The first Wednesday of every month, I participate in a blog hop for the the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Except lately, I haven’t been insecure. I’ve been making good progress on my WIP, putting down over 3K a week toward it. I have to finish the chapter I’m currently working on, and then it’ll be writing the final battle, the wrap up, and the epilogue which leads into the next book. I am almost there!
On top of that, I’ve sketched out three more characters. If you hadn’t seen my character digital paintings so far, you should totally check them out. I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ve colored the three latest yet, but I’m pleased with the personalities coming through.
And I’ve also been taking down my back fence, which was dilapidated and falling down anyways. My kids helped the first couple of nights, picking up pine needles and moving boards. They soon realized it wasn’t as fun as they thought it would be, not with the rising temperatures making all of us sweat. But slowly, the fence is coming down and I’m taking other steps to beautify my backyard, which is exciting.
All around, I’ve been productive, which means, I’m not insecure. Sad, yes, due to news of my friends moving to a different state, but not insecure. I’ll tell you next week about my friends.
IWSG Question of the Month: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
Pitfalls, huh? According to the definition Google gives, a pitfall is “a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty”. I suppose the only thing I’ve come across is anthologies. Sometimes, not everyone agrees or is helpful. Some people stop communicating and you have to replace them. Some people derail the whole process by creating drama or not sticking to deadlines or being downright duplicitous. This isn’t always the case, but I’ve seen storms created by what should’ve been a wonderful collaboration.
Except that doesn’t answer the question, does it? It says what would I warn other writers to avoid. I’d never suggest avoiding anthologies. They are fun and exciting. But maybe avoid undertaking putting one together yourself if you aren’t ready for a load of organization, communication, scheduling, and possible frustration.
Have you been productive lately? Are you feeling secure or insecure? What pitfalls have you come across?
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
I was so happy for you when I saw the title of your blog post. A month without writerly insecurities – awesome! I can see why your kids bailed on you helping take down the fence – who wants to be sweaty and do manual labor 🙂 I can barely move in the heat we’re having at the moment.
so, I’m not the only slug of summer. Ain’t it great to be a reader/writer? Activities that don’t foster sweat!! (tongue firmly in my cheek)
We both know of one anthology that went up in flames. Not the IWSG anthologies though!
Your kids don’t think taking down a fence is fun? What’s wrong with them?
I have been productive, and looks you’ve been even moreso! Well done! I know you’ve been working on this book awhile, it’s great to have the end in sight.
I also envy your yardwork pro-active-ness. I can’t be bothered to keep up with that. I haven’t mowed my lawn in a month. :-/
3K a week, that’s wonderful! I’ve been writing a non-zero amount each week and calling it a win because summer.
Enjoy that beautiful backyard!
When a collaboration works, it’s wonderful. When it doesn’t you want to cry. Good luck with that fence.
Wow, you are really on a roll. That’s awesome! Here’s to no insecurity. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your friends though. What a shame
It’s great that you’ve made so much progress on your WIP! I’m in the same boat with the fence around my yard. It’s rotting out and falling apart. I’m hoping to have it replaced before snow flies. Sorry to hear your friends moved away. That’s hard. Here’s to continued writing progress!
I love reading your thoughts so much. Congrats on your word count, the fence, and yes kids are great when projects begin lol. I haven’t been writing this summer as much as so want because of my own home projects and I can feel it. The heaviness inside. Sigh. Soon! Sorry about your friend. I had one move Too this summer 🙂
Glad to hear how productive you’ve been! I am also trying to beautify my front and back yards, so it takes a while! But yay for the kiddos helping 🙂
I’ve done a few anthologies…thank God there was no drama!
That’s a great feeling–the euphoria when everything seems to be going right. Enjoy it. I’m happy for you. I hope it continues for a long time 🙂
Yes, there are things writers need to look out for and anthologies are one of them.
Anthologies can be a pain if people don’t keep their word or if the writer is not willing to do any revisions. I’ve only been published in one anthology and it was a rewarding experience for me. I learned so much.
Wishing you all the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Yeh for being productive, writing and otherwise! 🙂
I don’t know what happen to my comment. I am afraid it didn’t take so I will summarized what I wrote. Anthologies can be a pain when people don’t keep their word or if they are unwilling to do any revisions. I have only worked on one anthology but it was a rewarding experience for me. I learned so much.
All the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
It went into moderation, possibly because you used a new email address to post versus one that was previously approved. But it’s approved now, so you should see both comments! 🙂
I’ve been in a couple anthologies and they were great to learn the ropes. All were through publishers and not personal projects. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Yay for being productive and not insecure!
I’ve never submitted to an anthology. I can see how it could go wrong.
Congrats on getting so much done writing wise and around the homestead. I’ve fallen behind on my outside work because we’ve had so much rain.
Yea! Someone’s NOT insecure today.
In stages we’ve torn down our fence and replaced it. Your kids are right. It’s not all that fun.
Bravo! I’m doing a Happy Dance for you right now, Loni. So happy to hear about your productivity on all fronts. So awesome. I’m sorry to hear your friends are leaving, but I’m elated you’re able to stay on the positive side. Well done!
Elsie
Those sketches are pretty fantastic. And congrats on 3K words a week! Happy IWSG day!
Glad you’ve been so productive. I have in my writing for work but not for myself. Just not enough time these days.
Wow, you have been productive. Congrats on almost being finished. I’m jealous still working on my outline and creating my first plot board, but writing starts soon.
Yay for progress. Great to be so close to finishing. Good luck Loni.
I’m so excited for your progress on your book. So close.
Thx, too, for the comment on my post. Lunchtimes.
Yep, you have no business feeling insecure. You’re takin’ on the mofo world, woman. :hat-tip:
Anthology drama! Slackers. Haha! Like every other workplace.
I love your digital art. So great that your creative talents go beyond writing.
It’s always nice to have a month where insecurity isn’t bothering you.
Good advice and glad you’re not feeling insecure!
Anthologies, huh? I know what you mean. I never organized any anthology myself, but one of the anthologies I submitted to seems to be slowly disintegrating. They still contact the writers once in a while and promise the news really soon. It’s been a couple years of ‘soon’, so I’ don’t hold my breath.
Love your drawings!
I can’t believe how busy you’ve been! You go, girl!
I’ve never made it into an anthology – or tried putting one together. I’m pleased that you’re are making progress…on the writing and the yard.
I’ve been insanely productive in my yard and not touched my writing. Not sure if I’m okay with that, but it feels good to exert my body instead of just my brain for a change and the yard really needed an overhaul.
Sad when anthologies fall apart if people can’t collaborate effectively. I had a great experience putting mine together for my anthology. The advantage was that all the stories had already been published on blogs, so it was just a matter of collating them. Fantastic that you’ve been making progress, and the digital paintings are beautiful.
Have you been productive lately? In writing? No. Elsewhere? Yes.
Are you feeling secure or insecure? Insecurity is my mantra.
What pitfalls have you come across? Right now, forgetting to eat.
Yay you! So exciting to feel so good about the progress! 🙂
I had a wonderful experience with the anthology I was involved in – and hope to do it again. I’m so glad I worked with such a great team!!
Yep, some anthologies can be a challenge to be involved with, but mostly they can be a whole lot of fun.
Good luck with sprucing up your back yard 🙂
I’m amazed that you have been incredibly productive in writing AND managed to get some outside work done! When I’m writing, everything else is neglected, lol 🙂
My productivity is picking up after a few months of not writing much after my ABC posts drew to a close. I’ve decided to do daily posts on Medium (and my personal FB) where I write around 250 words a day on things I am grateful more. That’s over 90,000 words in a year! Also, I’ve been shopping my backlog of short pieces around seeing if I can get any of them published. So that is more than I’ve done in a long time, so that makes me want to do more.
3K a week? Well done, Loni.
Hope the backyard project is moving forward and taking shape…
Squirrel power in action! Yay!
I’ve been productive, but haven’t had as much time to work on the novels as I would like. Hope to change that soon–what an insanely busy summer!
Sounds like you’re hitting it out of the park, Loni. So happy to hear about all your progress. Well done!
I wish I could convince my kid to help with the outdoor chores! It’s definitely been too hot lately for me to do them. Excellent advice about anthologies. I’ve had a few get messy and fall through, but overall, they’re always a good choice.
I would warn other newbie writers that this writing journey takes time. Ugh. So much time waiting, writing, submitting, waiting. It’s a marathon not a sprint!!