IWSG-Pot of Gold

The first Wednesday of the month and time for the Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, everyone's super ninja friend. Please go to his blog to find out details on how to join, or just to say hi! All writers need support, insecure or not this is the perfect group for encouragement and lasting friendships.

Not many writers publish their work expecting to find a pot of gold, riches, fame or fortune. I know that I didn't. I just like to tell stories and share them with others. Hoping to put a smile on someones face or touch someones heart was good enough for me, but after publishing three short stories and one book I still have no idea how many people I have reached. All profits from my short stories went to charity and I am still waiting to here from my publishing company for a sales report on my book.

It is frustrating to wait and I wonder if I can really call myself an author, when I have spent alot of money and time writing but have not earned one single cent. Writing is a lonely business isn't it? I doubt there will ever be a pot of gold but I still would like to know that I am being heard. Can you hear me?

November is a dark, stormy, cold time of year and this year is especially hard for me. My writing has to wait for now, as with most everything else in my life. I face my mother's slow disappearance into dementia and I fight the health system alone. It is very hard to live on the other side of the world from the rest of your family when this kind of thing happens.

Pot of gold? I would settle for just a little sunshine.

Come back on Friday for the Oh, How I miss you Blogfest. Until then my friends, give your mother a kiss while she still remembers who you are!

IWSG: My Gutsy Story

Today is the two year Anniversary of Alex Cavanaugh’sInsecure Writers Support Group, a group focusing on encouraging other writers. Please take the time to check out other posts made by the members of this group and if you want to join, you are most welcome!

For two years now I have been a loyal member of this group, posting every first Wednesday of the month, and to be honest with you I am running out of things to say. I feel like I have covered every aspect of a writer’s self-doubt because I have been there first hand. We all have.

Today I want to share my inspiration for taking my writing seriously. I had been writing in a journal for years but my decision to do more started with blogging which led me to Sonia Marsh and my first published story in an Anthology called My Gutsy Story which is now available in hard print on Amazon. My gutsy story was inspired by a post that I had made on my blog called Lost and Found. Many of you may remember the journey we made together as I wrote about the son I had rediscovered and the daughter I was getting to know all over again.

Inspiration is the keystone to following your dream. The ability to share with words your hopes and fears will never let you down. I want to thank every one of you for your encouragement which has led me to be published in 4 anthologies and my own book.

What has inspired you to write?

Congratulations Alex on two years of an amazing group.

Minnie is a bit late this time but she will be here on Friday for those that want to play with words. Until then, have a great week!

IWSG: Expect the Unexpected

Once again it is the first wednesday of the month and time for the Insecure Writers Support Group. A group founded by Alex Cavanaugh in which writers from all around the world can post about their insecurities, writing challenges or offer words of support for others. The past couple of months I have been busy finishing off my manuscript so I have not posted. Today I thought I would share some of my experiances on the road towards publishing. Mainly I want to tell you that if you are writing a book and planning on publishing it, EXPECT the UNEXPECTED!

For the past two years I have been working on my book Secrets of the Ash Tree, a fantasy novel that incorporates Norwegian Fairy tales and Mythology set in the modern world and in a world of fantasy. The first 30000 words were easy but then I hit a wall. Emotional turmoil in my life put the breaks on all my creativity. EXPECT to have life throw you a curve ball when you least expect it, but don't give up, even if all you can do is think about your story and write down some notes.

Just when my writing started to flow again my critique partner got sick, my muse went on vacation and I lost a whole chapter of my book. My daughter who had promised to illustrate and do the book cover got pregnant and backed out on me just as the cover was due. My husband stepped in and offered to make a photograph, then came the rain and more rain...EXPECT your computer to betray you so SAVE...SAVE...SAVE! EXPECT people to back out on you at the last minute or the weather to fowl your plans.EXPECT people you depend on to have lives that interfere with YOUR plans. There is nothing you can do about it except find help elsewhere.

This community is rich with help. I have found an amazing critique partner in Susan Roebuck, who also turned out to be my muse. Also, just when I thought my cover was doomed, my Cyber Brother Michael Di Gesu offered his help. I can't wait to show you the book cover he has created for me and finally to get my book published. Yes, I am still expecting the unexpected, but I know there is always a way to turn the bad into good and sometimes even better. Good luck and keep writing!

He said, she said! IWSG

Another month has flown by and once again it is time for the Insecure Writers Support Group, a group created by Alex Cavanaugh for writers to share their frustrations and offer support to others. 

Today I am seeking advice on Dialogue. I have reached what I believe is the half-way point of my book, Secrets of the Ash Tree, and I am stuck at a crossroads. Not sure which way to turn with my story I decided to go back to the beginning and start editing. What I noticed was how terrible my dialogue is. There are too many, he said or she said, and then he said…etc…etc…I don’t dare do a work count on the word Said in my document. Now I am looking for other words. You know, like this…Siv wiped a tiny tear from the corner of her eye and moaned, “Why do my characters have to talk at all?”

Another question I have is when do you write he said, before or after the dialogue?

Some of you out there have some valuable tips for me, I am sure of it! Let’s hear them please. I know that I cannot be the only one trying to wade through Dialogue Quicksand. 

Have a great hump day everyone! Just think, spring is around the corner and the days are getting longer.

BANG BANG!

No, I am not talking about a gun. The bang… bang is accompanied by other sounds outside my “work space,” such as buzzzzzzzz and eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuu. Yes my friends, once again my world is overrun by hammers, drills and the saw. You might wonder where I have been lately, now you know. I am stuck under a pile of sawdust and uncompleted writing projects.

View of an unfinished garage

Home renovations and additions have been going on here for several years now. Of course the end result will be worth the wait but in the meantime it is costing me the concentration I need to get work done. You are probably thinking I should move to another room and I would if there was another one unoccupied by a member of the family. As you might recall, my son has moved in again and what was to be my atelier-office has turned into his room. No, I am not complaining.  I am just a bit frustrated because my headphones are broken, and the blinds we ordered for the room I spend most of my days in are missing. 

Amongst all the toil and trouble there is a ray of sunshine. Finally I have found a wonderful and talented writer through this community, and a post through Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group, to critique and help me get the first draft of my book finished. I couldn’t be more pleased! 

So you see now what I have been up to, what about you? Do you have any major distractions that get in the way of your writing? I bet you do, tell me about it and where ever in the world you find yourself I hope distractions will not get in the way of you having a fantastic Week-end!

IWSG: LOST IN TRANSLATION

There are many things that can make a writer insecure. Losing words in translation is one of them. As an American living in a foreign country I am faced with that problem every day, not only in my writing but in daily life. Language can be easily misinterpreted so learning how to deal with the confusion words can create on a daily basis can be frustrating and it affects my writing habits. My inspiration is fading and my support is nonexistant. Here I am writing and thinking English everyday while all around me another language is constantly intruding. My family and friends have no time for my words, nor do they understand them the way they should. Maybe I should just stick to making food, at least my cooking does not need to be translated and at least that is appreciated.

Do you ever feel misplaced and misunderstood? Do your words get lost in translation? This year marks my 25^th anniversary of moving to Norway and I have realized that even though I will never be completely at home here, I have learned to love and even hate at times this place and the words that leave me lost in translation.  

Check out The Insecure Writers Support Group and visit some very talented and inspiring writers. Your words DO make a difference.

Insecure and Stuffed

The first Wednesday of the year and time once again for the Insecure Writers Support Group. Founded by Alex Cavanaugh over one year ago and still going strong, this group offers encouragement and support for writers, insecure or not.

How many of you are suffering holiday withdrawal today? After a month of preparations and celebrations it is not easy to hop back into the routines of normal every day. I feel as stuffed as the turkey we ate on New Year’s Eve and just as roasted. My writing has suffered during the holiday season and to make matters worse the one short story I wrote for a new anthology disappeared from my computer. All that remained was the title on a blank page, how I did that I have no idea. Most likely I have saved the wrong document and discarded the one I should have saved. Has that ever happened to you, and what did you do? I realize that I have to get beyond this computer betrayal, hopefully I have learned a lesson about not rushing things and to be more careful about what I save. Now I just have to get beyond that empty page, put the holidays behind me and get a grip. Any suggestions?