IWSG: Changing Your Story

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

FEBRUARY QUESTION - Is there a story or book you've written you want to or wish you could go back and change?

MY ANSWER - I always think there could be room for improvement. The truth is, are any of us ever really finished with a piece, even after it's in print? I try not to regret a piece once it's been published. If there is something I realize I don't like after publication, I use that information while working on my future pieces. If I don't feel a piece is ready, I simply don't submit it (usually). There are times I reflect on older work versus newer and feel like "What happened? I used to be fairly good" and other times, I'm like "Wow, I'm glad that is no longer in print". Like any artist, I'm constantly changing moods, experiences, and issues. The quality of my work is often a reflection of this. So, yes, there are times I wish I could change something, but those feelings are generally more directed toward pieces that have not been published yet. If we let ourselves become too engrossed in wanting to change the past, we might not move forward. While it's impossible to live without any regrets, it's more likely we will regret giving up than any failed attempts toward "perfection". So instead, focus on changing your story as it is evolving now. Could you commit more time to writing, to editing, to submitting? If the answer is yes, make that change when and if possible. Everything has a season. I wish you all the best - keep moving forward!

How about you? Is there a story or book you've written you want to or wish you could go back and change?

April Scribbler Box: Improvisation

Some of you may remember a few years ago I tried a subscription box service called Scribbler. If you'd like to learn more about what attracted me to this service, or why I discontinued it after more than a year, please click the link in my "Labels" below.

However, a couple of times since cancelling I've given them another chance. The last time I did so was February 2022, and I was extremely disappointed. Yet, for some unknown reason I had an overwhelming need to try again for their fifth anniversary box. I was pleasantly surprised, and you can read about that box by clicking the tabs below.

So, I decided to try one more time since the April box was a double issue.

First, for those who are not familiar with this service, you can pay a fee (one time, annually, or monthly) to receive shipments of "selected for you material" pertaining to writing. Touted as "The only subscription box for novelists - created by authors, for authors." The monthly box can be purchased for just $27.50 - $29.99. However, don't forget the additional ten dollars or so a month in shipping.

The website claims the box will help novelists do the three most important things: stay motivated, improve craft, and connect with writing professionals. Inside each box is - curated writerly gifts, a new release novel, a revision letter from an editor, an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional, and a collectible "writing passport" from a bestselling author. To learn more: https://www.goscribbler.com/

Upon unwrapping the paper, instead of the customary writing exercise/contest postcard there was a card simply thanking me for continuing to support them. The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a "Writer on Board" magnet, a rainbow scribbler bookmark, a burlap "Write On" pencil pouch, a cookie dough snack, and this month's TWO featured novels (see picture above).

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for the featured author and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Sarah Russo, founder of PAGE ONE media, a boutique literary publicity and marketing firm. The collectible 'Writing Passport' with the featured author discussing the theme of "Improvisation" was included with not one, but two books.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE of the TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR by THE NEW YORK TIMES * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * SLATE* THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER *

Also named one of the BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by Vanity Fair, Time, NPR, The Guardian, Oprah Daily, Self, Vogue, The New Yorker, BBC, Vulture, and many more!

OLIVIA WILDE to direct A24's TV adaptation of THE CANDY HOUSE and A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD!

From one of the most celebrated writers of our time comes an “inventive, effervescent” (Oprah Daily) novel about the memory and quest for authenticity and human connection.

The Candy House opens with the staggeringly brilliant Bix Bouton, whose company, Mandala, is so successful that he is “one of those tech demi-gods with whom we’re all on a first name basis.” Bix is forty, with four kids, restless, and desperate for a new idea, when he stumbles into a conversation group, mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalizing” memory. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, “Own Your Unconscious”—which allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share your memories in exchange for access to the memories of others—has seduced multitudes.

In the world of Egan’s spectacular imagination, there are “counters” who track and exploit desires and there are “eluders,” those who understand the price of taking a bite of the Candy House. Egan introduces these characters in an astonishing array of narrative styles—from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter, and a chapter of tweets. Intellectually dazzling, The Candy House is also a moving testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for connection, family, privacy, and love.

This timely, moving debut novel follows a teen's efforts to keep his family together as his parents face deportation.

Mateo Garcia and his younger sister, Sophie, have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico started to fade. Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long, they have American-born children, and they're hard workers and good neighbors. When Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken by ICE, he realizes that his family's worst nightmare has become a reality. With his parents' fate and his own future hanging in the balance, Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of, all as he's forced to question what it means to be an American.

Daniel Aleman's Indivisible is a remarkable story—both powerful in its explorations of immigration in America and deeply intimate in its portrait of a teen boy driven by his fierce, protective love for his parents and his sister.

What about you? Have you read anything from these authors? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

March Scribbler Box: Taking Chances

Some of you may remember a few years ago I tried a subscription box service called Scribbler. If you'd like to learn more about what attracted me to this service, or why I discontinued it after more than a year, please click the link in my "Labels" below.

However, a couple of times since cancelling I've given them another chance. The last time I did so was February 2022, and I was extremely disappointed. Yet, for some unknown reason I had an overwhelming need to try again for their fifth anniversary box. Maybe I was feeling nostalgic, maybe I was hoping for a surprise, or maybe I was simply going through withdrawals because it had been weeks since I'd stepped into an actual bookstore.

No matter the reason, I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it is ironic that this month's theme is "Taking Chances".

First, for those who are not familiar with this service, you can pay a fee (one time, annually, or monthly) to receive shipments of "selected for you material" pertaining to writing. Touted as "The only subscription box for novelists - created by authors, for authors." The monthly box can be purchased for just $27.50 - $29.99. However, don't forget the additional ten dollars or so a month in shipping.

The website claims the box will help novelists do the three most important things: stay motivated, improve craft, and connect with writing professionals. Inside each box is - curated writerly gifts, a new release novel, a revision letter from an editor, an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional, and a collectible "writing passport" from a bestselling author. To learn more: https://www.goscribbler.com/

Two things I noticed upon receiving this latest box. First, the box had a slight change. It's still the same typical brown box with their logo and design. However, this month the text was in all white instead of the usual black. While that's not a huge deal for me, it was an interesting touch to celebrate an anniversary. The second thing I noticed upon opening the box was the missing confetti packing. This was a wonderful surprise for me. I've always hated the messy confetti packing strips. This time, they simply wrapped the items in a tissue paper sporting their logo.

Upon unwrapping the paper, instead of the customary writing exercise/contest postcard there was a card simply thanking me for continuing to support them. The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a shiny typewriter sticker, a "READ" pin with an interesting skeleton/guitar image, a magnet with a quote by Erasmus, a package of Gary Poppins popcorn, a waterproof notebook (yes, even the paper is supposed to be waterproof), this month's featured novel, and an individually published copy of a stand-alone prequel short story (see picture above).

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this featured author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Jill Marr, Literary Agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. I've met Jill Marr at a few conventions and always welcome a chance to hear her speak. The collectible 'Writing Passport' with the featured author discussing the theme of "Taking Chances" was included with not one, but two books by Beth Revis. Well, one novel and one stand-alone short story prequel. 

I was so excited to see this because I've been wanting to read this author for several months now following the recommendation of her work from several friends. I actually had her newest release in my Amazon cart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels, this new adventure is the perfect blend of history, fairy lore, and will-they-or-won't-they tension.

Emmi Castor grew up in a small town near Salem. Her home is centuries old, originally built by an ancestor renowned for witchcraft. Her grandfather converted the house into the Museum of Magic, collecting the arcane and putting it on display for all to see. But Emmi knows one thing for absolute certain…

Magic is not real.

But then a fae boy named Puck appears inside her house, the broken remains of a centuries-old witch bottle at his feet. At nearly the same time, a Hunter arrives on her doorstep, weapons drawn. Ghostly shadows call to her from the mirror, and Emmi’s grandfather is missing—perhaps kidnapped by nefarious fae, perhaps victim to the those who prey on magic.

History hides the truth.

Puck tells Emmi that she has the power to protect magical beings. He’s fae, but he’s also her only ally, and together, they explore the real-life history of witchcraft mingled with the unknown influence of the fae. Emmi must reconstruct the witch bottle, save her grandfather, and maybe even fall in love…but she has to be careful.

You can never trust the fae.

This is truly a story told like no other--the author wrote the text one chapter at a time in conjunction with reader votes, dice roles, tarot card pulls, and other forms of chance! The end result is a fun, unexpected romp where you never know what will happen next...but other than the fictional main characters, all the history and lore in the book is based on real events, archives, and texts.

What about you? Have you read anything from this author? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

February Scribbler Box: Romance

Some of you may remember that about two years ago I tried a subscription box service called Scribbler. If you'd like to learn more about what attracted me to this service, or why I discontinued it after more than a year, please click the link in my "Labels" below.

However, one theme I always regretted they did not offer a focus on was romance. In February this year, they finally offered it. I felt the timing was perfect as I had just discovered my YA short romance "Paper Faces" will be published this summer. I excitedly ordered the box, and anxiously awaited the end of the month when the themed treasure would arrive. 

To say I was disappointed is a mild statement.

First, for those who are not familiar with this service, you can pay a fee (one time, annually, or monthly) to receive shipments of "selected for you material" pertaining to writing. Touted as "The only subscription box for novelists - created by authors, for authors." The monthly box can be purchased for just $27.50 - $29.99. However, don't forget the additional ten dollars or so a month in shipping.

The website claims the box will help novelists do the three most important things: stay motivated, improve craft, and connect with writing professionals. Inside each box is - curated writerly gifts, a new release novel, a revision letter from an editor, an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional, and a collectible "writing passport" from a bestselling author. To learn more: https://www.goscribbler.com/

So, why was I disappointed? I mentioned before that I had discontinued the service a year or so ago. I did not feel the value of what I received matched the cost I put into it each month. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed SOME of the books and liked SOME of the gifts that came in the boxes, but much of it was not something I wanted (I don't drink coffee, collect pins to wear on my person, or some of what I felt was wasteful nonsense). 

Yet, I was genuinely enthusiastic about this box. I had enjoyed some of the other themes. The writerly gifts usually tie into the theme of that month by genre, holiday, or the book itself. This month did not. I wanted to LOVE the romance box. I didn't. 

As always, the first thing you see upon opening the box is a writing exercise/contest postcard. Each month provides a new challenge for writers to practice. The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a pencil pouch with a text conversation format reading "what are you up to?!" and a reply of "oh you know...writing", a package of cocoa mix, brown pencils, and a pin with a pie chart of the writing process (see picture above). None of this is related to the theme of romance and it felt like a missed opportunity as well as a rip off of expectations.

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this featured author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Jessica Tribble, Senior Editor at Thomas & Mercer, the collectible 'Writing Passport' with the author discussing the theme and the book which I am not overly excited about either.

The new release included this month: Digging Up Love (Taste of Love) by Chandra Blumberg

Alisha Blake works her magic in the kitchen, creating delectable desserts for her grandfather’s restaurant in rural Illinois. Though Alisha relishes the close relationship she has with her family, she can’t help but dream about opening a cookie shop in Chicago. She may be a small-town baker, but Alisha has big ambitions.

Then a dinosaur bone turns up in her grandparents’ backyard. When paleontologist Quentin Harris arrives to see the discovery for himself, he’s hoping that the fossil will distract him from a recent painful breakup. Instead, he finds Alisha―and sparks fly. The big-city academic and the hometown baker seem destined for a happily ever after.

But Alisha is scared to fall in love. And Quentin’s trying to make a name for himself in a competitive field, which gets even more complicated when the press shows up at the dig site. For love to prevail, the two may have to put old bones aside―and focus on the future.

So, what do you think? Am I overreacting? Am I being too picky? Have you read anything from this author? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

IWSG: Letting a Manuscript Rest Before Editing

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JUNE QUESTION - For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?

MY ANSWER - It depends on my connection to the piece, my mood, and what editors are looking for at the time of completion. For example, one of the pieces I published with Chicken Soup for the Soul was actually a story I had written for another purpose some 20 years before, and edited multiple times. Another piece they published, I actually wrote and submitted a first draft to them  - and received an acceptance within a couple of weeks (this rarely happens). I have some manuscripts that have sat waiting in my desk, or computer, for a decade or more because I know they are not ready - and neither am I. Some manuscripts have been accepted almost immediately upon reception. I think there is a combination of confidence in the tale, your readiness to part with the piece as is, and an editors desires or needs, that determines how long until you edit, and how many drafts you need before publication.

How about you? How long do you wait before editing?

December Scribbler Box: Cliffhangers

The December box from Scribbler has arrived. You can learn about previous boxes, and why I subscribed by clicking the "Scribbler" link in the labels below.

This month the box offers coverage of the theme: CLIFFHANGERS.

As always, the first thing you see upon opening the box is a writing exercise/contest postcard. Each month provides a new challenge for writers to practice. The deadline for this month is January 13. 

The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a tote with the image of trees growing out of an open book and the words "Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be", a box of dried fruit, a keychain with the image of a typewriter, and a fountain pen.

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this months author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Elise Kova, a USA Today bestselling author..

Also included  is the collectible 'Writing Passport' with the author discussing this months theme of  CLIFFHANGERS.

This months new release:

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in an all-new fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for—the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

Have you read anything from this author? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

November Scribbler Box: Structure

The November box from Scribbler has arrived. You can learn about previous boxes, and why I subscribed by clicking the "Scribbler" link in the labels below.

This month the box offers coverage of the theme: STRUCTURE.

As always, the first thing you see upon opening the box is a writing exercise/contest postcard. Each month provides a new challenge for writers to practice. The deadline for this month is December 13. 

The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a collection of fabric thumbtacks, a pin with the words "Ask Me About My Novel", a coaster that looks like a record and reads "Replaying my Plots and Thoughts", a coupon for 50% off a tea subscription box, and three different flavors of hot chocolate mixes: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and chocolate mint.

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this months author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Author & Web Designer, Pauline Wiles.

Also included  is the collectible 'Writing Passport' with the author discussing this months theme of  STRUCTURE.

This months new release:

Loch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper’s daughter Flora’s remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird’s son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed.

Decades later, Flora’s daughter, singer Lexie Gordon, is forced to return to the village and to the tiny cottage where she grew up. Having long ago escaped to the bright lights of the West End, London still never truly felt like home. Now back, with a daughter of her own, Lexie learns that her mother—and the hostile-seeming village itself—have long been hiding secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew.

As she pieces together the fragments of her parents’ story, Lexie discovers the courageous, devastating sacrifices made in her name. It’s too late to rekindle her relationship with her mother, but can Lexie find it in her heart to forgive the past, to grieve for all that’s lost, and finally find her place in the world?

Have you read anything from this author? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

October Scribbler Box: Outlining

The October box from Scribbler has arrived. You can learn about previous boxes, and why I subscribed by clicking the "Scribbler" link in the labels below (although I did take a break).

This month the box offers coverage of the theme: OUTLINING.

As always, the first thing you see upon opening the box is a writing exercise/contest postcard. Each month provides a new challenge for writers to practice. The deadline for this month is November 13. 

The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a wooden sign with the words "YOU CAN" upon it, a bag of colorful vanilla flavored popcorn, a magnet with a writing quote, a notepad for daily writing goals, and a sheet of writing inspired stickers

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this months author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Literary Agent Abby Saul.

Also included  is the collectible 'Writing Passport' with the author discussing this months theme of  OUTLINING.

This months new release:

A shocking thriller by the bestselling author of Girls of Glass.

It seems like an open-and-shut case for FBI special agent Lucy Thorne when Eliza Cook walks into the field office. The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it?

To find the answer, Lucy goes to the scene of the crime in the small Idaho town of Knox Hollow. But Lucy’s questions are only mounting. Especially when she’s drawn deeper into the life of the victim. Then a combing of the woods yields unsettling evidence that Eliza isn’t the only one in this close-knit rural community with secrets.

Getting to the truth is becoming Lucy’s obsession. And it’s a dangerous one. Because for the good folks of Knox Hollow, hiding that truth will take more than silence.

Have you read anything from this author? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

July Scribbler Box: Conflict and Chemistry

The July box from Scribbler has arrived. You can learn about previous boxes, and why I subscribed by clicking the "Scribbler" link in the labels below.

This month the box offers a double theme: Conflict and Chemistry.

As always, the first thing you see upon opening the box is a writing exercise/contest postcard. Each month provides a new challenge for writers to practice. The deadline for this month is August 13th. 

The "Curated Writerly Gifts" this month include a "the WRITE stuff" patch to sew onto a fabric of your choice, a "Character Notes" pad, an invitation to the SCRIBBLER editorial service, and a third book THE CURE FOR WRITER'S BLOCK by Andrew Mayne - one of the two authors highlighted this month. 

As usual, this box also came with an inside look at the publishing process for this months author, and an exclusive invitation to chat with a publishing professional: Agent, Erica Silverman.

Also included  are two collectible 'Writing Passports' with the author(s) discussing this months themes of CONFLICT and CHEMISTRY.

This months new releases include:

THE ROGUE KING by Abigail Owen.

Kasia Amon is a master at hiding. Who―and what―she is makes her a mark for the entire supernatural world. Especially dragon shifters. To them, she's treasure to be taken and claimed. A golden ticket to their highest throne. But she can't stop bursting into flames, and there's a sexy dragon shifter in town hunting for her...
 
As a rogue dragon, Brand Astarot has spent his life in the dark, shunned by his own kind, concealing his true identity. Only his dangerous reputation ensures his survival. Delivering a phoenix to the feared Blood King will bring him one step closer to the revenge he's waited centuries to take. No way is he letting the feisty beauty get away.
 

AND...

THE GIRL BENEATH THE SEA by Andrew Mayne

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

For a Florida police diver, danger rises to the surface in an adventurous thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Naturalist.

Coming from scandalous Florida treasure hunters and drug smugglers, Sloan McPherson is forging her own path, for herself and for her daughter, out from under her family’s shadow. An auxiliary officer for Lauderdale Shores PD, she’s the go-to diver for evidence recovery. Then Sloan finds a fresh kill floating in a canal—a woman whose murky history collides with Sloan’s. Their troubling ties are making Sloan less a potential witness than a suspect. And her colleagues aren’t the only ones following every move she makes. So is the killer.

Stalked by an assassin, pitted against a ruthless cartel searching for a lost fortune, and under watch within her ranks, Sloan has only one ally: the legendary DEA agent who put Sloan’s uncle behind bars. He knows just how deep corruption runs—and the kind of danger Sloan is in. To stay alive, Sloan must stay one step ahead of her enemies—both known and unknown—and a growing conspiracy designed to pull her under.

But when Kasia sparks a white-hot need in him that's impossible to ignore, Brand begins to form a new plan: claim her for himself...and take back his birthright.

Have you read anything from these authors? Do you subscribe to any boxing services? What do you recommend? Have you heard of SCRIBBLER? Are you tempted to join?

IWSG: Titles, or names?

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive.Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JUNE QUESTION: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

MY ANSWER: I have a harder time with character names than titles. To me, writing a title is mostly easy. I simply base it on the topic (maybe I've written too many essays, research papers, and thesis) and that carries over to my fiction writing as well. However, character names cause me no end of issues. After being a teacher for so many years, nearly each name reminds me of a specific student and my fictional characters then become irritating, lovable, demanding, full of folly, etc. as I am subconsciously thinking of at least one student with that name. There have been several instances when I, or a beta reader, have been editing and caught glaring character personality changes due to this. The old adage "Careful, or you'll end up in my book" is extremely true for educators.