Gwen Gardner's Blog, page 4

#IWSG No #Audiobooks Here, But One Day...

 

Hello! It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. We "meet" on the first Wednesday of every month to support and encourage each other and to touch base on what everyone has going on. If you'd like to join, GO HERE. 
Thanks to our host, Alex Cavanaugh for hosting every month, and to this month's co-hosting volunteers: Joylene Nowell Butler, Jemima Pett, Patricia Josephine, Louise - Fundy Blue, and  Kim Lajevardi!
This month's optional question is: Have any of your books been made into audio books? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook?
I'd love to have my books on audio one day, but keeping up with this fast-paced industry is leaving me in the dust. Retirement is looming at the end of the tunnel (April 29th!) and I have a lot going on to prepare for it, including a temporary move. But once I'm settled into my "forever" home I will have a very busy "retirement" catching up on writing and publishing. 
Also, our ninja captain Alex Cavanaugh, is going to be a guest on my blog next Wednesday April 13th to talk about his new release. Please come back next week to find out why he switched to a new main character. 




Have you published an audiobook? Do you recommend it? Got any advice? Biggest challenges?  Best place to start? 

IWSG: Conflicting Stories and Scenes

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group monthly event. If you'd like to join , we post on the first Wednesday of every month. You can sign up HERE. 
Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts:  Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and  Shannon Lawrence!
This month's optional question is:  Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?
No conflicts about writing a story, but I have been conflicted about whether or not to kill a character. I wanted to add to the word count so thought about killing a character which would add another murder to investigate, hence more words. Instead of doing that, though, I quit being lazy and fleshed out the story instead. LOL. 
And anyway, when I asked myself if the murder would have added anything to the story, the answer was "no". 

Any conflicting stories or scenes you were hesitant to write?  What were your deciding factors?  Did you decide to write it or not?

 

#IWSG Encouragement is Everything

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! If you'd like to join us on the first Wednesday of every month, you can sign up HERE. 
As always, thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting, as well as the awesome co-hosts this month, Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and  Lee Lowery!
 This month's optional question: Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss?
Answer: All my supporters are present and accounted for! My mom, sister, daughter and husband are my biggest supporters. 
Even so, my husband is my biggest supporter! Because of his encouragement I went to school, earned my degree, and discovered my love of writing. 
My husband is also my biggest fan (other than that one fan who always checks in to see when my next book is coming out LOL). He is the first to read my books and stories and says he loves them even though I know my cutesy paranormal cozy mysteries are on the opposite spectrum of what he usually reads. 
Whatever I'm endeavoring to do, my hubs is always my biggest supporter and fan. 
I used to play women's soccer, and he came to every game to cheer me on, referring to himself as my "athletic supporter" 😆. 
Grateful doesn't begin to describe how much his encouragement means to me!
Who is/was your biggest supporter?

#IWSG: #FearSucks #NoNegativityAllowed

 

Welp, it's January 2022 already! 

Happy New Year! 

This is the first Wednesday of the month and the first Insecure Writer's Support Group posting of the year. Need support or advice from the best writing community out there? Join us HERE.  

Thanks so much to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting, and to this month's co-hosts: Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

This month's optional question is: What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it? 

Answer? I wish I had started writing sooner. I'd wanted to write for years, but circumstances were never right (according to the negative mind chatter that also said I couldn't do it, so why bother). And I wish that I hadn't let my fears keep me from actively writing once I did decide to start (you know, that negative mind chatter thing again that stopped me from putting words on paper because they weren't good enough). 

I've come to the conclusion that fear is the root of all evil. How many times have I let it get in the way?  How many times have I given negativity too much space in my head? Too many to count on both counts. 

Now I write because I can't not do it. Right or Wrong, Good or Bad, I just do it, which is what I should have done all along. 

Why does it take so long to learn a valuable lesson?

Do you let fear or negativity get in your way? 

What do you regret the most about your writing career,

and have you overcome it? 

#IWSG: What Stresses or Delights You?

 

It's hard to believe, but it's December and the last Insecure Writer's Support Group posting of the year. No worries, though. We will be back in January and if you'd like to join us, GO HERE to sign up. 
Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting this event every month, and thanks to this month's co-hosts who make it all possible: PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!
If you're struggling with what to post, here is this month's optional question:
In your writing, what stresses you the most?  What delights you?
The lack of confidence in my current WiP stresses me out. Part of me wants to skip this book, which is the 2nd draft of book 2 of the series. It needs a lot of work, such as fleshing out the characters to make them feel more real, and establishing a firmer sense of setting... but I've lost interest in it. And that's a huge amount of work to put into something I've lost interest in. 
*sigh*
Instead, I want to start a new series (already outlined) from the beginning and add the details as I go along, those details that I know are missing from my current WiP as noted above. I think (hope?!) that the details will keep me grounded in my own story, unlike in my current WiP. "They" say to get the words down fast and go from there, but I'm wondering if that's not the best way to write for me. 
But, I have to finish my current WiP...DON'T I😵???
What would you do?
Do you write fast, then flesh out? 
Or write slow, and include all the details? 
What stresses you out?
What delights you?

#IWSG What's Harder: #Blurbing or #Titling ?

 

Welcome to the November 2021 Insecure Writer's Support Group posting where we share our writerly concerns and fears, and encourage and assist other writers with theirs. If you're a writer and want to join us the first Wednesday of every month, click on the link  for more information and to sign up.

Thanks so much to our host, Alex Cavanaugh and this month's volunteer co-hosts: Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery! 

If you're struggling with what to post about, here is the optional question: 

What's harder to do, coming up with  your book title or writing the blurb?

Both are hard, of course, but for me, titles are harder. Coming up with an appropriate title can be agonizing, and can take months! And sometimes when you finally come up with a title you like, you may find, if not the exact title, something similar that has already been published by another author. None of us want that! So it's either back to the drawing board, or risk your book getting confused with another writer's book (I found this with my book Givin' Up the Ghost--after the fact--lesson learned). 

I write cozy mysteries, and punny titles are part of the genre. Adding the "paranormal" sub-genre aspect limits your options even further. 

Most titles in cozy mysteries use a well known saying or quote which is then modified. I don't consider myself particularly witty or clever, but I try to be consistent with my titles and that's a starting point at least. 

My original YA paranormal cozy mystery series used "ghost" in the title: Givin Up the Ghost (a take on a quote from the King James Bible, and as I said above, similar titles had already been used) and, A Guilty Ghost Surprised (a take from a Wordsworth poem). These titles aren't particularly punny and didn't fit the genre well for many reasons--they're now unpublished. 

My latest adult paranormal cozy mystery series uses "boo" in the title: 

A Scandal in Boohemia (Sherlock Holmes fans will recognize the reference) and Something Borrowed, Something Booed (a take from an old wedding saying). They took a while, but I got  there in the end. 

Which is a bigger struggle for you? Blurbing or Titling? What makes it harder? 

#IWSG: Devil On My Shoulder

It's hard to believe that it's already October and we're posting the 10th Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop event of the year! Still, it's an ongoing event and you can join any time by going HERE to sign up. 
Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh and his co-hosts this month:  Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!  Please stop by and say hey!
You can post what you like about your writing fears and concerns, and/or answer this month's optional question:
In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?
I'm known for writing cozies, which by definition are lighthearted, so there's not much room for controversy. No overt violence, sex or foul language allowed. But I will throw in a "bloody hell" and "blimey" here and there just to spice things up a bit 😉
But, ahem,  in real life, needs must andsometimes the devil sits on my shoulder 😈

How about you?  How far do you go in your writing? 

#IWSG: Success As A Writer

 

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! If you'd like to join, go HERE.
Many thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh, and our co-hosts this month:  Rebecca Douglass, T. Powell Coltrin @Journaling Woman, Natalie Aguirre, Karen Lynn, and  C. Lee McKenzie!
This month's optional question is:How do you define success as a writer? Is it holding your book in your hand? Having a short story published? Making a certain amount of income from your writing?
This is a tough one. Success means different things to different people, and certainly there is the financial aspect to consider. For me, I'd like to support myself as a writer. That would be real success! 
However, I'm also happy to write and publish and have my work appreciated, even with no great financial gain.
So, speaking of success...my short story Elephant in the Tomb was runner up over at Women On Writing, and I was beyond thrilled to win a $25 Amazon card, along with an interview, and my story published (you can read it here). 
Now I call that a success! I felt as if I'd won the Pulitzer Prize!
What about you?
What does success as a writer look like to you? 

#IWSG: Best in Craft

 

Welcome back to episode # 8 of the 2021 Insecure Writer's Support Group monthly event. If you'd like to join GO HERE. 
Many thanks to our founder, Alex Cavanaugh, as well as this month's awesome co-hosts: PK Hrezo, Cathrina Constantine, PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, and Sandra Cox!

This month's optional question is: 
What is your favorite writing craft book? Think of a book that every time you read it you learn something or you are inspired to write or try the new technique. And why?
As far as inspiration goes, Stephen King's 'On Writing' is my go-to. It's part autobiographical and part 'how to'. It's easy to follow with basic but helpful advice that you don't have to study to get down. Did you know that he threw his first draft of 'Carrie' in the trash? His wife fished it out. Thank goodness someone believed in him!
But just to throw my other 'must-have" favorites out there:
Marcy Kennedy's "A Busy Writer's Guide" series and in particular, Deep Point of View ,and Showing and Telling. These are short and easy to follow. Mary Buckham's "A Writer's Guide to Active Setting". If your setting is lacking, definitely pick this one up, it's pure magic. Renni Browne and Dave King's "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers". A must have for writers of all levels and especially helpful for self-publishers!
Also, I buy my favorites in paperback because I mark them up with notes in the margins and highlight the important bits and mark the pages with colored tags, like they're study guides. 
What are your go-to writing books  for  inspiration  and how-to?

#IWSG: Writing is a Calling

 

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!The first Wednesday of every month is when writers who participate visit other writer's blogs to lend support and receive it as well!
Sadly, I can't participate this month  so I've disabled comments.
But here is the link to sign up, the optional question, and our host and cohost links below if you'd like to participate: 
If you'd like to join, go HERE. 

The optional question: What would make you quit writing? (I'll just sneak in here and say "nothing". It's a calling and I can't stop doing it). 
Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh,
and
The awesome co-hosts for the July 7 posting of the IWSG: Pat Garcia, Victoria Marie Lees, and Louise – Fundy Blue!