IWSG: The Books that Influenced Me

We've already reached the halfway point of the year! It feels like the first half passed quite quickly, and I'm sure it'll be the same for the second half.

 Anyway, welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog post for June 2025. You can learn more about the IWSG on their website or Facebook group.

Our hosts this month are PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi,  Melissa Maygrove, and Jean Davis.

Here's our question for the month: What were some books that impacted you as a child or a young adult?

 I could go on for hours about all the books I remember from my childhood through young adulthood, but let me just list a few (in no particular order) that had long-term impacts:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: I read this in high school; I think it was sophomore year. It was challenging, but many of its ideas resonated with me. Given its focus on Quality, it's appropriate that my current job is in Quality Assurance, isn't it?

The Land of Oz series: While probably not the first fantasy books I read, they probably helped cement my interest in speculative fiction.

Gossamer Axe: The first book I remember reading about a lesbian character that made me more empathetic to the LBGTQIA community. 

 The Tao of Pooh: This sparked my interest in Taoism.

What were some of the books that influenced you? Feel free to share in the comments.

 

 

 

 

IWSG: Greatest Writing Fear

This May doesn't bring just flowers, but also my son's high school graduation and his 18th birthday. It's going to be a busy one, which will tie in later to the theme of this blog post. This post, of course, is dedicated to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, and Pat Garcia.

 Here's our question for this month: Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?

At this point in my career, my greatest writing fear is that I won't finish everything I want to write before I die or am no longer able to write. My son may be almost grown, but the demands on my time continue to increase. Work and household chores haven't changed, but it seems like my civic duties have increased. Plus, I have other hobbies I like to work on, such as crochet and learning to play the harp (I just started a month ago and tell my friends it's my mid-life crisis.) This leaves me with little time to write, but the ideas keep coming. The main way I manage this is to carve out at least some time every day to write, even if I only get a few sentences down.

 What are your writing fears? Feel free to share them in the comments.

 

IWSG: Favorite Character Hangout

Welcome to the April 2025 post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. You can learn more about them on their website or Facebook page.

 

Our hosts this month are Jennifer Lane, L. Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre. 

 

We have an interesting question for us this month: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or share a glass of beer/wine with?

 

My favorite characters don't exist in isolation, so I'm going to name groups of characters. To go with a more well-known pair of characters, I'd choose to have tea with Crowley and Aziraphale from Good Omens. It would be fascinating to see their perspective on human history and hopefully learn about forgotten people and events. I'm not interested in fighting anyone, but I'd love to join my quartet of Season Avatars as they deal with Chaos Season (a magical weather storm that mixes up the seasons), or better yet, go with them as they attempt to end Chaos Season permanently in

Summon the Seasons. What better way to get to know your character better than to experience their story with them?

 

Which fantasy character would you like to hang out with? Feel free to share in the comments (or let me know if you blogged about them).

 

 

 

 

IWSG: If I Could Be...

The year has marched into March, which means it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about the IWSG on their website or Facebook.

Our hosts this month are Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza Carens Salerno. 

Our question for this month is an interesting one: If for one day you could be anyone or anything in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, values, or goals they/it inspire in you.

I'd like to be a bird--perhaps a crow, since they're particularly playful and intelligent. I think you could learn a lot from experiencing such a different way of interacting with the world, especially since I'm currently writing a story that features a raven shifter. I think being able to fly would feel very freeing.

Here's a link to a bonus video inspired by the question: the Thompson Twins playing "King for a Day."

What would you like to be for a day? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Insecure Writer's Support Group: Changing Stories

 

Welcome back to the Insecure Writer's Support Group! You can learn more about them on their website or Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

Here's the question for February: Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

I have to admit I'm my own worst critic. While I did the best I could for each book (keeping in mind I self-edit), I'm sure I could find lots of things I'd like to change if I reread my stories, especially the older ones. However, as an indie author, it's probably much easier for me to revise my work if I feel it's necessary. I'm actually in the middle of preparing a paperback version of a story previously published online. I've written several stories in this particular universe and know the characters better now, so I want to revise some sections while keeping the original plot. In particular, I want to provide more backstory in a scene where one of the main characters meets his long-lost siblings. I also want to change some details for consistency with other works in this series. I still haven't decided if I'll revise the online version to match the paper copy.

If you have the option to change one of your published works, would you do it? Why or why not? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

IWSG: Writing Plans for 2025

Happy 2025, everyone! This will be a significant year for our family, as my son turns eighteen and will start college in the fall. (We're already empty nesters with him spending his senior year of high school at a boarding school, but the dynamic will be different.) It will also be our twentieth wedding anniversary in September. Here's hoping that the new year brings something good for all of us.

Anyway, this is the first Wednesday of January, so it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are Rebecca Douglass, Beth Camp, Liza at Middle Passages, and Natalie at Literary Rambles.

I'm going to skip the optional question this month and instead talk briefly about my writing plans for this year. A lot of them involve revisiting half-finished projects and trying to finish them. There are three short stories set in the current world I'm working in (one is actually in progress at the moment, while the other two are still on the back burner), along with two partially written novels (one fantasy, one a cozy mystery). As if that's not enough, I also want to write a novella or novel in a genre I haven't written before (romantic fantasy). I have a feeling I would learn a lot from that one. I still need to prioritize these projects, but even if I only finish two or three of them, it'll be a good feeling to get them off of my plate.

What are your writing plans for the year? Feel free to share them in the comments.
 

IWSG: Story Cliffhangers

I can't believe I almost forgot to post today! I meant to write this earlier this week, but I was busy with holiday prep. (I do have my laptop back, BTW.) Anyway, welcome to the last post for The Insecure Writer's Support Group for 2024. Learn more about them on their website or Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Ronel,  Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

Here's our question for the month: Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

Cliffhangers are great for chapter endings, but not story endings. It's perfectly reasonable for a reader to expect the story questions to be answered by the end of the story. The possible exception might be for a series. The overall story line won't be complete until the final book. That said, each tale in a series has to stand on its own. In my Season Avatars series, each book is told through a different point of view. Although the Avatars experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune in the penultimate book, Fifth Season, Ysabel finished her part of the story before handing it over to Kay in Summon the Seasons.

How do you feel about cliffhangers? Feel free to share in the comments.