The Insecure Writer’s Support Group ~ No#68
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: Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!
Don’t forget to visit them and thank them for co-hosting!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!
Are you proud to be an insecure writer?
Then show us!
On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), 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.)
The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:
Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.
Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.
Grand prize winner – IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie’s Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.
We have some great IWSG swag – pens, mugs, magnets, erasers, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site.
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-merchandise.html
You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!
MESSAGE FROM ALEX: Thanks to all who participated in or promoted the #IWSGPit Twitter pitch party. It was an incredible success – there were 2300 Tweets and we were a trending topic. The IWSG team learned a lot and the next #IWSGPit in January will be even better. Now that we’ve established ourselves and the site is a Writer’s Digest Top 101 Site for Writers, there will be five times the amount of publishers and agents watching the feed. Thanks again for such a successful event! – Alex
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 02nd QUESTION: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?
Reading – hearing people say they don’t like to read…GRRRRRRRR!
Writing – the misuse/abuse of the apostrophe
– finding lots of errors in traditionally published books (I found a typo in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods! I have a screenshot…)
Happy IWSG Day!
I learned my love of correcting misused punctuation and bad grammar from my mother. I still remember her taking out a pen from her purse to spell raisin correctly on a grocery store sign. At least she could laugh about it!
The October photo challenge sounds fun! I’m not sure I have any IWSG swag. Must remedy….
Here is my IWSG post for August: Top First Pages Pet Peeves AND How to Fix Them!
I’m a snob, I can’t deny it. If educated folks say they don’t read, my opinion of them tends to plummet. Too shy for a photo challenge– but the October event sounds like a good idea!
That’s something I can’t understand at all, but I do hear that people don’t read. When I do, I know I probably won’t have a very long or interesting relationship with them.
I want to see the screenshot! Post it on Twitter.
People who don’t read just baffle me. They are missing out on a world of opportunity.
Believe it or not my oldest boy says that too often. He will read, but only at my insistence. 🙁 Very disappointing on so many levels.
I remember doing a book signing and seeing two guys enter the store. The one trailing loudly proclaimed that he didn’t read. It was really sad.
I seem to be surrounded by friends, and even family members, who don’t like to read. I’ve learnt not to comment or react, because it’s easier that way and less likely to leave me ostracised 🙂
People who don’t like to read frighten me. I seriously run away screaming when someone admits that to me.
My biggest peeve about reading is books that try and make me feel stupid for accepting a story line, world, etc. I am always willing to suspend my disbelief, enter any world the author creates. If they try and make me feel foolish for doing so, I get very annoyed.
I’m so sad for people who don’t read. They miss out on so much. October’s event sounds like so much fun. Can’t wait.
Hi, Michelle…
ACK…. no reading!!!! That is disturbing. I certainly don’t read as much as I would like, but I still read. Geez….
So you are an apostrophe grammar nazi? Hmmm. interesting … lol.
I ALWAYS see major typos in NYT best sellers. Those little suckers breed. I really believe it. Out of thousands of words in a story, there is bound to be at least one typo. We are….only human. lol
Hi Michelle – couldn’t agree more about the ‘not reading’ … as for typos etc … all the time – so frustrating .. and who on earth is going to read and interpret things, or write necessary items for the world at large … fools – but we need leaders in this world. Cheers Hilary
I completely agree about the reading thing. The one that gets me most is when a person professes to be a writer, but they don’t really read much, if at all. You can’t be very successful at writing if you’re not filling your head with the written word.
The “I don’t read” is usually accompanied by “I don’t have the time”. I suppose that’s what I love about audiobooks. I can listen to a book while cleaning the kitchen.
I know a few people who don’t like to read. I don’t personally get it, but then again, my lack of math skills probably dismays math people. But writers who don’t like to read…I really don’t get them.
Who couldn’t possibly like to read? Crazy to think there are people like that out there. 🙂
I’ve heard that phrase way to many times too! Unbelievable!!! But, then again, I live in a house with three men, husband and two sons, who don’t read. In fact, most of my family doesn’t. A few have read my first book, but that’s it. NOT INTERESTED! As I said UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
Uh, suggestion: Embrace the story, screw the errors! It happens. But it should never take away from the real art.
Oh yikes! I’ve even heard this from people who referred to themselves as writers. I felt embarrassed for them. 🙁
I hate to read–that doesn’t even make sense.
People who don’t read make me sad. I feel like I write for no one, just to please myself. On the other hand, those people are usually the loudest in any group, as if they have anything to be proud of. People who like to read are often the quietest. They don’t make noise. They read.
I want to cry, too, whenever I hear someone doesn’t like to read. I can’t imagine not reading! I’m excited to see all the photos this October. 🙂
Hi Mishy! So many once strict writing rules no longer apply. American English is now accepted in Australian schools along with our usual British English. So the dreaded: ‘is it a s or a z?’ no longer matters. Anything goes, baby.
Hope your July writing went well. I’m waiting to hear…
And seriously, there are people who don’t read? Saddest thing…:-((
Funny I don’t remember anyone saying that around me. Maybe I had my nose in a book. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
My heart breaks for people who haven’t been taught to love reading. I totally understand being in a life stage where it isn’t easy but to not enjoy it at all? I always want to talk to them, find out what they love and help them fall in love with a book. (I may have actually done this a time or two!)
Congrats on the great event and special congrats to the winners! Off to check out the SWAG!!
People who don’t to read, or other to learn, are one of the reasons this country is having so many problems. We should have mandatory classes in school where students have to read… wait a minute… we already have that, and yet people still don’t want to read.
When people say they don’t read, my opinion of them goes down, and I can’t help myself. My first thought is, “How small your world must be.”
As for typos in Big Five books, it’s frustrating because so many people think a larger publisher guarantees quality. My hubby is forever pointing out errors in G.R.R. Martin’s books.
The October event sounds like fun! I’m amazed by all this group has going on!!
You made me laugh about the American Gods screenshot!! :D:D
LOL on the screenshot!
It’s so sad when people say they don’t read. That’s one of my aims as a teacher – to help create the next generation of readers!
Yeah, I also don’t get it when people say they don’t like reading.
It doesn’t surprise me that because we’re mostly writers here that we’re amazed that people say they don’t like to read. Reading is what we love so it’s hard for us to imagine others may not. Most of them probably have a passion for something else that leaves them little spare time.
Wishing you a great August!
I can’t imagine not reading and having the chance to escape into another world. It’s my escape from all the everyday stress and drudge. The apostrophe thing really does irk me, too. There’s a sign in a nearby town pointing to the sports centre – only it says “Sport’s Centre”. And that’s an OFFICIAL sign put there by the local authority! What hope is there???
I agree about the lack of reading. 🙁
I have to say, I get infuriated when I find bad editing in a trade published book. Sure, people make mistakes, but then you don’t, as an industry, going around bashing self-publishing as being of “inferior” quality.
Whoooooooooooosssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
I especially hate hearing a writer say they don’t like to read. Once I’ve heard that, I have no interest in reading their books.