Author Liesel K. Hill's Musings on Fantasia...
Showing posts with label IWSG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IWSG. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
IWSG: Fearlessness in Writing
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day.
Details HERE and as always thanks to our wonderful host, Alex J. Cavanaugh
The thing I've been thinking about lately is boldness vs. fear. I've never thought of myself as a fearful or timid writer, but I think sometimes I am and I don't realize it. Some of my earlier stories were accused of being somewhat predictable. I haven't had anyone say that in awhile, but that doesn't mean that I've completely gotten away from it either.
Part of that is just learning how to craft a great story. Learning to put in twists and turns and do what the reader won't expect. But I also think it partly has to do with simply being bolder. Taking more risks in general. Some of the most successful stories on the market are popular specifically because they don't do what the conventional story does.
I'm going to be doing a lot of story boarding and planning for upcoming projects this month, so I'm challenging myself to always ask if what I'm doing with my story is something that might be expected or predictable. If the answer even might be yes, I've told myself I HAVE to change it to something more surprising. The most shocking thing I can think of for that scene. It can be harder than you might think to do that and still keep whatever theme, plot, or character you're going for in tact. But that's my challenge for this month. And therefore, the thing I'm most insecure about. ;D Wish me luck!
January Question: How had being a writer changed your experience as a reader?
It's definitely made me more critical. As a writer, we are our own editors, so we tend to edit--whether consciously or unconsciously--every book we read. I'll admit it can make it harder to just sit back and enjoy a great story.
It also makes me always dissect a story as I read it. Where is it going? What's the point of this scene or that detail? When it comes to watching TV or movies, I always have to keep my mouth shut because I can usually predict where the story is going, just by it's structure. A by-product of crafting your own stories, I'm afraid. But I always find that understanding the story structure enriches the experience for me.
What are you insecure about this month?
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
IWSG for 2017: Writing Rules and New Years Resolutions
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.
Details HERE and as always thanks to our wonderful host, Alex J. Cavanaugh
Being the first month of a new year, I'm sure this will get said a lot, but I think the thing I'm most insecure about right now is sticking to my New Years Resolutions. Suffice it to say, the past few years I've made goals but attained almost none of them. Of course that's because I let things get in the way of working toward them.
I'm in a better position and mindset to accomplish my goals than I have been in previous years, so I'm more optimistic than ever, but of course there's always the fear of failure, especially because we all tend to put some much pressure on ourselves in January.
But one thing I've learned this past year is just never to throw in the towel. Even if you don't achieve your goals, working steadily on them will yield better results than we can generally conceive of. So that's what I plan to do. And maybe, just maybe, I'll achieve one or two of my lofty writing resolutions.
January Question: What writing rule do you wish you'd never heard of?
Hm. This is a tough one for me. I don't generally take a negative attitude toward any writing "rule," whether I employ it or not. I suppose my only response is that I don't treat any writing "rule" like a hard and fast rule. If I tried to stay within such a rigid structure, I'd go crazy. So I guess all writing rules are ones I wish I'd never heard of, but it's not a problem for me because I never go out of my way to adhere to them.
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What are you insecure about this month?
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Insecure Writers Support Group: Time
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It's IWSG day! Thanks to the wonderful Alex Cavanaugh for always bringing us together! Check out THIS PAGE for more info or if you want to participate!
I wasn't sure what to write about this month, and it's interesting that the question for this month concerns finding time to write, because I thought I might do my post on that anyway. I think I've talked about it before, but it was all I had this month. :D
I think it's just about prioritizing and planning ahead. With the way my schedule is now, I can't get any work done until I put my 2-year-old nephew (who I tend full time) down for a nap. Then I get a couple of hours of quiet before he wakes up. It never feels like enough time to actually accomplish much.
But then in the evening, I get more time, too. So I can plan on having a couple of hours in the afternoon and then a little bit bigger chunk in the evening.
The only downside is that after chasing the bouncing baby nephew around all day (his name is Lyric but I affectionately call him Booger or just "the boogs") I'm often exhausted and not in a mood to write.
But if I plan beforehand to get certain things done, the mindset can usually override the exhaustion. And if not, I can take a twenty minute nap to recharge before diving in.
As cliche as it is, it's really just about the mindset. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. And it's true. Determine that you WILL make time to write, and you will. Even if it's only ten or twenty minutes here and there. At least you'll be making progress. :D
How do you find time to write?
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG)
Good Morning, All! I hope everyone had a very fun and safe holiday weekend. Mine was fantastic. It's the first summer I've spent in my new place (been here about 4 mos) and I kid you not, I had a 360 degree fireworks show. Some of the big ones were going off directly over my house. Place sounded like a war zone. It was awesome! :D
Okay, so it's IWSG day (the day brought to us by the wonderful Alex J. Cavanaugh, where we can vent, swap stories, encourage, and help guide one another through this crazy journey called writing) and I'm actually co-hosting this month. (Yea me!) To be honest, it's the first IWSG post I've done in a LONG time (and that's partly bc I've been kinda neglecting my blog off and on for the past year) but this is the perfect way to get me back into it.
So today I wanted to talk about something I know a lot of us are nervous about, and that we'll all have to deal with at some point in our writing journeys:
So here's the thing. The internet isn't going anyway. Online bullying--be it nasty reviews, body shaming, or just other forms of negativity--is a big problem and one that will continue to grow. As artists that put our work out there for others to see/read/experience, we can pretty much count on some negative feedback at some point. (Even J.K.Rowling has haters. I know. I feel ya. I don't get it either--they must be insane--but it's true.)
Over the past year or so I've actually become a fairly strong presence in the TWD online community. That stands for The Walking Dead, for those who don't know. Anyone who's followed me for a while knows I'm a total TWD junkie and consider myself a mega-fan. Just a guilty pleasure for me, though I'll admit that while the show airs (Oct-Nov, Feb-Mar) I get a whole lot less of my own writing done because I'm consumed with, you know, other things. Hehe.
While gaining quite a few followers in this community, I became a target of some pretty heinous hate. And it wasn't just a random, hating troll I could write off as a side effect of the internet. No, it was a woman from my own fandom who just decided to be threatened by me and started hurling all manner of insults and accusations, every one of which was unfounded. I won't go into the whole drama but suffice it to say, it was pretty bad. And did I consider leaving the online fandom? Meh. I think it goes through every person's mind in my situation, but overall no. I'm with the amazing Jeffrey R. Holland who said, "We are not of them who draw back..." (Source)
But I learned some valuable lessons from my experience and wanted to share them. To be honest, most of us writers don't get TOO much hate unless we see a great deal of success. But since we'll all sell at least a billion books in our lifetimes, we'll all have to deal with this eventually, right? ;D
So here we go (sorry that was a lot of intro):
1. Learn the difference between hate/bullying and expressing an opinion. If people are simply saying that they disagree with something, or your book just wasn't for them, that's not hate. That is simply a difference of opinion. And while this might be hard to wrap your head around the first time someone says they couldn't stand your protagonist, you should actually be happy about differing opinions. You're still getting reviews and publicity, and it shows that you've written a character that someone has opinion about. At the very least, if your character got under they're skin, your character was NOT forgettable.
2. If you are in fact dealing with a bully rather than just a (obviously misguided) opinion, learn to distance yourself from the hate. I don't mean in a denial sort of way, but rather take a step back and see the bullying for what it really is. Check out this quote:
And it's really true. If someone is attacking you personally without actually knowing you, or even attacking your story without giving any valid reasons for their dislike, they're argument immediately becomes invalid. So shrug it off. This kind of negativity is generally a form of projection. Those who watch Dr. Phil probably know what that is. It's psychology 101.
And in my case, I found out months later that most of the things this hater had accused me of (me: "Where is she getting that from? It's ridiculous!") were things that she actually struggled with herself. Ah. Suddenly makes sense. And validation for me. (Yea!) So look at the negativity for what it really is and don't take it personally.
Truest words ever. (Source)
3. Finally, be confident. Even if you aren't confident, be confident. This is the fake-it-til-you-make-it part. Because what you think about and dream about eventually comes about. So be confident, develop a thick skin so negativity literally slides right off your back. Be positive, encourage, and always buoy people up, no matter the situation or their reaction.
And remember, people. We are the writers of our generation. We are creating the stories and inspirations of tomorrow. And we are not of them that draw back.
Happy IWSG Day, Everyone! Hope it's a great one!
P.S. Voting for the IWSG Anthology Contest genre runs through 7/8. Click HERE if you're interested in participating. ;D
So today I wanted to talk about something I know a lot of us are nervous about, and that we'll all have to deal with at some point in our writing journeys:
Dealing with Negativity, Hate, Bullying, and Specifically for Us Writers, Bad Reviews.
So here's the thing. The internet isn't going anyway. Online bullying--be it nasty reviews, body shaming, or just other forms of negativity--is a big problem and one that will continue to grow. As artists that put our work out there for others to see/read/experience, we can pretty much count on some negative feedback at some point. (Even J.K.Rowling has haters. I know. I feel ya. I don't get it either--they must be insane--but it's true.)Over the past year or so I've actually become a fairly strong presence in the TWD online community. That stands for The Walking Dead, for those who don't know. Anyone who's followed me for a while knows I'm a total TWD junkie and consider myself a mega-fan. Just a guilty pleasure for me, though I'll admit that while the show airs (Oct-Nov, Feb-Mar) I get a whole lot less of my own writing done because I'm consumed with, you know, other things. Hehe.
While gaining quite a few followers in this community, I became a target of some pretty heinous hate. And it wasn't just a random, hating troll I could write off as a side effect of the internet. No, it was a woman from my own fandom who just decided to be threatened by me and started hurling all manner of insults and accusations, every one of which was unfounded. I won't go into the whole drama but suffice it to say, it was pretty bad. And did I consider leaving the online fandom? Meh. I think it goes through every person's mind in my situation, but overall no. I'm with the amazing Jeffrey R. Holland who said, "We are not of them who draw back..." (Source)
But I learned some valuable lessons from my experience and wanted to share them. To be honest, most of us writers don't get TOO much hate unless we see a great deal of success. But since we'll all sell at least a billion books in our lifetimes, we'll all have to deal with this eventually, right? ;D
So here we go (sorry that was a lot of intro):
1. Learn the difference between hate/bullying and expressing an opinion. If people are simply saying that they disagree with something, or your book just wasn't for them, that's not hate. That is simply a difference of opinion. And while this might be hard to wrap your head around the first time someone says they couldn't stand your protagonist, you should actually be happy about differing opinions. You're still getting reviews and publicity, and it shows that you've written a character that someone has opinion about. At the very least, if your character got under they're skin, your character was NOT forgettable.
2. If you are in fact dealing with a bully rather than just a (obviously misguided) opinion, learn to distance yourself from the hate. I don't mean in a denial sort of way, but rather take a step back and see the bullying for what it really is. Check out this quote:
And it's really true. If someone is attacking you personally without actually knowing you, or even attacking your story without giving any valid reasons for their dislike, they're argument immediately becomes invalid. So shrug it off. This kind of negativity is generally a form of projection. Those who watch Dr. Phil probably know what that is. It's psychology 101.
And in my case, I found out months later that most of the things this hater had accused me of (me: "Where is she getting that from? It's ridiculous!") were things that she actually struggled with herself. Ah. Suddenly makes sense. And validation for me. (Yea!) So look at the negativity for what it really is and don't take it personally.
Truest words ever. (Source)
3. Finally, be confident. Even if you aren't confident, be confident. This is the fake-it-til-you-make-it part. Because what you think about and dream about eventually comes about. So be confident, develop a thick skin so negativity literally slides right off your back. Be positive, encourage, and always buoy people up, no matter the situation or their reaction.
And remember, people. We are the writers of our generation. We are creating the stories and inspirations of tomorrow. And we are not of them that draw back.
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| Source |
Happy IWSG Day, Everyone! Hope it's a great one!
P.S. Voting for the IWSG Anthology Contest genre runs through 7/8. Click HERE if you're interested in participating. ;D
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