IWSG: How Do You Write?

Welcome back to another Insecure Writer's Support Group post! Learn more about the IWSG on their website or Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are J.S. Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre.

Our question for July is a technical one: What are your favorite writing processing, writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all-time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

Honestly, I just use Microsoft Word. I think I've used it since I started writing back in the 90s, though I may have used WordPerfect as well. Word does everything I need it to do (I'm more of a pantser than a plotter; any outline I do make tends to be a collection of phrases), I'm familiar enough with it that I can format my manuscripts in it (though I also have a template that I purchased with unlimited usage), and it works well across devices. I can and do seamlessly switch from writing on my phone (a pain, but sometimes the most portable and convenient option) to my tablet to my laptop. I will occasionally write notes for stories in Sticky Notes, primarily because the app also allows me to port it from device to device.

Do you stick to simple word processing programs, or do you use more elaborate ones designed for writing fiction? Feel free to share in the comments.

IWSG: Ask What the IWSG Can Do For You

 Here we are at June already. The days are long (not long enough to get all my writing done, alas!), but the years are long. At least we have the Insecure Writers Support Group to help us. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook group.

Our hosts this month are Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim.

We have an interesting question this month: In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering its members?

As an indie author, I need to outsource tasks such as graphics and cover design. Therefore, the first thing I thought of was a list of highly recommended freelancers for editing, covering design, layout, or other writing/publishing related tasks. I'm not sure if writers who are planning to publish traditionally need these services, but at the least they might be interested in editors.

What more would you like to see from the IWSG? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

 

IWSG: Writing While Distracted

Welcome to May! I hope you're enjoying the spring flowers if they're still around. (Spring seems to be coming earlier and earlier.) With the start of another month, we have another post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook. 

Our hosts this month are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Catherina Constantine.

Here's our question for this month: How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

As a working parent, I don't have much time to write. That means I have to make the most of sub-optimal writing time, when there are other things going on around me. I've had to write while waiting for my son to be done with an activity or write in places where people think it's OK to talk to me while I'm obviously got my tablet open. So yes, I do face a lot of distractions, but how problematic they are depends on the situation. If I'm already having trouble getting into the POV or I'm not sure what to say next, distractions become even more distracting. If I do manage to get into a state of writing flow, then it's easier to tune out distractions. 

As far as actively trying to manage distractions while writing, I do this by controlling my environment when possible. Sometimes working at a familiar location or picking music that works as background noise helps. Other times, deliberately going somewhere to write, such as to a library or a coffee shop, makes me feel like I have to be more productive to justify the trip. Putting in extra effort helps me focus more.

What are your tips for dealing with distractions? Free free to share your tips in the comments. 

IWSG: Blogging History

T.S. Eliot may have thought April the cruelest month, but I've always been fond of it. (I'm biased, since my birthday is at the end of the month.) In addition to bringing better weather, April brings us another blog post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Here's their website and Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia.

This month, we've been asked to discuss blogging. Specifically, "How long have you been blogging? What do you like about it and how has it changed?"

I started this blog back in 2005, soon after getting married. At first, it was a way to keep in touch with some of my college friends who were also bloggers. Gradually, it morphed into a writing blog, though I do still post personal news on here occasionally. I enjoyed blogging the most when I was using it to connect with other writers. I'm still Facebook friends with some of the writers that I met through blog chains or the Blog Ring of Power. I've participated in the Blogging from A-Z Challenge several times. At my peak, I was blogging Monday-Friday regularly; now, I'm down to monthly posts. Life's gotten busier since 2005, since I'm now a parent. What writing time I do have I prefer to devote to my stories, especially the ones that have taken over my brain. Perhaps there will come a day when I drop this blog completely and focus on other social media sites. If that happens, I'll be sure to make sure people can still find me online.

What's your blogging history? Feel free to share in the comments.

IWSG: AI and Writing

Welcome to the March 2024 post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liz@Middle Passages.

Here's our question for the month: Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing? 

The last time we discussed AI for the IWSG, I posted a photo showing how Google had mined this copyrighted blog for its AI. I was neither credited nor compensated. Granted, my blog was a minuscule contribution, but it's the principle of the thing. AI has been developed using stolen intellectual property, and I personally don't believe anyone should support it or the capitalists foisting it on us heedless of the human consequences. 

As for AI's impact on creative writing, I don't like it. (No surprise there.) AI still lags human creativity when it comes to novelty. Using AI for creative writing demeans the process. Yes, it can be frustrating staring at a blank page or having to discard words you worked hard to write, but but without the frustrations, there are no rewards to writing. I'm always thrilled when my subconscious comes up with scenes that connect in ways I didn't intentionally plan. Writing "the end" is a fantastic high, as is hearing from readers who connect with your work. On some of my social media sites, I see memes circulating that readers don't want to read something no one cared enough about to write. AI can be trained to imitate an author's voice, but it can't develop a voice of its own. All creative people should stand together and support each other in our creative endeavors. We don't just do it for money; we do it to become the best versions of ourselves.

 How do you feel about AI? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Keeping the Fun in Writing

(This post was supposed to go live at the end of January, but I saved it as a draft instead of publishing it. Apologies for the inconvenience. I did manage to finish the story I mention below.)

It occurred to me recently that this year marks the 30th anniversary of my first attempt to write a novel (at least, I'm pretty sure it was in 1994 during an internship.) I actually still have a paper copy of that draft, though it's destined for the shredder. While my writing career is nowhere near what I thought it would like at this point in my life, at least I'm still writing. I think the advent of indie publishing has a great deal to do with that. It's encouraging to know I can always make my work available to readers. I also have the freedom to experiment. Right now, I'm finishing up a Good Omens fan fiction story that's told in present tense, which is something I don't normally use in my other stories. It's an alternative universe story, which means that I've changed a major premise while still writing with the same characters. This allows me to take the characters in vastly different directions and do crazy things with them. It's fun to write, and I'm getting comments that readers enjoy it. Hopefully at some point, I'll return to my Season Avatars, solarpunk, and cozy mystery stories as well. That's why I always wanted to be a full-time writer: so I can work on all the projects I want to write!

Have you gone through periods where you didn't want to write? What keeps writing fun for you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

IWSG: Writer Websites

Here we are at February and another post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them at their website or Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine.

Here's our question for the month: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books?

My least favorite thing about visiting website isn't listed above or unique to author websites. It's a popup that appears as soon as I enter the website. I'm not going to sign up for a newsletter until I've had a chance to view the website and decide if I'm interested, so I'll always remove the popup. To be honest, I don't pay much attention to the newsletters I'm subscribed to. (I'm not good about sending out newsletters anyway; even when I do, they generate more unsubscribes than sales.) As a reader, I mainly want to know when the author's next book is coming out so I can preorder it if I'm interested.

Let's turn the question around: what motivates you to look at author websites in the first place? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.