#IWSG – Fantasy Dreams

April 2, 2025 by Roland Clarke

It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. Although I started writing this on April 1^st, I’ll stick to the truth and avoid fooling you.

Fact 1. Yesterday, as promised, I received the final edit from my editor’s assistant of my police procedural, Fevered Fuse. Hopefully, this means I will submit the manuscript to the first publisher by the end of this month and should hear back within three months. While waiting for the publisher to answer, I’ll begin rewriting ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows Mysteries.

Fact 2. In late March, I began writing Episode 36 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, but it’s now on hold, unlike the deadly war, the fragile peace negotiations, and treacherous Putin’s machinations. Hopefully, the rational leaders can negotiate a dependable and lasting peace in the next few months.

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!

April 2 question – What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

Fact or Fiction? I guess most fantasy is fiction, although centuries ago the first storytellers based their tales on fact. Like some of the heroes and heroines in the Icelandic Eddas were possibly real people, so they could be considered as ‘fact’.

Unlike my choices. First, Geralt of Rivia, aka The Witcher, No. 1, for questing with.

No. 2. Drinking companion: harder as some like Gimli the Dwarf would drink me under the table. However, another of the Nine Companions in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins, might be preferable with a similar consumption to me.

No. 3. I don’t fancy fighting any of my favourite fantasy characters, as I’d start at a disadvantage, unless, as a Leo, I faced the Cowardly Lion from author L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The title page of *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*, also known as *The Wizard of Oz*, a 1900 children’s novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow.

Instead, why couldn’t I choose someone to marry? Perhaps Menolly, the Harper heroine in some of the early novels in the Dragonriders of Pern series, written by American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey.

first edition cover
Source
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?126781
Article
The Harper Hall Trilogy

Or maybe the shieldmaiden Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, or my favourite female character from The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, and in the Witcher games, the redheaded medic Shani, who’d be the perfect drinking companion… and invaluable in a fight.

The Witcher 3: How Shani’s Role Evolved from the Books to the Games

https://gamerant.com/the-witcher-3-shani-role-purpose-evolution-books-to-games/

The awesome co-hosts for the April 2 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!

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 – Metamorphosis

March 5, 2025 by Roland Clarke

Although it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, I’ve been too distracted by recent international events to plan for this.

At least I managed a March 1st post for my wife’s birthday and St David’s Day.

I have started writing Episode 34 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, but it’s been hard to write scenes set in September 2024 knowing what happened last Friday in the Oval Office. At least, over the next three days, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was made welcome in the United Kingdom and able to discuss with mutual respect Ukraine’s path to a genuine and steadfast peace.

Leaders from around the world gathered in central London for peace talks on Sunday March 2^nd 2025. Press Association

First, with Sir Keir Starmer, my Prime Minister, then with the 18 leaders at the biggest European peace summit since the end of the Second World War. Finally, Zelenskyy’s meeting with my sovereign, King Charles III at Sandringham, his Norfolk home, demonstrated what staunch support the British people, from the Monarch to ‘commoners’ like me, have for the heroic Ukrainians and their courageous President.

President Volodymyr Zelensky with King Charles at the entrance to his Sandringham home where they met for an hour on Sunday. Press Association

Hopefully, the rational leaders can negotiate a dependable and lasting peace in the next few months.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

Remember, the question is optional!

March 5 question – If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.

I struggled for days over this question, in part because of recent events. Trump’s speech to Congress angered me so much that I wished I could return home—yes, to the United Kingdom. My wife and I regret not accepting my brother’s offer in August 2022 to fly us home with our dogs.

If I could be anyone or anything for a day, there are some dark and crazy answers like a 2025 Count Claus von Stauffenberg even though his politics hardly differed from Hitler’s.

If I morph into someone else, do I take on that person’s personality? If I became Hemingway for a day, would I write as well as him, but would I also drink heavily?

7th October 1939: EXCLUSIVE American writer Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) works at his typewriter while sitting outdoors, Idaho. Hemingway disapproved of this photograph saying, ‘I don’t work like this.’ (Photo by Lloyd Arnold/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Ideally and morally, a character from my Freedom Flights might suit my current circumstances. Perhaps then I could walk again, although my sniper character is in a wheelchair, having been wounded… and she’s female. Not that I would mind, as I might better understand all my pilots. Maybe flying a jet or helicopter would dissolve my fear of flying. Or I could be a K9 handler, which I came close to being in RL. Dogs are among my best friends.

The key is being able to help Ukraine inspired by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, perhaps as one of the indispensable medics.

The Ukrainian medics risking their lives every day on the front line are credited with saving nine times as many wounded comrades as do their Russian counterparts – MAXIM TUCKER

The awesome co-hosts for the March 5 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

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.

#IWSG – Cliffhangers

December 4, 2024 by Roland Clarke

It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2024, having just posted Episode 27 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. It was originally over 5,000 words until I found a good point to divide it into two – adding in a cliffhanger naturally. Now I need to create another ‘cliffhanger’ for the second half, which will be Episode 28… continuing from this:

Freedom Flights: Episode 27 – Defensive Relocation

Slava Ukrayini

Remember, the question is optional!

December 4 question – Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

As you must have realised by the opening paragraph of this post, I often drag my reader to the edge of a steep drop and then…

Let go……aaaaahh.

But I try to resolve the leap of faith.

However, I believe there are rules, which when broken, can turn a reader/me off:

Never drop the reader or abandon them, i.e., zilch happens.
Never change elements, cheating the reader by removing or adding components that were essential to the cliffhanger, thus resolving it, akin to ‘Deus ex machina’. I first noted this with a few cliffhangers in the 1936 serial film ‘Flash Gordon’ with Buster Crabbe, which I watched in a SciFi film society. Items would appear or disappear to ensure Flash, Dale, and Dr Zarkov are saved. Other series flout this rule.
Never set up a cliffhanger and make it something else, like when the ‘Dallas’ scriptwriters resorted to making everything in previous episodes a dream = another cheat. Resorting to a red herring is infinitely better than cheating.
Never use a cliffhanger when there’s no guarantee of a sequel film/TV series/book
Final rule: (similar to Rule 3.) A cliffhanger should always have a satisfactory pay-off. Never throw the reader off the cliff, just a character who needs to die. (Is this a cliffhanger or a red herring?)

I like writing cliffhangers to keep my readers turning the page at the end of a chapter/episode, although it’s sometimes difficult or feels contrived… another turn-off as a reader.

I’m aware that I’m risking my readers’ ire with the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 26 of ‘Freedom Flights’. My most constant reader, Rebecca Douglass, commented, “…Nice cliff-hanger ending.” Although I’ve kept building reminders into later episodes, I reassure everyone that there will be a pay-off… as per the final rule.

Freedom Flights: Episode 26 – Deceptive Intuition

The awesome co-hosts for the December 4 posting of the IWSG are Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

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.

#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.

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.

#IWSG – Ghostly Tale

October 2, 2024 by Roland Clarke

It’s time for yet another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2024, and I’m hoping you’re prepared to be scared. The witching time draws nearer.

Unlike my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, which is overdue by over two months from the last day my characters appeared on duty. As I aim to write a Halloween WEP flash, it may require some juggling to give it a Ukraine angle, although some of my characters are Witches.

Slava Ukrayini

The other writing news is I’m struggling to devise an acceptable query letter for my police procedural. I’m unsure what books to compare it to, although it must stand up in its unique way.

Remember, the question is optional!

October 2 question – Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What’s your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I’ve spent a few days pondering about my favourite classic ghost stories, eliminating some for length like Dracula and Frankenstein and others for being in the wrong season like A Christmas Carol.

Some authors had written numerous scary classics like Poe, Henry James, M R James, Lovecraft, Le Fanu, and even H G Wells… and four female authors are often overlooked, Elizabeth Gaskell, Rhoda Broughton, Margaret Oliphant, and Edith Nesbit. There are even foreign writers and numerous more modern writers to confuse my choice.

The more I remembered, the more I returned to my first choice.

However, I must mention Ambrose Bierce’s ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ which is not a ghost story, but its twist ending makes me wonder how to classify it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge

My original choice was The Monkey’s Paw by W W Jacobs which scared me when I first heard it many decades ago. It’s not as frightening or creepy as many others, but the simple formula of being granted three wishes that will end tragically makes it memorable. It’s also a formula cleverly used for an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There have been numerous radio and television adaptations, including this 1988 Channel 4 short:

The story revolves around the White family, after Sergeant-Major Morris, a seasoned traveler, introduces the ominous monkey’s paw to them. Said to be cursed by an old fakir, the paw grants its holder three wishes, but with a dire warning: the fulfilment of these wishes brings unforeseen and tragic consequences.

If you wish to know more, but don’t have 30 minutes to watch the short film here are two rabbit holes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw

The Monkey’s Paw Summary, Themes and Characters

The latter includes interesting thoughts on themes worth exploring.

Apologies if you aren’t scared.

Maybe my October WEP post might work.

The awesome co-hosts for the October 2 posting of the IWSG are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!

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.

#IWSG – To Boldly Go

September 4, 2024 by Roland Clarke

It’s time for yet another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2024, and I’m sure many of you know where I’m going to boldly go.

The final frontier?

Not yet, as long as I can mention my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights, although with so many events concerning Ukraine in July I’m still working on the final part, which is due out sometime after this appears.

To keep up to date I might have to make August’s episode brief, even if that means merging it into September using the Kursk incursion. Plus, as I write this on September 3, 2024, there’s been a deadly Russian attack on Poltava I can’t ignore.

Slava Ukrayini

The other news has been canine. Our Beagalier puppy, Taika continues to chew through Juanita’s oxygen tubes, although Monday, her son Jason put up some wall hooks near the ceiling for the tube. Taika will need to grow wings to reach it… except that night he chewed the part where it ran near the ground. Darn it!

Remember, the question is optional!

September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

Back in the last century, my English Language teachers must have taught me endless rules I’ve either forgotten or absorbed so well they are ingrained.

Split infinitives were the first that came to mind, as did the classic split infinitive.

“To boldly go where no man has gone before.”

That line from the opening title sequence of Star Trek and its iconic mission statement was grammatically wrong we were told. Yet it made more sense to split the infinitive, and over time Star Trek won and people realized an infinitive could be split… most of the time. However, the ‘split infinitive rule’ never messed me up as a writer, not just because of Star Trek.

My best English Literature teacher told me that English grammar was an amalgam of Latin, French and English grammar, which led to oddities and inconsistencies. This included the split infinitive. In Latin the infinitive is one word as it is in French, a Romance language. Therefore: to go = ire = aller. I guess that means that if a verb is French in origin like ‘compare’ you can’t try to boldly compare 😉

Now I am an IFTW… Insecure Full-Time Writer the grammar rule I struggled to learn, is the one that messes me up. It’s also the one my editor questions me on. Maybe, I use it incorrectly.

The Oxford Comma. But rather than explain what it is, here’s an easy-to-follow infographic on its usage.