Tag: iwsg

Insecure Writer’s Support Group – Writing Group Fears

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle38 Comments

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I signed up for a Writing Group last month. I found a group on Meetup.com that meets close to my home and had the characteristics of my ideal group.  Online, they seemed like a good mix of people both experienced and beginner writers. The group is relatively small with 25 members, but they average about 15 members at each meeting.  They meet once a month with the aim of making each other better writers.  You can come to watch the first time or prepare 8-10 pages for the group to critique. They even have a whole list of guidelines and suggestions to take the scary out of of the process.

It all sounds great, doesn’t it?  So, why did I chicken out on the first meeting?  What am I scared of?  The next meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday. I have RSVP’ed, but can I work up the courage to go this time? Help me out, group.

Are you a member of a writing group? Can you give me an idea of how your first meeting went?  How has it affected your writing?  

Insecure Writer’s Support Group – Optimistic, but Should I Be

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle15 Comments

InsecureWritersSupportGroup

11.19 Cavanaugh Blogfest LIVE December 10First of all, did you hear they declared a new National Holiday.  On December 10 – 12, 2012, it is officially Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh Day. Make sure you participate in all things Alex that day including “Cheers, Cavanaugh BlogFest”.

Click on the badge to sign up and for more information.

My insecurities this month stem from the fact I quit my job of 7 years and will be moving back to the United States tomorrow.  I am excited and optimistic about the future, but should I be.

Or, I am crazy for making this move. This is one of those moves were I am 100% percent ready to pursue my passion of being a writer and making a living at it. I have a plan that will be revealed shortly and I am confident if I work hard and am patient, I will succeed.

But, perhaps I am fooling myself. I have no concept of day to day reality in the United States. I haven’t lived there in 6 years. I haven’t even been in the states for 2 years. I a little in the bank, but nothing that will sustain me for any long period of time.

But, you never know until you try, right.

So, anyone else made a drastic, dramatic, carefully calculate, but still filled with unknowns, move on behalf of pursuing your dream. How did it work out for you? Give me the good and the bad results. 

 

 

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle17 Comments

Thanks to our Ninja Captain Alex and welcome, LG Keltner and CM Brown.  Apparently we have gotten so insecure, that Alex needed some help.  We are a difficult group to support.

I don’t have an insecurity this months so much as a revelation and a warning.

I had it in my mind I couldn’t call myself a writer until I had actually written something and in June I wrote my first novel.

But, now I am starting to think like a writer, too.

Let me explain what I mean.  I have been traveling in China for the last two days.  Something that isn’t easy to do in the smaller cities if you don’t have at least an elementary grasps of the language, but it is fairly safe.

Everyone once in a while, I get this anxiety fueled feeling that at some point I could be kidnapped.  That has probably more to do with National Geographic Channel shows like Locked up Abroad.  To my credit, I’m not stupid.  If you go to an airport with heroine duct taped to your abdomen, you deserve to be locked up abroad.

But, I was in a cab this morning heading to the airport and the thought creeped in my mind.  And, you know my next thought.

Thank God I backed up my current WIP before I left for this trip.

Now isn’t that just like a writer to think about her work before her life.

My warning:  Make sure you back up your work before you leave the house just in case you get kidnapped.  When you return, you won’t have to started from the beginning on your chick lit bestseller. Priorities.

Have a great month everyone and for those Nano’er out there, just keep writing. 

Quick Trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors – Amazing!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle33 Comments

It is Insecure Writer’s Support Group time and it couldn’t come at a better time for me.  As always, I must thank the wonderful Alex Cavanaugh who has created this most safe and secure setting for us writers to vent our insecurities.

I am editing my first story.  I am subsequently having it critiqued by two very diligent CP’s.  I have to find about 12,000 words to add to my second novel in order to declare the first draft finished.  I have a really good outline for my third story and I am dreaming about it every night without prompting which is kind of cool.  I don’ t know if I should start writing now or wait for Nanowrimo.  With all that in the air, I am insecure and scared and frustrated and tired with occasional bouts of mania.

Will I ever get to the point where I feel like my life is clicking on all cylinders or is that something that only us writers can create for our characters?

I just want some steady, on tracking, moving forward type of progressive in my writing.  Stephen King writes 2,000 words per day.  That’s the kind of stability I want.

Anyone else ever feel like they wish they hadn’t started this whole writing thing. Now that I have started, I can’t stop, but I just wish it would be easier every once in a while.

This image makes me feel calm.

 

IWSG and Summer: Fact of Fiction Bloghop

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle43 Comments

Ok. Busy day here at Sydney Aaliyah.  Let’s start with my Insecure Writer’s Support Group post.  I kept it short.  Then, stay to enjoy story #2 of the Summer: Fact or Fiction Blog Hop (Don’t forget to vote in the comments which story you think is true;  this one or that one).  

 The main area of stress and insecurity for this month is showing my work to other.  I am super excited to have formed a critique group with two talented writers.  We haven’t started, yet and I am scared to death to show them my work as a whole.  Introducing characters, excepts for blog post, no problem, but the entire work at one time.  Wow, scary stuff.  Now, I know I will get over it and I understand to be a published author the goal is to get others to read my work, otherwise what’s the point.  But, the initial idea of it is making me nauseous. But, I am really looking forward to the critiques, so go figure.  What am I scared of?      How did you feel the first time you let some else read your work?  Does it get easier?  
Story #2 – One summer when I was 13 and my brother was 16, our parents bought us and our friends (two each) season passes to AstroWorld in Houston, Texas.  They were trying to keep us out of trouble I guess.  The only rule, stick together.
Well, as you can image, 16 year old boys don’t really want to hang out with 13 year old girls.  Besides, my friends and I were really silly.  We broke out in song at the most in opportune times.  I still do.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if we could carry a tune.  So, as soon as we entered the park, we all went out separate ways.
On one particular beautifully hot and muggy day in Houston.  we were in line for the roller coaster.  One of my friends hated roller coasters, but we were able to finally talk her into riding it with us.   It just so happened, my brother and his friends were a couple of spots ahead of us in line for the same roller coaster. Seeing how nervous she was, one of my brother’s friends who was really obnoxious started teasing her and trying to scare her even more.
We ened up on the same ride and we started the slow, agonizing crawl to the top of the roller coasters first hill.  Even I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach.  But, that coupled with  my brother’s stupid friend yelling “We’re going to get stuck, We’re going to die.” Even I was getting nervous.
The roller coaster creeped, creeped, creeped up the hill and it got to the top and started over and then it stopped.  We were in the back so we had not made the crest when it stopped.  The obnoxious friend, he was in the second car and was hanging over the edge.
Everyone was quiet for a moment.  Thinking this was part of the ride, but after about a minute, we knew we weren’t going anywhere.  We were stuck.
The park operators had to walk up, show us all how to unhook ourselves get out and walk down.  My friend was handling it all pretty well.  But, my brother’s friend.  He was terrified.  It was hilarious.  First he refused to get out of the car.  Then, when the park workers and my brother finally talked him out of the car, he held on to the guy in front of him and cried the whole walk down.
We all made fun of him the entire ride home.
Now, did that really happen?  Let me know what you think?