#IWSG – Creative Challenge

November 6, 2024 by Roland Clarke

I nearly missed this next Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2024 as I was frantically trying to finish Episode 26 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. It was overdue by over two months from the last day my characters appeared on duty. However, I finished and posted it with a day to spare:

Freedom Flights: Episode 26 – Deceptive Intuition

Unfortunately, if the election of President Trump stands, Ukraine could be forced into a peace which cedes not just territory but thousands of Ukrainians who do not want to be second-class Russians. Also, Putin and other autocrats will be emboldened, and countries like Taiwan will feel threatened. What then?

Slava Ukrayini

The other writing news is I’ve drafted an acceptable query letter for my Welsh police procedural. I was unsure what books to compare it to, but I chose a series set in South Wales and a lesbian crime writer I admire. Ultimately, it must stand up in its unique way.

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Remember, the question is optional!

November 6 question – What creative activity do you engage in when you’re not writing?

It would be great to do something creative other than writing but I’m aware of a drawback or two. My fingers are not nimble enough for some activities I’ve attempted. Nor do I have the space on the desk over my bed.

A few months ago, I attempted to revive my photography which was part of my career as a journalist from my early twenties onwards… although with breaks for other careers in farming, wholesale food marketing, and the film industry. Sadly, I’m struggling to upload any recent photos. Maybe one day.

Many decades ago, a girlfriend taught me to knit, and I made a scarf for her. A few years later, when we had both married other people, she admitted to dismantling my only attempt at knitting.

My attempt to play the flute lasted longer, although I eventually sold that flute to a more adept player. However, I still have the wooden Nepalese flute I bought in Kathmandu… the start of my flute adventure.

Airfix Sopwith Camel
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235067424-airfix-sopwith-camel/

As a kid, I made a lot of plastic models from kits, mainly 1^st World War biplanes, which my brother and I hung from the ceiling by thread. Making them was very fiddly so not a hobby to revisit.

My wife plays computer games that involve designing and building structures, from houses to workshops. I used to play the same games, and I’m tempted to return to them… when I’m not writing.

What should I do?

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

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: 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: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Blogging Life

April 3, 2024 by Roland Clarke

This fourth Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2024 has to steer away from the same complaints about my health.

Instead, I’ll concentrate on wishing you all a Belated Happy Easter, hoping however you spent it, in worship, with family, hunting for Easter eggs, or all three, it was rewarding, enjoyable, inspiring, and fun.

So, onto the writing front:

The revision of Fevered Fuse is complete and with my editor awaiting her response.

My Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, is still ongoing. Episode 18 was posted in three parts on consecutive days at the end of March, and the links were added to the above-mentioned page.

However, I discussed my thoughts about April’s episode, in Part 3 of Episode 18. I said, “What I write and whether I do depend on what happens in the war and on your comments.” Plus, I posed some questions to prompt comments, such as, “Am I posting too often? Should I spend more time writing post-1944/pre-2022 episodes?”

For instance, I have an unfinished Korean War episode, started during NaNoWriMo 2023, that I could work on, but the present war in Ukraine is an ongoing concern.

What should I do fellow Insecure Writers?

Slava Ukrayini

Remember, the question is optional!

April 3 question – How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

On May 25^th 2012, I posted for the first time here on Writing Wings…12 years ago at the end of next month.

Welcome to Writing Wings

Those twelve years feel like quite a journey, not just from Kent via Wales to Idaho, but from writing one-off stand-alone posts to creating sequences of themed posts like the six Blogging from A to Z Challenges (2014-2019) and the WEP/IWSG Challenges (August 2018-December 2023).

The monthly IWSG post has kept me blogging for much of that time… with a few lapses. My biggest regret is having to stop posting book reviews not just when I ceased being able to read. Even listening to audiobooks dried up as I watched more videos and podcasts linked to issues like the War in Ukraine.

Although I struggle with my health, I still enjoy blogging and writing keeps my brain active. Without having to write at least one post a month, my life would be emptier… and when nobody comments it makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong.

But maybe I’m at fault for just hitting ‘Like’ on other people’s posts and not commenting.

Sorry. if this is boring

The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

#AtoZChallenge: Reflection

May 7, 2018 by Roland Clarke

2018 was my fifth Blogging From A to Z Challenge and the aim of my theme was “to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling” …

This was a perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper, in some cases finding the myths and legends that had inspired a new generation of storytellers. I wasn’t surprised at how many had ‘ancient roots’, nor was I surprised that there were universal themes arising.

However, I was intrigued how many cultures were represented as I expected most games had Celtic, Norse, Japanese or Chinese roots. Okay, I half-expected Korean mythology to work in somewhere as South Korea has a large games industry. The surprise was (a) the cross-fertilization between cultures – see Z is for Zelda; (b) the use of less prominent mythologies – see W is for Witcher.

I was pleased that most of the posts inspired comments, even a little debate. However, I was amazed that J is for Jumanji, K is for King Arthur and T is for Tomb Raider received none – especially when R is for Resident Evil received six comments, excluding my replies. (I replied to every comment.) Was that because Resident Evil is the most successful game-to-movie adaptation? Or was it because King Arthur has been overdone in everything from legend to Hollywood blockbuster?

Maybe I spent too much time trying to get the posts out. I admit that I didn’t visit many A-to-Z bloggers beyond the ones that I follow regularly – I have a lot of catching-up to – in the Road Trip. (The Road Trip is where bloggers continue to visit each other from May thru March.)

However, as well as my posts linking with my Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, I did manage to add my post-address to the Daily Lists as well to my comments on other sites. Towards the end of the Challenge, I was writing the following day’s post with a few hours to spare – and I consistently forgot the #AtoZchallenge hashtag, except on my Theme post.

My frantic approach was partly because I hadn’t even remembered to sign-up until mid-March. That began some in-depth research which included some ‘product testing’. I need to give myself time in future if I am going to reduce the pressure and visit more sites.

Looking ahead to the Road Trip is coming on May 23, I’m trying to decide which was my favourite post and why. Will the writing-related research or the gaming-experience lift the award?

H is for Hellblade or L is for Lord of the Rings? Or maybe something unexpected.

What would you choose?

Erratic Schedule

June 21, 2016 by Roland Clarke

This post is an apology for my failings in the weeks and months ahead.

You’ve been warned.

I’ve even got some sneaky excuses that might even be genuine.

First, I have to warn you that my posts will appear erratically. I will attempt some kind of weekly post, but no wild promises lile, “I will post something every Tuesday”. Attempt can mean that nothing will appear.

There will be a few guest posts, like this Friday’s post from Kristina Stanley, whose novel “Blaze” I reviewed recently. Her latest book, “Avalanche”, is released on Saturday.

And there will be the intermittent book reviews, like the one that I should write for my current read, the “Dying for a Living” Box set, by Kory M. Shrum. It feels like a slower read than normal as the set has three books, and I know that there are two more out there. Will I get that far?

Finally, I will try to write my monthly IWSG posts, although that may be a fail come October. That’s because of September 20^th.

For those that don’t know, that is the date when we embark on the QM2 and head for the USA, and the next stage in our life-adventure. Yes, we are selling our home in Harlech, North Wales, and by the end of September should be in our new home in Boise, Idaho. There we will have my wife’s family to support us. Bliss.

Although the IWSG post for October is on Wednesday 5^th, our computers will still be in a container between Wales and Idaho. In fact, our possessions may not arrive until sometime in November. Okay, we have a small HP Stream notebook for travel, but I’m still adapting to it.

The HP Stream will get its second outing next week, when we head to London for my interview with US Immigration on Wednesday June 29^th. Checking emails is probably the most that I will achieve, but don’t expect any comments on your blogs or here.

In fact, with all the preparations prior to the move, I’m already commenting less, visiting fewer blogs, even writing less. That is likely to become the norm as time sails on. Cruising on the QM2 will be a kind of luxury, but connecting with the cyber-world will be off the menu. Just seven days pampering ourselves perhaps. As for the dogs, they travel first class, with their own cabin/kennel, steward, bedtime biscuits, poop deck, designer jackets, and more.

Not looking forward to the road trip though. Getting from New York to Boise will be a challenge for all of us. At least, Juanita’s son Jason will be driving across to collect us.

Anyway, by October – maybe November – there will be a large backlog to catch up. Or should that be a Backblog?

I’ve deliberately evaded any reference to aggravating health issues, but they seem to be growing. The niggling bladder, the stabbing spasms, rebellious limbs, the depression, the exhaustion, and the frustration never go away. Sometimes I can escape into another world, either one of my own creation, or a book I’m reading, or a game that takes me to a ‘a galaxy far, far away’. But never for long. Too soon I get interrupted by the MaelStrom or MonSter.

I’m praying that a change of climate, from the dampness of Wales to the dry warmth of Idaho, will be the healing touch; along with the loving support of family.

Hopefully, by December and the holiday season normal service will be resumed.