Tag: writing

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#IWSG Reading Pet Peeves

Jennifer Lane


Crap, where did June and July go? It’s time for the August edition of Insecure Writers Support Group where we share our fears and successes.

Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month’s co-hosts!
Co-Hosts:


IWSG Question: What are your pet peeves when reading / writing / editing?


After working with professional editors for seven novels, I’ve become a stickler for grammar and spelling. One word I see consistently misspelled (even in traditionally published novels) is BLOND.

My editor taught me that the only time to use the spelling BLONDE is describing a female as a noun. 

The sassy blonde approached me.

When using blond as an adjective (or as a noun for a blond man), THERE IS NO E!!!

The sassy, blond woman approached me.

I fell for the blond dude in a heartbeat.

Holy Leo DeCaprio, he’s hot! I fell for that blond in a heartbeat.


Speaking of pet peeves, do you ever read an early work of yours and cringe? Adverb abuse was rampant in my debut novel, romantic suspense With Good Behavior. So I edited the hell out of it and we re-launch it on 8/14/17.

If you have a moment to share my re-release the week of 8/14, signups are HERE. Thanks!
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One Lesson I’ve Learned as a Writer #IWSG #amwriting

Jennifer Lane

Happy July to All Writers! Hop on the Insecure Writers Support Group train HERE.


How is your writing? Mine has grown less and less frequent over the years. But I AM still writing! I’m excited about my romantic suspense WIP–it’s just that my day job has grown in scope and I don’t write if I travel on the weekends. 

As I write this post, I’m in Nashville, visiting a good friend who moved here recently. We cooked quite a few dishes for his brother’s July 4th party, including spicy grits, pimento dip, banana pudding, spiked lemonade, and red velvet brownie stars.


IWSG Question: What is one valuable lesson you’ve learned since you started writing?


I could fill pages with all I’ve learned since I started writing ten years ago, but I’ll narrow it down to this:

Use punchy action verbs instead of adverbs.

Instead of Joe ran quickly … Joe dashed.

Instead of She looked frantically through her purse … She rummaged through her purse.

My debut novel, With Good Behavior, was full of adverbs and bloated writing. I sliced 30,000 words and my publisher will re-release the tighter version soon. I cut the book down to its fighting weight!

Check out this pdf by Deanna Carlyle, 1000 Verbs to Write By.

Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh and this month’s Co-Hosts:

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#IWSG Where the Book Has No Name

Jennifer Lane

Happy June to all writers! Join us for our monthly support group at Alex J Cavanaugh’s BLOG.


I’m about halfway through my romantic suspense WIP, Twin Sacrifice. It’s a crime drama involving twin brothers. My sister says she doesn’t like the title. What’s your honest reaction to “Twin Sacrifice”?

This past weekend was so fun. Attending a U2 concert has been on my bucket list since The Joshua Tree released when I was a teenager, and I finally got to go!!! I saw U2 at Soldier Field with my editor Jessica, and wrote with my critique partner Bev the next day, all in the great city of Chicago. Check out my Facebook video of the spellbinding introduction to Where the Streets Have No Name HERE.

Question of the month: Did you ever say “I quit”? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?


I started this writing thing in 2007, and I haven’t stopped yet. Writing has been the outlet I never knew I needed, and I’ve met such lovely (and crazy) people. But after I publish my WIP, I might take a break since I don’t have an idea for a new book brewing.

Check out this month’s kickbutt co-Hosts:

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#IWSG Weird, Cool #Writing Research

Jennifer Lane


Happy May to all writers!


Pop over to Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group.

Today’s co-hosts: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone!

How’s your writing? I’m about 40% done with my romantic suspense WIP, Twin Sacrifice. Thank you to my awesome critique partner, Nicki Elson, for her tremendous help.

I love this month’s IWSG question:

What’s the weirdest/coolest thing you’ve researched for a story?

So many weird/cool topics to choose from! I know quite a few writers like me hope our internet search histories don’t alert the authorities to possible subversive behavior. Here are my highlights:

* Building bomb triggers

* Layout of rooms in the White House

* Effects of Rohypnol (Roofies) on the body

* How to get a gun through airport security

And my most fun research? Taking a Chicago architectural cruise.

I look forward to hearing what funky stuff you’ve researched!

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#IWSG Dusting Off Old Manuscripts

Jennifer Lane


Happy March Insecure Writers Support Group!


Hop over to Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us.

Co-Hosts:


I’m late to post this month because work has been so busy and my friends are going through some big changes. One friend’s husband just died, and another good friend (my swimming buddy) is moving to Nashville. *sad face* But it’s good to hang with my writer pals in the support group!

March IWSG Day Question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?


Well, I’m actually doing that right now so the outcome is yet to be seen. I started a romantic suspense novel titled Twin Sacrifice back in 2009, and I’m dusting it off to rework it. I haven’t had much time to write lately but I hope to get cranking soon.

Write on, friends!

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#IWSG How Does Writing Affect Your Reading?

Jennifer Lane


Welcome to February’s edition of Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. Hop on board at Alex’s blog!


How was your January? I had to replace my furnace/AC/water heater and let’s just say I’m relieved I don’t have to survive on my measly author income after getting that bill. Luckily the system died when we had unseasonably warm temperatures in Ohio.

Are you ready for Singles Awareness Day on February 14th?


February Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

Positive change: A greater appreciation for well-written books.

Negative change: Less enjoyment of many books. Before starting as a writer, I didn’t notice misspellings (like blond/blonde) or excessive verbiage. In the past, I skipped over cliches and telling instead of showing. Now those errors disgust me.

I feel fortunate fellow authors had the patience to read my debut novel, considering all my fledgling writer mistakes. I just re-edited With Good Behavior and chopped off 33,000 words, yahoo! The manuscript is with my publisher for a copy edit before we re-release it.

Speaking of revising, my website is over six years old and in need of an overhaul. Any web designers you’d recommend?

Thank you to this month’s co-hosts:

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#IWSG Writing Rules

Jennifer Lane


Happy New Year! Time for January’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.


Join us! Sign up at creator Alex Cavanaugh’s website.

How’s your writing? I decided to re-edit my debut novel, With Good Behavior. It’s taking me a long time because it’s so bad! Adverb abuse abounds.

JANUARY 4TH QUESTION: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?


Since I got into this writing thing as a lark, I haven’t been big on rules.

One rule I wish I followed more was to limit adverbs. *see above*

But one rule I wish I’d never heard?


My day job as a psychologist doesn’t leave me the time or energy to write every day, and all this “rule” does is to jack up guilt. 

I agree that writing is a muscle–the more we write, the better we get. But we each need to find our own writing schedule.

I mostly write on weekends, and that works for me. 
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#IWSG Finding Time to Write in a Busy Day

Jennifer Lane

Welcome to September’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh’s BLOG.

This month’s question…

How do you find time to write in your busy day?

My answer?

I don’t. I don’t write on the weekdays because my psychologist job takes too much out of me. Today I trained a new employee followed by seven straight psychotherapy clients, and combined with a workout, I barely have the energy to write a blog post, much less a book chapter!

But the weekends are another matter. I try to write a 4,000-word chapter each weekend. Therefore it takes me about 8 months to complete a novel. Some weekends I devote to other fun and enriching activities like travel.

Since I finished my latest novel SPIKED (Blocked #3) in late July, I’ve been chilling on the weekends. It’s been low-key but also a tad boring. I’m jonesing to start writing a new project soon.

If you’d like to share a release post for Spiked on 10-1-16, please email me at jenniferlanebooks at gmail and I’ll send you the html. 

Happy writing! May we all eke out more time for our craft.

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#IWSG First to Last Piece of #Writing

Jennifer Lane

Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group, August edition. Alex Cavanaugh leads the band of fledgling, fun writers. Join us HERE.


And now for the two-part IWSG question of the month!
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer?

I never anticipated becoming a writer. But when my psychologist career took a downturn in 2007, I got hooked on the TV show Prison Break. The dark themes and conspiracy theories of the show echoed my own gloom at the time, I guess. I stumbled across a section on the Fox discussion board: Fan Fiction. “What’s this?” I thought. I read some stories and shook my head. “What LOSERS are writing stories about TV characters?”

Fast forward a couple of months and I started writing my own fan fiction! The first piece was laughable in its inept writing. I was lucky for kind TV fans who encouraged me. I decided to write a Prison Break story about what I knew: swimming. My writing style was bloated, but some readers gave me positive feedback about the plot and characterization.

Years later, I reworked the story with my publisher. We cut over 70,000 words and published the story as my third novel: Streamline. It’s a military murder mystery centering around my favorite sport of swimming.


(I can’t BELIEVE my beloved TV show returns in 2017, yaaayyyyy!)
 
I just finished writing my seventh novel, SPIKED (Blocked #3). I believe my writing has become tighter, and I can’t wait for Spiked to launch on 10-1-16. Once again this story features swimming, so I’ve come full circle. We shared the cover reveal two days ago.

Happy writing to all!

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#IWSG Pinterinspiration #Pinterest #Writing #Inspiration

Jennifer Lane

Happy May, writers. Time to discuss our hopes and fears. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh’s blog. The amazing co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG will be Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris!


We writers find inspiration in the strangest places. For me, Pinterest is top on my list. I’m addicted to Pinterest, I must admit.

I like to create a Pinterest board when writing to collect images and websites that relate to the story.

For my work in progress SPIKED (Blocked #3), I’ve pinned these images:

1) Volleyball T-shirts (the heroine from Blocked has quite a collection)




2) Bad pickup lines (How Mateo gets Jessica to laugh)




What inspires YOUR writing? What’s the worst pickup line you’ve heard?