Tag Archives: @TheIWSG

#IWSG – Floored

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Although I knew December’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post was speeding closer, I forced myself to focus on completing November’s priorities first. So, this month’s question had me stumped… out with no runs. But I’ve jumped ahead and need to back up to address my writing intentions.

Last month, I said my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, was shelved, but some kind writers offered to critique a few chapters for me, as that decision was preying on my mind. They helped me devise a strategy for the series… well, for the first two books, in chronological order. Naturally, my heart is still in Wales.

  1.  ‘Fevered Fuse’ needs work before it is publishable, unless I release it in serial form to fans of Sparkle Anwyl, its quirky lesbian detective. One issue could be that the novel attempted to incorporate Sparkle’s early cases and her earlier teenage conflicts.
  2. ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in the series, is my priority and a better use of my final time here, if I avoid all the pitfalls that plague ‘Fevered Fuse’.
  3. The two other titles, No. 3, Seeking a Knife, and No.4, ‘Ruined Retreat’, will remain as drafts to revise if an earlier title encourages readers to demand more of Sparkle.

As for my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, our Ninja Captain was correct in saying, “I know you are passionate about Ukraine. Keep after that story. Don’t let people forget”. The people of Ukraine are why I keep writing. I’m now attempting to write enough episodes to cover two earlier months every current month. Hence, in November, I covered events that took place between April 1st and May 30th, 2025.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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!

December 3 question – As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

My first thought was, “I’m stumped, or I’m floored”, since nothing came to mind.

Then, like last month, I remembered “A Sailor’s Life for me”. Aged about eleven, I wrote an essay on ‘A Day in the Life of a Navy Helicopter pilot’, which was among the winners of a memorable three days with the Royal Navy. All the prize-winners went to Portsmouth, toured HMS Victory, visited the Fleet Air Arm’s HMS Ariel, went inside a docked submarine at HMS Dolphin, and travelled on the guided missile destroyer, HMS Devonshire, along the South Coast from Portsmouth to Devonport. Of course, I didn’t join the Royal Navy, as my career took a different path, as I covered last month.

HMS Victory in drydock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Date: 9 May 2008 (according to Exif data). Source/Author: Ballista

However, prizes aren’t gifts, and that means thinking of one that gets me off the floor…

Maybe a tape recorder. Recently, my wife, Juanita, bought me a recorder so I could tape crazy thoughts at night or when my laptop was asleep. Great gift and better than the high-tech digital one that was too small for my fingers in the dark. The only problem is when Juanita asks who I’m talking to. Perhaps creating an acronym, as my detective Sparkle Anwyl does, is my most accessible mnemonic device.

Looking at my desk reminds me of other cool gifts: the decorated notebooks that friends and family have given me over the years… some too attractive for my scrawl.

There are sure to be cooler gifts, but they’ve evaded recall.

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The awesome co-hosts for the December 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

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 – A Writer’s Life

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Another month has slipped by, so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. And yet another chance to reassess my writing strategy, and my life.

Although I’d shelved my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, while I changed focus, that decision has been preying on my mind.

Is ‘Fevered Fuse’ something I need to rewrite to make it publishable? Is Sparkle Anwyl, its quirky lesbian detective, a minus? Is revising ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in the series, a better use of my final time here?  The two other titles of the series exist: No. 3 ‘Seeking a Knife’s first draft is half-written; No.4 ‘Ruined Retreat’s first draft was written in November 2017, for NaNoWriMo. Have I been wasting my time creating Sparkle Anwyl and her world? Did my beta-readers and my editor waste their precious time?

Please, does anyone have enough time to read even the first page or chapter of ‘Fevered Fuse’? If someone is really keen, she/he could read the first three chapters of ‘Fevered Fuse’ and ‘Fates Maelstrom’ to let me know if either is worth continuing with.

Sparkle & Kama Graphics by Jonathan Temples – http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

Maybe I need to skip both titles and revise ‘Ruined Retreat’. 😉

As for my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, I face different dilemmas. Will I finish writing the episodes before the war ends? More importantly for the people suffering, when will that end and with the just peace they deserve?

For the few still reading the episodes, including those clicking ‘Like’, I should post the second April 2025 episode later this week. Obviously, I’m still following the news from Ukraine and now the troubling news from Venezuela. Cuban Missile Crisis Mark 2, Trump version?

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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 5 question – When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

My first thought was, “A Sailor’s Life for me”, but then I remembered when I made my first scribblings and dreamt of “A Farmer’s Life for me”.

A decade later, after part-time work mowing lawns and mucking out horses in Canada, I entered the journalism world… as a lowly sub-editor in London, back home in the UK. Beyond subbing ‘Fishing Reports’ and short pieces in The Field magazine, I was gradually allowed to attend events that required brief reports. Finally, I wrote my first published full-page article, anywhere. It was also my first equestrian article, and about a place where I’d had a summer job, The All England Jumping Course, at Hickstead.

http://www.thefield.co.uk

By then, I wanted to be a journalist, even returning briefly to Canada to cover the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, with interesting results, especially equestrian. Writing an article for the Canadian equestrian magazine The Corinthian on a major British event should have been my breakthrough as a journalist, as should have been my brief time at a Journalism College.

However, a series of events turned me into an equestrian photographer, then an organic fresh produce wholesaler, to green campaigner, and a video producer.

I’ve never stopped scribbling, even before my job at ‘The Field’. In my teens, I was already penning short stories, mainly science fiction and fantasy. While at my finishing school in Canada, I produced an SFF fanzine called ‘Mind Sphere’ and received my first and only physical rejection letter.   

In my late thirties, I was briefly the editor of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association’s journal, New Ground, and wrote a few articles. Almost two decades after my first foray into journalism, I became a regular contributor to some equestrian magazines as a journalist and occasional photographer.

Dick Lane and his team of Lipizzaners at Brighton Driving Trials. Photo: Roland Clarke

While watching a show-jumping class at Olympia in London, the ideas for a plot took shape, and thirteen years later, my only published novel, Spiral of Hooves, was released.

My writing life hasn’t been straightforward, mainly because I’ve let myself be sidetracked. Finally, bedridden by multiple sclerosis, I should be able to focus on writing… one thing. Unfortunately, not, as I outlined last month.

Now, I have Sparkle Anwyl, my favourite character, vying with Freedom Flights, for my attention. The latter now dictates my life, but something tells me I need to keep ‘making hay while the sun shines’.

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The awesome co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

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 – Favourite Scribblings

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Another month has passed, so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. And another chance to reassess my writing strategy.

I’ve shelved my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, while I change focus. I will continue revising ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in the series, although that will require months.

I’ve just posted two more episodes of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. If you read Part 1 of No Cards Game, you may realise how the episode ends before you reach Part 2. Obviously, I’m still following the news from Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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!

October 1 question – What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

My first thought was, “These are a few of my favourite things”, but then I realised “There can be only one”, but which one? And why?

The obvious work would be my only published novel, Spiral of Hooves, the first book in the ‘Chasseur’ series. The MCs return in the first draft of a sequel, ‘Tortuous Terrain’, as does Zoo Sécurité, an organisation that appears in other series. Spiral will always be a favourite, but not quite number one. Gradually, the Zoos have become a valuable creation.

One member of Zoo Sécurité is a key secondary character in my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, which has yet to reach an audience. However, Sparkle Anwyl has become my favourite character. But the series falls short of that Number One slot despite Sparkle and my overall arc for her career. I’ll still revise ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in the series, and one day, hopefully, another Sparkle mystery, ‘Ruined Retreat’, featuring another Zoo operative.

Sparkle & Kama Graphics by Jonathan Temples – http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

As I attempt to assess my favourite written work by trawling through predominantly unpublished scribblings, I recognise an ongoing obsession that might be holding me back. Creating and outlining series ideas.

If I’d stuck with the characters and equestrian world created in Spiral of Hooves, I might have succeeded in publishing more. Instead, I have five or more unwritten series.

https://aeroscraft.com/

For instance, the Gossamer Flames saga grew from my two ‘Wyrm’ draft novels, written in 2011 before ‘Spiral of Hooves’ was published… but after SoH was written. Instead of revising a draft novel, I built new projects to muddle my writing plans. Like ‘Eagle Crossing’ in 2016, set in a 21st-century Viking North America called Kanata. It was extensively researched at the time of devising, as I believed Kanata was my writing future.

Eventually, I developed Sparkle Anwyl, who became my favourite character.

Yet, the favourite thing I’ve written is Feathered Fire, the 1944-based short story published in the 2020 IWSG Anthology (No. 5), Voyagers: The Third Ghost. My reasoning is, firstly, as a standalone story, all the elements seem to work, thanks in part to the editing by L. Diane Wolfe from Dancing Lemur Press.

 Secondly, writing Feathered Fire gave rise to Freedom Flights, a crucial part of my ongoing writing journey. Readers asked what happened to the two Ukrainian sisters in the story, so when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, I created their two granddaughters and the modern Night Witches. The present-day episodes led me to start writing about the post-1944 growth of the Chayka Family and their aviation business based in Canada, Chayka Air. Of course, there are at least two Zoo Sécurité operatives involved.

Commander Evdokiya Bershanskaya gives a briefing to her “Witches”. (Archives Vlad Monster,  http://www.ava.org.ru)
https://www.gracpiacenza.com/night_witches_eng.html

So, Feathered Fire inspired the saga that’s now a key part of my writing, alongside the unfolding career of my Welsh detective, Sparkle Anwyl. All other scribblings must be shelved… for now.

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The awesome co-hosts for the October 1 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

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 – Using AI

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The months seem to pass by so fast, and another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post is almost here. Time again to update my writing plans…or rather to request some feedback.

Since my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, was rejected after my first submission, I’ve been thinking about my next step.

As I let my editor know what happened, she kindly sent me some suggestions. The one that struck me as most achievable at this point was being active on Substack, on which I discovered I had a dormant account. First, I should start writing short pieces, and then she suggested I post one of my existing novels or novellas in serialised form, which I should monetise.

I have four possible manuscripts that I could serialise, and that’s where I need help choosing the best one.

  1. Fevered Fuse: Although this is fully edited and an excellent choice, I’d better hold this novel back as long as I’m still submitting the manuscript.
  2. Freedom Flights: As the present-day episodes are on this blog, I could serialise the pre-2022 growth of the  Chayka Family and their aviation business based in Canada, Chayka Air. The first four chapters (54 pages) are written, but the first one is my short story in the 2020 IWSG Anthology (No. 5), Voyagers: The Third Ghost, so not useable.
  3. Tortuous Terrain: An early draft of the sequel to Spiral of Hooves, my published novel, so in need of revision &/r editing. A possible means to promote my debut book.
  4. Eagle Crossing: An early draft of an extensively researched alternate history set in a 21st-century Viking North America arising from Leif Eriksson settling Vinland permanently in 1000 AD, and founding Kanata. Has potential legs.

I will probably still submit Fevered Fuse to at least two more of the small publishers on my researched list… but only if I’m convinced that the manuscript is publishable (as it stands). Or I will continue revising ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows series, until it reads almost as engrossing as the audiobooks I listen to.

I’ve just posted another episode of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. If you manage to read Conviction and Commitment, Part 1, please be patient waiting for Part 2. I must make it worth reading before posting it online.

Obviously, I’m also still following the news from Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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!

September 3 question – What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others, with your writing? Would you use it for research, storybible, or creating outlines\beats?

Last month, I made my attitude to unscrupulous AI publishers clear. However, I can see the benefits of AI for our type of writing, even if I sometimes get frustrated when my AI-driven grammar software messes up my creativity – Copilot, I’m pointing at you.

As for the examples in the question, I don’t use them, nor am I tempted. I checked if any of the aforementioned ‘unscrupulous publishers’ produced them.

If I used any AI app besides grammar services, I would use Edwina, Fictionary’s Helpful AI Writing Instructor. Fictionary is the Story Editing software I’ve used on & off for some years, usually while writing early drafts and before I send a manuscript to my editor.

Incidentally, Kristina Stanley, best-selling author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series, founded Fictionary and was one of the authors who helped me launch ‘Spiral of Hooves’.

Fellow writers, some of you might be interested in this FREE webinar on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time, organised by The Authors Guild Foundation – The AI Revolution in Book Publishing. I would attend, but my carer is still here at that time.
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The awesome co-hosts for the September 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

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 – Genre Trial

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Another month has passed, so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to plan another writing adventure.

First, it’s almost two months since I submitted my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books, and I’m still waiting for an answer. I’m beginning to suspect a rejection is awaiting me when the three-month deadline is reached in early August. At least I’m checking out other publishers by listening to a few of their authors’ books,

However, as I wait, I’m distracting myself by working on draft 6 of ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows series. This revision primarily involves changing the POVs from multiple 3rd Person to Sparkle Anwyl’s 1st person, an interesting challenge as Sparkle isn’t in every scene.

Sparkle & Kama Graphics by Jonathan Temples – http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

Has anyone kept up to date with the legal cases against AI companies, like Anthropic and Meta, that have used pirated books, ignoring copyright, to train their AI products? My debut novel, Spiral of Hoovess, was one of thousands of pirated books. Latest news from the Authors Guild on the cases at: https://authorsguild.org/news/mixed-decision-in-anthropic-ai-case/ and https://authorsguild.org/news/meta-ai-ruling-meta-gets-technical-win-but-law-favors-authors/.

I have yet to write another episode of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. The last one was Eagle’s Flight, and the next is provisionally called ‘Dispersal and Concealment’, and picks up on something discussed in Eagle’s Flight. Obviously, I’m also still following the news from Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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!

July 2 question – Is there a genre you haven’t tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

This may be hypothetical for me, given that I have so many drafts to revise. There are also others that I must accept as remaining abandoned. Most of those to revise fall under the Crime & Mystery genre, although there is one that would be classed as Science Fantasy, Gossamer Flames.  Also, Freedom Flights starts in 1944, and although the current episodes are Present Day, it would be classified as Historical Fiction… especially if I keep developing the 1944-2014 chapters.

https://aeroscraft.com/

However, I have written Fantasy and Science Fiction stories, an Alternative History, and a few Children’s short pieces, all of which are unlikely to be revised. I even started a Romance novel on the international tennis circuit. Checking out genre lists, such as Reedsy’s The Ultimate List of Book Genres: 35 Popular Genres, Explained, or Wikipedia’s List of writing genres, I realise there are quite a few genres I’ve missed attempting.

Two stand out: Horror and Erotica. A few of my shorts have had horrific elements, and one reviewer of Spiral of Hooves was unable to finish reading because of the “sexual scenes”.

Time to attempt writing an Erotic Horror… featuring a female vampire with strange fetishes. Or is that a ‘miss-stake’?

The Demonic Pumpkin: http://www.artstation.com

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The awesome co-hosts for the July 2 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other 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 – Writing Fears

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It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to write about something opportune.

On Sunday evening, I finally submitted my police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books. After researching the best independent publishers for crime fiction, Joffe Books was my first choice. I should hear back from them within three months. While waiting for the publisher to answer, I’ll rewrite ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows Mysteries, and write more episodes of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

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!

May 7 question – Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?

Since my late teens, submitting a manuscript has triggered my fear of rejection. I can’t remember the exact short story, but I wrote many fantasy stories in my teens. However, I do remember my first rejection was for one I submitted to a fantasy magazine whose name I have conveniently forgotten. All I know is that I was discouraged from submitting any fiction for decades. But I couldn’t stop writing and even edited a magazine called Mind Sphere for a bilingual SF & fantasy society I helped create in Montreal, Canada.

Four-legged Field magazine fans Credit: http://www.thefield.co.uk

My first paid editing job for The Field magazine led to my first published fiction articles, and eventually, my factual writing was published hundreds of times over the next thirty-five years. But my fear of rejection for fiction writing hovered in the background.

When I finally finished a novel I believed in – not my first or even third attempt – I submitted it, despite fearing another rejection… and encouraged by my wife, Juanita. However, Spectacle Publishing accepted Spiral Of Hooves and my debut novel was published in 2013. Except another fear emerged: the fear of failure.

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry.

Although Spiral Of Hooves sold a few copies and had predominantly excellent reviews, I believed I had failed. I’d written a sequel but shelved it and worked on other stories, unwilling to resign myself to accepting I lacked talent.

Or was that my problem?

I submitted some shorts, willing at last to accept a few rejections. IWSG threw me a lifeline, and in 2019, my WWII historical fantasy short story Feathered Fire was accepted for the 2020 IWSG Anthology Voyagers: The Third Ghost. The encouragement from the published short and fellow authors has helped me have faith in my writing. It’s also led to my ongoing Ukraine episodic story, Freedom Flights.

On one level, I manage my fears through my writing, although if I look at the growing pile of unpublished shorts and novels, I still question my talent.

Submitting Fevered Fuse feels like a test. Am I prepared for rejection? Or does another publishing opportunity bring the risk of not promoting the book enough? How do I promote a book when I’m housebound? I must do more than print a few T-shirts like the Spiral Of Hooves one I’m wearing today.

Perhaps I only need to be online in the present digital age… not housebound but cloud-borne.

Graphics by Jonathan Temples – 
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

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I’ve just read this interesting blog piece by Pauline Rowson, the best-selling author of many crime novels, published by Joffe Books: https://www.rowmark.co.uk/article/the-emotional-stages-of-writing-a-novel/  

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The awesome co-hosts for the May 7 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, 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.

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!