Insecure Writers Support Group: Writer's Re-writing Tips

Internet Writers Support Group --What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose 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!" 

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month, The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought provoking posts. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page.  

Writer's Re-writing Tips by J. Q. Rose

I was thrilled to finish the first draft of my mystery work-in-progress last week. 

Now begins the fun part, the re-writing.  

There is no great writing, only great rewriting.Justice Brandeis 

Actually I enjoy slogging through the manuscript and "fixing" it up, slashing sentences, paragraphs, or even full scenes. adding the motivation or the one touch that pulls the heart strings of the reader, and finding that perfect verb to illuminate the action. Ah, what joy.

Now that I am ready to finish this third mystery, I would like to learn methods other writers do when re-writing their manuscripts. 

What tips can you share with us to help make the re-writing more productive?

• Do you read through without making any changes to get the flow or pacing of the story? Find the muddle in the middle?
• Do you begin by fixing  grammar errors and typos?
• When do you check if characters and descriptions of locations are consistent throughout the entire story? 
• Do you perform all these steps in one reading?
• Do you keep each chapter separate and save it to its own file in MS Word? Or do you write all the chapters in one file? Or do you use a writer's helper like Scrivener to keep track of chapters, scenes, characters, etc

What nugget of information can you share with us? Please leave a comment below.  We'd appreciate all the help we can get!

Thank you!

IWSG Wednesday Topic: Procrastination

It's the first Wednesday of the month so it must be time for a post from all the folks in the Insecure Writers Support Group. (IWSG) 

What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose 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!"

After visiting here, please take time to hop over to other blogs and hear their voices. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page.  

Check out the new IWSG Website for great writing tips.  

Procrastination by J.Q. Rose

Greek village of Tarpon Springs, FL

Insecure? Who? Me? I never would describe myself as insecure, but, (there's always a but),  when I pull up the blank page on my laptop, I do become a bit anxious about putting words on that daunting, dazzling white screen. 

For some reason, my elation at beginning a new story evaporates. Those ideas I scribbled down in my spiral notebook seemed so creative, imaginative, amazing. But, as I begin to think about how to carry out those ideas, actually use words, sentences, paragraphs to develop the brilliant plans I see in my notebook pages, I doubt my ability to pen an entertaining, uplifting, memorable story with a message.

That's the moment the moment procrastination grabs me. I leave the laptop and get the chocolate out. You know, last year's Christmas candy I hid away in the pantry so I wouldn't eat it? I sit back down at my desk and allow the sweet chocolate flavor to coat my mouth. Might as well check my emails while I'm enjoying such a treat. Oh yes, and how about Facebook? You know my friends on Facebook need me to check in.

Finally, after preparing a cup of tea, I decide to get serious about writing the story.  At last, a few words develop into several sentences that group into paragraphs on the page. Instead of work and worry, the writing becomes a joyful challenge. Amazing how chocolate and tea erases that insecurity and the procrastination monster runs away.

How about you? Do you have trouble actually sitting down to start a new project?

Writing About Our Fears

It's the first Wednesday of the month so it must be time for a post from all the folks in the Insecure Writers Support Group. What is IWSG?

Author Alex J Cavanaugh explains it this way:

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

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!

After visiting here, please take time to hop over to other blogs and hear their voices. You can find a list at Alex's IWSG page.  

Writing About Our Fears

by J.Q. Rose

Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? Have you ever tried writing about them? Does it help when you face them head-on and vanquish those frightening images, diseases, persons?

I wrote about a topic that scares me--Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia. It was one of the most difficult scenes I have ever written. I know the scene is not complete, but at least I wrestled with my fear of the disease and body-slammed it down on paper. 

In my WIP, the mother of the main character is afflicted with Alzheimer's, a monstrous disease capable of stealing a person's personality and memories. The brain is attacked until it is rendered useless. No speech, no problem-solving, no reading, no recognition of loved ones. Eventually even the ability to brush your teeth is forgotten. Frightening? Yes! And worse is the fact that there is no cure, no turning back the inevitable loss of thinking, memory, and behavior.

Now you understand why I'm afraid of Alzheimer's, because it may attack me and/or someone I love. So I have chosen to fight it through my story. I hope the novel will bring awareness to dementia and bring about efforts to continue research to find a solution. 

If you care to share what scares you, please leave a comment below. Have you written about it? How did you feel?

Thank you for stopping in.

Insecure Writers Group--Who Knew?

Because this is my first post as a member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG), I thought I should share its mission with readers of the J.Q. Rose blog who are not sure what it's all about. Author Alex J Cavanaugh explains it this way:

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

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.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

# # # #

But wait a minute...who believes writers are insecure? Afterall, aren't writers the ones who brave speaking in front of small groups as well as to crowds at famous writers' conferences? Aren't they the ones who are talking with folks one on one at library gatherings, flea markets, festivals, and even in school rooms?

Let me tell you a secret. Writers are great actors. When getting up in front of a group,  our guts are squirming and our knees are knocking together so loudly, we hope the crowd can't hear them. Sometimes a quick race to the bathroom precedes the eloquent, enlightening, entertaining talk to the audience. Yeah, we're just a bunch of adolescent kids in adult bodies scared to death we will make fools of ourselves and disappoint the people we care about.

But somehow, we are driven to share our writing with others in order to brighten readers' lives. We want to make people laugh or shed tears or just feel something. So we act like we are self-assured in order to give a piece of ourselves to readers. And it is exhilarating and so worth it--when it's all done!

Thanks so much for stopping in for my maiden voyage into this group. Come on back the first Wednesday in September and every first Wednesday of the month thereafter (and maybe tomorrow for the Hobby Hoedown event with Anne Stenhouse. She shares her foray into belly dancing.)

Please take time to hop over to other blogs and hear their voices. You can find a list at Alex's IWSG page.