Insecure Writers Support Group
It is time for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group. We meet once a month on the first Wednesday. No matter where you are in your writing journey chances are you occasionally have feelings of insecurity. No worry’s, link up and find all of the support you could possibly ask for. If you are in a good place perhaps you have some inspiration to share let’s face it we all feel the need for a bit of support from our friends.
I’m hosting this month along with these fabulous people. Be sure to visit them!
Sandra Hoover, Mark Koopmans, Megan Morgan, and Melodie Campbell!
For more information:
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com
#IWSG
It’s also WritingWednesday
Wednesday is the day I share what I have learned on my journey from writing to publication and marketing. The kind of stuff I wish someone would have shared with me back then.
~~~~
I like to pretend I don’t get insecure anymore, that I am long past all that silliness but really who am I kidding? I failed at NaNo and I am disappointed in myself. This is the last month of the year and I am not even close to achieving all of the goals I set for myself for 2015. The next IWSG will be in 2016!
On the other hand I did write 38,000 words and that is something, right? 2016 is a brand new year and with it comes a brand new start and for me a book release.
This blog is 5-years-old today. That was fast!
Did you reach all of your writing and blog goals this year?
Happy Writing,
Doreen
Release Date 1/26/2016
When Sophie walked through my front door that night I could not believe my eyes. She was a frail, filthy, and hunched over, eighty- year –old woman.
I made her a hot cup of tea and then went upstairs and prepared her a warm bubble bath. I gave her my favorite silk pajamas, clean underwear, a warm fluffy pair of socks and a thick robe.
What possibly could have happened to her, what sin or crime did she commit that left her no choice in the world but to trust complete strangers over family or friends? Imagining what in the world those possible sins and crimes were, scared me to my core.
My husband on the other hand is trusting to a frustrating fault. I admire his compassion and knew in my heart that keeping her safe and warm on that cold, wet night was the right thing to do no matter how she came to be in this situation. I could not help wondering why I had to be the one to do that particular right thing on that particular night.
I just kept saying to myself, no worries, she will only be with us until we can find a good home for her. I believed one of her relatives would show up and claim her. They would knock on our front door and tell us they had been searching for her and they could not thank us enough for taking care of her.
Sophie’s story is one of jealous, vindictive siblings, an abusive husband, and a sexual assault that resulted in a pregnancy, a kidnapping and bitter, unforgiving children. She was attacked by several younger homeless people and an Elvis impersonators girlfriend. She was left out in the cold by a deceiving judge who convinced her to care for his dying wife while he cheated on her and then by a group of lost souls that she devoted her life to serving.
As much as I felt we were getting to know Sophie and it was starting to feel like she was just another one of our ‘crazy’ relatives there was still so much that we didn’t know about her. After more than two-years how was it possible that she was still very much the stranger in our recliner?
120 thoughts on “Oh the Insecurities…”
I think 38k words is something to feel good about, Doreen. I can’t beleive it’s almost 2016 either – where did the year go? Happy blog birthday!!
Shah X
Thank you so much and good luck in 2016!
I can completely relate to your thoughts on failing NaNoWriMo. I’m in the same spot as you. It’s funny though – when I see that you’ve written 38k words I think that’s fabulous and a real achievement. Somehow, I’m much harder on myself. Maybe you’re too hard on yourself too?
Lets be less hard on ourselves in 2016!
I didn’t set goals for myself this year so I didn’t fail…but I didn’t succeed, either. So I’m going to set goals next year! I will say, though, that nobody who does NaNo “fails,” especially if you succeeded in getting at least some words on paper. Those are probably more words than you would have written in a different month, so it’s a good thing!
Best of luck with your 2016 goals!
Happy blogiversary and thanks for co-hosting! Going by word count I failed NaNoWriMo, but this year I was going to ignore the count & simply writing a rough draft to work on in 2016. But I must admit that I did get caught up in some word count envy. I also didn’t accomplish half of my 2015 goals and trying to figure out how to best plan for 2016. Haven’t finalized a plan yet but am getting there.
Good luck to both of us in 2016!
Thanks for hosting today, Doreen! You didn’t FAIL at NaNo because you participated. You didn’t fail at your goals because you WROTE 38K – hey, that’s a novella!! Don’t be so hard on yourself. 2016 is your oyster(whatever that strange saying means)!
Thank you so much and good luck to you in 2016 too!
I think 38,000 words in a month is NO failure and congratulations are in order! Well done. Really enjoyed reading your post and wish you lots of continued successes in the new year. Have a wonderful Christmas!!
Thank you so much Nicola and Merry Christmas to you too.
Congratulations on your release. We all miss goals sometimes, but as long as we keep plugging we can’t be too hard on ourselves.
Thank you and yes keep moving forward!
Thanks for co-hosting today, Doreen. 38k is a lot of words. Congrats. You are moving forward. We write goals so we have something to aim for. Always aim higher than you think you can achieve.
Best wishes,
Diane
IWSG #85
That is a great way to think of it, always aiming higher!
Hi Doreen,
You got 38000 words. Great! That is more than I reached in NaNo, so I don’t see you as a failure at all and I definitely don’t see myself as a failure.
Thank you for co-hosting and all the best for 2016.
Shalom,
Patricia
Thank you Pat and best of luck in 2016!
The book sounds like a great read. The concept is like nothing I’ve ever heard. Good for you! New Year? Did you say New Year next month. Oh… you must be mistaken … it’s only … Sept–oops. Ha, I’ve figured out how to deal with resolutions. Don’t follow the calendar. The year will end and you’ll go into shock, forget your goals, and simply start over again!
Thanks for co-hosting, Doreen.
That is the fun part about a new year, the chance to start over every January!
38k is awesome! And happy blog birthday! Two great things to celebrate. Cake! Thank you for co-hosting today. 🙂
Thank you so much for the cake!
Just made it! (Two contracts, one due this month. Phew. Now I start writing a new series without a contract in my hand. For me, the contract has been the whip. Now, we’ll see. Nice to meet you, Doreen!
Good luck and I hope the contract comes sooner than later!
Yay for a book release! *tosses cheese confetti* This year was a tough one writing wise for me. After having a baby and all the accompanying baby brain, I was pleased with the dozen bits of flash fiction that got out there and the 50K on my current novel. But truthfully, it’s killing me I didn’t get more done. That happens when you fall behind on deadlines, eh?
It does but you made a human being and that is a huge deal!
This is the second blog post I’ve read today that mentions “failing” at NaNo.
I don’t get it.
How is writing 38,000 words a failure? Seriously.
You all are making me realize I did not fail!
I agree with everyone else – 38k is a great achievement and so is 5 years of blogging. Well done, and good luck with 2016 🙂
Thank you!
Oh, pshaw! 38000 can still be a winner. I did Nano twice and neverschieved 50000 words, but I did get 2 writing contracts and publication with the two nano-ettes. It’s what you do with the words AFTER Nano that counts. Congrats on 5 years of writing the blog.I wonder how many words that could be after 5 years!! Waaaaaaaay over 50000! Thanks for hosting!.
I need to get going on the after NaNo part!
Hi, Doreen, nice to meet you and thank you for co-hosting the IWSG!!! The insecurities like to bounce in and out of a writer’s life, don’t they? But be assured we’re all in the same boat!! And I’m such a slow writer that I believe you’re a Winner in NaNo in my eyes!!!!
It is so nice to meet you too, I love this group!
I have a new idea I want to explore so it means i’ll be coming over to your site repeatedly for info and of course, support!
I will be here for you!
Hi Doreen, thanks for co-hosting. I did it last month and it was so much fun.I don’t participate in nano because I don’t want to set myself up to fail. You see, you didn’t. You wrote 38,000 words. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Congratulations.
Thank you so much Karen!
I met none of my goals for this year. I did okay in NaNo though so I guess I’ll wear that as a band-aid of honor if there is such a thing. I have no doubt we’ll both do better next year. 🙂
Anna from Elements of Writing
Here’s to 2016!
Congratulations on five years!
That’s still a good chunk of words. Good for you.
Thanks for co-hosting today.
Thank you Alex and I love cohosting!
Congrats on the release and 5 years! I have not accomplished what I thought I would by this point, so hopefully, 2016 will be better.
Thank you and best of luck to you in 2016 too!
(Forgot to add) Thank you for co-hosting!!
I lobe cohosting!
Happy Blog Birthday Doreen! I hope you celebrate today, celebrate you, your blog, your amazing word count! May 2016 be filled with all good things for you and your house.
Thank you so much and I wish you the best of luck in 2016 too!
Good luck on your book release–wow, it sounds like that lady had a dramatic life! 38K is a wonderful accomplishment, too. I did okay on my writing this year. I released two short story/novella collections and I’m proud of the stories included in them. I’m not so proud of my marketing efforts. That would be my New Year’s resolution. To get out there in the blogoverse and let people know about them.
Congratulations on your successes and good luck with your marketing efforts. I write about marketing every Wednesday here!
Goals are not requirements. If we meet them, it’s cause for celebration. If we fall a little bit short, that’s okay too. It’s something that will push us to try a little bit harder next time.
Due to health issues in the middle of the year, I’m not where I wanted to be as we round out the year, but I’m proud of what I managed to get done so far and I plan to make 2016 even better!
Have a great 2016!
Having a five year old blog is a great achievement! I’ve been using my current blog about that long. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sifted through my blog following feed and found broken links or posts about blogs closing down, or just abandoned with no content for six months or longer. The burn-out for blogs seems about 2-3 years, in my unscientific research. You made it past the curve!
Also, your wordcount is impressive even if you didn’t finish Nano. Think how many people never even start.
Here’s to 2016 and what’s ahead!
Thank you so much Stephanie. Good luck to you in 2016!
Hi Doreen and thanks for co-hosting this month. I don’t do Nano for the reasons you describe. 38k words is awesome, but sometimes that 50K goal makes it feel like a failure…WHICH IT IS NOT! And a book release in 2016 . . . looks like nothing but roses and success to me. congrats.
Thank you so much Dean.
What a great title and intro. I definitely want to find out about ‘the stranger in your recliner’.
Me, I’m plugging along, writing more than ever, and hopefully finally closing in on a publication. Sigh.
Thank you so much and good luck with that publication! Wishing you success!
I can’t wait to read your books. Thanks for helping me and encouraging me to continue writing!
Thank you so much Tess, keep writing forward.
38K words is still pretty good. Better than I did when I tried NaNo a few years ago. As long as this gets your creative juices going, it’s all good.
Thanks for co-hosting this month’s IWSG!
It definitely exercised my writing muscles.
Good grief, you did a lot in November!!
At least 38,000 more words than I wrote, so congrats on that and Happy Blogrthday (Yes, a new word:)
Thanks for co-hosting, see you out there 🙂
Thank you so much!
Anytime you get words down it’s not a failure. You did good! Keep going!
Thank you and you keep moving forward too.
38,000 words is definitely something to feel good about. Here’s to a great 2016! Happy blog birthday and thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month.
Thank you so much Cherie!
Hi Doreen, I did reach my writing goals. One release, one Box Set ready to release, and another new series outlined. It’s been a good year.
And thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month.
Stephen Tremp
http://www.stephentremp.com
Congratulations on a fabulous year!
You have nothing to be insecure about! I do love the sound of this group though. How fun!
This is a great group and you are welcome to join us anytime!
Thanks for co-hosting this month. I did not achieve my goals either, but hey you have 38,000 to begin the new year with—yeah that’s something. Congrats on 5yrs blogging.
I have never made the 50,000 of NaNo in November, this would have been my 3rd years, but never jumped in although I did prep if I decided to do it. I have won Camp NaNo’s for 3 years 25,000 is my best in a month so far.
Great post Merry Christmas
Juneta @ Writer’s Gambit
Merry Christmas to you too!
Don’t sweat the goal thing. I believe what is important is that we remain on course, our compass heading remains true to our passion. Rock on!
Thank you so much!
Happy Birthday to you and your Blog! Five years is a major milestone. I didn’t set any goals for myself this year, so I didn’t have to worry about meeting them. Did I write as much as I could have? Probably not. But I’ve had a fun year (and part of the fun was reading your terrific blog post about my book — Thanks!)
Thank you Roz, you are fabulous!
Five years–that’s great! Now I’ll have to go check my blog’s date. Might be 3 or 4, not sure. However many words you wrote this year, it’s fine. Done deal and nothing to sneeze at. Way more than I wrote. I liked Sandra Hoover’s advice for achieving more: daily exercise of your writing muscles!
Daily exercise makes a huge difference in all areas of our lives!
Setting goals is tricky. Make them too easy and we’re likely to not push ourselves to do all we could – too hard and we feel we’ve failed even if we’ve achieved a lot. 38,000 is great! You should be proud of that.
Thank you so much!
38,000 words is fantastic! 🙂
Thanks for co-hosting!
Thank you Emma.
Congrats on the 38K. It’s something to be proud of! Ask yourself whether you would have written 38K during a non-NaNo month…?
Congrats on your upcoming release.
Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG this month.
Thank you Michelle! That was a great question to ask and the answer is no. I would not have gotten 38,000 words done without NaNo.
38k is definitely an accomplishment, so try not to be too disappointed. No one likes to fall short of expectations, but it’s bound to happen from time to time.
Seriously, how is it almost 2016? That’s incredible!
Thank you and yes how is it almost 2016?
We never achieve all our goals, Doreen. There is always something shimmering ahead, just out of reach. I think it is a good thing. It makes us want to keep going, to strive. And look how much you did accomplish. Happy birthday to your blog.
Thank you Olga and yes there is always something shimmering ahead.
Congrats on your 5-year blogiversary! And 38,000 words might not be all you hoped for, but it sure sounds like a lot to me. Kudos to you for accomplishing that much! It’s good to set goals, but I think it’s good to be flexible, also. All too often things don’t go according to plan, and you can’t beat yourself up over it. Life’s too short for that. Thanks for co-hosting, and good luck with your writing projects in 2016!
Thank you Lori and good luck with your goals too!
Congrats on your blog anniversary.
Didn’t quite make the NaNo numbers either.
Congrats on your upcoming release.
Thank you so much Joy!
You should applaud yourself on your 38,000 words! Congrats! Thanks for co-hosting. Good luck with your book release, I’m hooked!
Thank you so much!
38K isn’t something to dismiss. Great job! I set goals for 2015 and I think I achieved about half of them. I have plans to go and do a recap of my goals and see for certain.
Good luck with those goals!
Thirty eight thousand is a lot of words. Congratulations on that milestone! And 5 years blogging — WOW! Lots to be proud of! I say you need to give yourself a huge pat on the back.
Kimberly XO
Thank you Kimberly!
38K is a terrific accomplishment! I don’t think I’ve met my goals either, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and writing, which is always a good thing. Five years blogging is quite an accomplishment as well–congrats on all counts!
Thank you so much!
I did fairly well on my writing goals for the year. Got a book out in each of my three series and will get another book out this month. I wanted to do more but I ended up with a ghostwriting gig via Elance that took up a lot of my time. I write full time so I really need to keep those goals in sight. Hopefully I can still go strong in 2016 and do even more. It never ends!!!!
I am in awe 3 books and a ghostwriting gig, wow!
Congrats on the 38K. Thanks for co-hosting and happy blog birthday!
Thank you so much!
38k is nothing to sneeze at! Go ahead, be proud 🙂 Happy Blog birthday! I’m already hooked on your upcoming release – what an intriguing premise. The last half of this year has been like walking on marbles, so to maintain sanity I’ve promised myself the sweet reward of continuing my quest to achieve my goals after the holidays 🙂
Good luck with reaching those goals!
Happy Blog Birthday!
Even if you didn’t get 50K, 38K is pretty darn good. Here’s to wishing for an even greater new year. 🙂
Thank you!
Congrats on five years! That’s awesome, and you should feel proud of those 38,000 words. That is NOT a failure! What an interesting story. Makes me wonder who Sophie really is… Thanks for co hosting!
Thank you!
The end of the year has a way of creeping up on us. And it seems the older we get, the quicker it does so.
Still, the end of the year is essentially a clean slate. It does not matter what you didn’t accomplish in 2015, now it only matter what you accomplish in 2016. You gave it your best shot. Think of it as a trial for 2016. You know the mistakes you made and where the pitfalls lay. You will be better this year!!!!
PS – Thanks for co-hosting this month.
The year sure does creep up on us!
Happy blog birthday Doreen. Wow, 38k is still a lot of words, and a great start to a new project. Congrats on getting so far. I am looking forward to 2016. Perhaps I will even make a writing new years resolution.
Thank you and good luck with those resolutions!
38K sounds like a lot of writing to me. I make resolutions. I like to say I make plans and plans change as the year goes one.
That’s a great plan!
I haven’t looked back at the beginning of the year to check on any goals I set, and I lost track at some point. However, I have to say that 38k is an awesome accomplishment. I love the concept of NaNo, but I hate that it makes people think they’ve failed when they’ve actually accomplished something great.
This group is making me realize I did not fail, I love it!