#IWSG APRIL 2021 - Literary Snobbery?

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!        

April 7 optional question - Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

The awesome co-hosts for the April 7 posting of the IWSG are PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton!

A reminder that the IWSG Book Club is currently reading:  

Our March/April/May reads are…

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel is our fiction selection that offers a great

use and example of description.

Deep Point of View (Busy Writer's Guides Book 9) by Marcy Kennedy is our writing craft book with a focus on deep POV view.

Discussion Day for both books will be May 26, 2021!

The 2021 Anthology Contest is around the corner. Watch this space for more details. 

From time to time, writers go through those rough patches where inspiration may be low or we just need a new challenge to get the juices flowing.

A reminder that there are many challenges within the online writing community, to keep you on your toes.

Write Edit Publish Now is a great platform to polish your flash fiction skills. 

 

Will you let Freedom Morning spark a flash of hope for a systematically suppressed character?

Will someone break free - of chains, of the past, of a closed mindset - after years of living with them?

Or maybe someone will watch a brand new sunrise and come to a decision to start life afresh? Rise to a challenge?  :)  Overcome a hardship?

Take the artwork as a whole or in part and seed that into imagination. Your canvas is unlimited.

The annual A to Z Blogging Challenge is a great opportunity to write for an entire month. It’s also a great way to meet other creatives. More information HERE.   

Have you joined our FACEBOOK group? A reminder that on the first Wednesday of each month, IWSG members who have blogs can add the link to their monthly blog hop post on our Facebook Group. It's a great way to connect with other IWSG members! 

You can check out our swag, which includes stationery, keychains, mugs and T-shirts HERE. 

LITERARY SNOBBERY...

What is literary snobbery? This topic has been on my mind for quite a while... 
In a nutshell, it includes classic literature versus modern literature and physical books versus e-books. We all know that there are some people in the world who feel that one type of literature is "better" than the rest. 

Scenario: My “ordinary” story (think basic, predictable plot) is read by 100 new-to-reading individuals. This is the book that "hooks" these brand new readers...
Your “fancy” classic-styled story (think intricate plot filled with twists and a whopper of a surprise) is read by 10 000 avid readers.

Which story is more valuable/ significant/ beneficial {insert suitable word}? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Are you a risk-taker when writing? What is your perspective when it comes to literary snobbery? Have you considered signing up for the Anthology Contest, Write Edit Publish or the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge?

The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest and A IWSG/WEP Collaboration

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!
Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month and encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts today are: Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or 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!

August 01 Question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Theme:

Masquerade

A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren't. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions accepted: September 5 - November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges who will be announced September 5.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

 The IWSG/WEP COLLABORATION

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group has entered into a new partnership with the Write...Edit...Publish Challenge (aka WEP) which is the brainchild of Denise Covey, a long-standing IWSG member, who runs this challenge with her wonderful team.
WEP is a free online writing/creative community.

 Choose from the following formats: FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, ARTWORK, PHOTO ESSAYS

1. SUBMIT your name to the Inlinkz list that will be provided on the WEP blog. The list opens 01 August which is TODAY!
   2. CREATE your entry for the August challenge - CHANGE OF HEART
   3. EDIT your entry
   4. POST your entry on your blog/face book page on August 15 - state feedback preferences
   5. READ other entries, giving feed back
   ALL GENRES WELCOME except erotica - 1,000 words maximum.
   Visit the WEP site for more information.

The IWSG Goodreads Book Club

We're almost at 300 book club members!

Our book selection for August/September is:

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

This one is for our memoir writers and anyone who has ever thought of writing a memoir. The discussion will start September 19th and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you're able. Join Us On Goodreads.

 

Facebook Shake Up

The Facebook  members can look forward to some new activities. Starting in August, the line-up will be as follows:

Sunday – New Member Shout Out
First Monday – Member Services Offered
The remaining Mondays – Informational Monday
First Wednesday – IWSG Day
Second Wednesday – Ask For Help
Third Wednesday will be shared with WEP

The WEP challenge is on the third Wednesday of August, October and

December, which is every alternate month
On the non-WEP third Wednesdays – Wordsmith Tales
Fourth Wednesday – Hot Topic/Industry News
Fifth Wednesday – WOW It’s Wednesday

Friday – News & Promo

We look forward to engaging in stimulating conversation and exciting discussions/debates on a variety of topics. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK.

Which one of the above activities are you interested in? Will you be preparing a YA story based on Masquerade? Or do you prefer the theme Change Of Heart? Would a memoir discussion over at the Goodreads Book Club suit you? Or one of our Hot Topics coming up as part of the new Facebook line-up? 

There is plenty to choose from! Happy IWSG Day!

Submissions Open for Free IWSG Guide / IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a safe place for insecure writers of all kinds.

Sign up here: Insecure Writer’s Support Group

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. We encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. 

Our awesome co-hosts for today are: JH Moncrieff, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Jen Chandler, Megan Morgan, and Heather Gardner!

Our Twitter is @TheIWSG and hashtag #IWSG

Optional June 7th Question: Did you ever say “I quit”? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?

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Submission Period Now Open to Our Members!

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit

This will be a non-fiction book like our Guide to Publishing and Beyond.

What to write: Share experiences about making a profit as an author, what it takes to become a successful writer, the many skills a writer needs to learn other than writing, share the experience going from hobby writer to published author (without making it a self-promotion piece), the fallacies behind writing for profit, the little known facts learned along the way, what you wished you knew when you first started writing, or marketing tips based on experience of what has worked and what hasn't.

If you gave any questions, email us at admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Word limit: 500-1000 words.

Submission eligibility: All members of the IWSG Blog Hop, IWSG Facebook group and/or members of our IWSG Goodreads Book Club. It's free to join any of these groups and a great benefit to be a part of these communities.

Deadline: July 31, 2017

Send your piece to admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com as an attached Word document and note which IWSG group you belong to. Please include your name, a one line bio, and one website link.

***The BEST 100 articles will be included in the book!***


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BOOK CLUB: The IWSG Book Club will be reading for June/July....

This book will demonstrate characterization, which was voted #1 by our members for what they want to learn how to do better. Even if you've read this book before, reread it with fresh eyes.

Join us!

Whether you read a book is up to you. 

Whether you join the book discussion is up to you. 

Though we do hope for both. ;) 

And you can join any book discussion, even if you don’t read the book.

Our book club is not a strict one. 

Join us and participate when you can.

Optional July 5th Question: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?

QUESTIONS: Have you ever said "I quit"? Do you make a profit writing? Will you read The Secret Garden (or re-read it with fresh eye), paying attention to characterization?