#IWSG August '23, #amwriting, #amediting

 Hello readers!

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The awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkinsdale, Diane Burton, Janet Alcorn, and Shannon Lawrence!

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Down to business!

Hope the month of July was a success! Thank you for those who left helpful comments on my last month's IWSG post asking for your writing schedules. Was great. 

I've been writing up a storm. How about you? So much happening - WEP challenge prepared for August 1 with Sonia Dogra, I've extended my Book Funnel sub for another year, so have been preparing book samples for a women's fiction promo which included making mock-up covers on Canva, self-editing said two novels, and sent the Fijian Princess novel to Nas Dean in Fiji. So glad. She found a few bloopers re Fijian bures. Brilliant!

Can Stock Photo of Navala Village where my two main characters sort themselves out.

 CSP is brilliant for images - you pay, but no sign ups etc.

And one reason I've written so much is I head off on a caravan trip to North Queensland, Townsville, to spend 3 weeks with family. Writing is pretty much off the agenda up there!

 

Lots of sunrises and sunsets

Lots of this!

Hopefully some of this!

So above discussion segues into this month's question -

 Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?

Of course. I find it excruciating to let go of my darlings. My leaning is more toward - oh I could have written that better! More pace? Did I really need that chapter? My cover could have been better...etc etc. I'm no stranger to re-writing, buying a new cover...etc, but there's only so much that is useful. When I publish my next two books, I'll have 8 books published. Then...I will go back to the beginning and pay for new covers on my vampire series and jump into promotion again. (Had a hiatus on that while hubs needed more attention). I've proved - no promo, few sales. 

So, have a great August, everyone!

And if you'd like to stretch yourself, here's a sweet idea. Join WEP for the August challenge!

Who's got the sweetest story?

Did you know that WEP is publishing an Anthology in May 2024? Now open for submissions for flash fiction of under 1,000 words. CLICK to learn more.

Another mock up cover made on Canva until we find the main genre in the submissions. Then Olga Godim will put her talents to work!

Have a great month. 

Denise

#IWSG post - #Found #manuscript inspires me!

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A QUICK NOTE FOR BLOGSPOT BLOGGERS INTERESTED IN THE COMMENT DEBACLE WHICH MAY HIT A BLOG NEAR YOU.

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If you're not the patient type, stop reading and keep on using pop-up. 

Many blogspot blogs have had problems with replying to comments due to some Google messing around months ago and the only fix was to return to the old pop-up type comment where you have to do a roll-call of replies in several sessions - ugh - hate that. 

MY FIX:

- Go to Settings and change back to 'embedded' comments.

- To Reply individually to comments, hover over 'Reply'. It will be live, but not quite - wait for the cursor to show the 'hand'. 

- In a little while (this is where patience is required) you'll sing a song of joy when the little 'hand' shows up. (I go read blogs while I wait for this miraculous event).

- Click on Reply again and you can then reply individually. Woo hoo!

(You can't hurry the process but it works!) For me anyway. Check my comments! Just thought I'd share something I've discovered.

Hello there! Welcome to the May 3 IWSG  posting. 

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Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Diane Burton, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour!


Here's the May question. Remember, the question is optional!

May 3 question - When you are working on a story, what inspires you?

Well, this question should be easy to answer, but I found it difficult. Each story inspires in a different way. But I'll tell you something related. In 2013 I worked on a manuscript set in Fiji after spending 6 weeks housesitting for writer friend Nas Dean. 

Cover mocked up on Canva in 5 minutes.

After paying for a full manuscript assessment (and cringing at the results) I was given a romance writing mentor at the Romance Writers of Australia. It all got a bit too exhausting. I felt so insecure it was ridiculous. I couldn't even finish reading the comments from my ms assistants. Stop kidding yourself, Denise, you're no romance writer, I told myself. 

I didn't bin the story, but I left it wallowing on my computer - well, it got carried forward as I've bought 3 new laptops since then.

After telling a writer friend only recently that this manuscript was going nowhere, I was scrolling through my Kindle and by accident or design I started reading this story. Geez, I thought, this is pretty cool. Who wrote this? You guessed it, I was reading one of the iterations of my story I'd uploaded to Kindle years ago when I knew how to do that, LOL.

Long story short, I then hunted for the ms assessment and my mentor's Track Changes document. And voila! It wasn't as bad as I thought! 

I'm editing this baby while my cookery school novel settles. I'll publish both this year! Fijian Princess is my only ever pure romance - most of my work is women's fiction with romantic elements. The romance tropes are there - hero and heroine meet practically on the first page - told from both POVs - Romeo and Juliet story - happily ever after ending! So as soon as it's tidied up, it's off to a romance editor. Then we'll see ...

Feeling so insecure about my writing cost me ten years with this story! But it'll be much better with what I've learned since 2013!

- How about you? Ever come across an old manuscript and see some merit? 

Thanks for coming by! 

I'm heading off on a holiday, driving 1200 klm to North Queensland. I'll be by to comment when I can!

We at WEP are waiting for the winners to be chosen for Life is Beautiful. 

Next challenge in June -  COME WRITE FOR US!