IWSG: Imagine Life as a Writer

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.

NOVEMBER QUESTION - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

MY ANSWER: When I was really young, I was a huge SUPERMAN fan and I thought I would be the next Lois Lane (without being fooled by men wearing glasses :-) As I got older, I discovered ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and thought I would be the next Woodward or Bernstein. Clearly, I had a nostalgic view of myself as the next great journalist. However, as I entered life in first my high school newspaper and then college newspaper, I quickly realized how little glamour (and even less pay) there was - even though I became editor of both. By the time I graduated college and was offered a position with the city newspaper, I realized my passion lies just as much with the teaching of journalism as the actual practice of working in the field. By that time, I had also published a few pieces of poetry and began working as a freelance writer for magazines too. I also started submitting and publishing fiction as well. Today, I continue my passion for teaching and still enjoy writing my own pieces.

How about you? When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

United Press International

Anyone with a background in journalism has spent an indefinite amount of time studying a stylebook such as the United Press International Stylebook.

Stylebooks are a fact of life for writers in mass media. Newspapers, magazines, advertising agencies, and public relations firms all conform to similar guidelines for copy (text).  If you've never studied any of them, they are an agreed upon list or manual of rules to be followed by writers with the ultimate goal of consistency.

In short, it's a set of rules for writers about word usage - common spellings, abbreviations, acronyms, and more.

I mention this today because these manuals offer valuable information for all writers, not just journalists. One of my favorite quotes comes from the United Press International Stylebook. In a description of its purpose, the book defines STYLE as the "intangible ingredient that distinguishes outstanding writing from mediocrity."

Have you ever studied UPI or a similar stylebook? What do you think distinguishes outstanding writing from mediocrity?