Results Show: IWSG

The  Insecure Writer's Support Group  (or IWSG) is a wonderful group put together by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh (which now has an equally cool Facebook group ). 

The first Wednesday of each month is the perfect opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch, get encouragement and support about such insecurities, and to read how other writers are faring. I love shows where professionals come in and renovate a house and then plan to rake in the cash once they sell it. Or, American Pickers where two guys run around collecting junk from people in hope of finding a treasure. However, I get frustrated when these shows rarely share actual results.

This got me thinking... why not do an IWSG post about a past insecurity and how it turned out? A results show, if you will.Back in April, I shared my concern about coming out of my shell at UtopYA here . An excerpt:In June, I am attending UtopYA in Nashville, Tennessee. While I am uber-excited about meeting so many of the amazing writers I have come to know through the Internet, I am also terrified to push back the cloak of invisibility I wear so well.Before attending UtopYA, I heard testimonials about how welcoming and empowering it was. Writer after writer shared stories of inspiration post-conference. To be fair, I didn't know if they were outgoing people who would have thrived in any environment.Although I was nervous at first, I did my best to put myself out there. I introduced myself to friendly faces I recognized from tiny Facebook icons or author pictures. (As a side note, I'm grateful my mom gave me a unique name since Tia seemed to click with people quicker than my social media pictures.)  I couldn't believe how genuine everyone seemed to be. Each day, I relaxed a little more. Then, something crazy happened. I sought people out instead of waiting for them to come to me. Crazier still, I let loose more than I usually do. For instance, I'm proud to say I'm no longer a Karoke virgin. Sure, I wish I'd been even more social and outgoing, but I am proud to say I walked away with new friends and tighter connections. Plus, I'm already excited about next year. Overall, I'll put this one in the win column. To my IWSG friends, how often do you write results posts?* A special thank you to the lovely Jo Michaels, NL Greene, and Casey Bond pictured above. You ladies rock!