#IWSG for November 2015

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

The awesome co-hosts this month are Stephen Tremp, Karen Walker, Denise Covey, and Tyrean Martinson!

More, more, more!

I am hounded by this voice in my head that tells me I'm not writing enough. I need to get more books out there. I need to write better faster. And I need to do it now!

The voice makes me highly anxious. It gives me stressful writer work dreams. So much editing and marketing! So much to do, so little time. Where is that mind jack I can plug into my head and pour my stories right into the computer? My fingers don't move fast enough. My eyes are old and tired.

I've got to write more!

I know reasonably this isn't realistic. We all write at different paces, and we have limited time to write. But the nag beats down my reason and demands I write, write, write!

Anyone else harassed by this voice? What do you do to ease that anxiety?

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Don't forget about TB Markinson's monthly book giveaway. You can win five awesome books, and this month, one of them is The 13th Floor Complete Collection. Also, the Mayhem in the Air tour is going on this week and into the next. You can get exclusive excerpts from the stories in the collections and enter for a chance to win a $40 gift card. Finally, Realms Faire 2015 begins on Monday. Shine your armor and fill your mugs! Tons of medieval games, giveaways, and grog. I'll be hosting the Drench-a-Wench event. There will be a giveaway every day of a minimum four books for you to win.

IWSG for June 2015

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

The fantastic co-hosts this month are: M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

I received my first quarterly check from my publisher a few weeks ago. I held the envelope in my hands and did a happy jig. Then, like Wolverine, I tore it open and froze.

No, no. That can't be right. I had a dream. My dream told me I'd earn $4700. My subconscious clearly does not know where to place decimal points. I didn't even make triple digits.

The weight of the let-down flopped me into a chair. I could barely breathe. That lasted ten seconds until the panic of wondering whether taking the risk with this series was worth it had me madly pacing the room. This isn't my usual genre. Did I ruin myself by publishing these stories? Do readers think I'm crazy? Why oh why didn't I use a pen name?

ACK!

All that self doubt and anxiety crashed down on me. There wasn't enough ice cream in the world to help this one. Time to hide in a hole. Please ignore this silly geek over here.

Now that I've had some time to let things settle down, I'm okay with the fact I did take the risk. Even if I don't sell well, I've learned a lot from this experience. And I still do believe that the stories are great fun.

We all need to hide in a hole with a barrel bucket of ice cream now and then. The real challenge is to come out and keep pushing forward. Take risks and never give up.

IWSG for August 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month I'm feeling frustrated that I can't share my big news yet. It's been almost two months since I've known, but the contract isn't signed and sealed.

One thing I love about self-publishing is that you can move at your own pace and shout out the news whenever you want. I wanted the experience of working with a publisher, and now I have it.

It's slow. Maybe the folks in the contracts department are on vacation or they're slower in the summer with the kids home. I can understand it, but it doesn't help my anxiety.

I'm taking a deep breath. It'll all work out.

What's the best thing to do while waiting? Write.

And check your inbox fifty times a day.