Category: writing

insecure writers support group, writing

Cringing and Revising #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh for creating this awesome group. Join us!

Holla to this month’s co-hosts: Joylene Nowell Butler,Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson! We appreciate you.

February 5 question – Is there a story or book you’ve written you want to/wish you could go back and change? 

Oh, YES! I wrote my first two published novels in third person omniscient point-of-view. Though this POV provides a broad perspective to the characters and story, the downside is unfortunate head-hopping within the scenes. Cringe-worthy! I did seize the chance to edit my debut novel seven years after its initial release. To tighten the story, I chopped about 30K words, but changing the point-of-view would’ve been too extensive. My publisher released the edited ebook version but did not update the print copy.

Speaking of revising stories, I’m preparing to self-publish Behind the Catcher’s Mask, a short story that was part of the 2019 IWSG anthology, Masquerade: Oddly Suited. The theme of the anthology was young adult love featuring a mask of some sort, so naturally I turned to my favorite genre (sports romance) to pen a romance between a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher.

I hope to rekindle my writing and publishing mojo in 2025. I even signed up for a book event in Savannah, GA this fall!

Novel in Progress Update: Low Water 40,000 / ~85,000 words

insecure writers support group, writing

Two Men I Admire #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Are you a writer? Then you’re probably insecure. Join us!

Many thanks to Alex Cavanaugh as well as to this month’s co-hosts: Rebecca Douglass, Beth Camp, Liza @ Middle Passages, and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!

Happy New Year, writers and readers! How is yours starting? I have a sinus infection that has turned me into a phlegm factory (sorry for oversharing). My 88-year-old father was in the hospital with heart problems, and I probably picked up a bug visiting him there. But he’s now in a great acute rehab facility, so I’m hoping he recaptures independent functioning soon.

January 8 question – Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

I choose two men who I admired as a teenager: my Spanish teacher, Neil Frank, and my college swim coach, Jim Steen. I admire them just as much now as I did then.

Sr. Frank taught four years of high school Spanish to me and other lucky students in Cincinnati, Ohio. His hyper-kinetic approach was so loco that I became endeared with the beautiful language and various cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. I’ve created quite a few Latino characters in my stories. I also strive to add a spice of his mischief to teaching college classes, including “board relay races” in which two teams of students race to the board to scribble the correct answers. I dream about becoming fluent in Spanish, which would help my psychologist career. I recently downloaded Babel, but I haven’t spent much time with the app yet.

Another person I deeply admire is my Kenyon College swim coach. Coach Steen is the NCAA’s most-winning coach (though most don’t know about him since Kenyon is in the small-school Division III.) He innovates and inspires. Jim is so insightful about each swimmer’s psychology, and he balances a challenging yet lighthearted approach that helps unlock his swimmers’ potential. Now that I think about it, he’s rather hyper, too. I guess I admire high-energy male educators with an exuberant sense of humor!

I’ve come up with a tagline for my work-in-progress, Low Water: A swim coach and his psychologist team up to heal from trauma. I’ve written 35K out of about 85K words.

I hope you’re having a clear-sinus start to your New Year!

insecure writers support group, writing

Hanging Off the Cliff #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Join us for the Insecure Writers’ Support Group, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh!

(I realize this image says “newsletter”, but it was too cute for me not to copy/paste! Hope the IWSG creator doesn’t mind. (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay))

Many thanks to the co-hosts for the December 4 posting of the IWSG: Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

December 4 question – Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

I have mixed reactions to cliffhangers. Mostly I feel robbed from a satisfying ending, but sometimes I think they’re brilliant. One of my novels ended in a major cliffhanger, and some readers were angry with me!

My book that sold the best is Blocked, a New Adult volleyball romance. I wanted to write an opposites-attract love story, so I chose a romance between the college-age children of US Democrat and Republican presidential candidates. (I wrote this in 2014 before the vitriol of partisan politics became even more incendiary.)

I strived to present an unbiased view of both political parties until the very end of the story, which featured the results of the presidential election. Therefore, it didn’t feel right to choose a winner, and my story ended, “The next president of the United States is…”

Some readers were furious, whoops!

I hadn’t intended to write a series, but I felt motivated by reader feedback (a mix of love/hate, haha). I eventually chose a winner for the rest of the trilogy, Aced and Spiked.

How do YOU feel about cliffhangers?

insecure writers support group, writing

Getting Creative #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group developed by Alex Cavanaugh

Hey, writers! Welcome to the November posting of the Insecure Writers Support Group. I’m grateful to our leader Alex Cavanaugh as well as to our cohosts:  Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose.

November 6 question – What creative activity do you engage in when you’re not writing?

I know how much devious inspiration it takes to weave plots involving compelling characters, so I can only imagine the multitude of additional creative pursuits my fellow writers have undertaken. I look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to!

For me, I adore cooking and baking projects so much that my friends call me The Pinterest Assembler. Maybe it’s not that creative simply to recreate recipes, but it sure is a blast! Here are a fruity owl and a cookie cake:

Since moving to South Carolina to live closer to my six-year-old niece, I enjoy babysitting and playing with breakfast:

Update on my Novel in Progress: Low Water 28,000 / ~85,000 words

insecure writers support group, writing

Ghost Stories #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Join the Insecure Writers Support Group by blogging monthly. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh!

I’m pleased to be a co-host this month along with the lovely Nancy Gideon, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre.

Happy Halloween! Stop by my blog October 5-26 for a $20 gift card giveaway as part of the Howl-o-ween Giveaway Hop hosted by The Kids Did It and Mommy Island.

Do you like to dress up for Halloween? I haven’t in years, but I found a cute set of cheetah ears, bowtie, tail, and face stickers to accompany my cheetah shirt and black skort. (My inner cat lover will be so happy dressing as a big cat!)

One year I dressed in this carrot costume, and it became my Twitter and Blogger avatar. (Random!)

As the family story goes, my mom (an avid sewer) asked which silly costume my sister wanted, and she replied, “Carrot.” Then my mom sewed this easy felt + yardstick + wire hanger creation, and it was a hit!

October 2 question – Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What’s your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I’m not a horror fan, but two movies come to mind. One is The Changeling, which traumatized me as a child. As an adult, I loved the mental health aspects of The Sixth Sense.

Novel in Progress: Low Water 23,500 / ~85,000 words

insecure writers support group, writing

Fewer Adverbs, More Creative Writing in School #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
A monthly group to support neurotic writers, started by Alex Cavanaugh. Join us!

Thank you to this month’s co-hosts: Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!

September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

The first answer that comes to mind is adverbs. My teachers encouraged their use, but adverb abuse led to bloated and boring writing. Learning to tighten my prose has been a steep mountain. To climb perilously and precipitously? I’d rather wriggle and inch up the incline. While I’m not a fan of Stephen King, I agree with him that snappy, active verbs are better than mundane verbs + adverbs.

Upon further thought, I also wish my English classes focused more on creative writing in general. I adored writing wild stories in elementary school, but my middle and high school teachers favored structured essays over creative writing. And though my undergraduate institution (Kenyon College) was renown for its English department, I neglected to take creative writing classes at the collegiate level. I regret the missed opportunities to build skills and let my imagination fly.

I decided I will end my posts with a little WIP update for motivation:

Novel in Progress: Low Water 19,000 / ~85,000 words

insecure writers support group, writing

High Water #IWSG

Jennifer Lane

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for the Insecure Writers Support Group, started by Alex Cavanaugh. Writers, join us here to share our hopes and fears!

I’m grateful to this months co-hosts: Feather Stone, Kim Lajevardi, Diedre Knight, C. Lee McKenzie, and Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen!

Today’s optional question is about using artificial intelligence as a writer. I have not even started to use AI, so I will skip that question and hope to learn more about possible uses from fellow writers.

Thanks for the accountability, IWSG! This monthly post helps motivate my writing, however slow it may be. I’ve written around 15K words for my next novel, Low Water. In the midst of writing, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the high waters of my first tropical storm (Debby) in my new South Carolina home. I’m thankful I’ve only faced heavy rain and winds without flooding or a loss of power.

However, there was a 9-foot alligator roaming the streets of Hilton Head island:

Image by Christian Sudduth in The Island Packet

And a gator in a woman’s swimming pool!

Image courtesy of Lisa Bisgard in The Island Packet
insecure writers support group, writing

Word! #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
I’m grateful to Alex Cavanaugh for starting the Insecure Writers Support Group.

This month’s co-hosts are so kind to take time out of their busy schedules. Thank you,  JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre

July 3 question – What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

I feel old (and old-school) reading this question, because I only know Microsoft Word. I’ve used Word for all of my writing, personal and professional, since starting psychology graduate school in 1994. I think Word is quite user-friendly.

While I’ve heard of Scrivener, I don’t know much about the other writing tools, so I look forward to learning more from fellow insecure peoples.

How’s your writing coming along? I haven’t made much progress on chapter three of my new novel, but I did send the first two chapters to my critique partner.

Meanwhile, my homeowner’s association has tantalized me with this gorgeous pool…

But they haven’t opened it yet!

I moved to a new-construction community in South Carolina last fall. Now that steamy summer weather has arrived, I sure would like to cool off in these serene waters. I hope my HOA gets their butts in gear and opens the amenities soon.

The middle section of the pool appears 25 yards long, and I plan to turn it into my personal lap pool, hehe. And a relaxing adult beverage at night will be nice.

insecure writers support group, writing

Balancing Your Writing #IWSG

Jennifer Lane
Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh for starting the Insecure Writers Support Group.

Time for another monthly meeting across the blogoverse for all writers who second-guess themselves. *raises hand*

Thank you so much to this month’s co-hosts: Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim!

I’m excited that I finally have some momentum on my new novel, Low Water. I’ve written about 10,000 words (out of a probable 80-90K), and I’m hoping that the upcoming therapy scenes in my story will flow more easily since my day job immerses me in psychotherapy.

After falling in love with a trauma treatment I learned called cognitive processing therapy for PTSD, I wanted to write a story about a swim coach not only healing from a horrific event in his life, but also experiencing post-traumatic growth. It’s not a psychological thriller, though. More like a mental health drama, but that’s not really a thing. Have you ever written a story that doesn’t fit easily into existing genres?

Balance is on my mind while writing this story. Cognitive processing therapy utilizes cognitive-behavioral therapy, an approach that helps you balance your thinking so that you feel better. Trauma survivors sometimes get stuck in the past when their thoughts are full of self-blame, self-doubt, and/or self-directed anger.

Speaking of writing therapy scenes, I want to balance the five elements of writing (mentioned in this insightful Writers Helping Writers post) and avoid too much dialogue. I hope to portray evenly the elements of setting, action, reaction, and inner thoughts/feelings along with the dialogue. How well do you achieve a balance in your writing?

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

(Have you ever tried to paddle board? That’s one area where my balance is HORRIBLE! I spend way more time in the water than on the board, but it does elicit plenty of laughs.)

insecure writers support group, writing

Driven to Distraction: Insecure Writers Support Group

Jennifer Lane

Have you heard of the Insecure Writers Support Group? Started by author Alex Cavanaugh, it’s a monthly blog post to vent our fears and share our dreams! Join us here, where you can also find great content to help your writing.

Today’s co-hosts: Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine! Thank you–you’re awesome!

May 1 question – How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

This question reminds me of strategies I review with athletes and other performers to help them focus. The first step to overcome distractions is to identify the ones that plague us most–external and internal.

External distractions may include cell phones, social media, noise, people, and obligations. My biggest external distractions? Busy day job that drains me, four email accounts, Facebook, American Idol and other TV shows, audiobooks, construction noise outside my new-build home, decorating said home, helping my 87-year-old dad adjust to a new state, and cleaning up cat barf.

Internal distractions typically include thoughts and emotions like frustration, anxiety, and INSECURITY (*points to the name of our group*). I imagine that physical and mental health issues could also distract us. Of all my internal distractions, I think that perfectionism slows my writing and derails me most.

Image by Richard Duijnstee from Pixabay

How do I deal with distractions? Not well. I’ve written about one paragraph a month this year! But when the writing flows better, I take long walks to the beat of music instead of audiobooks, which frees my mind to plot novels. I keep in touch with my critique partner and schedule writing sprints with friends. And I carve out time for writing, mostly on weekend mornings.