The Mother of Insecurity: IWSG 5/2021
This weekend is Mother's Day. Be sure to get your mom something nice!
And that statement demonstrates my insecurity for this month. As soon as I typed that line, I thought...someone might be offended by it. Perhaps I should add a few modifiers, such as:
Get your mother something nice if she's alive. If she has passed, like my sweet mom, do something nice in her honor. Or maybe you're mother is undeserving. Maybe she's a total b who put cigarettes out on you. In that case, feel free to use that gift money for something nice for yourself because you obviously raised yourself. Or maybe it wasn't you who raised yourself, but instead a mother-like figure who picked up the job. In that case, send her something nice.
You're probably thinking I'm way overthinking this. All of that for a simple Happy Mother's Day? Ridiculous, right? But that's my problem this month...that little voice in my head that constantly reminds me that every line written, no matter how innocently intended might carry a sticking point that might offend someone somewhere. It ruins the spontaneity of writing, and second-guessing every line is an insecurity maker.
What kind of writer are you? Bold and undaunted, or a worry wart like myself?
This month's IWSG question: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect? If so, did it surprise you? I am always amazed by the readers who know my books better than I do. I'll do book chats and I'll not remember the plots, but they do. My only excuse for my failing is to admit that stories are lies and it's hard it is to remember all the lies I've told over the years.
The next IWSG Anthology is available!
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology
Discover dark matter’s secrets…
What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?
Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter.
Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99v Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies / Space Exploration / Genetic Engineering
Artificial - Stephanie Espinoza Villamor
Space Folds and Broomsticks - C.D. Gallant-King
Rift – Kim Mannix
The Utten Mission – Steph Wolmarans
Sentient – Tara Tyler
One to Another – Deniz Bevan
Resident Alien - Charles Kowalski
Nano Pursuit – Olga Godim
Resurgence – Elizabeth Mueller
Vera’s Last Voyage – Mark Alpert
LINKS: Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Nobel, and Goodreads
The Seventh Annual IWSG Anthology Contest! And I'm so excited. I've been
Guidelines and rules:
Word count: 5000-6000
Genre: Sweet Romance
Theme: First Love
Submissions accepted: May 7 - September 1, 2021
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group. You must belong to at least one aspect of the IWSG to enter.
Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint, Freedom Fox Press, next year in the IWSG anthology. (Please see their site for general submission guidelines.) Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.
This is our seventh anthology contest! In addition to Dark Matter: Artificial, previous titles include Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Hero Lost, The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Parallels: Felix Was Here.
This has been another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! .
The awesome co-hosts for the May 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine!
