IWSG: Creativity Beyond Writing

Welcome to November, everyone! My laptop is currently in the repair shop (it's old and needs both a new hard drive and a new battery), so I'm currently blogging on my phone. If the formatting turns out wonky for this post, that's why.

Anyway, welcome to The Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them here.

The awesome co-hosts for the November 6 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose.

Here's our question for November: What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

Besides writing, my other main hobby is crochet. I've been doing it off and on for nearly thirty years. Although it can be hard to find time for it, I sometimes crochet on long trips if my husband is driving. I also go to a monthly crochet group at the library. I would post a picture of my current project, but it’s not showing up. 

What hobbies do you have? Please feel free to share in the comments. 

IWSG: Scary Ghost Stories

 

Welcome to October! The year seems to be moving along faster as we get closer to the end, doesn't it?

It's time again for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about the IWSG on their website and Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre. 

Here's the question for this month: Ghost stories fit right in this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends shivers up your spine.

This is a tough question to answer. I read a lot of fantasy/paranormal cozy mysteries, but I don't find them particularly scary. I'm going to jump ahead in the season a bit and choose Dicken's A Christmas Carol with the ghosts of Marley, Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. Even if ghosts aren't real but metaphors, it can still be scary to look at traumas from your past and realize how little future you have left. 

Enjoy the fall season, and I'll see you again in November!

IWSG: English Rules Worth Breaking

After a busy summer, it's good to be back for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about the IWSG on their website. 

Our hosts this month are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando.

Our question this month has to do with school and English rules: Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I didn't learn these rules in creative writing classes, but from writing books. The two rules I would put here would be to avoid adverbs and "said-bookisms" (other words to use besides "said"). I think these rules are writer rules, not necessarily something the average reader would consciously notice. I don't avoid adverbs completely; instead, I tend to use them to achieve the right nuance, or to push against the verb that's being modified.

I will admit that I'm more hesitant to use said-bookisms. To me, they can draw attention to themselves, especially if they're not physically possible or if several of them are used in a row. I prefer to use physical actions or descriptions to identify the speaker to break up a list of "saids," That said (pun intended), I'm experimenting a bit more with said-bookisms and adverbs lately. As long as they're used in moderation, they are useful writing tools. I think once you have a certain level of writing experience, you can tell when to use adverbs and said-bookisms and when not to.

What writing rules have you had to unlearn? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Super Crazy Summer

Last week was the first time in years that I missed posting for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. By the time I remembered it, it was already too late to post. However, I do have some very good reasons for not fitting it in.

For starters, we've been busy with long-overdue home renovations this summer. We replaced our decrepit deck with a patio, but the biggest change was removing all the carpet and replacing it with wood laminate. We split the project into two stages for the first and second floors. It would have been impossible to do it otherwise, since we had to move things from floor to floor. Although the second floor was finished nearly three weeks ago, I still haven't finished setting my office back to rights. Some of that is due to searching for a replacement desk, but my time's been limited for other reasons described below.

My son's school (a private one that he's attended since kindergarten), closed permanently this year due to declining enrollment. We've known about this since last November. It was a big shock at first, but the students on the whole have shown resiliency and made the most of their final year together. In the meantime, we found him a new school for his senior year. Since he's interested in the military, he'll be attending a boarding school that's also a military academy. This way, he'll be able to see if the military really is a good fit for him. This will be a big change for the entire family, and there's been a lot of work involved in preparing for his new school. I think it will be a good experience for him. Alex's old school offered a special summer session for juniors, so he was attending summer school until the end of July.

The day after summer school ended, we took a short trip to Washington D.C. We were there for about three and a half days, but we still managed to pack in a lot of sightseeing. We saw some of the memorials, two parts of the Smithsonian (American History and Natural History), the National Archives, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress. We also met with friends and took a ghost tour. (The photo was taken at the end of the tour.) I think I set a personal record for daily steps!

Anyway, my son leaves home next Friday, and the following Monday marks the beginning of our unannounced recertification audit window at work. The craziness never ends; it just shifts about to different aspects of my life. It's a miracle I got any writing done this summer! 

Despite everything, I expect to be back to my regular blogging schedule next month. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even be able to blog from our patio.