Wednesday, December 6, 2017

IWSG--Validation, Encouragement, and Hope for the New Year

Where to begin? November was so good for me in many ways.

  • I floundered all over the place with my writing. It was fun to explore whatever I wanted simply because I could. Now I'm settling down into something resembling a routine, and I've even been able to focus on one idea at a time.
  • THE MAGIC WAKES Book 1 and Book 2 (DAWN OF THE MAGES) were re-released with great success. This is where the validation comes in. I'll admit I was anxious to see what would happen when they were available for purchase once again. I didn't have any release parties or blog take-overs or anything planned. I simply wanted to release them and move on. I've made triple the royalties in the first month than I did in the previous six months with my publisher with no extra work on my part. I don't really know what the difference was, but the trick will be to keep things rolling.
  • Eleena's story is almost finished. A lovely friend gave me the best form of encouragement. We were both at our boy's Cub Scout activity and she called from across the room, "Where's the rest of my story?" I knew exactly what she was talking about, and it made me feel good to know at least one person really wanted to know what happens to Eleena. Knowing that one thing helped my mind settle on the project I needed to work on first. I went home that night and started writing again.
  • I enjoyed being with my family. That's always the best thing. It's been wonderful to be available for them again. For the first time in a long time, all three of my siblings joined my mom and me for Thanksgiving. It was a blast! 
  • I think I watched more movies/TV in November than all the rest of the year combined. Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, Spiderman (the newest one), hours upon hours of Ancient Aliens, and probably 20 Hallmark Christmas movies. 
    And for the hope? Getting some rest, living life the way I used to with my family, all of that has helped my brain calm down. My goals are more realistic, and therefore attainable. That is where the hope comes in. I may be starting the whole "author" thing again, almost from scratch, but now I'm rolling in the right direction. It feels good!


Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!  Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG


November 6 question - As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

I might wish to never have gone to work full-time, but in reality that was a good experience for me. I learned things about myself I didn't know, grew stronger in many ways, and I wouldn't change that. So, perhaps the best answer would be--I'd try to keep writing in the midst of everything else instead of giving it up.

17 comments:

  1. Glad you are finding your groove again and getting a second wind with writing. Glad the re-releases were successful.

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  2. What's funny is that I watched a lot of TV in November, too. I guess we needed the break and fun of binge watching. A lot of what I watched were shows On Demand and Hallmark movies. :P

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    1. Agreed! I think I've caught all the countdown to Christmas movies on Hallmark.

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  3. Interesting that you're doing better sales without a publisher. I wonder why that is. (You might want to change the header of your blog, though.) Good luck with your writing.

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    1. Thanks, Liz. I corrected the header. Not sure exactly, but it could be the new covers?

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  4. Glad to hear you had a good year. =)

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  5. Being in a change process strengthens you. Your having a full time job may have stirred up your creative genes and giving you the fight within yourself to write. Think carefully before giving up your job. It is a catalyst for you.
    Wishing you all the best and a successful crossover into 2018.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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    1. The job was great for my self confidence, but sadly it used everything I had. It was hard to come home and take care of my kids and home, so even when I wanted to write there was no time. It's been a great month since quitting. I miss my coworkers, but I've loved being able to be at school when my kids needed me this last month. And I've finally got time for writing. :) I miss the money, but I figure we'll always 'need' more money so it wasn't a good enough reason to stay when my heart and soul was elsewhere.

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  6. I'm glad your releases are doing well. As far as working full-time, when I had to do the same, I learned so much--a lot of which has and will appear in my stories. (Names changed to protect the innocent. LOL) Each experience adds to our knowledge and will help our writing. Best wishes for a great 2018.

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    1. LOL, I totally know what you're talking about. There were so many funny things that I couldn't have made up if I tried.

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  7. Hooray for your re-releases doing well!
    Best wishes for 2018 and beyond!

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  8. Glad your releases went well! Writing when you have a job can be challenging, but at least when I'm at work, I can write on my lunch hour. Sometimes it's harder to carve out writing time on the weekend when there's so many other projects I need to finish.

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    1. I had about a month at the beginning that I was able to write. Then I was asked to be on the planning committee for a huge community event and my lunch hour for the next 5 month was spent on the phone for that. It was like trying to do a part time job while working full time on top of family responsibilities. It zapped all creativity and fried it to ashes.

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  9. For some reason, Ancient Aliens just pulls me right in. I've wasted lots of writing time watching that program. I tell myself it is "research" for story ideas, lol.

    Congrats on the re-releases. And the family reunions. Looks like this year was an emotional success too.

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    1. I know! There are so many awesome ideas in Ancient Aliens that I want to use in my stories. Plus, I love seeing all the ancient wonders of the world. Then there was the episode on Nikola Tesla. Fascinating!

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