Wednesday, October 4, 2017

#IWSG for October 2017 - Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!

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's awesome co-hosts are: Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan!

Show us your writer insecurity!

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2017/08/the-insecure-writers-support-group-and.html
 Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us!

Post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.) There are awesome prizes involved! Check out the IWSG site for a complete list.


Here's this insecure writer!


Like any good insecure writer, I'm trying to hide behind my cat. Just a few seconds before the picture was taken, he was playing happily with the IWSG keychain. There he just looks annoyed.

This month's optional question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Yes, especially into my geeky characters. I take bits from my past and slip them in now and again too. It does help to write what you know, after all. Adding in the real bits with the stuff we make up creates better characters.


We're also celebrating the release of the newest IWSG free anthology: Writing For Profit!


From writing to publishing to marketing, the Insecure Writer's Support Group members provide tips on making money as a writer. This guide represents the spirit of the IWSG - to encourage and support writers everywhere! It is our hope that this book will benefit you as a writer, no matter where you are in the journey.

Get your free copy here: Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords




Don’t forget the deadline for the annual IWSG Anthology Contest is November 1st. This year's genre is mystery with the theme of "Tick Tock."

We're always excited to celebrate good news with our IWSG members. Email me at christinerains [dot] writer @ gmail [dot] com with your news, and I'll include in the next newsletter.

49 comments:

  1. Hiding behind a cat is always acceptable. I love him! ^_^ It's funny how they always know when their picture is being taken.

    I find it interesting how pieces of myself show up in random characters. In general, I like to kind of just stand back and see what comes out.

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  2. The key chain is but a play toy to him!
    I still want to know where all you geek girls were when I was in high school. Took me until my twenties to find one.

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  3. What a cute cat. I'd hide behind my dog. And yes, it helps to write what you know sometimes.

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  4. Cute pic! Maybe next time I'll hide behind one of the tortoises. Or both of them. :)

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  5. Great picture! I didn't even realize the new anthology was out. I should have put it in my blog post. Ah well, I'll look at including it in a future post, spread the marketing of it a bit. I think it's unavoidable, slipping personal tidbits into my characters. http://www.raimeygallant.com

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    1. I totally agree. Good thing we can always pass everything off as total fiction. ;)

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  6. I love your photo. That could be my cat.

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  7. I've always enjoyed sneaking in elements of my life into my own characters, so it's cool to see that you do that, too! :)

    And what a cute picture! Being annoyed is just part of a cat's charm, right? XD

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    1. Yes, only cats can still look cute while annoyed!

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  8. Hi Christine - love the photo ... you look happy holding the cat - the cat has decided 'owner' I've had enough for now .. fun - good luck with all your writing and we have bring things in we know about - writing-life'd be dull otherwise - cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks, Hilary! Yes, my cat sees the camera and then that's it. Fun is over.

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  9. I now plan on sneaking bits and pieces of personal information into my writing...mixing it up with manufactured info...a mish-mash!
    Will be interesting to see how the character/story takes shape.
    Happy IWSG Day!

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  10. Cute pic! I have two kitties and love them to pieces. I might even be adding the fluffy one in my current WIP.

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  11. Love the picture! I want one of those key chains, but I know my kids would end up fighting over it.

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  12. Your cat has such lovely coloring! He has that bemused look cats do so well.

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  13. Yay for the kitty pic! I like using little tidbits from life in my stories but I stay away from anything direct to real life people. Thanks for linking the writing guide. I'll share about it on twitter!

    Here is my October IWSG post http://www.stephaniescott.net/2017/10/2512/

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  14. You interrupted kitty's playtime. You will suffer later! LOL

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  15. Thunder doesn't look impressed. Hehe!

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  16. That's a really cute photo of you with your kitty!

    I agree that we all put a little of our own character attributes into some of our characters. It's what we know, right?

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  17. I agree that adding in those bits and pieces help to make more realistic characters.

    And all of my characters love Nathan Fillion, too. Even the ones who would have no way of knowing who he is... ;)

    Cute pic, by the way. I would never be brave enough to even hide behind my cat.

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  18. I add bits and pieces of my past to my character's lives to help them be more realistic in an "emotional truth" kind of way.
    Hey - my author videos show my cat and dog only (I just narrate) so I think you are pretty brave. :)

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  19. What a great photo! You look great and that looks like a wonderful cat :-)

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  20. Cute picture. I was going to take a picture for today of my cats with the IWSG business cards but forgot.

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  21. We have to 'write what we know, eh? And who or what do we know better than ourselves. Cute cat and cute author too.

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  22. Man, I should have thought of using my cats in the picture instead of me. They're far more photogenic.

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  23. Nice picture. The cat is taking it much more seriously than you do.

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  24. Love your kitty! He planned it that way, you know :)

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  25. Great picture! I not only hid behind my cat, I didn't even try to get into the picture.

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  26. Love your pic!! I believe most writers put a little bit of themselves in their writing. I think it's almost impossible not to.

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  27. Cute picture. I think you can find bits & pieces of all of us in our writing.

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  28. I agree - bits of ourselves give our characters some depth and authenticity. And where would we be without our kitty muses! (Of course he's annoyed - you taken his toy and his spotlight)

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  29. Fun photo! I agree that our stories can be enriched by including some personal experience.

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  30. Love your photo! Hiding behind a cat is totally acceptable.

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  31. Ahhh. Love your kitty. Bet she would play with that button and push it under the furniture.

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  32. Haha, my cats always look annoyed in photos, no matter what they were doing before the click. Sigh.

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  33. Great picture of you and your cat with the IWSG swag. I didn't think of photos. I thought it had to be computer generated. Oh well. By the way, I hide behind things all the time.

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  34. Love the picture of you and your cat!
    The anthology looks great! And yes, I add little bits of me to a lot of my characters.

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  35. I like your IWSG pic, hiding behind your cat!
    Mary at Play off the Page

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