Can You Replace Writing Stories and/or Articles with Another Venture? #IWSGbloghop #writers #storytelling

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

Happy June!

HAPPY IWSG DAY!

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. 

To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* 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! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. 

Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

THANK YOU to the awesome co-hosts for the June 7 posting of the IWSG Blog Hop--Patricia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!

🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋

  June 7 Question  

If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?

Should I admit the truth that I was ready to give up writing this past winter? I was fed up, not with the writing exactly, but all that comes with it-- marketing and publishing. With millions of books competing with mine, I was overwhelmed with the idea of spending hours, months, years on creating another book. I faced the reality I needed even more hours of consistent marketing to reach readers.

I have more time behind me than ahead of me. Did I want to waste my time marketing instead of writing? 

I did not.

But after "giving up" on writing, I felt hollow inside. I discovered penning a book is not the same as marketing and publishing. I could not find anything to replace the writing, so I decided to write anyway. The noise in my head of worrying about marketing vanished. You may have heard my sigh of relief. With a clear mind, I discovered my next project. One that is written from my heart. With joy, I keep finding more pleasure in writing than I have in a long time. I am taking the time to enjoy the process. With this renewal, I have a purpose in my life. 

I am flooded with delight when I tap the keyboard and scribble notes that litter my desk. Satisfaction is my reward when the words flow and open my eyes to more insights about my work. 

I am engaged in a new season in my writing life. Yes, writing comes in seasons. Have you experienced those seasons filled with energy and love of writing and seasons when there is no time to write or desire to pick up a pen or open your laptop?  Be assured, There is a time for every season under Heaven.

🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋

The Rose Courier

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participating in this month's IWSG Blog Hop!

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Thank you for stopping by today. 

IWSG Blog Hop: Meet Readers' Expectations but Add the Unexpected to Cozy Mysteries #IWSGbloghop #writingcraft #storytelling

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* 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! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. 

Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery!

Question for the Month of August
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

August 3 question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

Readers of genre fiction have expectations when they begin reading a story. I did not know that when I first began writing. I write cozy mysteries. The "rules" for this special kind of tale in the mystery genre are:

**The protagonist is a smart, strong woman determined to solve the mystery. However she is not in law enforcement, but usually has a connection to someone who knows about crime like a detective, policeman or Private I (Eye?). 

**The location is in a quaint town and often the main character has pets.Pastor Christine in Dangerous Sanctuary has a cat, a pig and a kangaroo.

**The cozy mystery is more of a fun, entertaining read rather than hard-core, gory crime scenes 

**No open-door bedroom scenes. However, according to cozy-mystery.com, a spicy scene seems to be more acceptable to readers these days.

**The fast-paced plot is filled with twists and turns and has to have red herrings and surprises so readers can enjoy unraveling the mystery. 

**As with any story ending, the author has to tie up all the loose ends with believable explanations.

As long as these criteria are met, I think there's lots of room to play with and have fun writing original ideas anytime.

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

Thank you for visiting!!

The Rose Courier Fall Edition 2022

If you have not signed up for the fun, newsy, informative quarterly Rose Courier,
do it now. Click here and discover the shiny, new Fall edition in your e-box in a few weeks!

Click here to visit the IWSG bloggers this week.

Have fun!

I Am a Storyteller! by J.Q. Rose #storytelling #writingstories #writing #readingoutloud

 

Fiction and Non-fiction Books by J. Q. Rose

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog!

I chose the title of this blog because I love stories!! Reading them. Writing them. Teaching how to write or tell them. Listening to them.

JQ presenting a life storytelling workshop

I broke into the writing business after we sold our flower shop and greenhouse operation in 1995. (uh-oh..that may be a spoiler if you're reading my memoir, Arranging a Dream!)

Pumpkins growing in our garden. 

I collected all of my courage to ask the regional newspaper editor, Rich Wheater if he would be interested in having some features on people and businesses in our local area. He asked me to submit an article, so I did. I wrote about a local farm family who raised pumpkins and sold the plump beauties displayed in long lines in their front yard. It was October, so it was a timely story. Rich accepted the story and many more that I penned about West Michigan. 

I learned a lot about writing for a newspaper and about writing crisp, to-the-point articles. I did not like it when Rich had to shorten the story to make way for advertisements! That's when I learned all the essentials, such as location, people or business names, time and dates for events, had to be at the beginning of the article. I always appreciated his editing the stories to improve the readability. 

When we decided to make our fifth-wheel camper our home full-time in 1998, I wrote about the RV industry for magazines and newspapers as we meandered across the country. I also wrote for e-zines, now known as online magazines, as a garden editor. The internet became my best friend for articles.

After a while, I tired of writing non-fiction stories and turned to creating fictional stories, a love of mine since I was in second grade. 

Your Words, Your Life Story

On this blog, I also encourage folks to write their fiction and non-fiction stories. I have many articles about helpful tools for writers.

Life Storytelling Evangelist! 

I am a storyteller, and I believe everyone has a story to tell. In fact, I am such a life storytelling evangelist, I created a journal from the life-storytelling workshops I have taught through the years. Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories helps to guide readers through ways to spark memories and record their legacy for their families and friends, and/or publish them for the world to read their messages.

Listening to Stories

 Do you remember listening to your teacher read a story out loud to your class? Mrs. Beyer, my 8th grade, yes 8th-grade teacher, always read a story after lunch. Even at 13-14 years old, our class loved listening to the story. I had to read the heart-wrenching ending to Charlotte's Web because Mrs. Beyer was so emotional, she couldn't continue. Have you read Charlotte's Web? You'll understand.

When I taught third grade, I made a point to read to my kids after lunch every day. Every year, I read Charlotte's Web, and we all shared a teary moment. 

Diana Kathryn Plopa invited me to read a story out loud for her series of Indie Authors Read Aloud, so I am sharing the video with you. I hope you can take time for a break and enjoy listening to the beginning of Terror on Sunshine Boulevard. Some day I'll have to tell you the back story to this book!

The reading begins about 5 minutes into the video.

Click here to watch.

Do you love to listen to audiobooks? Do you love to read to kids? Please leave a comment below. I enjoy receiving feedback. Thank you.

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening
by J.Q. Rose

We celebrated the first day of spring on Sunday, March 20. Ready to plant your garden? Click here to download this quick read for 99 cents. Get started growing your veggies for 2022!

Wishing you a delightful spring season and a bounteous summer of gardening!

Podcast https://anchor.fm/diana-kathryn-plopa/episodes/Episode-Three-with-J-Q--Rose-and-Terror-On-Sunshine-Boulevard-e1etgkq

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHrZvVix9sE&t=5s