Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog June 1

 

Every now and then I join in the Insecure Writer's Group for the fun of it! 

June's question is:  When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end? If have not started the writing yet, why do you think that is and what do you think could help you find your groove and start?

I've never had a problem with starting books, just finding time to finish them at times! I probably have 6 or 7 partials sitting on my shelves. 

It's funny that I've started books and set them aside only to come back later. In once case, years later because I wasn't ready to publish that particular part of my series. One of them, I edited and recently published as The Conned Lady.

Currently, I'm about 3/4 of the way through my newest work in progress called Dead Man's Doll. It always seems to happen when I hit this point that I run out of steam. That is until I printed it off and went through to do a re-read and a round of edits. Once I got through those edits and made notes in the manuscript of where I need to add in a scene or some description. From there, I go back and do another read through, adding those scenes in to make the story flow.

After I fill in all those missing scenes and flesh things out, I give it one more good read before it's off to my editor. By then I'm tired of reading it and need another set of eyes!

If I'm having a particular stuggle with a story or scene, I'll go take a walk or a shower and let my thoughts simmer in the back of my mind. One of the two never fails to get my thoughts flowing.

As for finishing a book to the end, by the time I get "this close" I can't stop and am actually excited to get it done. Hopefully, by the end of June, my newest book will be done and off to readers, then I'll be able to work on one of those other books on the shelf!

Happy writing!!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Pop over to the Insecure Writer's Support group to see more! https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

It's Insecure Writers Support Group Day!

 February 2 2022

I'll bet you thought I was kidding! It's really a thing!

This is my first time joining this blog and I'm glad I am. The question for the day brought tears to my eyes when I read it. Today's question is:

Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss?

When I first joined our local writing group, we were also joined by a lovely man named Len Rich who was a fisherman, freelance writer, and mentor to many. His death in 2009 was a huge shock because he was one of those larger than life people with boundless energy. I loved our chats about writing and he was one of the most encouraging people I was grateful to meet! The paragraph below from Outdoor Canada says it best:

For those who didn’t know Len, he was one of the deans of Canada’s outdoor writing community, a Hemingway-esque figure, what with his shock of white hair, white beard and near omni-present fishing garb. I’d only known Len a few years, but came to respect him immensely for his many years of mentoring up-and-coming writers through the Outdoor Writers of Canada. Indeed, Len’s contributions were recognized in 2007 when he was presented with the OWC’s Jack Davis Mentorship Award. (https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/an-outdoor-life-lived-len-rich-1938-2009/)

Another amazing person I had the priviledge of working with became a good friend. Laura was another writer in the group who is a wiz with editing! She even made a mockup of a front cover for my first book, The Bookstore Lady, long before it was ever in print. We killed off many pots of coffee while talking writing and editing. Even though kids and jobs soon consumed our time, we still keep in touch and I love "talking shop" with her.

Since I've had such great mentors who encouraged me along the way, I became a mentor and a book coach to help others. It's great to not only hear the kinds of stories other people have in mind but to help them muddle their way through until it's something they are even more proud of! 

It has also encouraged me to host a blog called Escape with a Writer where I share books by other authors. I've lost count of how many people I've hosted over the past two years but it's well over 200!

To find out more or to join me on the blog, go to my website: https://dianebator.ca/

Find out more about the Insecure Writers Support Group at:  https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/