IWSG November 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 as we record our journeys. Check out the November newsletter here.

Our awesome co-hosts this month are:    PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and me, Diedre Knight!

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

It’s National Author’s Day! How would you suggest we celebrate? A group trip to the local library? A book party in the park? We could play games like “Name that first (or last) line” or “Who said that?” You could even perceive the day as a happy harbinger and write the first three pages of your future first best-selling novel ;-)

If you are participating in National Novel Writing Month, can you describe in one word the impetus for your story? To be fair, I don’t think it’s possible. I’ve been working on the same manuscript for a while now and still cannot describe in only one word whatever possessed me.

American author Dorothy Straight’s motivation came from her mother, who posed a question in 1962, “Who made the world?” Dorothy answered by writing and illustrating a book - that very afternoon - that described her thoughts. Her parents were so impressed they sent the book to a publisher who published it immediately. Dorothy was only four years old then and still holds the Guinness book title for the world’s youngest author.

Author Ray Bradbury earned his first paycheck at age 14 for a joke he sold to George Burns and never looked back.

Then there are the silent ones, the ones that can’t or couldn’t brag even if they wanted to, the ghostwriters. For instance, H.P. Lovecraft, creator of supernatural tales, was also a ghostwriter for Harry Houdini. Former high school teacher Andrew Neiderman was hired to (as it turned out, flawlessly) complete unfinished work left behind by legendary novelist C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic) while becoming a notable author in his own right with dozens of novels in his own name including “The Devil’s Advocate ” which was made into a 1997 movie starring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. Mark Twain effectively secured President Ulysses S. Grant’s retirement by putting together a memoir that sold for top dollar, allowing Grant a financially comfortable “after” life. Meanwhile, Twain produced two American classics of his own ;-)

What matters as a writer, whether for passion or fame, is that you write well and often.

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!