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Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!
The following link will allow you to peruse everyone in the Blog Hop.
Link | IWSG Blog Hop Participants
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November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?
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Hello, friends!
I usually answers the question last but I'll answer it first today! It's officially NaNoWriMo!!! November 1st and all! EEEEKK. How is it time for this already?
Copying from last month, but if you've been around my blog for a while, you know I'm a Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo. Which means I help run a local region. In this case, I run an "Elsewhere" region for people who aren't in a city with their own region. We're all the rural and small town peeps from across the state. And mostly a virtual region.
This is my 14th year participating and my 9th year as an ML. It's crazy to think about!
NaNoWriMo has such a huge impact on my life as a writer, and I really don't know where I'd be if I hadn't been participating in this event for over a decade. Probably still trying to rewrite the first chapter for the hundredth time of the book I started in high school based off my days as a role-player on Ayenee in Yahoo! Chat.
Anyone else hang out on Ayenee?
I'm currently querying my holiday romance that I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2022, and I have big plans for my project I just got started on! I'm so excited for what the next year holds. I've written nearly 200k words since last November 1, got an offer to publish my book (that I turned down), ghostwritten two novels, and have a horror short story out on submission.
Literally don't think I would've accomplished any of that without NaNoWriMo. Why? Well, for one, see my linked blog about the Creative Collective that I wrote years ago about NaNo. The community surrounding NaNo has been the best part for me. Some of my very best friends I met way back in 2010 and 2011 when I joined my first NaNoWriMo group, and I've picked up other friends along the way.
Secondly, NaNoWriMo has taught me how to write fast. It's taught me how to get the words on the page, so I have something to work with. They may be crappy words, but they're words, and I can turn them into something better.
I've learned over the years what it takes for me to write something cohesive. And I've become more of a Plantser than an outright Pantser. But I still loathe plotting, and it takes me FOREVER.
My NaNo project for this year isn't as fleshed out as I'd like it to be, but I think I have enough to work with. I'll be writing a billionaire sports romance (I apparently can't get away from that with ghostwriting) about an NFL star who comes back to his hometown and gets roped into a charity auction where he ends up having to go on a date with the quirky artist Brianna. It's an opposites attract, sorta enemies to lovers, small-ish town, maybe grumpy (her)/sunshine (him), story! I'm so excited to write it! And I'm hoping some more conflicts present themselves to me as I write.
Anyway, what's your project? Tell me about it in the comments!
Ghostwriting
I finished my second ghostwriting draft for my client in early October. It went live on Amazon on October 20th. I've received my paperback version of it and am just loving some of the reviews that have come in.
I'm so glad this one is going over well because I had a really hard time getting
started with it. It was more of a instalove thing with a lot of internal dialogue and that's not really my thing. It took time for me to get in their heads.
Querying Trenches/Indie Pub
No news here. I wasn't accepted into #SmoochPit. I've done a couple other pitch contests that I'm waiting to hear back on and will be participating in #MoodPitch. I did send my query/synopsis and full manuscript off for a critique, and am excited to implement some of those revisions that were suggested. Overall, I was pleased with the suggestions.
I'm still not sure a holiday romance is sellable as a debut, but I have a self pub plan for Nov 2024 if nothing pans out.
I'm also currently enrolled in Carissa Andrews' Rapid Release Roadmap course, and I'm so ready for what the next year will hold for me and what I'm planning to do!
I highly recommend Carissa's courses for indie authors!
Multiverse and Special Guest Spot!
A couple weekends ago, my partner and I attended the Multiverse Con in Atlanta, and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend this con. I met so many awesome people and learned amazing things and had a great time. Next year, they're moving into a bigger hotel, so it's going to be even more awesome! Mutliverse was everything a Con should be.
Because of some connections I made there, I got invited to be on the #GoIndieNow "This Week In Indies" live show on YouTube this Sunday at 12pm EST! So tune in or check the video out on YouTube after it airs!
Link | GoIndieNow on YouTube
Link | Multiverse Con
Romance Writers of America (RWA) Pen to Paper Program
So, some pretty big news. I applied with my ghostwriting credentials to become a guide for the Romance Writers of America Pen to Paper Program, and I was accepted! I'm in the middle of onboarding, but basically what that means, is that I'm going to spend the next 10-months being a guide/mentor for budding romance writers. Many of whom are setting out to write their very first romance novel. I couldn't be more excited to get this opportunity. It's going to combine everything I love, writing, writing romance, teaching, into one thing. The Imposter Syndrome has definitely set in, especially after I met some of the other guides! But I'm honored for this opportunity.
Twitch Writing Sprints Reminder!
'Tis the season of Writing Sprints! Come hang out with me on Twitch to work on your NaNoWriMo novels!
I'm still having a blast doing Writing & Productivity/Coworking sprints
on Twitch every week! Come join me to hang out, have fun, and get shit done!
Wednesdays at 8 pm EDT and
Fridays at 1 pm EDT
on Twitch!
Having an accountability group is so wonderful!
Thanks for stopping by and let me know in the comments about your NaNoWriMo project or tell me about your general writing goals for the month or what's happening in your writer life (or life in general).
Looking forward to traversing the blog hop this month.
Be sure to see my links down below for other places to keep up with me online and other related blog posts!
For now,
Rosie J.
Link | Rose on Twitch
Link | The Rose Garden on Discord
Link | IWSG August - Conflicted
Link | IWSG July - Where do the ideas come from?
Link | IWSG June - Replace writing? No way!
Link | IWSG May - Inspiration
Link | IWSG April - Spring has Sprung!
Link | IWSG March - Author Envy
Link | IWSG February - Writing Update and Cover Art
Link | IWSG January - Theme Word for the Year
Link | Linktree
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