Monday, October 7, 2013

The Benefits of Knowledge and Support

Thanks to everyone who now follows this site and the Facebook Group.

We are also opening up an opportunity for IWSG members who offer services to list them here. Visit the Services page above for details.

A schedule is already in place for the Facebook group – we’ll have Motivational Mondays, Wow! It’s Wednesday, and Fun Fridays. Members are already networking, asking questions, and finding answers and support.

And that is exactly what we hope to accomplish with both sites.

Most of us don’t have a clue when we start this journey. Often we don’t even realize that we don’t have a clue. (That’s a dangerous place to be!) Finding the answers when you don’t know the questions can be a real challenge. That’s why we want this site to become one of the best resources online, a place where writers can come to find links to sites covering every aspect of writing, publishing, and marketing. We want you armed and ready so you can succeed!

We also want to be a source of support for writers everywhere. That is how this group began and we don’t want to lose it. Sometimes all it takes is an encouraging word from just one person to keep us on track. We need to know others have faced our struggles and succeeded.

When I started this group over two years ago, I had no idea it would strike such a nerve with other writers. The monthly postings were so passionate, as were the comments from other members. This group is such a place of strength. I am humbled and touched by the response. If I’d never accomplished anything else online or sold any books, it wouldn’t matter. This group is what matters to me. It represents a positive force in a negative world. It’s the difference one person can make in the life of another.

Thank you for coming along on this journey.

What does the IWSG mean to you?

49 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Thanks for sharing your vision for the group. I'm only a reader of IWSG posts right now and I always find them inspirational. I may join next year when things settle down a bit in my personal life.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to all concerned in this group, especially you Alex.
We all get a little insecure in our lives at some point.....some more than others but it's good to think there is someone somewhere one can reach out to.
I believe we have to experience the not so good times to appreciate the good.
This is a wonderful concept of yours and once again thanks to all who have worked hard.
Yvonne.

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Hi Alex,
This is great!!!
Yet another wonderful thing from the group!
What does the IWSG mean to you?
Great Question!
It means A lot to me,
Helping other members with the knowledge we had itself is a
great feeling and satisfaction indeed! Thanks Alex for opening this way to let flow our kno....
Keep Going!
Good Wishes to Alex and his wonderful team.
Keep it up
PS:
Pl. provide the html code of the group's badage!!
Phil

J.L. Campbell said...

I think you hit the nail on the head when you spoke about just making a difference to one person. When I was first published, I didn't have a clue about the first move to make. It was through linking up with other bloggers that I got a clue about social media and book marketing.

We all need support and I'm happy to have a one-stop place for not only support, but information and know-how.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I have no idea what took me so long to actually join the group but here I am! Looking forward to writing up my first post next month. Of course, I've already written lots about my insecurities already.... :)

Karen Baldwin said...

What a great site. I'll be back

Chris Desson said...

This is a beautiful vision, Alex, and am happy to have found it and share it with others. Writers need support and well-rounded information from the emotional to the structural. IWSG provides just that along with a community of spectators and supporters. Congrats and best wishes to success to IWSG's success.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Phil, left a comment with the html code on your blog.

Joy, and I'm glad you are a part of it.

Madeline, just happy to have you on board.

Thanks, Christine!

Anonymous said...

Constantly thankful!

Pat Hatt said...

I still don't have a clue, every time I find one it just leads to another clue and another clue, kinda rude

Karen Lange said...

I didn't have a clue when I began. Still don't some days, it seems! :) Thanks for all the support and info!

PK HREZO said...

Love it, Alex! IWSG means not having to face any of the writing insecurities alone. I love how honest and encouraging everyone is. It really makes us feel like a family of support. And every writer needs that whether they can admit it or not.

Luanne G. Smith said...

I know one positive word can make a difference to someone on the verge of giving up. :)

Charity Bradford said...

I'll echo the others. IWSG simply means I'm not alone, and other people really do understand my neurosis.

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. Thanks for being honest and open with your insecurities so I feel comfortable with mine as well.

Bevimus said...

Thank you, Alex- for creating this amazingly warm, welcoming, inspiring force. I can't imagine how many struggling writers (like myself) stay afloat because of the encouragement and support of this group and all the writers in it. This site is such an exciting addition to the strong force against negativity.

And THANK YOU to all the admins that are helping out in getting this site off the ground, organizing it, spreading the word about it and inviting us to become a part of it. You guys are part of the beacon!

I don't know what i'd do without IWSG. But I can tell you it wouldn't be pretty.

Thanks for all you do!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pk, that is awesome.

Charity, well said.

Beverly, I don't intend for you to ever find out what you'd do without it.

Jen said...

The IWSG keeps me honest. Even when I forget to post, I remember my own insecurities and those of others. It helps me remember that I'm not alone, that we're all in this together. Writing is a solitary business but that doesn't mean we have to be alone all the time! Thanks, Alex, for this fantastic ride! I'm excited to see where the new blog will take us :)

Suzanne Furness said...

Thank you to everyone involved in setting up this new site. It will be much appreciated by writers new and old I'm sure. I was one of those writers who jumped into the unknown, thinking, 'how hard can it be?' Of course I soon found out! But thanks to this great community I am learning and growing as a writer every day.

Keep up the good work.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I love IWSG. It's been a source of comfort and motivation ever since I joined. Thanks for expanding it to all new levels!

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

It IS a positive force in a negative world! Bravo on the new webpage and FB page. They're awesome!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Someone asked me the other day why they would ever consider joining an insecure club since they were insecure enough without our help. Yes, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but...

IWSG means I'm not alone. I can come here and not be rejected or scorned at because I'm not a model of confidence. Having said that, I must confess I wish I were.

Thanks, Alex, for your vision.

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Thanks Alex, I embedded, sorry, the badge is showing but its not getting back to IWSG page. Pl.ckeck and fix it.
Best
Phil

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Joylene, that made me laugh out loud!!!

Sorry Phil, don't have one like that - you'll just have to add the link yourself.

M Pax said...

Support is so very necessary in writing and publishing. It's a hard, lonely road otherwise. I've learned so much from my colleagues and friends on the blogs. The sharing and encouragement are wondrous things.

Robin said...

You should be proud of what you're doing here. It's a wonderful thing!

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Hi Alex,
No worries
I did that at my place
Keep Going
I just posted a note
about this wonderful group
in my G+
Have a good Day
Phil

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Hi Alex,
Thanks a lot for the mail with the link, I re-placed it and now its ok,
hey, why don't you embed this code at the side bar of this page, so that anybody wants to place this badge at their page can easily do it.
Best Regards
Phil

Christine Rains said...

The IWSG is spectacular. I'm so glad you started it, Alex. What it's done for me is make me feel not so alone. Writing is a lonely business, and sometimes I feel no one around here understands me, but all I have to do is read the IWSG posts and I know there are people out there who do understand. It means a lot to me.

Cathrina Constantine said...

Since I'm a newbie, I followed along for the past nine months reading author's blogs, and was especially interested in the posts for the IWSG. I was clearly afraid to join. (Yes, neurotic) Thankfully, I did join and it was the best decision I could've made. Everyone in this group is extremely helpful when needed and offers wonderful moral support. I'd like to encourage everyone to join in.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Phil, we'll make it happen.

Christine, I like to hear that!

Cathrina, glad you joined us.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I couldn't have counted the interesting blogs I discovered through IWSG. I've learned so much from other writers and also have had the chance to hopefully help others too. Finding this group was one of the luckiest things I stumbled upon in my writing career.

farawayeyes said...

Came by last week, but forgot to 'follow'. Remedied that.

IWSG means to me a place where I can connect at least once a month and find old friends and make new. A place where I can vent and shout for joy. A place where I don't ever feel judged. AND now a great resource too.

Thank You!

Ella said...

It is a beacon of kindness in a sea of fog! Oh, sorry not a poetry challenge! It is a wonderful group that illuminates my world and lets me know as I pound my keyboard-I am not alone. I have often felt alone as a creative person. For some reason I didn't find my people until I started blogging! I am so happy to be part be of this sea of creativity! YOU all rock~

Thank you @>-----------

Cathy Keaton said...

Thanks, Alex!

IWSG has given me opportunities for gaining writing advice from many other writers out there that I would never have received any other way. Because of that, I've been able to over come a few plaguing insecurities that I know would still be irking me to this day. It's the wisdom of the many that has saved me!

Anonymous said...

I think I'm getting less clueless by the day. This group is awesome because normally I feel really guilty about venting or don't do it at all, and with IWSG I will speak up.

Anonymous said...

The written word is so very important! I'm so glad to discover that you launched this new site for IWSG! Communication matters, so it's only right that the group you started 2 years ago has been so welcomely accepted.

Kimberly Gabriel said...

"A positive force in a negative world" - I love that Alex. Beautifully said. Congrats on the site!

Mark Koopmans said...

Looking forward to lots of WoW! moments :)

Thanks again to all who helped make this a reality.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, and now glad you are one of the team members!

Ella, you wax poetic all you want.

Thanks, guys! Glad this group means so much to everyone.

Michelle Wallace said...

When I started writing 3 years ago, I had no clue what I was doing.
Heck I don't think I intended to write as much as I have, and fiction was never a part of It. To be honest there was NO plan.
I lurked here... and there... and everywhere...!
... and you know what, I still have no clue about some things... but I believe that learning is a never-ending journey.
I'm greatful and honored and excited to be a part of this wonderful IWSG community. Thank you Alex.

Theresa Milstein said...

I like hearing the vision of this group. It's a difficult journey for us, so it's nice to we know we're not alone and to get bolstered along the way.

Emily R. King said...

I'm just a reader right now too, but the posts are inspirational and uplifting. It's wonderful to see writers supporting each other!

Emily R. King said...

I'm just a reader right now too, but the posts are inspirational and uplifting. It's wonderful to see writers supporting each other!

Emily R. King said...

I'm just a reader right now too, but the posts are inspirational and uplifting. It's wonderful to see writers supporting each other!

Emily R. King said...

I'm just a reader right now too, but the posts are inspirational and uplifting. It's wonderful to see writers supporting each other!

cleemckenzie said...

IWSG has connected me with some great people, so for that I'm very grateful. I love being able to spill all of that Insecurity onto the page at least once a month, and then be free of it and write.

Intangible Hearts said...

Thanks Michelle for creating the positive in the negative world.

Sherry Ellis said...

I like your vision for this group!

Sanderella said...

It means alot to me, it has helped me to actually sit down and finally write something! Coming out on Halloween! Sandy