The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers. This group is all about connecting!

The awesome co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove, Chemist Ken, Lee Lowery, and Nancy Gideon!

May 4 question - It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?
​
The best times are when I receive positive feedback. After a contest win or glowing comment from a reader, I could take on the world. My highest high came from the first flash fiction contest I won. Competition was fierce thanks to the prize pack that included $500 cash and a $100 Tim Hortons gift card. It seemed impossible to win, but I entered anyway. An irresistible idea had popped into my mind when I saw the writing prompt.
Like a barista blends dairy and coffee, I blended a meet-cute with Tim Hortons new cold brew beverages. I hit the 500-word limit precisely, making each choice count. After submitting, I daydreamed about the piles of apple fritters the gift card could buy, then I went back to loading laundry into the washer.
The entry period was long enough I forgot about the contest. All my attention was on editing my first novel. When I received the congratulatory email, I jumped and squealed and ran circles around the kitchen island (silently, because my kids were napping). I CAN write! They like me; they really like me! Apple Fritters! Thankfully, no one was there to see it.

Aaand the lows… 

I feel low when I read something amazing that I could never have written: How did this author make me cry over the death of a character I hated when first introduced? I'll never be that good...I'm a fraud!
I get discouraged when circumstances conspire to keep me from writing: One chapter took a whole month...I'll never finish these edits!
My lowest low comes when I feel trapped. When I feel I have no influence over my life or career and I’ll die a bitter old woman filled with regret for all the dreams I never accomplished.
So emo.
​
I combat the lowness by escaping to write in my head for a bit. Even on the busiest days, I can do that for a few minutes. The episode of DS9 I watched last week sparked an idea. What if I combine the Orion Syndicate, a cool bad guy inspired by a movie poster I saw at the theater, and a main character with a personality unique enough to be memorable but generic enough to be relatable… If I like the scene I conjure, I jot down an outline. It might make a good book someday.

Let me close with one final thing.

A few moments ago in a blog post right exactly here...
It's May the Fourth!!!​

*All Star Wars images from Pinterest

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! The purpose of the IWSG is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers. This group is all about connecting!

April 6 question - Have any of your books been made into audio books? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audio book?

Nope. 
This month is a short answer for me. I know nothing about audio books or how to put my work in that format. It's one of the many "nice to have" features I'll get around to someday. Right now, my focus is writing. I plan to finish the series I'm working on, market it, then complete my other WIPs.

Lately, the plan has stalled, and I’m frustrated. I'm editing book two of my Heroes and Villains trilogy. Or, I should say TRYING to edit. I thought I'd be further along by now. Good grief, I wrote the entire first draft in one month during NaNoWriMo, but the editing is snail-like. Everything conspires to bog me down. My kids get sick. I get sick. My husband has evening meetings multiple nights a week. Family is visiting. My kids get sick again. 

I'm only on chapter ten out of nineteen. Barely halfway.

I tell myself I'll get back on track next week. Just like I told myself last week. Sorry this post is a downer! I'll end on a high note.

​My favorite show is back on TV! The Masked Singer brings a smile to my face every week. I know it's a silly concept, and sometimes the "celebrities" are people I've never heard of, but when somebody truly cool is unmasked, like Cyclops or McTerrier... *chef's kiss*

See you next time! I'm co-hosting the blog hop on May the Fourth!

Starting Monday, April 4, Falling for the Villain will be on sale for 99 cents on Amazon. If you've been waiting to purchase the ebook, now is the time. The sale will only last a week, so don't delay! 

I'm famous!
Well, not quite...but I was in the newspaper this week. The Langley Advance Times had a story about me on the first page of the Arts and Entertainment section. Here it is for those who aren't lucky enough to live in Langley:

You can read the full article here. 

Announcement Time
And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for. It's time to announce the title of book two in the Heroes and Villains series. The sequel will be called:

Heart of a Hero
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That doesn't give much away, does it? When we left Aubree, she'd just received an intriguing offer. If you're anxiously waiting to find out whether she accepts, you'll get your answer when the synopsis is released. Until then, have a super day!
(That pun is incredibly versatile and will be used in many more blog posts!)

A short story I wrote is being published in the seventh annual Insecure Writer's Support Group Anthology. This year's title is First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts. My story is called "Clyde and Coalesce". The book should be out in the summer.

You can view the announcement here.

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! The purpose of the IWSG is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers. This group is all about connecting!
​
January 5 question - What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

​I know my answer to this right away! My biggest regret is not starting sooner. If I'd gotten the rookie mistakes out of the way as a teen or twenty-something, I'd be much further along by now. So why didn't I write earlier? I could say I needed to gain life experience. I could say I needed to come up with a good enough story to tell. I could list a thousand reasons, but they'd be untrue. I didn't start writing because I didn't realize the daydreams and bits of stories fluttering around my head were worth writing down. I thought authors sat themselves at a computer, poised their fingers on the keys with resolve, and wove a tapestry of words from start to finish...something I wasn't capable of.

After watching a movie or reading a book, I'd lie awake at night and imagine myself as the main character, making different choices and taking the plot a different direction until the story was unrecognizable. Everyone does that, right? It's how we escape. It's where fanfiction comes from. One night, the scene taking place in my head wouldn't let me sleep. I could hear the characters talking. I could see the expressions on their faces. It took on such a life of its own that I reached for my tablet on the nightstand. After putting down those few hundred words, I laid my head on my pillow and slept like a log. I thought that was the end of it, but leaving things unfinished isn't my style. The story had its hooks in me. I wrote a little at a time, putting down whatever scene came to me. Within a few months, I had a finished novel. It was a mess and completely unreadable, but it was finished. 

No one has ever seen that first book. I won't even tell you what it was about (at least, not in this post), but it turned me into a writer. These days, my stories are outlined ahead of time. That first attempt taught me I'm a planner, not a pantser. Who knows, maybe someday I'll go back, do some editing, and see if I can tame it into something publishable. Even if nothing ever comes of the book, it holds a special place in my heart. You never forget your first!

ps. Falling for the Villain is on sale for a limited time! Get the ebook for 99 cents on Amazon:
​https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Villain-Heroes-Villains-Book-ebook/dp/B09JP7ZCZ7/ 

Also available FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

One of the leading free sites to find web novels is Wattpad.com. There are books in every genre, written by authors of all ages from around the world. Most books are free, but there are some that cost money to read. The quality of the writing varies greatly, and many books are left unfinished on the site.

Some people swear by the power of Wattpad to attract new readers, especially teenage readers. There are also those who argue that anyone who posts their content on the internet for free is throwing away their hard work.

Wattpad markets itself as an opportunity for writers to connect directly with readers, get useful feedback, and perhaps even make money from their writing. Programs like Wattpad Paid Stories, Wattpad Studios, and Wattpad Books provide the chance for select writers to see their work earn income, make it into print, and even make it onscreen. 

So, what are the pros and cons? As someone who's been using the site for over a year, I'll take a look at the things I think work and the things that don't.

Pro - Get Feedback
Wattpad allows you to try out a story idea and get instant, line-by-line feedback from readers. When you ask friends to read your story, they might offer a few suggestions, but overall they're going to be polite with their feedback. They don't want to hurt your feelings and won't be as brutally honest as you need. On Wattpad, nobody knows you. Readers may not be kind, but they will be honest. If there's something in your story that doesn't work, they'll let you know. They'll also tell you when something has a powerful impact. As a writer, I try to have some humor in every story. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a joke lands the way I want. With Wattpad, your readers can tell you with a simple emoji whether your writing has the intended effect. 

Con - Get Lost in the Crowd
Just like it's difficult to get people to buy your book on Amazon, it's hard to get people to read your book on Wattpad. Even though it's free, you still have to market yourself. Chatting with other users and leaving insightful comments on other writers' stories are some ways to be found, but it's an uphill battle. If you're going to put in that much work, why not put in the work on a site where you can SELL your book? 

Pro - Gain a Following
Even though it takes some effort, getting readers on Wattpad is a good way to build a following. Dedicated readers who'll devour anything you produce are the foundation for a career. If you write good quality content, market it, and post updates to your stories regularly, you'll start building a fan base that will (hopefully) follow you for the rest of your writing journey. Even successful authors have started creating Wattpad accounts to reach readers they might not have attracted otherwise. Margaret Atwood is a good example of this. She has 113k followers!

Con - Low Odds
Wattpad talks a big game about its opportunities to get published and attract attention from TV and movie studios. However, the number of writers who have that kind of success from the platform is extremely low. You may as well buy a lottery ticket. Even if your writing is stellar and you manage to gain lots of readers, it's still a long shot.

Pro - Contests
This is where I get excited when I talk about Wattpad. The site runs periodic contests put on by big name sponsors like Tim Horton's, Maybelline, and Shaw. Usually, the contests require users to submit a flash fiction piece (about 500 words) on an assigned topic. Often, these serve to promote a new product the company is launching. For example, the #timscoldbrewstories contest told participants to write a story featuring Tim Horton's new cold brew coffee. Of the entries, ten were selected as winners and two were chosen as Grand Prize winners to receive $500, a Freewrite tablet, and a $100 Tim Horton's gift card. I entered that contest on a whim because it sounded like a fun writing prompt. I never expected to win the Grand Prize, but that's exactly what happened. In addition to the great prizes, winning the contest gave me a huge confidence boost. Since then, I enter every contest I can. Any prize money I win allows me to pay for book cover design and marketing for my novels. The contests are seriously my FAVORITE thing about Wattpad. My kids also love the contests. We've been eating a lot of apple fritters with the gift card! 

Verdict
What's my final verdict? Wattpad is worth it...as long as you use it wisely. I personally don't post books out there that I feel are good enough for me to publish on Amazon. I mainly use the site for fan fiction, short stories, and contest entries. However, I've seen others use the site as a place to write first drafts and get feedback. Those users then edit based on the feedback and publish their final version on Amazon. It's an interesting idea, but I don't know if their readers on Wattpad follow them to Amazon to buy the final version after reading the draft for free. Part of me doubts it. And anyway, my first drafts are so rough I wouldn't want ANYONE to see them. 

For now, I'll keep posting stories to Wattpad whenever I can. I'll always be grateful to the platform because it's where I wrote my very first stories that I let anyone read. It's where I practice, it's where I gain confidence, and it's where I grow as a writer. If you're not on there yet, go make an account! 

And just like that, NaNoWriMo was over. November was grueling. There were days when I didn’t meet my goals, but I made up the word count each time. Toward the end, I lost all motivation, felt no inspiration, and was sure the quality of my writing was abomination. The deadline looming at the end of the month was the one thing that kept me going. Somehow I pushed through, and I’m happy to say that I finished the first draft of my sequel today with a whole day to spare! Now that I know it can be done, the pressure is on to write book three in one month as well… Ugh.

After kicking NaNoWriMo’s butt, I’m taking a couple weeks to rest and edit some other projects before I start revising this novel. Let me tell you, it is going to need EXTENSIVE editing. 

*The above photo is from The Return of the King, produced by New Line Cinema.