IWSG July 2021 Suncatchers and Fireballs

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here. For the seventh time this year, 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 Alex Cavanaugh 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. Pull up a chair and join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: 

  Pat Garcia, Victoria Marie Lees, and Louise – Fundy Blue!

This week begins “Air-Conditioning Appreciation Days” There may be a few more participants than normal this year. For the time being, I envy those who live near water ;-)

It’s “World Watercolor Month” Do you have a favorite artist? Besides Van Gogh, John Singer Sargent is a favorite of mine. Especially The Loggia, Vizcaya 1917. I can imagine a cool breeze wafting across the terrace as waning rays of daylight are captured in a suncatcher.

A couple of weeks ago, I counted over thirty ongoing wildfires in my state as daily temperatures inched ever closer to record highs with no rain in sight. I couldn’t help but wonder how all those tent-city dwellers across town were keeping cool. Not a good time to invite so many visitors, if you ask me.

Since it’s Tell the Truth Day, I will. We were anxious to make good on plans to get out of the sweltering heat for a while. Monsoon, years overdue, refreshing, and typically thrilling, arrived three days before we left. Wouldn’t you just know it?   It seemed a bit of it followed us, as it rained or remained overcast, here in the woods, clear through the 4^th of July. Just when I think nature has fully astonished me, it tosses something new my way. For example, that fireball that zipped along a utility line and hit a house down the way - without setting the forest on fire.  That was yesterday. Today, cable and internet are intermittent so I hope I can get this post out on time tomorrow.

Of late I’ve been doing my best to curb excessive usage of the word “just” as in simply, merely, or barely. Can you tell? I had no idea how often I use the word.

This month, the IWSG optional question asks what would make a writer stop writing. The very thought of such a thing makes my heart stop long enough to ponder the possibility of writing from the great beyond. Now that could be fun :-)

As time is of the essence this morning, I’ll leave you with one (more) burning question: How would you describe a radish to someone who’s never heard of such a thing?

Happy Writing!

IWSG May - Switching Gears for Flat Tires

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

For the fifth time this year, 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 Alex Cavanaugh 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. Pull up a chair and join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: 

 Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine! 

I know I say this every year, but that's because it bears repeating – It's National Get Caught Reading Month! I'm reading my 14^th book (so far) this year.  What are you reading?

Before long, I'll get back to writing again. Unlike my previous work, I'm writing as a Planner rather than a Panster. But here's the thing; I wrote the first seven or eight chapters as a panster. But that was before life (never to be outdone) lobbed tiny hardballs of hardships and sudden halleluiahs.  Oh yes, and COVID. It's relatively easy to get back to reading after a distraction or two. Distractions while writing had the effect of letting the air out of my tires.

Now that kids are, for the most part, back in school, distractions are fewer. Switching to planning as part of my Plan B was just what I needed to get rolling again ;-)  By the way, May is Homeschool awareness Month, though I'm fairly certain few are unaware.

Have you ever switched gears?

On this day in 1816, a poem by an as yet unknown writer was published in a local weekly paper. The sonnet and those that followed fueled deep admiration for the young romantic lyric poet whose reputation continued to grow long after his early demise. His first publication could easily be my favorite:

"To Solitude" by John Keats

This month's IWSG optional question is:  
Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect? If so, did it surprise you?

Since I write with no expectations, I'm pretty much always surprised ;-)

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!

"Usually, the triumph of my day is, you know, everyone making it to the potty." ~ Julia Roberts

 

What's So Funny?

Welcome, all! You’re just in time for the monthly (1^st Wednesday) on-line gathering of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, where you’ll find helpful tips, handy resources, the latest trends in publishing, and a comfortable place for hundreds of writers – just like you and I – to  share our writing journeys! 

Feel free to meander and mingle. Our gracious co-hosts this month are:

Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Even if you’re not there yet, sooner or later, your writing journey will undoubtedly lead you to the marketing stage, and this month’s IWSG Newsletter happens to offer invaluable guidelines for effective promotions! 

For member news and often funny movie reviews, our founder, Alex Cavanaugh has it all!  

Speaking of funny…

One sweltering morning on the somewhat crowded beach of a seaside village, I sought shelter in the shade of a utility pole to crack open a new book while my camping comrades, each in varying stages of late-night aftermath, laid sprawled around the camp beneath dampened towels and rapidly melting icepacks. Not more than a few pages into the book, I laughed right out loud and chuckled for several seconds after. At that unmistakable, “somebody’s staring at me” feeling, I glanced up to find that, in fact, everyone in camp was staring at me. “What was so funny?” they wanted to know. “Was I reading a comedy?” 

Actually, it was a Stephen King novel. So, it wasn’t exactly a comedy. But the spontaneous burst of laughter made me feel I could handle whatever the King of horror had in store for me. After all, I’d already connected on a realistic level with the fictional main character. 

According to “Dessert First” author Dean Gloster there are at least seven good reasons to include a bit of humor in serious fiction. I tend to agree, though I’m not (usually) a comedian. 

But what, exactly, is funny to whom? I decided to do a little research by way of interviewing a couple of my younger friends whose responses had my eyebrows twitching: Adult humor – whether they ‘get’ it or not, metaphorical sarcasm, and Dad jokes. 

Dad jokes?  “The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.”  ~ boredpanda.com  

“Oh,” I said, “the jokes dads tell.” Like when I asked my dad (many, many moons ago) what he thought of my new (fake) perfume called “Evening in Paris” and he replied “Afternoon at the Garbage Dump.” Hmm, I think I’ll stick with the first two responses – at least for what I’m working on now.

Question of the Month: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)? 

While I’d much rather live vicariously through my characters, I’m sure there’s an inadvertent bit of me in many of them. For instance, in the acrophobic elevator mouse, a warrior with the sniffles, a ghostly bus stop dweller; befriending lonely riders. And then there’s the ghost who doesn’t know he is one – or does he?

Do you appreciate humor in literature? Do you use it in your writing? Do you know a funny ‘Dad Joke’?

I may be a bit slower with visiting this time around, but no worries, I’ll see you soon!

You Don't Say

Welcome Readers and fellow Writers, to the January 2019 online meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh and comprised of writing members just like you (and me), featuring writing tips, resources, articles, contests, and IWSG swag! See what we’re all talking about here and join us as we share our writing journeys.

*We meet on the first Wednesday of every month – join us and enjoy!

Visit our gracious Co-hosts, and let them know you’re here: Patricia Lynne, Lisa Buie-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue!

Season’s Greetings, Everyone!

I had quite the ‘other worldly’ Christmas this year. 

This season, we traveled in hopes of a glimpse of “the white stuff” for Christmas. What began as dainty angel socks dropping softly to the ground gradually turned into a scene that this life-long desert dweller could only describe as (insert emoji) WOW! At one point, someone said “Where’s Lucy?” and we all swallowed hard.

Evidently, friends and family really enjoy the use of emoticons as they often share with me their latest reasons to laugh uproariously – or sigh in disgust. This puts a rather exciting new spin on “Show, don’t tell,” don’t you think?  It’s the way everyone communicates these days, and entirely acceptable - unless you want a publisher to take your work seriously. While there are a handful of editors who use them sparingly, most explain the usage as tools to alleviate “the sting” (ouch!). When pestered for an opinion on the subject, one of my editors replied with a question I doubt I’ll soon forget: “Are you a writer or an illustrator?”

But aren’t those expressive little symbols irresistible? The trouble is that it takes me longer to find just the right one than it does to formulate in writing the thoughts or feelings I want to convey. Do you ever feel that way?

How is your writing journey looking for 2019? Will you begin or finish that project that so absorbs your every thought?

Oh, by the way, Lucy’s dilemma was only temporary. All we had to do was rattle a box of Cheez-its 😉

Happy Writing!