The Insecure Writer’s Support Group ~No#104

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.

The awesome co-hosts for the August posting of the IWSG are:

Don’t forget to visit them and thank them for co-hosting!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!

AUGUST 05th QUESTION: Quote: “Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don’t write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be.”
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn’t planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

This month, I’m participating in a blog hop as well as a book launch! 

Keep Writing With Fey Blog Hop

 Share your story about writer’s block, depression, and/or burnout and how you overcame it or what you are currently doing to heal.

Whenever I’m stuck with my writing, I always turn to one-word or picture prompts and use them as a part of free writing exercises. This gets my creative juices flowing. It works – every time. Free writing offers a blank slate for 100% honesty which is scary and yet powerful!

Catch the sparks you need to conquer writer’s block, depression, and burnout!

When Chrys Fey shared her story about depression and burnout, it struck a chord with other writers. That put into perspective for her how desperate writers are to hear they aren’t alone. Many creative types experience these challenges, battling to recover. Let Keep Writing with Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer’s Block, Depression, and Burnout guide you through:

  • Writer’s block
  • Depression
  • Writer’s burnout
  • What a writer doesn’t need to succeed
  • Finding creativity boosts

With these sparks, you can begin your journey of rediscovering your creativity and get back to what you love – writing.

BOOK LINKS:

Amazon / Nook / iTunes / Kobo / Goodreads

Good luck with the new book, Chrys!

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Book Launch

Jacqui Murray is preparing to launch her book “Against All Odds,” Book 3 in the Crossroads series of the Man vs. Nature series, as Xhosa’s extraordinary prehistoric saga concludes, filled with hardship, courage, survival, and family.

Book information:

Title and author: Against All Odds

Series: Book 3 in the Crossroads series

Genre: Prehistoric fiction

Available digitally (print soon) at: Kindle US   Kindle UK   Kindle CA   Kindle AU

QUESTION: You often say these people squat. Don’t they sit?

This is what Jacqui had to say.
There is nominal physical evidence showing that early man squatted rather than sat. This includes tell-tale divots and scratches in the femur, tibia, and ankle bone of Neanderthals that would result from squatting a lot. Though Neanderthals are a more recent Homo species than Xhosa’s People, I make the assumption if they didn’t sit much, neither did Homo erectus. Another reason we presume earliest man preferred to squat than sit is because it’s far more natural for the body, even now, and it’s quicker to get into and out of a squat should danger arrive. Try it—you’ll agree.

Congratulations on the new book, Jacqui!

Something to think about…
More than half of an average person’s day is spent sitting — from watching television to working at a computer — and that time tends to increase as you age and become less active. One of the best exercises to counter the effects of sitting and help you get moving? The simple squat.

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Good luck to both Chrys and Jacqui! I hope they sell loads of books!
When last have you participated in a blog hop?
Can you remember the time when blog hops were popular (about 8 or 9 years ago)? I met many blog buddies and author friends via these blog hops and I’m still in contact with them.
Did you know that squats may be the most important exercise that you do…?

P.S. I’m still struggling with the font sizes in WordPress.
Just when I think I’ve conquered one WordPress obstacle, then a new challenge pops up. Anyway…

Happy IWSG Day For Tomorrow!
I’ll be visiting blogs over the next few days.

30 Comments

  1. Susan Baury Rouchard on August 5, 2020 at 11:37 am

    Thanks Michelle for all these updates from Chrys and Jacqui.
    Happy IWSG day.

    • Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      Thanks, Susan. Very kind of Michelle to include me here!

  2. Doreen your McGettigan on August 5, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    I loved Chys’ new book and Jacqui’s looks so interesting. Thank you for sharing both!
    I really miss those blog hops. I’m grateful the #IWSG monthly hop still exists. What would we do without it?
    Have a wonderful August.

    • Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      I agree–#IWSG is one of my favorites, well, favorite now that I dropped my other! And I’m glad my book looks interesting to you. I love the cover my design folks came up with.

  3. Jemi Fraser on August 5, 2020 at 2:11 pm

    Congrats to Chrys and Jacqui!!
    I can’t imagine squatting all of the time – my knee and ankle injuries over the years make that impossible!!
    Chrys’ book is going to help a lot of people. Burnout and depression are tough to deal with and she’s done a great job!

    • Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:29 pm

      Thanks, Jemi. They did squat, up until modern man and then something changed. I’ll be writing about our species eventually and will then figure out why we went from squatting to sitting.

  4. M.J. Fifield on August 5, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    I’m still struggling with WordPress, too. I can never get the images where I actually WANT them to be.

    Congrats to both Chrys and Jacqui!

  5. Chrys Fey on August 5, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    One word or picture prompts is a great idea and a perfect way to get the creative juices flowing. 🙂 Thank you so much for participating in my blog hop!

    Congratulations to Jacqui!

    • Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks, Chrys, and to you too! I sent a note to your comments. I subscribed to them so feel free to reply right there!

  6. C. Lee McKenzie on August 5, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    It’s a busy month for our writer friends! As to WordPress, I’ve had nothing but problems this month, especially. Someone put malware on it and GoDaddy suspended it. It took some work to get it back up and running. Arrrg!

    • Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:36 pm

      That’s awful. I have a monthly service that seems to be keeping me clean but I thought GoDaddy had that too? That’s who I use, too.

  7. Patricia Josephine on August 5, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    Congrats to Chrys and Jacqui!

  8. Anna on August 5, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    I would have never thought of picture prompts or free writing. What great ideas. 🙂

    Anna from elements of emaginette

  9. Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    Thank you so much for hosting me, Michelle. And I’m in good company with Chrys! I like how tied the blog hops in with #IWSG.

  10. Patsy on August 5, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    My first novel started as a short story. These days I have a better idea of what I’m writing, as I do some planning first!

  11. Alex J. Cavanaugh on August 5, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    Picture prompts – I could do that.
    Congratulations to Jacqui!

  12. Nick Wilford on August 5, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    Congrats to Chrys and Jacqui! Prompts are great, I should do more of them.

    Interesting about squatting and I think I can see the benefits, but I think I would get pins and needles if I did it too much!

    I remember when blog hops were way more popular. The only one I’ve done recently is IWSG, but that’s a great one!

  13. Carol Kilgore on August 5, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    Yay for all the new books. I missed visiting last month. Hope all is well.

  14. Tyrean A Martinson on August 5, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    I like freewriting with prompts, too!

  15. L. Diane Wolfe on August 5, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    I love how your font sizes are different. Makes it easier to read.

  16. Allie Bock on August 6, 2020 at 12:15 am

    Alot of people are on the blog hop. Chrys’ book looks really helpful!

    • Sonia Dogra on August 6, 2020 at 7:28 am

      Thank you with the updates. Looks great. I have read about Chrys’ book elsewhere too and it seems quite helpful.

  17. H A Melton-Butcher on August 6, 2020 at 10:57 am

    Hi Michelle – I know you combine lots of creative activities into your writing … and will keep on writing and being here – thank you. Chrys’ book I’m sure will help many … she’s a way with words; while Jacqui’s book I have here to read … what a writing journey she’s embarked on – good luck to them both … take care and I hope all well with you – Hilary

  18. Elizabeth Mueller on August 6, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    How cool is that? Getting your writing back just by working on one word or picture prompts?

  19. Toi Thomas on August 7, 2020 at 6:21 pm

    Thank you for sharing how you get through creative droughts.
    I’ve seen videos of people around the world squatting with their feet flat on the ground, cut to US Americans squatting on their toes with painful expressions on their faces. I agree it’s natural to squat and we Americans need to increase our flexibility. I may be overweight, but when I squat, my feet stay flat on the ground (after working to increase my flexibility) and it’s very comfortable.
    I wish all the best for Chrys and Jacqui with their releases.

  20. Damyanti on August 9, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    Picture prompts can be interesting and fun.

  21. Shannon Lawrence on August 10, 2020 at 8:11 am

    I need to do more squats! But I have bad knees. I do use the yoga ball a lot when writing in my office, so maybe that counters a bit of the sitting.

  22. Melissa Maygrove on August 24, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    I finally get back into blogging, and my laptop craps out on me. I will not be deterred, however. I figured out how to comment as my author persona, using a chromebook. 😀

    Congrats to the new releases!

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