What can we do?

The world is in distress. I'm not going to get into the horrible details, I just want to say I hope it gets better in so many ways.

It's been hard to watch and taking all my motivation to write "entertaining stories" that seem meaningless in comparison...

I will say, after I watch a bit of news, I've been glancing at tik-tok and feel comforted with most of the thoughtful commentaries in my feed. It feels like most of the country is united against violence and wants to work on solving the root problems.

How is it affecting you?

As it is IWSG day, I'm going to complain a little. Then I'm going to give myself a few suggestions... and welcome anything you'd like to add.

Lately, I feel helpless and useless. I wish I could do something for those who are hurting. All my emotions are tied up. I feel selfish when I try to do other things to take my mind off it all while so many are suffering. What can little ol' me do to help?

Here are a few things I thought of to do. It isn't much, but it's something...

• Positive Posts. I don't get political - that is immediately divisive. I always try to encourage and say positive things about life and writing. And I will continue to do that, as much as I can.
• Tweet No More. Twitter has become a haven of trolls. I can't take all the negative. I'm very close to eliminating Twitter from my life. There are other ways to communicate with my friends, and it doesn't seem to do much good for my writing career anyway... Once I set up a new way to meetup with my writing friends, I'm outta there.
• Donate. As soon as things calm down--and they will, they have to!--I plan to donate to small business funds for rebuilding their livelihoods. I don't have a lot, but I want to contribute, maybe donate some time this summer too.
• Pray. Been praying a lot. Praying for peace. Praying for those who are hurting. Praying for the ones causing hurt to have a change of heart.
• Take a break. It's so intense and frustrating. But I really need to take a break from watching the coverage. I feel guilty that I have the ability to just turn off the TV, but I'm not doing my own family any good by being in a bad mood and snapping at them because I'm upset about the world.

If you have anything to vent or add, I'd love to hear it.

And I'm ending on a positive note...

IWSG is carrying on with its annual anthology contest and it's OPEN!

Guidelines and rules:

Word count: 4500-6000

Genre: Science Fiction

Theme: Dark Matter

Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Images immediately came to mind when I heard the theme! I'm adding it to my list of projects for the summer - an excellent distraction to work on.

How are you dealing with life these days? 

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe in these troubled times.

What do you think the future hold for us?

Some are predicting zombies or aliens... sounds about right for 2020!

Do you have what agents are looking for?

Time for another IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) session. This month, I'm spilling my guts about how to snag an agent. Uh, no. I haven't snagged one yet myself, but I did snag an editor/publisher. Similar, yet more difficult. Agents are a different breed.

Soon I will be asking myself if I have what agents are looking for when I venture out with my latest WIP. I feel like I have to start over. Maybe that's why this one is taking me so long, not looking forward to the tsunami of rejections ahead of me. But nothing is guaranteed in life, right? Change comes whether we like it or not, we just have to deal with it.

So, I wanted to offer a couple of ways to peek at what agents are thinking...

First, is the very insightful: #MSWishList - where agents spout off story ideas they'd love to see written and offered to them. Trouble is, you have to have what they're looking for right then because sooner than you can write your first draft, they'll come up with a new twist, and yours will be so last month! The best approach is to see if anyone is seeking something you've already written or started.

Second, enter Twitter pitch contests. Like:
#PitMad - where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch. Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed. Upcoming dates are:

June 6, 2019 (8AM – 8PM EDT)
September 5, 2019 (8AM – 8PM EDT)
December 5, 2019 (8AM – 8PM EST)

and
#PitchWars, schedule is as follows:

6/24 Mentor Applications Open
7/8 Mentor Applications Close
8/12 Mentors Announced
9/11-25 Mentor Wishlists Posted
9/25-27 Submissions Open
11/3 Mentees Announced
2/5-10 Agent Showcase

and the IWSG has a pitch event as well! Missed it this year, but the next #IWSGPit contest will be in January 2020 (Date - TBA, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm EST)

Last - Research. Always do a search for agents in your genre. Almost all of them have a list of what they are seeking on their websites, though some don't update them as often as they should. And many do interviews where they talk about the industry as well as what they're looking for, like on Writer's Digest.

So good luck to us all. Expect the worst and you won't feel as bad from the rejections. But hang in there, your perfect match agent will find you! And we will all do the silly celebration dance for you!


via GIPHY

Happy April! And yay for Spring!

Time for a Change

Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group for May 2018.

Most of the time, I don't like change. I just had to switch phones, which means I need to re-customize my perfectly chosen alarm tones, figure out which songs in my playlist didn't make it to the new phone, and get used to the new "upgrades" I didn't want. That's actually not so bad when you factor in: I may have to switch phone numbers! That's the WORST! I've had the same out-of-state phone number for 15 years because I wanted to avoid telling everyone a new number, much less memorize one. Egads! What a headache.

But I have to look at the bright side. At least I have a phone. At least we don't have to move, just yet. And my family is doing ok - for the most part. The phone stuff is a minor annoyance taking up time I don't have to give... like dealing with a broken garage door (a side story for another time...)

All things considered, sometimes change can be good. Yes, I'm finally getting to the point. I felt like my header was too loud, and visiting around some other blogs, I wanted to give it more of a writer feel. I also need to update my side bar... an easy thing to procrastinate. But the change that needs my utmost attention is concentrating on connections.

I feel like I've become an isolationist in the writing/blogging world. I barely reach out to my writer friends anymore. And it shows with my lower numbers. I need my writerly friends! And I need to find balance with my job to make it happen. I also want to make my articles more content rich so folks will want to come read them!

So here's the changes I have planned:

• Done with the surveys. It's been fun, but responses have declined, and it's becoming too much effort for the results. Even after I added a prize! Maybe I'll do one again sometime...
• Rebuild connections. I will dedicate an allotted amount of time to spend reading blogs and writing articles.
• Reaching out. I want to tweet more (which also shows up on FB) I think I need more visibility. I just have to come up with awesome things to tweet!
• Posting weekly. This is going to be tough, but I need to get back to a regular posting schedule. I'm going to write more about writing--going back to the roots of why I started this blog. I know I'll have more fodder as I'm breaking away from my two series and diving into a new direction with my latest WIP: FARTHER ALONG, a Christian YA
• Paying it forward. I'd like to have more guest posts. This is a great way for us to help each other and broaden our reach. Twice the audience! Let me know if you're interested.

And here's the final results from the last survey - A-MUSING

Do you have a personal muse?

What is your muse's name?

• Hoho the Magic Newt
• It's unnamed and mysterious.
• Monster, Librarian Linda, and High-heeled Helen
• The Muse
• Styx
• Unknown
• Nigel
• Same as mine. 
• Erato

Who was your greatest influence to become a writer?

• Authors - Anne McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Tolkien, Stephen King, Holly Lisle, C.S. Lewis
• No one in particular - from classical authors (Dickens, Poe, etc.) to comic book writers like Stan Lee!
• My mom x 2
• My kids
• It's my calling

How long have you known you were destined to be a writer?

And the lucky winner of the A-MUSING survey is...

Christine Rains!!

Thanks to all who have played along.

And finally, the big, huge, awesome announcement...

TICK TOCK, A STITCH IN CRIME is NOW AVAILABLE!!

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of...

• Home
• Gwen Gardner
• C. D. Gallant-King
• Rebecca M Douglass
• J. R. Ferguson
• Yolanda Renée

• Tara Tyler
• S. R. Betler
• Christine Clemetson
• Mary Aalgaard
• C. Lee McKenzie
• Jemi Fraser

Official Tick Tock Blog

Amazon == B&N == Goodreads

Thanks so much for stopping by!

don't hide, have pride!

The Online Marketing Symposium is here!
Your fabulous hosts:  Arlee Bird, Yolanda Renee,Jeremy Hawkins, and Alex J. Cavanaugh.

We are supposed to share marketing ideas we've used and tell what worked or didn't work. And it doesn't have to be writing related. Promotion is promotion and it's all TOUGH!

So, first, my bad news.
My Detroit signing was a bust. There. I said it. But, I have to say, I wasn't too disappointed because I didn't do much to promote it. It was a holiday weekend, I was quiet and mousy and shy with the few strangers who came in to buy coffee, and I didn't do any advertising otherwise - I depended on the little coffee shop to promote.

It was a sad event compared to my other events which have been pretty good. I did the same thing I did before, but my connections in Detroit are much fewer than here in my home town. I wanted more traffic, but didn't really do much to bring it.

So, I learned from it! I'm going to have to reach past my friends and family and actually talk to strangers and be confident and put myself out there! I have had several opportunities to tell people I wrote (& published!) a book, but I feel like I'm bragging. I had to work at a concession stand with some other moms I didn't know very well. It was deadly quiet several times and I thought about bringing it up, but I didn't. I really need to get over that. It's so hard to promote yourself!

I also realized I needed help on the right way to go about organizing a proper book signing. So, I researched! My book launch party last July was a great success because I followed a plan. Now, I will follow another plan for future book signings. It's the only way I'm going to break the buddy barrier.

Here are some links I found that had great tips for a successful book signing event:

The Tricked Out Toolbox
Authors and Speakers Network
Writers Weekly
Balboa Press

I look forward to trying them out! I'll be in the Atlanta area March 24-28. And when I set up my signing, I'll let you all know! I hope I can meet some more writer/blog friends! (and see Sherry Ellis again! She came to my Cinci party on the day she was moving to ATL!)

I also look forward to reading more tips through this awesome blog symposium! Thanks for organizing it hosts!

And one more helpful thing! I came across this great opportunity if you are looking for a critique partner!

Megan Grimit is hosting a Twitter Critique Partner Matchmaking Party on Monday January 20. (TODAY!)

What: A chance to pitch your book to a bunch of like minded writers
Where: Twitter, of course!
When: January 20th from 10am-10pm EST
And You’re going to need:

1. A twitter pitch (140 characters or less to include the #CPMatch hashtag)
2. A few labels (this is my fave part!):

For the purpose of easy identification, please include (abbreviated for your convenience) a little about your critiquing style. (Note: These are for how you critique others work, not what you need for your own.)

• Do you get straight to the point- STTP
• Fan of the compliment sandwich- CS
• Are you brutally honest- BH
• How about a good copy editor- GCE
• Or are you more of an attention to detail type: ATD
• Maybe a critique partner beginner: CPB
• Plot hole hunter: PHH
• Do you give great big picture notes: BP
• Are you a few of these things? Go ahead and list as many as will fit in your pitch.

Here's an example of a #CPMatch pitch:

Trapped among bleeding walls, psychotic passengers, and manifested fears, can Olivia escape with her life? YA #CPMatch CS ATD

On the 20th, simply search through the feed. If something looks interesting, DM the person and get to know each other a little better. See what you have to offer each other. Then, SWAP A SAMPLE CHAPTER. You’ll never know if you really mesh well unless you see some feedback first hand. Give it a try and spread the word!

RandOM tHuRSdaY - anXious!

Hunger Games tomorrow!!!
Anyone going to the midnight show tonight? Not me! I avoid crowds. I will go with my boys next week during Spring Break, unless their friends ask them first. Then I will drag my hub!

Anyone have big plans for Spring Break? We are staying home and getting stuff done. Nice not to be going anywhere. We will also plan our Summer vacation.

And as we enter Spring Break season, is anyone else hot? It's been almost 90 here! Come on! Is Spring going to be by-passed and overtaken by Summer? I hope not! But I wouldn't be surprised.

I also hope to get serious work done on one of my other WIPs. While the big one is at CPs and queries are out, I can't sit still! I've got the bug to move on. But which one? The MG Fantasy or the YA Paranormal? Hmmm.

And lastly, do you speak tweet? Been reading about it lately. I'd like to get a quick survey:

1. Do you have a twitter account? 
2. If so, how often to you check it?
3. How often do you actually tweet?
4. Care to share how many you follow? how many followers you have?
5. Do you like it? Why or Why not? 

And here are some twitter-isms from my point of view:

"Twitter is like shopping at Marshall's, you have to sift thru a lot of junk to find the best deal."

"Twitter turns us into four year olds, 'Hey, look what I did! Look at me!'"

"Twitter is facebook on speed."