IWSG for April
Happy IWSG Day!
It's a good time to remind ourselves that success, especially when it happens to other people, seems so easy. But like the social media posts of the perfectly deluded, it's a lie. Nothing worth having comes easy. Rewriting a sentence a hundred times doesn't mean you suck. It means you're relentlessly pursuing your craft.
IWSG Day Question: If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be? I suppose if I could use wish magic for one chapter only, it would be the first chapter because without a good first chapter, there's little hope of making it to the second.
IWSG News!
Coming Soon:
Coming Soon!
Masquerade: Oddly Suited
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology
Find love at the ball…
Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual Traveler or a virtual date to the ball?
Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…
And since the IWSG isn't made up of slackers, the contest for the next IWSG anthology is about to begin! The official start is May 1st and the genre will be middle grade historical: adventure/fantasy.
Our book selection for April/May is:
Method Acting for Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers by Lisa-Hall Wilson
Interested in learning how to write in deep point of view? Join us in reading our April/May selection!
Discussion Day will be on May 22. Join Us on the Goodreads book club discussion page.
And there's this:
Don't forget the next WEP challenge is in April, with the theme Jewel Box. Sign up April 1, post April 17.
We are partnering with DIY MFA this spring to bring you a great program for writers.
Before we announce details, we’ll be sharing several of their learning videos.
The first one is Episode 234: A Master Class on Character — Interview with David Corbett.
Check it out and be watching next month for details about the program.
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Happy IWSG Day Elizabeth. Yes, the first chapter is tough for me too. It's the balance between introducing the world and providing a hook too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt can be a devil. The most exciting chapter at the start and the most frustrating by the end.
DeleteBecause we aren't slackers - funny! Yes, that is a heck of a lot going on.
ReplyDeleteYou keep us hopping!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteWhat I especially like about your post today is the chart plotting the way to success. You're so right when you say that most people don't see and can't even imagine what is behind the success that a writer receives, and that is so in most of the creative arts. Your chart was a reminder to me to keep at it. Thanks.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Almost any story of success has years of hard work as its back story. Good to see you, Pat! Happy spring :)
DeleteYes, I struggle with the first chapter too for the reasons you mention. It is so crucial to hook your reader in chapter one. Loved the image at the top of your post. It says it all about all the work that goes into writing.
ReplyDeleteThe first chapter is like the problem child that takes up all the attention. LOL
DeleteGood point about success. I think referring to huge bestselling novels as "first novels" is part of the problem. Rare is the author who doesn't have quite a few early efforts that will never see the light of day. This perpetuates the myth that someone can be hugely successful their very first time putting pen to paper.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. In On Writing by Stephen King, he said he put a long roofing nail in the wall and figured he'd quit once the nail was filled with rejections. Eventually, it was so full it was pulling away from the wall. Instead of quitting, he hammered in another nail.
DeleteLove that Iceberg Illusion! So, so true. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteLove the iceberg idea of success! And you're right about how important the first chapter is to the book's success. I usually give a book up to 25 or 30 pages to grab me otherwise I'm on the next book.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
I used to power through mediocre books, but not anymore. Now, I'm like you- three chapters in if I'm not hooked, I'm done.
DeleteThat's the problem. No one sees all the crap that went into achieving that success.
ReplyDeleteIt's like those days where it's suddenly dinner time and I'm still wearing my pajamas and my hair looks like it's more nested than styled...I want to say, I swear, I've been working...you just can't see it!!!
DeleteThe first chapter definitely gets the most attention, especially once you enter the query process.
ReplyDeleteAnd I understand it. They're being as overwhelmed with words as we are. One story after another, waiting for one to grab the attention. Ugh.
DeleteI love the iceberg graphic. So true!
ReplyDeleteIt is a great reminder.
DeleteI love that image. I often remind myself that so-called over night success isn't really over night.
ReplyDeleteI suppose unless you're born into a family who owns a publishing house...that might make for an overnight success. haha
DeleteLots of great things going on!
ReplyDeleteI agree, that first chapter is difficult to nail, but when it happens, it's magic!
Yep. And those first lines. Writers who get them right are like real-life magicians.
DeleteI like the iceberg analogy for success. It's perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think most of life can be understood as being the tip of the iceberg.
DeleteWhat an appropriate, relevant visual. We don't see all the tears below sea level. Thank you, my dear.
ReplyDeleteKeep bringing it into view for us.
Cheers to you.
PS I had delicious fruity drinks in Bali for us. (I don't drink alcohol, but they made me giddy nonetheless.)
It's the fruity part that's the best, anyhow.
DeleteHappy IWSG day! I think success definitely looks like an ice-berg. I have re-written a few sentences like that ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update on the book for next month - I'll update my post.
I haven't started the new book yet, but it looks good.
DeleteMy answer is the 1st chapter too. After that, everything else flows...more or less. There's so much going on in the IWSG world!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike!
DeleteLove the analogy. Great post. Happy IWSG!
ReplyDeleteThanks Juneta.
DeleteLove the iceberg image. So very, painfully true!
ReplyDeleteIt covers most everything in life.
DeleteIWSG is certainly going ahead in leaps and bounds and really producing "the goods". The new anthology sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot going on, that's for sure!
DeleteI love that Iceberg Illusion image and pinned it on the wall in my classroom. The learners are always drawn to the picture.
ReplyDelete"without a good first chapter, there's little hope of making it to the second" That is so true, Elizabeth. Good luck with your first chapter.
ReplyDeleteMay all of your first chapters be stellar too.
DeleteOMG, there is SO much going on right now! I love the iceberg illusion. And I especially liked you saying that just because you write a sentence over and over doesn't mean you suck as a writer! I do prefer to think I'm honing my craft. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSome days, I'll spend forever on a few sentences. It's maddening.
DeleteThat graphic is so true. The end product shows very little of what it takes to get there.
ReplyDeleteIt's too easy to just see the success and chalk it up to luck.
DeleteLife sometimes feels like a giant iceberg, but we just keep trucking :)
ReplyDeleteThe opening is often a hurdle to get over. Once I've done that, I try to plough on. And I don't think success would be enjoyable if it was easy.
ReplyDeleteClever book cover. I'd seen it before but hadn't looked at it closely.
ReplyDelete