IWSG: No Regrets

It's only early August, but it feels like summer is almost over. My month will be busy at work and with preparing to move my son back to college. Hopefully you have more exciting plans for August.

One thing we can always plan on is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Look for them on their website and Facebook group.

Our hosts this month are Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia.

Here's our question for August: As a writer/author, what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you'd done differently in your writing process?

 At this point in my life, I don't want to waste my emotional energy on regrets. Certainly there are plenty of instances where I could have tried to be more conventionally successful or self-publish or promote myself more effectively, but I've accepted them. Given that I had a day job and a young child when I started indie publishing, it was a lot of work to publish as much as I did. And while I do wish I had more time for my original stories, the ones I am writing for the Good Omens fandom get more engagement than my indie-published work. Hopefully at some point I can return to my Season Avatars world and continue the story of Gwen, Jenna, Ysabel, and Kay. There are trade-offs to everything, and you just have to accept that.

Do you have writing regrets? If so, feel free to share them in the comments. 

 

IWSG: Inspiring Feedback

 

Welcome to another Insecure Writer's Support Group blog post, where we connect with other writers. Learn more about the IWSG on their website and Facebook page.

 

Our hosts for this month are Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi.

 

Here's our question for the month: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

 

Without going into too much detail, one reader's comment on a work-in-progress led me to develop a backstory for a side character that not only worked well for character development but helped advance the main plot. They were very engaged with my story, at least up to the climax. (I'm not sure if they ever read the ending.) It's the engagement with other writers and readers that keeps me motivated to write.

 

What kind of feedback inspires you? Feel free to share in the comments.

IWSG: Music to Write By

 No fooling, the Insecure Writer's Group is sharing blog posts today. Learn more about them on their website or Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Melissa Maygrove, Catherina Constantine, Kate Larkinsdale, and Rebecca Douglass.

 Here's our question for April: If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?

I'm probably among the minority of writers, but I'm not a playlist kind of person. There are songs that remind me of certain characters or situations, but I don't have enough free time to match up songs to an entire novel. I do listen to music when I write. Often I'll just search for whatever song I'm in the mood for on YouTube, but if I feel lyrics will be too distracting, I'll listen to classical or harp music instead.

If you make playlists, how do you do it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.  

IWSG: Second Time Around

We're halfway through winter, so keep slogging on, everyone! Hopefully these posts for the Insecure Writer's Support Group will help make the time pass faster. You can learn more about the IWSG on their website and Facebook pages.

 Our hosts for February are J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox. (Yay, another Sandra!)

 Here's our question this month: Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?

I'm one of those people who never stops critiquing her work. Whether I published something yesterday or ten years ago, it's inevitable I'll find something I'd like to change. That said, there have been times  when I've reread a story or part of a story and been pleased with how well it held up, at least in my mind. 

At some point, I would like to return to my fantasy Season Avatars universe, as I have further ideas I'd like to develop there (and two of my characters need an opportunity to get together). I'll definitely have to reread those books at that point to refresh my memory of the setting and the characters. Hopefully I won't cringe so much I abandon the project!

Feel free to share your thoughts about rereading your work in the comments. 

 

IWSG: Writing Plans for 2026

 Happy 2026! I hope it's a good one for you. If you're not already familiar with the Insecure Writer's Support Group, you can learn more about them on their website or Facebook page.

 

Our hosts this month are Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray.

 

Here's our question for January: Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

 

A lot of my goals for 2026 are reading goals, not writing goals. They include reading at least one hour of a paper book each week (I read a lot of eBooks, but by reading more paper, I hope to get some books off my To Be Read pile), reading at least ten books in Terry Prachett's Discworld series, and reading at least one diversity read each month. However, I also have several works I'd like to finish, including my next cozy mystery, a short story anthology in my Season Avatar series, and the first novel in a Season Avatar spinoff series. These works have all been languishing for a couple of years, honestly. I wrote a lot of short fiction last year, but I still have a story involving a harpist and a composer that I'd like to finish.

 

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

 

 

IWSG: Gifts for Writers

My apologies for missing last month; I was so busy the weekend before post day that by the time I remembered the IWSG, it was too late to write anything. I guess I should resolve to do better in 2026! 

Anyway, welcome to my December 2025 blog post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. You can learn more about them on their website and Facebook page.

 Our hosts this month are Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre.

Here's our question for the month: As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

 Well, the answer will definitely show my age, but what came to mind was a typewriter. And yes, this was before personal home computers became as ubiquitous as they are today. I think I was in eighth grade at the time, so I mostly used it for schoolwork like reports, but I remember also typing clean copies of my poetry on it. (I think at the time I would write my poetry by hand first.) By the time I attended college, my parents were able to give me a computer with a built-in thermal printer that they found on the Home Shopping Network. It was a pain finding the right printer paper and toner for it, and the memory/processor could only handle short papers, around five pages. Nevertheless, it was a step forward. Writing/publishing is so much easier with the technology we have today!

What are your favorite writer gifts to give or receive? Feel free to share your thoughts 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.

 

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.