The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!
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The awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman,Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!
Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing? I wouldn’t use AI for synopses. The only thing I’ve asked AI to do is generate lists of words. I need lots of superhero and villain names for my characters, and it seems every name under the sun has already been taken by the Marvel and DC universes. I used to get a great idea, search it, see that it’s already taken, get another idea, search it, see that it’s already taken… Frustrating! Now, I ask AI for a list of name leads that have not been claimed. Sometimes when I search the names, one or two is already in use, but most are free. It saves me a ton of time and headaches! The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, SE White,Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!
February 7 question: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books? My Website Turn Offs: difficult to navigate, cluttered When driving, I rely heavily on my GPS so I don’t get lost. Likewise, I don’t want to stop and ask for directions on a website! My Website Turn Ons: neat and tidy design, personality If I can find what I want within seconds of landing on a site, I am happy. I am impressed if I also sense the author’s personality. Two examples of what I mean are Janet Alcorn and Loni Townsend. I hope they don't mind me using them as examples, but I just love their websites, and I must sing their praises. Janet Alcorn Her sense of humor shines in each blog post. Zingers are sprinkled throughout the site, and her memes are delightful. I find her writing style charming and down to earth, and I’m always excited to see what she has to say in the monthly blog hop. Loni Townsend Loni’s site greets visitors with a silly cartoon squirrel and a rhyming tagline: “Nutty Chitter from a Caffeinated Critter.” Right off the bat, I’m engaged and eager to explore. First impressions matter, and my first impression of Loni is that she is fun and creative. What about you? What do like/dislike in author websites? The awesome co-hosts for the January 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Olga Godim, Diedre Knight, and Natalie Aguirre!
January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors? I don’t usually follow on BookBub or Goodreads. There are many things I should do but don’t have the capacity for. I prioritize writing, self promoting, and doing monthly blog posts. And on New Year’s Eve, I prioritize blockbuster movies. That’s right, no partying for me. I prefer to start the year couch-potato-ing. This year I watched disaster movies, and it got me thinking about characters. Specifically, the character of Yuri in 2012 and why he, of all people, was my favorite. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for 2012) The earth is doomed, and only the rich will survive. When we meet Yuri, he’s an obscenely wealthy man who purchases three survival tickets for himself and his twin sons at a cost of 1 billion euros each. He does not purchase a ticket for his girlfriend. A former boxer, Yuri is huge and speaks in a deep voice with a heavy Russian accent. He is not someone you want to mess with. Over the film, he leaves people to die, even those he seemed to care about, like the young boxer he is coaching just before disaster strikes. We are told he pressured his girlfriend to get breast implants against her wishes. His sons are spoiled brats who gloat to the chauffeur that they will live and he will die. There are many reasons we should hate Yuri. However, he has funny lines and moments of character development that make him something more important than likable. He is interesting. In a quiet moment, we see him staring at a photo of his ex-wife. After his pilot dies, he reveals that the pilot and his girlfriend were having an affair. So that’s why he didn’t buy her a ticket. Oh well, he’s still a jerk. Then comes the pivotal moment. Yuri and his two sons are about to miss the last ship. The ramp is going up. One son climbs aboard. The second can’t reach. A chasm gapes before them. Yuri does not hesitate. He hoists son #2 and hurls him aboard with such force that Yuri plummets to his death. It’s not about redemption. Yuri’s a horrible person. But my gosh, that scene lives rent free in my head. The lesson I take from 2012 is the importance of making minor characters interesting. Not everyone has to be good, but they do have to be complex! The awesome co-hosts for the December 6 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose,Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray!
December 6 question: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author? I write reviews primarily for other readers, but I keep in mind that the author may see it as well. If it’s a self-published book or a new author without many reviews, I am especially careful with negative comments. I would hate to be the reason someone loses motivation. With lesser known authors, I feel it’s more likely they may read reviews, so I try to be detailed about what worked and what didn’t. It’s rare for me to give two stars or less. If I hate a book, I DNF early. Who has time to read things they don’t enjoy? And if I couldn’t make it halfway, I feel unqualified to leave a review. So, that’s my M.O. What’s yours? The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG 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. Remember, the question is optional! November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not? I did participate once, and I churned out a book-like creation. It took so long to edit that I swore never to do NaNoWriMo again. I'm better off taking my time and crafting a first draft that doesn't need drastic rewrites. For now, I’m content to squeeze in an hour of writing here and there. What I’m Reading I just started Patrick Stewart’s memoir, Make It So. I’m only on page 86, but I find his early life captivating. Part of me wants to tear through the book to get to his acting career. The other part wants to make it last and savor the journey. It’s gotten me thinking about celebrities who are still with us and what it will be like when they’re gone. People like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, and William Shatner come to mind as some whose loss will hit hard. Leonard Nimoy’s passing felt like the end of an era. Are there any celebrities you can’t imagine the world without? The awesome co-hosts for the October 4 posting of the IWSG are Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG 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. Remember, the question is optional! October 4 question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts? I think AI needs to be carefully regulated. The replacement of writers, artists, and performers is a clear and present danger. Computers already run the world. Putting them in charge of art would be the death of creativity. I’m especially disappointed when I hear of authors using AI-generated cover art. If those in the artistic community don’t stand together, what chance do we have? It’s wishful thinking, but I hope someday the world looks like Star Trek. Even with those advanced computers, art is still celebrated by the humans of the future. On Deep Space 9, the captain’s son became a famous author. That’s a future I’d like to live in. September 6 question: The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?
Wow, 12 years!? Happy birthday IWSG! I joined the group in 2021 near the beginning of my writing journey. I was excited to find other writers for advice, motivation, and to feel like part of a community. In real life, I don't know anyone I can talk to about writing. The blog hop is my favorite thing about the IWSG. I love seeing what everyone else is up to. There are so many different genres and writing styles represented. We are a fun, diverse bunch! My backyard needs to be raked…in July. This leaves me with two questions: Can I start drinking pumpkin spice lattes yet? And Is it back-to-school season yet??? My summer has not been a season of writing. Even this blog post has been a challenge. From 5 am to 8 pm every day since June, my kids are up and yelling “Go, go, go!” Seriously, how do teachers do it? I’ve also been busy planning the kids’ birthday party (which, thankfully, went off without a hitch last weekend). We’ve had tons of fun with play dates, spray parks, etc, but I haven’t touched my book since school ended. I’ve barely even read anything. I’d hoped to publish the third and final installment of my trilogy before Christmas, but…2024 it is. Now, about that pumpkin spice latte… The awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkindale, Diane Burton, Janet Alcorn, and Shannon Lawrence. Go check out their blogs!
I chose not to answer the optional question today. Hope everyone is having a good summer! The awesome co-hosts for the July 5 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre!
July 5 question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from? My dreams don't usually make sense. The ones that do make sense aren't the ones I'd want to write about. Example: Last night, I dreamed about someone who's been hostile to me for years. Let's call her Sarah. Since I can't escape this woman in real life, naturally my brain plunged me into a world where Sarah moved into my guest bedroom. She followed me through my house, criticizing my parenting, clothing, eating habits, you name it. I did not wake up refreshed. The dreams I would want to write about are inspiring because of how they make me feel, not because of the story details. I want to capture the suspense of a chase scene, but I don't want to write about my second grade teacher hunting me through the school while hurling razor-sharp no. 2 pencils. I want to capture the contentment of a hug from a lost loved one, but I don't want to write about my long-dead grandma turning up alive and well. (It was all a big miscommunication with the hospital. The Alzheimer's is gone, and she's still the same age. Also, my dog Bo is in the corner napping. At forty years old, he needs his rest.) My story ideas usually come from movies. When a film has potential but doesn't go where I want, I lie awake stripping it down to the studs and renovating it into my dream book. I revisit it every night, making sure the foundation is solid, decorating every room, and filling it with a new cast of characters. If only I could make myself dream about that! |
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