the news as I’d heard or discerned it from all over the cul-de-sac (the neighbor’s chagrin notwithstanding) at the top of my lungs each morning at sunrise from the vantage point of my backyard swing. I use the word “News” lightly here, as in those days the word referred to something you could believe in. Whether you wanted to hear it or not was mostly up to you (neighbor’s remorse, notwithstanding)

What I truly admire is how authors manage to weave stories around news events that might otherwise have faded away if not for the riveting narratives that became sensational movies, such as Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie) and Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly).

Did I mention that the story I spoke of last month (Tortilla Bandits) was based on a true story? We just decided not to file a Police report ;-)  

I’ve just finished reading my fifth book of the year (so far). How’s your reading list doing?

Fun Fact: In Brazilian prisons, reading a book can reduce a prisoner’s sentence by four days!

That’s it for me, for now. See Ya all out there!

 

Happy Writing

 

IWSG May 2026 Inspiring Feedback

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news as we record our journeys. Check out our newsletter for May here.

Our awesome cohosts for this month are:

Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi!

And today’s entirely optional question is:

What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

In terms of literary feedback, it doesn’t matter if we’re talking 14 or 44 different “types” assigned to any given Book Review because any one of them can literally launch or tank a career and crush the heart of the author who bravely dared to present their work in the first place. Being as how I’m mostly terrified to know, I don’t typically read reviews of my own work. However, the reviews I read under the heading Craft and Criticism at Literary Hub have me wanting to rush right out and buy every book reviewed in the article!

While the reviews were not all Unicorns and Pink Cadillacs, there were at least enough complimentary comments to remind the authors, all of us, really, that readers are as independent as we are and therefore (hopefully) inclined toward objectivity.

Nevertheless, I nearly starved to death fretting about the ten copies of a manuscript I passed around at a school bus yard years ago. Was this a mistake? Did they hate it? Why was it taking so long? Did bus drivers even read YA stories?

As it turned out, a couple of weeks without food or sleep didn’t kill me 😉 And would you believe seven out of ten readers asked when the sequel would be finished?!

Then there was that disagreement over a word I’d used in the title of a short story for children. The editor absolutely was not ever going to allow the title (Tortilla Capers) to be what I had planned. Instead, she suggested one much better! I smile every time I run across the story I wrote called Tortilla Bandits 😊

Can’t wait to see what you have to say – See ya soon!

 

 

IWSG April 2026 National Poetry Month

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday of the month, when we celebrate IWSG Day as a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news as we record our journeys. Check out the April newsletter here.

The awesome co-hosts for this month’s posting of the IWSG are:  Melissa Maygrove, Cathrina Constantine, Kate Larkinsdale, and Rebecca Douglass!

 Today’s entirely optional question: If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?

Happy April, everyone! I love music.  I think it narrates the feelings of our souls, even as we sometimes tap our pen to paper, waiting for words to drip out.  Since we’re all about writing here, it’s a good time to remember it’s National Poetry Month. Do you write poetry or have a favorite poet? 

I have two favorite poets. My first favorite is Robert Frost. Do you know he’s the only poet to date to win four (4!) Pulitzer prizes? I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

My other favorite poet is Sinclair Lewis, and his poem “The Road Not Taken.” Do you know he’s the first person to ever refuse a Pulitzer prize? The award was for his novel Arrowsmith, which Lewis didn’t feel quite met the criteria, which was at that time work that “best represents the wholesome atmosphere of American Life.”  Nonetheless, the “powers that were” declared that his award would stand in perpetuity. And so it has.

My two favorite poets, walking in the woods and such, always call to mind songs by John Denver, or Bad Company (Seagull), or James Taylor.  I was listening to Chris Rea this afternoon.

Happy writing in April!

IWSG Sept 2023 12th Anniversary!

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday of the month when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news as we record our journeys. Check out the September newsletter here.

Our awesome co-hosts this month are:   Sonia Dogra, J Lenni Dorner, Pat Garcia, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Meka James!

Happy 12th anniversary, IWSG! I haven’t been around quite that long, but that doesn’t curb my enthusiasm ;-) Cyber hugs all around!

The optional question(s) for this month is: When did you discover the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

My first IWSG post was on May 4, 2016. I talked in somewhat over-flowing prose about stalking my mail carrier for a response to a submission. I shared a quote by Malcolm Forbes about how failure is success if we learn from it. Then I unabashedly wrapped up with a transcribed embrace for all of us: “The surest thing you’ll ever know is when words still flow unfettered…”

As far as I can tell, July 6, 2016, was the very first official Optional Question of the Month. The question was: What’s the best thing someone has ever said about your writing?

My answer was that someone said I paint beautiful word pictures.  The compliment came from an author I deeply loved as a friend and respected as a mentor.  She’s gone now, but her words remain embedded in my heart, indelible proof that someone – and not just anyone – believed in me. I can’t adequately describe how heartening that was. Is. She might as well have been the one jogging behind me the first time I rode my bike without training wheels. The one who let go, knowing I’d be alright.

Encouragement instills confidence, which has everything to do with success. Members of IWSG already know these are just a couple of the many nouns we pass around like reassuring hugs. Inspiration is another. Join us and see for yourself!

I'm on the road today, dear friends. So I'll be just a little behind schedule on my visits ;-)

IWSG July 2023 One Tomato, Two Tomatoes,

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the July newsletter here.

Our awesome co-hosts this month are:  PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre!  Feel free to hop around and say hello to everyone!

The optional question for this month is: 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

I'm reminded of a quote (I'll paraphrase for brevity) by Orson Scott:

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day,"

A few cool and unusual things happened on my way to a job fair a few weeks ago; I received a great compliment and a strange prompt. There was also a promise of rain. Thankfully, the praise came first, or I might have disregarded the prompt to describe my own funeral from the attendees' point of view. This is going to be so much fun!

I wrote the first 300 words in a parking lot! Later, it took me longer to decipher my own handwriting than it did to write those words in my excited state ;-) But the seed was planted and already growing. *In my defense, Agatha Christie also had terrible handwriting and had to dictate much of her work ;-)

The compliment was also just the encouragement I needed to revisit, revise, and at last release a story (I've left blowing in the wind) to the capable hands of an editor, who by now must think I've given up and torched the manuscript. Not so. I've just been…distracted.

So, what do you do when focusing is easier said than done? Has anyone heard of the "Pomodoro Technique"? Setting specified writing sessions – or Pomodoro, which is Italian for tomato -  sounds like something that just might work for me. One tomato, two tomatoes, three tomatoes, four…It all adds up.

Hemingway's tip for keeping the creativity flowing between sessions was to stop right in the middle of a scene you can't wait to get back to. That way, your next session is already in progress, and you're not facing the dreaded blank what-do-I-write-now page.

Fun Fact:

Author Roald Dahl was a taste-tester for Cadbury Chocolate.

 

"Hold the vision, trust the process.”

IWSG June 2023 Never Too Late

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the June newsletter here

Our awesome co-hosts this month are: Patrcia Josephine, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine! Feel free to hop around and say hello to everyone!

The optional question for this month is: If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?

I can’t imagine not writing anymore. If I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. Does revising count as writing? Besides writing and of course, reading, revising is one of my favorite things to do. It’s not the same as editing, which is my likeliest Plan B. Finding and fixing mistakes is easy and fun as long it’s not my own work ;-)

Revising fiction is often that second chance you never really get in reality to hone the impression you want to make. For instance, did the sun simply rise on any day in question, or did it burst from behind the clouds and spill across the sky in crimson ribbons?

Author Anna Badkhen recommends avoiding PEDESTRIAN SENTENCES and advises writers to “Approach each paragraph as you would a poem, then make it stun” Because an orchard’s worth can’t be assessed without a taste of the golden fruit?

On the other hand,

“Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it – wholeheartedly – and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.” — Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, On the Art of Writing, 1916

Then again, 

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write” ~ Saul Bellow

Remember that eleventh-hour magic never happens before the deadline, and it’s never too late to revise.

How often do you get up in the middle of the night to write? How do you feel about revisions?

Happy Writing!

 

IWSG May 2023

 Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the May newsletter here

Our awesome co-hosts this month are: Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour! Feel free to hop around and say hello to everyone!

The optional question for this month is: When you’re working on a story, what inspires you?

Depending on the setting of a particular story, I like to have a reminder handy. A walk in the forest, a view of the ocean. Sometimes I sit in the dark on the patio and listen to the sounds of the night. There’s always a dog or two (usually mine) barking in the distance. Crickets are terrific watch-bugs; going silent when an intruder nears. With the exception of javelina herds that stink to high heaven (you don’t have to see them to know they’re near), aroma therapy is always nice. Lavender is my peaceful favorite. Sandalwood goes well with a lot of the stories I write.

I can’t wait to hear what inspires you!

It’s Get Caught Reading month once again. How many have you read so far this year?

In honor of Lumpy Rug Day I’ve started a quick little mystery about how a rug might get lumpy ;-) Care to join me?

Have a wonderful month – call your Mom or send her a smile from your heart.

IWSG Jan 2023 Ready, Set, Steadfast!

 Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the January newsletter here

Our awesome co-hosts this month are:   Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!   Feel free to hop around and say hello to everyone!

The optional question for this month is: Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? 

What a great question! The first word that came to mind even as I read the question was “Finish.” But I’ve already used it. The term “Satori” has been on my mind for months on end. It roughly translates to “sudden enlightenment”. This time next year, I’d like to be able to tell you I had it this year;-) Therefore, my word for 2023 is Steadfast because that’s what I’ll need to be in order to achieve at least a couple of the goals I’ve set. Ready, Set, Go!

In honor of Trivia Day, here are a few literary fun facts:

Charles Dickens actively practiced hypnosis, most notably on his wife (mother of their ten children) whenever she got one of her frequent headaches. However, he himself refused to be put into a trance.

Regrettably, Stephen King doesn’t remember writing “Cujo”. Fortunately, Mr. King has since parted ways with the memory-thieving genie in a bottle ;-)

No one could have guessed that Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” would one day inspire the invention of the defibrillator. Much less that old Dick Tracy comics would inspire the future invention of the SmartWatch.

Early episodes of Star Trek introduced gadgets that most of us now find impossible to live without, like the cell phone -  with Facetime.

Can you imagine not only writing an epic, timeless novel but also being around to realize it also changed the world?

Happy writing!

 

IWSG Nov 2022 Commas, Crosswords, and Bookstalls

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the November newsletter here

Our awesome co-hosts this month are: Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, Diane Burton , and Yours truly, me – diedre Knight!    Feel free to hop around and say hello to everyone!

The optional question for this month is: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

The optional question brings to mind a quote:

“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”  ~ W. Somerset Maugham

I admire anyone for whom inspiration strikes on a regular basis. More so those who can readily seize the moment – at the moment – that it hits. Wistful sigh. Between work, kids, and caring for elderly family members, I’ve never felt like I had the time required for a commitment as monumental as achieving a specific word count in a month seems. Now that things have slowed down considerably, I like to think there’s still time to try it one day. How about you? Are you feverishly typing to meet your daily word count? If so, is this your first time?

What I find most intriguing about the challenge is not so much the emphasis on daily word count but how much every word counts. For the next 30 days, “Less is more” will be the last thing on your mind, and you can even forget about commas – for now, as you’re encouraged to write your heart out every day without a care or much of a clue as to where you might end up. Instead, you chase an idea like you would a kite with a tail made of words and an endless supply of string. I can’t think of anything more stimulating!

“End each day mid-sentence,”

Before you know it, it’ll be time to think about commas again, and perhaps a host of other grammar issues. Think of it as cleaning the bugs off the windshield after a long drive, but don’t even think of trying this alone! We writers just aren’t good at seeing our own faults, and editors love their jobs ;-)

 

Notable events in November:

The first UK newspaper crossword puzzle appeared in the Sunday Express in 1924 – Closely followed by the first Book of Crossword Puzzles, which was printed by Simon and Schuster (also in 1924), and came with a pencil. As you might guess, it was an instant success. How are you at working crossword puzzles? Care to try one here?

What began as a humble railway bookstall opened in 1792 by Henry Walton Smith and his wife, Anna, would more than stand the test of time. Spanning over 200 years in continuous operation, the success of WH Smith bookstalls can easily be attributed to the enduring entrepreneurial flair employed by multiple generations of the same enterprising family. In 1905 when William Henry Smith faced steep rent increases at most of his railway stations, he opened 150 new shops on busy “high” streets, ensuring that when the rails were no longer popular, his stores would still be in business. In 1966 yet another Smith created a Standard Book Numbering system for their “circulating library,” which soon became the international standard or ISBN. The last family member left the board in 1996.

Have an inspiring month!

IWSG February 2022 Heartlights and Sunrays

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a place to share the fabulous views and exciting news that occurs along our fascinating writing journeys. Check out the February newsletter here.  Perusing the many tips and resources offered here is definitely worthwhile and highly rewarding, so pull up a comfy chair, or better yet -  join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

This month’s optional question is:

Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn’t around anymore? Anyone you miss?

Yes. My dad readily comes to mind today because he would have had a birthday yesterday. Facebook is good at reminding us when friends have special days, even long after they’ve passed away. So in honor of his life and his effect on mine (never mind the fact that his account remains open), I went ahead and posted a favorite music video to his page. Never one to shower another with praise, he instead said things like “I felt I was in that room,” or “I don’t know which was more pervasive; the tension, or the earthy scent of desert rain and sandalwood,” I enjoyed writing beneath the glow of his quiet Heartlight. Now, as I write, I find I still do.

For Library Lover’s Month, I decided to check out some of the secrets librarians know that we might not. For example, you don’t have to be 100% silent, but phone etiquette is necessary. While they’re aware of their status as “refuge” for homeless folks, sleeping is prohibited. Libraries across America have installed “makerspaces” offering 3-D machines, sewing machines, video-editing stations, and social workers for anyone with nowhere else to go yet who are too tired to read.  Librarians can, and often do waive the late fee – if you have a convincing reason for being late. They never know what they’re going to find in a book drop. In addition to books, they’ve discovered sweaters, letters, keys – and a dozen donuts! Overall, any librarian will say the best part of the job is being able to help, whether suggesting an octogenarian’s next read or figuring out what bird may have lost the feather a five-year-old child found in the parking lot.

When I learned today is designated as “The Record of a Sneeze” Day (according to brownielocks.com), I had to know more. Aside from the record number of sneezes in a row, placed at an unbelievable 976 days, held by a woman from the UK, the story is commonly known as Fred Ott’s Sneeze. It’s actually the oldest surviving motion picture with a copyright and was produced by Edison Manufacturing Company in 1894. The 5-second silent black and white film was shot by William K.L. Dickson and featured Fred Ott (Thomas Edison’s assistant) sneezing after sniffing a pinch of snuff.

Wishing everyone a month of gorgeous sunrays – Happy writing!