IWSG!

The brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, the purpose of the 
Insecure Writer's Support Group is: to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting is the first Wednesday of every month. You can sign up HERE.

Don’t forget that today is  also the one year anniversary of the IWSG website and the day to post your entry for the IWSG anthology. If it is over 300 words, you can email it to theIWSG@gmail.com

The purpose of the book is to assist other writers on the journey, so we are looking for tips and instructions in the areas of writing, publishing, and marketing. It can be inspirational in nature as long as you provide a solid benefit. We’ve already received a lot of great entries–mostly in the area of writing–so looking for some good tips on publishing and marketing. Be sure to state which category, add a one line by-line, and permission for us to use it in the book.

Once you have posted on October 1, go to this page at the IWSG site and enter your link - http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-guide-to-publishing-and-beyond.html The deadline for submissions is October 2.

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Now, on with my post. 

Ever wonder, once you get to end of a project, what you're going to do next? Ever get insecure and get to worrying about you next idea? Where is it going to come from, how are you going to find it? Ever stare at a blank page and feel like tearing your hair out? 

Personally I don't have this problem. My problem is that I have too many ideas, so many that I have a hard time choosing what I'm going to do next.  I can get so flustered trying to decide that I sort of feel like I'm sinking in quicksand. All these ideas pull and tug at me, each going in its own direction. I have binders full of ideas going all the way back to high school. How is that a problem? Well, I'm one of those people who can only do one thing at a time, focus on one story/novel at a time. So choosing an idea means other ideas will have to wait.

A Lizard's Tail - my next book being released on the 20th of this month (shameless plug) has been an idea I've been nursing since 1977! I wrote the first draft way back in 2002 or 2003 then set it aside while crit partners went over it with their fine toothed combs and I worked on other things. Finally I hauled it out and changed the POV from omniscient to third person past tense. Again I set it aside while I worked on other things.

Now, finally, approximately 37 years after the original idea came to me, my heroic lizard, Marvin, is going to see the light of day. Which proves it's never to late.

So what's next? Oh dear, there's my very first novel which is very close to being ready... A West Indian ghost story. There's a YA historical fantasy that has nothing to do with the Caribbean that's near and dear to my heart. There's a fictional biography of St. Anthony of the Desert, patron saint of pigs and swineherds, told from the POV of a pig. And what about more Anansi stories to retell? Or a collection of my own Texas tall tales with an armadillo hero and his good friend Texas Ranger Stan Dup. So what's it going to be?

None of these. My sister and I are going to tackle revising and editing my grandmother's cookbook. When it was originally printed back in the late 60s, the publisher didn't do right by her. None of the corrections were made... There are duplicate recipes, recipes in the wrong section, and no index... This project will be a total labor of love honoring our wonderful Grammy.

The point of all this (a post much too long as it is) is that there's always some reason or other to feel insecure. You can feel insecure about not having an idea or having too many. You can feel insecure about how long it's taken to get something written or that you rushed through it and maybe didn't give it enough attention.

Stop it! Being insecure is a waste of time. Take it from someone whose knows. I've wasted a whole of lot time, YEARS even. But I'm plowing ahead. Damn the insecurities and full steam ahead!