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.

Friday Five for January 24, 2014

1. I started on the third draft of my WIP. One step closer to a beautiful polish and then, oh no, querying! Yikes! Is it okay to start panicking about that now even though I'm not close to starting to do it yet? I have all these different scenarios playing out in my head. I think I've covered every possibility. Of course, something I totally didn't expect will happen. Hence the panic.

2. When I started the work on my third draft, I made a new list of plot points for the chapters. (Since I changed the chapters around in the second draft.) I marked out parts for action, romance, characterization, and key plot points. I even used colored pencils. I really liked using color. Did it help me? Well, everything looks to be in order just the way it is. Until my CPs and beta readers have their say, that is! I'm on the right track, though.

3. Lots of school delays this week. We don't have a ton of snow, but it's frigid. My day to assist in my son's preschool class is on Monday. By the look of the forecast, we're due for another delay. Class will be later, so I'll be sitting down to have lunch with nine three-year-olds. It has the possibility of great entertainment. Let's hope it's all comedy!

4. This week I ordered flowers for my mom (who's retiring in a week) and my Nana (whose birthday is at the beginning of February). It made me get excited about growing more in our garden this year. Then thinking about the warmer weather, I decided I needed a wide brimmed sun hat. Maybe a straw hat or something in that fashion. My thoughts came to a screeching halt. When did I become a woman who wears a straw hat?!

5. No plans for the weekend which is nice. What about you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group for December 2012

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.

I'm eight days away from releasing the first book of my 13th Floor series. I'm sure many of you know what those days feel like. The self doubt, the panicking, the elation, the fear, and the hope. All of those mixing together causing your mood to go up and down with no warning.

I'm highly anxious about this series because I want it to represent me. I want people to recognize me as Christine Rains, the author of the 13th Floor series. Yes, I know all our stories represent ourselves as writers. Yet I have published fantasy, romance, horror, and erotica stories. I haven't put any particular one to my name, my brand. That's what I want to do with the 13th Floor series.

I think about the series all the time. The stories, the characters, the tours, how to market them, what will readers think, and can I handle it if it isn't well received. All possible scenarios go through my head. I over-think things. A lot.

I feel like I'm bracing myself for impact.

How do you prepare yourself for a release? And how do you handle the anxiety and self doubts that come with it?