Time for another posting with the Insecure Writers Support Group,
where writers can share their insecurities and encourage one another. IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and we share our posts the first Wednesday
of the month. The co-hosts for October
are:TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Shannon Lawrence, Stephanie Faris, and Eva E. Solar.
In September, IWSG announced that they would be having an anthology contest for group members. We have until November 1 to submit a short story about a parallel universe or alternative history. This is my insecurity this month. As soon as I saw the contest, I was so excited about it, but now I’m having mixed feelings/second thoughts. I really want to submit a story, I have an idea, I have the characters lined up, and I even started writing. I am just not sure if I can pull this all together in a sensible way by November! During this process, I realized that I have not written any fiction since high school, beyond a list of ideas and a couple opening paragraphs to stories that may never come to be. I don’t even know if my fiction will be likeable, but I guess this is an opportunity to find out. I have to start somewhere. I hope I can get it done.
Good luck with your story!
ReplyDeleteI too was very excited when I first heard about the IWSG story anthology. I had a story I wrote a couple of years ago that was PERFECT, and I always thought it was pretty good. I could finally get to use it for something!
Last week I went back to read it and it was TERRIBLE. I don't know why I remembered it through such rosy glasses.
Yours will be better, I'm certain. :-)
IWSG October
C.D., I feel that way sometimes when I read my writings. I think that I was really onto something great in that late night rambling, but then I reread it a month later and realize how terrible an idea it was.
DeleteI hope you do write the story :) I bet if you have a chance to work on it a bit every day you'll get it done and ready by the deadline of November 1st. Good luck with it!
ReplyDeletebetty
Thanks, Betty :)
DeleteJust write it anyway! You never know. And you definitely won't make it into the anthology if you don't. You still have almost a month.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a feeling on November 1, the IWSG email box will be flooded. I'd better prepare!
You are probably right, Alex, I hope you're ready for that flood!
DeleteIt's cool that even though you haven't written much since high school that you've got an idea for the anthology. Seriously, run with it! Write every day until it's done and good luck! :)
ReplyDelete- Madilyn Quinn @ NovelBrews
Thanks Madilyn, I do plan to run as fast as I can with my idea :)
DeleteGo for it! Write that story and submit it!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that Tolkien quote. :)
Madeline, Tolkien can be so inspiring :)
DeleteIf you can dream it, you can do it?! Or at the very least, if you want to do it, you should try. Come up with a plan – say 50 words a night, or whatever – and just write. You could even schedule the last week of October for just editing. It's possible, you just have to set your mind up to do it. And if you can't convince yourself to come up with that kind of a plan, ask yourself why – Do you really want to do it? Is it because of insecurity? Or are you just too busy and maybe should try another month? If you know why you are struggling, you'll have a better idea of what to do about it. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteVery true, Mandy! It is good to find the root of the trouble and decide if it is truly worth it, and in this case, I think it is :)
DeleteYour post reminds me of a saying I once heard: "The best time to plant an oak tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today!" That definitely applies to writing.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Faris
IWSG Co-Host
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
You're right, Stephanie :) That "someday" eventually needs to become "today!"
DeleteI hope you do write a story and submit it. There's no way to know how you'll do until you do it. Then again, I have a much easier time submitting stories to strangers than I do submitting them to people I know. It feels different somehow.
ReplyDelete