Once a month, we're all insecure...

Welcome, once again, to my blog on this very important day of the month. Today, once again, we celebrate the writerly community that is the

www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Please do go on over there and say hi to our fantastically wonderful hosts - for today, that's Julie Flanders, Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner - and all the other insecure writers out there. 

As for me, my blog and I have been around quite a while but here's what I'm insecure about: I haven't really had time to write - or blog - lately, thanks to the usual real life diversions. 

Mr Muse is rather offended with me right now. In fact, he's contemplating a move to another continent - at least that's what it feels like. I think we all have phases (it is a phase, right? RIGHT??) like this, times when we just can't get down to the nitty gritty of it. 

Here's hoping that autumn will improve my writerly woes....

Insecure in June

(please check out the website for all the hosts and participants!)
www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Hello my dearies!

It's that time of the month again, my writerly friends - it's the first Wednesday of the month and we're all insecure together again.

Well, I'm certainly plenty insecure... I have been so busy with 'life' that I haven't been writing at all. Story ideas run through my head, I make brief notes on random post-its (I'm a GREAT fan of post-its), but it never gets any further than that.

Will I ever be able to finish a story? (Properly!) I'm starting to think I may not.

Hey people!

I'm alive!!!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HA

Ha

ahem.

So...you may have notice (or not) that I haven't been around much lately. Today, however, you can find me over on the Relentless Writers' blog, talking about The Rhythm of a Good Book!

Wanna come on over and say hi?

Oh, and I also talk a very little bit about my new favourite book,

too. 

(I shall also be reviewing it later this week right here on my very own blog)

Toodles, and I do love you guys, 

It's that time of the month again... welcome, IWSG-ists!

Hello and welcome, my dearies!

How have you been? I've been quite well, but busy busy busy busy... I don't know what it is about spring, but there's been something going on all the time.

Mostly something that did not involve myself and a pen, or myself and a keyboard, or myself and anything remotely resembling writing implements. Now there's something to feel insecure about - I have not, in fact, written anything significant at all since the end of NaNoWriMo last year.

I'm not sure I still can. I do have all these stories in my head - they're still there - but I am more and more doubtful that they'll ever see the light of day, or the ink on paper...you get the gist of it, I'm sure.

There, that's my major insecurity of the month. How are you guys and girls doing? Have you been writing lately or has your Muse taken a holiday? Are you suffering the dreaded Blank Page Phobia, perhaps? Or is all well in your writerly world?

If you have time between writing chapters and torturing characters, please do go say hi to a couple of other Insecure Writers. You can find them, along with the wonderful hosts, on the Insecure Writer's Support Group website HERE.

All the best,

Insecure Writers in February...

www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Hello and welcome to my blog, my dearies!!


This is the first time I'm writing anything this month, and that's more than enough to be insecure about. At least for me it is.... *sigh*

I'm not quite sure what's wrong with me but I'm not quite THERE these days, in a writerly sense. I can't seem to get my mind in the game or on the game or even onto the sidelines.

What do you do when the muse just doesn't strike? I've tried going for a run, walking, sitting in a coffee and just staring at people, but it just isn't getting me anywhere.

Where I am right now...

Hello my dearies!

I just wrote a blog post... but not any blog post! This post is my first for the Relentless Writers Blog!! I'm part of the Relentless Writers group since we all shared the NaNoWriMo experience in 2014. We've been sharing writing experiences ever since, and have decided to share what we've figured out or are puzzled about with you, our dearest readers! MY dearest readers, which means YOU RIGHT THERE!  

Go on over and have a look....

Hello my name is _________

Let me know what you think : )

Sunday Quote - How To Write a Damn Good Thriller

"Villains (...) are self-centred creeps." (p. 41) 

I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore reading books on writing. I think I'd be reading them even if I wasn't writing myself - it's just so very interesting to see how stories are built, how they can be constructed (and deconstructed) one element at a time. James Frey is excellent at explaining how stories work, why they work, and - more importantly - when and why they do not work. I've read a few of his books and they are all brilliant (How to write a damn good...). If you like reading books about writing, these are definitely a good bet!

Sunday Quote - The Still by David Feintuch

"Look upon me, and rue your treason!"

The Still is one of my all-time favourite books. David Feintuch is a great writer (I'm also rather partial to his sci-fi series, the Seafort Saga), and his books are of the kind I pick up again and again. In fact, I've read The Still so many times I had to go out and buy another copy because my original one was falling apart.

The book itself is the coming-of-age story of Prince Rodrigo of Caledon, a rather unlikable, arrogant fellow who nonetheless grew on me - he's flawed, there's no question about that, a spoiled brat, definitely, but he's not without redeeming qualities. When events thrust upon him the need to grow up and become a man rather faster than he ever wanted to, he needs to learn to step up and take his place. It's a rather painful, sometimes cringe-worthy process, and I'm still not entirely sure if one can consider Rodrigo a good man at the end of it, but that's part of what I like about the story. He's not perfect, and probably never will be - but things happen, and he changes in spite of himself.

This book is not lyrical, it's not pretty, it's not perfect, nor does it have the dark, almost cruel edge of many modern fantasy novels. It's classic in style and easy to read, and I will no doubt pick it up again one day. Another plus: it's not part of a long series of books, though there is a sequel (The King ).

Insecure in the New Year

www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

(please do go check out the wonderfully informative and supportive website and 

follow the links to other Insecure Writers out there!)

It's the first Wednesday of the new year today, which means that it's time to welcome all you fellow insecure writers out there and most definitely time to say hi to all of you out there who are in the same boat I've boarded many many years ago...

But first things first....

Happy New Year!!!!

How did you spend your holidays this year (or rather last year)? I spent New Year's Eve in London this year, at a Vintage New Year Party, having a great time with my friends. I bought up with old university and school buddies, visited my old haunts and did a great bit load of sale shopping.

The one thing I did not do, although it preyed on my mind constantly, is write. The new year, it seems starts much as the old one ended - with me doubting myself, not able to believe myself capable of putting pen to paper in any constructive sort of way. There are scenes and dialogues bumping around inside my head (par for the course, that) but I have yet to write a word that's non-job-related this year. So, I'm insecure as H to start with the writing again. It's not exactly the dreaded Blank Page Phenomenon, but still, there's butterflies the size of planes and as vicious as wet wasps buzzing around in my stomach whenever I think of opening my notebook.

How about you guys? How are you doing so far this year?


ps. I'm also insecure about the fact that I'm incapable of keeping my blogging up at the moment. I keep meaning to fix a schedule and keep to it, but somehow, it's not working.