How the Dickens?

Welcome Readers and fellow Writers, to the December 2018 online meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh and comprised of writing members just like you (and me), featuring writing tips, resources, articles, contests, and IWSG swag! See what we’re all talking about here and join us as we share our writing journeys.

*We meet on the first Wednesday of every month – join us and enjoy!

Visit our gracious Co-hosts, and let them know you’re here:  J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey!

This year, Christmas songs were playing on the radio before the Thanksgiving turkey was an item on my grocery list. No pressure, right? As I wondered how the dickens I’d ever accomplish all of the goals I’d set long before the days grew short enough to pass too fast to notice, a much more inspiring dickens occurred to me: It took Charles Dickens only six weeks to write A Christmas Carol. If that was possible, anything is ;-)  More Charles Dickens fun facts can be found here.

Somewhere between the first draft and last revision, have you ever thought about how many times you tweak that first line? I sure do – think about it, that is. After all, it could mean the difference between a ‘Welcome’ mat, and one that reads: “Ring bell and pull weeds till someone answers.”

Here are a few of my favorite First Lines:

“I have been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Hardbines’s father over the top of the Standard Oil sign.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver   The Bean Trees - 1988

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” ~ Dodie Smith   I Capture the Castle - 1948

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board” ~ Zora Neale Hurston   Their Eyes Were Watching God – 1937

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This month’s optional question is: What are five objects you’d find in my writing space.

An Hour Glass

A small silver alien made of squishy rubber lies across the number keys of my desk phone

A candle that smells like a stack of new books (it really does!)

A Magic Rub

A small yellow-haired Wishnick balances (for the most part) on the rim of my pencil caddy

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What’s your favorite first line? Do you have a personal best first line?

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

“What greater gift than the love of a cat?” ~ Charles Dickens

IWSG Nov. 2018 Bones and Bridges

Welcome Readers and fellow Writers, to the November 2018 online meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh and comprised of writing members just like you (and me), featuring writing tips, resources, articles, contests, and IWSG swag! See what we’re all talking about here and join us as we share our writing journeys.

*We meet on the first Wednesday of every month – join us and enjoy!

Visit our gracious Co-hosts, and let them know you’re here: Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose, and Elizabeth Seckman!

Today is National Tongue-twister Day! Can you say Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers three times, fast?

Here’s one for National Young Readers Week: Big black bugs bleed black blood! I may as well eat large marshmallows for that one ;-)

By now, many of you have submitted your stories for the annual IWSG Anthology contest – Best Wishes! Are you well into your November Novel or Memoir (in a month) project yet?

In honor of Historic Bridge Awareness Month, I decided to check out my own state of Arizona, since I happen to be aware that The London Bridge spanned the River Thames in London in 1831 - before being moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in 1971. 

That should count, right? It didn’t.  

However, my search led me to one right at the northern edge of one of my favorite non-places! The Canyon Diablo Bridge (part of the National Old Trails road in 1914) was a handy accessory for the old Route 66 as occasionally; the river does run like a herd of startled gazelles. And sure enough, the people came. Once Mr. and Mrs. Cundiff built a store, gas station, and a campground the people started to stay awhile too. One of those people was a Mr. Miller who thought he could make the little town called Canyon Lodge an even hotter spot on the map with a Zoo and a couple of shacks from which he sold fake artifacts. 

Business was booming right along until Mr. Miller dug up some authentic old skulls from a nearby “Death Cave,” where a group of Apaches lost a game of hide-and-seek with a group of Navajos several hundred moons before, and things took a sinister turn for the worse. Mr. Miller became obsessed with the idea of changing the name of the town to “Two Guns”; a name he liked to call himself. After a name-change was repeatedly denied, and the zoo animals inexplicably revolted, Mr. Miller marched over and murdered Mr. Cundiff.  Mr. Miller pleaded self-defense and was acquitted, though wounds from a vicious mountain lion attack left him near-death himself. 

Meanwhile, Route 66 was re-routed, and the town all but dried up and blew away. Some call it “Death by Highway” others wonder why a weather-beaten sign still reads “Two Guns.”

Are there any historical bridges where you live? Do you have a favorite tongue-twister?

By the way, Happy Movember, guys! Did you know the average man touches his mustache 760 times a day? Can this be true?

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

IWSG - Oct 2018 - All in Good Time

Welcome Readers and fellow Writers, to the October 2018 virtual meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh and comprised of writing members just like you (and me), featuring writing tips, resources, articles, contests, and IWSG swag! See what we’re all talking about here and join us as we share our writing journeys.

*We meet on the first Wednesday of every month – join us and enjoy!

Happy Balloons Around the World Day!

This is my 41^st consecutive IWSG post, but many have been involved a lot longer. There’s always something going on in our group. For instance, just last week (9/24) there was this outstanding guest post by Lynda Dietz, and I’m sure more than a few of us are working on submissions for this year’s IWSG Anthology Contest. 

Can you believe it’s the 40^th week of 2018? That’s right, only 92 days left till National Fruitcake Toss Day (January 3^rd).  Remember, if you don’t toss it away, you’re supposed to keep it until Christmas and give it (anonymously?) to someone as a gift.

Though I don’t recall ever having too many, I miss those days when time seemed to stand still enough to hear a butterfly or at least imagine the sound of its delicate wings. 

I started a year-long writing project in January, and have been fairly good at keeping up with weekly requirements, in addition to ordinary obligations that sometimes resemble a game of Asteroids. I submitted two stories over the summer (one rejection, one as yet unknown) I’ve even jotted down a few ideas for the April 2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge as I look ever forward to finishing the aforementioned January project. Am I worried that I’m two weeks behind? Nah. All in good time ;-)

After all, on this day in 1945, a ten-year-old Elvis Presley made his first public appearance singing “Old Shep” He won 5th place.  I doubt he worried, but he certainly kept trying.

Then again, in the words of Sinclair Lewis, the first American winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature:  “NOW is a fact that cannot be dodged,” and with that in mind, I’d best get busy and leave you with a question: What is something you frequently lose or misplace?

IWSG Sept - 2018 - Let's Talk About This

“For it’s a long, long while from May to December, but the days grow short when you reach September.” ~ Maxwell Anderson

Welcome Readers and fellow Writers, to the September 2018 virtual meeting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh and comprised of writing members just like you (and me), featuring writing tips, resources, articles, contests and IWSG swag! See what we’re all talking about here and join us as we share our writing journeys.

*We meet on the first Wednesday of every month – join us and enjoy!

It’s Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month, and I think we should add one more – Book Bloggers! After all, competition is stiff, and they typically work for free. Perhaps the next time a Blogger grants us a good review or introduces the next prodigious author, we could click on that little “Donation” button?

Someone (probably not a writer) once hinted that achieving your goals in late August or September has the effect of tapping your well of motivation bone-dry. As a writer, I disagree. I’ve not yet finished writing about summer (which it still is, here), as we streak headlong into fall. For those fortunate enough to live near the splendor, can there ever be too many descriptions of nature’s seasonal changes?

Let’s say your book just hit shelves and e-readers everywhere and you’re thinking about taking a well-deserved hiatus. The 60-page beginning of your next book can wait, right?  One thing you might want to consider is that, in terms of sales, size matters when it comes to your personal catalog. Readers may miss out on one book among a hundred other authors, whereas an author with say, four books on the shelf (or website) spreads across search engines like warm syrup over a stack of pancakes. Not that we writers need any incentive, of course ;-)

This month’s IWSG Optional Question: What publishing path are you considering, or did you take? And why?   I chose Independent – twice. I’ll likely publish that way with all the books I want in my catalog someday. However, I advise extreme caution when choosing an independent publishing method, even as I rejoice that there are (now) so many to choose from. It’s a uniquely exhilarating experience; one that allows creative freedom in content and cover design, control of financial returns, as well as expedience in the publication process while providing essential knowledge of the industry. You’re on your own in marketing, but don’t let that deter you. If you want your garden to grow, you water it, right? Professional editing remains a must, and preliminary (feedback) readers are advised. Now, if this has in any way piqued your interest, I strongly suggest perusing the invaluable resources offered right here, by the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you? What tool or gadget could you not live without? What traffic sign best reflects your writing journey right now?

Happy Writing!