#IWSG for March 2016

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 excited to be co-hosting this month, and oh what wonderful company I'm in. Please pop in and say thanks to my fellow co-hosts Lauren Hennessy, Lisa Buie-Collard, Lidy, and Mary Aalgaard!

It's been a rough start to the year for a lot of folks. The last two months went by in a blur for me. Snow days, sickness, rejections. And I ran out of cookies! I hope you didn't, but if you did, what you need is a pep talk.

You are a...

All those rejections shouldn't stop you.

 

Remember,

Never give up on your dreams.

You can do it! 

Any post with Nathan Fillion and a cute cat makes me feel better! How has 2016 been treating you?

#IWSG for February 2016

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 for this month are Allison Gammons, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Rachel Pattison, and Ann V. Friend! Thank you!

This month I'm feeling insecure about marketing. Yes, I feel like that most of the time, but it's a painful pinch this month.

There are the usual questions: am I doing enough? Is what I'm doing beneficial? What works and what doesn't and how do I tell? Why can't every writer be granted a free marketer by a genie?

I'm at the point where I don't know if anything works. I sigh and hang my head, muttering "what's the point?" How well our books do seem to fall into the hands of the Fates. It's all about luck.

Okay. So maybe I don't fully believe that. Hard work and perseverance will get you there. But you have to find out what works for you. That's no easy thing. Where's that genie with all the answers?

I'm doing a short tour right now for my Paramours series, but I'm searching for ways to promote beyond the usual routes. Any advice and suggestions are greatly welcomed.

IWSG for February 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.

When I was 18, I sent in a short story to a contest. It was quickly rejected. I didn't tell anyone I sent it or that I was rejected. After that, I couldn't find the confidence to show anyone my writing for over 15 years.

Then I met a fun group of online friends through PBeM RPGs (Play by email role-playing games). They really liked what I wrote. I did some fanfiction. They loved that even more.

With their encouragement, I submitted a short story to an ezine. It was rejected.

My friends didn't let me fall into the black hole again. I submitted another story. Then another. After 12 rejections, I had my first short story published.

A writer friend had a book accepted by a new small press. She cheered me on as I submitted a novel. It was rejected.

I submitted a second novel. They loved it! I had my first novel published.

Then The-Publisher-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named ran off with all the authors' royalties.

I felt everything I worked for was gone.

But I did gain the friendship of a wonderful group of writers with whom I still stay in contact with today.

With their support and advice, I continued submitting short stories. I have over 20 published now.

I started to blog and met even more amazing folks. I joined a local critique group and learned so much. I self-published a series of novellas which have been well received.

This year, I'm going to query two novels.

None of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of other writers. The writing community is awesome. Never take it for granted. And never doubt the value of your kind words to another writer. They may be just what she needs to hear to give her the strength to carry on.

Insecure Writer's Support Group For June 2013

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 road to publication is long and hard. Sometimes we just want to give up after so many rejections. But the key to making it as a writer is perseverance. Many great novels would've never been published if the author just gave up. So to help inspire you to carry on, here's how many times these famous writers were turned away.

 

Stephen King's CARRIE was rejected 30 times. Stephen threw the book into the trash, but his wife retrieved it and sent it out. Lucky for him! And us.

 

A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle was rejected 26 times. Once published, it went on to win the prestigious Newbery Medal.

 

DUNE received 23 rejections before Frank Herbert was picked up by Chilton.

 

WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams was rejected 26 times. 

LORD OF THE FLIES was rejected by 20 publishers. William Golding was told it was absurd and uninteresting.

J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected a dozen times. It was only picked up at the request of a CEO's eight-year-old daughter. Thank you, little girl!

Judy Blume had nothing but rejections for two years straight.

Don't ever give up. Keep writing. Keep submitting. You can do it!

Insecure Writer's Support Group - November 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 apologize this is a day late. It's been a hectic month. So much to do! It's also NaNoWriMo. Yay! For all those participating in it, good luck. I'm Kalligenia on the site if you want to add me as your buddy.

I've been dealing a lot of self doubt lately and tons of frustration due to everything I need to get done and lack of time. So I'm offering up some encouraging quotes to hopefully inspire both you and I.

"If you're going through hell, keep going." ~ Winston Churchill

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ~ Maya Angelou

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”  ~ Confucius

"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." ~ Thomas Foxwell Buxton  

"Let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel." ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.