IWSG Blog Hop: November is National Novel Writing Month and National Life Writing Month #nano #IWSGbloghop #nationallifestorymonth

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

Happy November!!

Happy IWSG Day!!

🦃🦃🦃🦃

Hello and Welcome to the IWSG Blog Hop!!

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 our awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG Blog Hop--Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!

Ready to Write for National Novel Writing Month
(NaNo)

NOVEMBER QUESTION

  

November is National Novel Writing Month. 

Have you ever participated? 

If not, why not?

Yes, I have participated at least 2 if not 3 times. Ohhhhh, the pressure to write 50,000 words in one month. But, if you don't make it to 50000 words, you will not be beaten with wet noodles or lose your privileges to say you are a writer. In fact, you are not competing with fellow writers to make the count. You are competing against yourself. If you don't look at it like that, you could drive yourself crazy! Take it from one who never accomplished the challenge. 

But I felt like a winner because two of the stories I wrote during Nanos won me publisher contracts, achieving what I had always dreamed of--having a published novel to place in the hands of readers, entertaining them with warmth and wisdom or making them giggle. 

Let me be clear. After Nano, I had a LOT of editing to do. Most of the story was gobbly-de-gook. In fact for one of the competitions, I tried the pantser method of writing. Talk about going down the rabbit trails! I discovered I am not a pantser writer, an unexpected perk of participating in the challenge. From that point on, I learned to create a skeleton outline of the story before beginning to write.

I had a great time dumping a lot of words into Word. I lost no sleep over not writing  1666.666666+ words every day.  You participate with that attitude and you will enjoy the experience much more. Good luck!

NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL LIFE WRITING MONTH

Reasons to write your life story.

Yes, November is also the month for life story writers to get their stories written. It's all about the author. No fiction is allowed. Writing a life story is 10x harder than writing fiction. I hope that sentence doesn't discourage you from writing your memories, but there will be challenges for you. 

No one talks about how satisfying a life review is to the author of the story. Recording your story will help you understand the events in your life when looking back through the lens of time. And think about the gift that story will be to family and friends. Besides that, getting together and sharing those good old days is a lot of fun!!

On the right side of the blog is a list of reasons to tell your story. I bet one of these reasons could convince you to begin. Go for it and have fun!

Holidays Newsletter 2022

Click here or on the JQ Rose Courier graphic at the top of the sidebar to have the holiday edition of the JQ Rose Courier delivered to your inbox. Stay up to date about new releases, giveaways, contests with prizes and what JQ is up to for the holidays.

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

Thank you!

Click here to visit the participants in the IWSG Blog Hop this week.

IWSG Blog Hop: Writing to Discover and Understand Me

 

Hello and Welcome to the Focused on Story Blog 
AND the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

Always on the first Wednesday of the month.

#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 to join.

✰✰✰✰

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

Question of the month

November 4 question - Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

I just finished my final manuscript for my memoir, Arranging a Dream: a Memoir, and sent it off to my publisher yesterday. Do you feel like I do when I "let it go" out into the world? Scared to hear comments about it, but glad that I have the opportunity to enrich a reader's life with my words.

Arranging a Dream: a Memoir by J.Q. Rose

Official book launch January 1, 2021

I have written mysteries to entertain readers, but along the way, a message comes through without my knowing it until the book is done. A memoir, also known as creative non-fiction, is so different from writing fiction where everything is made up. The writer can go hog-wild and write about alien worlds, space operas, contemporary romance and no one cares if it's true. I stay away from historicals because I know the readers are well-versed in the era and can pick up on details that are not true to the times.

A memoir tells the truth about real life. That is very difficult for a fiction writer! A memoir only covers a slice of life, not the entire life from beginning to present. 

I wrote my story thinking it would be for my kids. I wanted to encourage our kids to dream big for their lives. I chose to write about the first year we were in the flower business. That was our dream--to be entrepreneurs in the greenhouse business. Somehow, we fell in love with a greenhouse operation attached to a flower shop. What's your passion? Find your passion and go for it. 

As I wrote it, the story turned into something like fiction because I had the character, me, and conflicts, the previous owner and not knowing a thing about business or floral design, and such a great setting. I thought this story could inspire folks not to give up on their dreams. To go for it. That's when I decided to approach my publisher to see if she would consider publishing my memoir, and she said yes. So the book's official launch date from BWL Publishing is January 1, 2021. What a way to start the new year, eh?

"I write to discover what I know."--My discovery, as I looked back through the lens of time, is how much the previous owner and I were alike. In fact, I treated the young couple who bought our business just like Hattie treated me! She was condescending to me and took on the role of my sixth-grade teacher always finding fault.

Now I know why--because they, like us when we bought Hattie's business, wanted to change things. I understand why Hattie would get upset with us. Change is hard. The fear that the change will ruin the business for the new owners and for the seller is real. I never made that connection until I finished the book. 

Memoir writing does that for those who visit events through a new perspective--time. Writers discover more about themselves during the journey. And that's what it is--a journey for a new understanding.

I hope you will try it. So much fun sharing the good old days with friends and family and getting their perspectives on what occurred so many years ago. Believe me, each person will have a different recollection about past experiences even if you were there with them. 

November is National Life Writing Month

November is National Life Writing Month. Time to break out a journal or notebook and make some entries about your life. If you don't know how to begin, google "life story writing prompts" or "memoir prompts." 

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories
by J.Q. Rose

I can also offer a shameless plug for my book on telling your life story which helps spark memories. I cannot help it. I am a life storytelling evangelist!

Click here for the book, Your Words, Your Life Story packed with tips to get you started and keep you going on your journey.

 And an invite to my private FB group for life storytellers. Click here to join Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle.

Thank you for stopping in.  Click here to visit more participating bloggers.