Comfort Reads

Between the flu and snow and more snow and freezing rain and a broken water main, it's been a roller coaster couple of weeks.

For a day or two, my head/eyes couldn't handle any screens. When my head cleared enough to read, I reached for one of my all-time favourite books.

I've owned it for decades. The spine is broken from so many reads and it brings me comfort just holding the book.

I have several comfort reads, but this time I pulled out Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

Reading it is like seeing a friend you've lost touch with for a few years, but as soon as you get together, it's perfect.

The language is gorgeous, the characters complex, the story pulls me in again.

What about you? Do you re-read your favourite books? What are some of your favourite comfort reads?

IWSG & Villains & Heroes

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!

And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

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March 6 question - Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? And why?

I have to admit that I adore writing from the villain's perspective.
It's so much fun - which may or may not say a lot about me!

With my focus on contemporary romance, I don't have a lot of opportunity to let the evil drip onto the page, but I've got multiple suspense stories lurking in my To Be Written pile where I plan to start off each chapter wth a scene from the villain's pov. Some of the flash fiction I've been writing has the villain as the central character as well.

For me, villains are fun because they're the heroes of their twisted stories - and they want the rest of the world to see it that way as well.

How about you? Anyone else like writing the villain's pov?

Hidden Within - WEP Challenge: 28 Days

Only 28 days to get my portfolio ready. So much to do!

One week in and I’m excited but a bit overwhelmed. I’m having so much fun I need to force myself to eat and sleep. They want dozens of options to choose from.

Ten days down and eighteen to go. Starting to feel some panic because there are so many ideas inside my head. The details need to be just right. Each drawing is better than the last. Each one shows more of what could be.

Halfway! The drawings have more depth than anything I’ve ever done. I’m anticipating problems that might happen in the real world and finding solutions. I’ve never been so consumed.

My skills are improving. The drawings are so real I can feel them surrounding me.

Shadows and sun. Dark and light. So many contrasts. So many metaphors.

It messes with my head sometimes.

Have to get them out. Have to bring them to life.

The shadows deepen.

The light ebbs.

Things are lurking in the shadows. Things I didn’t put there. Things I don’t understand.

My hand aches.

The images keep coming. Intruding into my dreams until I don’t know if I’m awake or asleep.

My blood seeps into the art, deepens the shadows, and enlivens those hidden within.

Fear pours from my hands along with the blood.

Is any of it real?

I can't stop.

The drawings cover the floor and the walls.

What have I done?

What will I do?

It’s too-- 

...I HAVE BROKEN THROUGH...

...IT BEGINS...

***

This story is part of the WEP challenge: 28 Days. I hope you check out the other entries - and add one of your own!  It's an excellent community and a fun way to try out new angles with your writing.


This is actually the 2nd piece I wrote for the challenge. The first had so many similarities/echoes with the piece Toi Thomas wrote, I decided to put that one aside and take a new angle.

How about you? Do you enjoy flash fiction?

The Emotion Thesaurus is HERE!

Hi guys! Today I'm helping authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi launch their new book, The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition)! You might know about The Emotion Thesaurus or even have it on your shelf. But chances are, you may not have known a second edition was in the works. Becca and Angela decided to keep it a surprise and only recently announced the book was releasing!

Your Favorite Book Is Now Bigger & Better

The Emotion Thesaurus is known for its powerful lists that help writers show (rather than tell) character emotion through body language, thoughts, visceral sensations, dialogue cues, and behavior. This second edition gives writers more of what they love: more emotions (55 more to be exact!) more teaching content, and more writing tips. Here are three of the new entries: Euphoria, Vindicated, and Schadenfreude. This book is almost twice the size of the original, so it's almost two books in one. Anyway, if you'd like to check into it, Goodreads has some reviews up, and you can find more information here.

One More Thing...Want to Attend a FREE Writing Conference?

Or a writing retreat? A workshop? Or even have your yearly membership to a professional writer's organization suddenly paid for? OF COURSE YOU DO!

Angela and Becca have a giveaway on right now to celebrate their release, and one lucky winner will get their choice of the above, up to a $500 US value. There are some conditions so check that out, but this is the giveaway of a lifetime, so hurry over to enter. And good luck! 

IWSG & Creativity

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!

And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

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OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?

Music has always been a huge part of my life and I've recently returned to playing the piano (when we inherited a piano after the death of a family member). I hadn't played since I was a young teen and it took a while to get back into the groove. I'll never play without a few stumbles here and there, but it's bringing me lots of joy!

I also doodle around with cartoons. Never was very good with realistic sketching, but I do enjoy cartooning.

Baking and cooking can also be creative. Most of the time, things turn out very well, but the other times keep things interesting! 😀

How about you? Any musicians, artists, crafters, and other creative types out there?

Angela, Becca & The Emotion Thesaurus 2nd Edition!

Have you ever held onto a secret you've been dying to share, and then finally...you can?

For the last few weeks I've been helping Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers keep a BIG secret...what the next book in their thesaurus series will be.

It might seem strange to not tell one's readers what book you're planning to release...unless you happen to write books on Show, Don't Tell like Angela and Becca do! They couldn't resist the opportunity to show, not tell, by waiting for the cover reveal. They even created a *REDACTED* cover for it, which you might have seen floating around.

We're revealing the cover at long last!

*drum roll*

                                         

The next book in the descriptive thesaurus series is 

The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition! 

It's been 7 years since the original Emotion Thesaurus hit the shelves. Many writers have credited this unusual book with transforming their writing. This guide is packed with helpful lists of body language, thoughts, and visceral sensations for 75 different emotions, which makes it easier for writers to convey what characters feel.

Since 2012, many have asked the authors if they would add more emotions, so that's what Angela & Becca have done. This new edition has added 55 more emotions, bringing the total to 130.

There are other new additions to the book and in fact, it's almost doubled in size! I recommend checking out the full list of emotions (and some sample entries) HERE.

And more good news: this book is available for preorder!

You can find it on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books (iTunes), and Indiebound.

One last thing: go grab some free education!

Angela & Becca are giving away a free webinar recording of one of their popular workshops on Emotion, so head over if this is an area of struggle for you. It might really help!

IWSG & Questions, Questions, Questions!

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!

And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

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January 2 question - What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

This one is a bit tricky as I haven't told a lot of people in my Real Life that I write.
Being a romance writer and a teacher is a bit of a tricky combination so I've kept those parts of my life separate.

I do have a few Real Life Buddies who know. They tend to be great with their questions and mostly just ask, "How's your writing going?"

It's a good question, but a difficult one to explain to those who don't write. I tend to say I'm making progress, but am not quite ready to put my work out there. Yet.

My least favourite question is actually ANY question about my writing. Because I talk about it so rarely, I don't have answers ready. I'm not prepared and I tend to stumble and stammer. As I get closer to publishing my work, I know I'll have to practice!

How about you? How do you handle those tough questions thrown your way?