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.
#IWSG Participants
Today I’m taking my turn! I volunteered to be one of the hosts of this meme. Watch out for me hopping around 🙂
If you’ve seen my occasional Facebook updates, you’ll know I’ve been suffering from a horrendous chesty infection and flu-like symptoms for the past couple of weeks. I had so much to do with my MS before the critique, but boy.. I felt rough. When I wasn’t coughing, I wanted to sleep.
I’ve been feeling the burn on my chest, in my head, my back and shoulders, and my fingers – pounding the keyboard of my MAC. OUCH!
It’s embarrassing to send it off in the state it’s in, although I did do a lot, managing to work through and restructure/rewrite act one and two. But I could only write a rough idea of what act three should include (I lost the last three chapters beginning of this year *scream).
In any case, I sent it off (feeling as though finding myself naked in a supermarket) for Kim to decipher and steer me. I’m dreading looking forward to hearing what she says. I think if nothing else, it’s going to teach my lots. And I do love to learn!
“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.”
I can honestly say I’ve never experienced perfect confidence. Just saying 🙂 And…
“A man’s spirit is free, but his pride binds him with chains of suffocation in a prison of his own insecurities”
Don’t let your pride confine you!
Thanks again for co-hosting this month!
I’m sure she’ll enjoy it. Sorry you’ve been so sick and miserable.
My manuscript came back from my second critique partner. I’m going to laugh all the way through it…
Hi, Shaw,
Thanks for co-hosting this month… So sorry to hear about your horrible chest dilemma. Such a bummer when you have so much to do. I hope you are breathing freely soon! I’m sure your ms is in better shape than you think. How could you possible think with a clear head when you feel so terrible.
This month flew… Thankfully the financial hardships I’ve had in the past few months has turned around. I signed a new client last week! So I am breathing again. As for writing news…. Another rejection from my most favorite agent. However it was a personal note and although it stung, it enlightened me… Finally an agent with a heart. Too bad she passed on my ms. But there is always the next one…
FEEL BETTER>… Sending you a HUGE CYBER HUG!!!!!
Aloha Shah 🙂
Hope you feel better soon, and see you around the blogs sooner 🙂
Your co-host 🙂
So sorry you’ve been sick! That so puts a crimp on anything productive, but sounds like you might be feeling better. Thanks for co-hosting even while you’re feeling low. Love the video here, and the quotes. Especially that one about pride…
Shah, being under the weather puts a damper on everything. Sorry, and I hope you’ll snap out of it soon.
Ha! Naked in the supermarket…
You’re going to laugh when you read my post. 🙂
IWSG #179 until Alex culls the list again.
What is pride? LOL. I think once you have kids, that goes out the window–when you can keep your shirt clean for more than an hour or spend an hour scrubbing the feces out of carpet… Just saying. 😉
Regardless, I think you do need to have a certain amount of confidence in your work. That confidence grows as you gain more experience until you know without a doubt that what you do is valid and of worth.
This past summer was one long case of a bad cold. Still not quite over it.
Thx for hosting! Even though you’re feeling like Cee Are Aaa Pee
I hope you start to feel better soon. I’m sure the comments on your manuscript will be helpful.
Thanks for co-hosting this month, despite feeling so lousy.
Sickness sure does take a lot of energy. You’d think it would be a good time to write, since you’re down anyway, but no–it’s the brain that seems to get sick first. Glad you’re on the mend!
It IS hard to think when you’re sick. But you’re getting stuff done and moving forward. Good for you. Your video is hilarious. Thanks for that!
I hope you feel better soon. Maybe a good response from Kim will be the dose of medicine you need to cure your misery. 🙂
Sending you get well wishes! Thanks coughing your way thru co-hosting!
Well, you’re a trooper! Hope you start feeling well soon, and good luck with the MS. You should feel proud you’ve accomplished so much.
Aw, I hope you’re feeling better soon. It’s never fun trying to concentrate while sick.
I hope you get over your sickness soon! It doesn’t sound fun at all.
Thanks for co-hosting!
Heather
Sorry you’ve been sick. Thanks for co-hosting!
Yikes. I hope you start to feel better soon.
Not feeling well has probably aded significantly to your insecurities. Hope you feel better soon.
Oh, how awful that sounds! Hope you’re feel better soon. And I love Robert’s quote! I’m going to grab a pen and paper right now and jaunt it down before I forget where it comes from. . .because I did. Can you believe I was just thinking of it about fifteen minutes ago and couldn’t remember who said it??? Thanks! That just made my day 🙂
Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so rough, but at least you’ve been able to keep moving forward. Hope you get some great feedback!
Thanks for co-hosting, Shah! I wasn’t able to visit IWSG posts yesterday, so I’m visiting today. I’m sorry that you are feeling miserable, and I hope that you feel better soon. How frustrating, maybe maddening, to lose three chapters of your manuscript! But kudos for getting it sent off!
Hope you feel better super quick! xx
Hi Shah!
Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG this month.
Hope you’re feeling better… 🙂
(For some reason, I couldn’t access this post on Wednesday…?)
Thanks for that quote by Robert Hughes. My doubt is HUGE. I must be a great artist then. Well, maybe not 🙂
I laughed so much at the gif. Oh man, I had to look away.
Losing parts of your story is the WORST! I hope Kim is gentle, as your were sick and all!
Yay, my doubts mean I’m talented…But then, doesn’t knowing I’m talented make me more confident, and then does that mean I’m actually NOT as…arrgh! hehehe Thanks for co-hosting!
I hate it when being sick gets in the way of being creative. The worst is when your brain is willing but your body says no. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
It was nice of you to co-host, feeling as cruddy as you do. Hope you feel better soon. I loved all the quotes and especially the Gifs. I’m in dreamland right now just browsing through your fantastic blog and website. You have so much to read. I could be here all night. I love it all.
Icky! I hope you are feeling better by the time you read this. It’s so hard to be productive when sick. Can’t we all just have someone take care of us then and put everything on hold?
Thank you so much for co-hosting this month. I hope you are feeling better.
I had surgery, a slow recovery and a vacation with five of my grandkids slow me down last month.
There will be no messing around this month for me this month. Good luck to you too!
In spite of being sick, you’ve accomplished so much — in sending your wip out for review (even with those missing 3 chapters), and in writing this inspirational post. I liked those quotes (and the images). It’s hard to face down our insecurities and to simply focus on the writing. Today I got a neat e-mail from a reader who won one of those free copies of Standing Stones (from January!). Her kind words are a reminder that one of the reasons I love to write is to share my stories with readers. Not a bad goal at all. May you feel better in the coming week!
So sorry to hear that you’ve been unwell. I do hope the situation is improving. I’m glad you got your work out even if it’s not in the condition you’d like. I;m sure it’ll be great. I’m also working on a piece I’ve gotten back from a critique. It should be a learning experience. I get to see what someone else thinks of what I’ve written whether I agree or not.
Love the quotes.
Thanks for co-hosting.