#IWSG: Not Dreaming It Up

 

Wow, we're halfway through the year already?! And it's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time for an Insecure Writer's Support Group post. If you'd like to join the fun, you can sign up HERE. 

Thanks to our host, Alex Cavanaugh, and this months co-hosts (including me!), PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre! for supporting this month's event!

The July 5th optional question is: 99% of my ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from? 

Soooo, I'm probably the odd man out, but here it goes...

In the cozy mystery genre, punny titles are a must. I write in the paranormal sub-genre of cozy mysteries, so I have to narrow it down to include my ghostly element. I do love my ghosties! 

Rather than coming up with the story, and then the title, which seems like the logical thing to do, I do the opposite. I spend a lot of time brainstorming paranormal punny titles, like, A Scandal in Boohemia (Sherlock Holmes fans will get it) and Something Borrowed, Something Booed (from the old wedding mantra, something borrowed, something blue). For this particular series, I use the word "boo" in the titles. From there, I develop my story idea (and often more than one). 

For some reason, titling in this way tends to spark my imagination for story ideas. So, 99% of my story ideas come from thinking up titles.

Weird, huh?

Where do your story ideas come from? 

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 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: Things Are Getting Drafty

 

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! The first Wednesday of every month we blog about our thoughts and fears on writing, and offer encouragement to those who are struggling (hint: we all struggle). If you'd like to join, go HERE. 

Many thanks to our founder and host, Alex Cavanaugh, and this month's rotation of co-hosts: J Lenni Dorner, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria!

This month's optional question is: For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?

Good question. I don't have a set amount of time between first and second drafts, but I have noticed that the longer it sits, the more errors/typos/plot issues become apparent. A good month or two gives plenty of distance. It helps to put the second draft aside to stew for a while as well. For me, this doesn't change with experience. 

I actually looked this phenomenon up because inquiring minds want to know *winks*. It's called "change blindness":

The New York Times defined it as “the frequent inability of our visual system to detect alterations to something staring us straight in the face." ~BigThink.com

Anyway, it doesn't affect just writers, it affects everyone. 

See? We're not so different after all! 

How long do you shelve your first draft? 

Does your "change blindness" get better with experience? 

#IWSG Give Me Something Good To Read

 

It's the first Wednesday of March and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group event. If you'd like to join, please go HERE. 

Thank you Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this monthly event, and thanks so much to this month's co-hosts:  Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose!

This month's optional question is:

Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

I was a reader long before I became a writer. To me, a reader is a reader is a reader. Give me something good to read, whatever the genre, and I'll read it. Anything from inspirational and motivational to classic literature. 

But the mystery genre is my go-to. It's what I read to relax and escape.  

There are so many sub-genres to a mystery. I write in a sub genre called cozy mystery. But to go even further, I write in the sub-sub genre called paranormal cozy mystery. My paranormal cozies include ghosts, but other paranormal cozy mysteries might include witches and other paranormal creatures such as werewolves,  vampires, or even fairies and elves, which sort of crosses over into fantasy. 

Though I write cozies, as a reader, in recent years my go-to mystery is a police procedural by classic authors such as Ian Rankin, or the late P.D. James. Or historical cozies by Jacqueline Winspear. I still love the classic cozies, as well, such as those by the late author M.C. Beaton. 

BUT, I'm always desperate for something inspirational and motivational, so please feel free to drop your recommendations in the comments!

Do you write in genres other than your reading preferences?

Do you read widely?

Have a go-to genre?

Have a motivational/inspirational recommendation?

IWSG: Journey From YA to Adult Cozy

So--I missed my monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group post last month. I remembered, but then I got busy and forgot. Please forgive me if you stopped by and I wasn't here!

If you're a writer and want to join us on the first Wednesday of every month, go HERE.

Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh and his co-hosts:

This month's question: When do you know your story is ready?

Do you ever know? I've let stories out into the world knowing I've done the best I could. But as time goes by and my writing improves, my opinion on whether it was ready to be released changes. If it's been self-edited numerous times, and critiqued, and an editor declares it ready--and if you've done the best you can--then it must be ready!

What is my current insecurity?

I'm taking characters from my YA series and making them grow up. This series will be more main stream paranormal cozy mystery for adults. So--it will still have ghosties, but no demons or soul suckers or baddies like that. It will just be your regular run of the mill cozy murder (which means no blatant violence, gore or sex). I'm gearing a new website towards this series and even having a blog header made which will feature the town where the series takes place. 

The Problem? The YA series never took off due to a myriad of reasons, but mostly my inexperience. So I know writing this adult series with the same characters is a risk.

Also, "cozy" is a special genre of mystery. It's not for everyone because it's very tame when compared to other novels out there on tap. Most indie authors don't write cozy mysteries. I'd love to touch base with some so if you know any, please leave their blog or website in the comments.

Do you know any cozy mystery authors?

Am I wasting my time?

Also, there's this:

The Ghosts of Fire anthology by the authors at Untethered Realms is out now! If you'd like a free review copy, let me know!

Have you ever taken a series from Young Adult to Adult?

How is your writing going?