So many ideas, so little time #IWSG

You know the problem; so many ideas, so little time. In my case the time constraint is how much time I can spend at the keyboard without wrecking my hands for several days. And damp weather makes them worse. But I am coping much better than last year. Thank you all for your supportive ideas.

This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post, in which we share our successes and failures as writers, our insecurities, in fact. Anyone can join in, just sign up at the IWSG Sign-up page, write a blog post on the first Wednesday of the month, and go back to that sign up page to link with everyone else–or a goodly sample. Our host is Alex J Cavanaugh, and cohosting this month are:

Beth Camp, Jean Davis,Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando

Last month’s survey

Thank you all for participating in my survey. The overwhelming outcomes were: get a new narrator, don’t worry that it’s a series and don’t redo the first ones.

Funnily enough, I spotted a comment from Louise Penny, a highly successful crime writer from Canada, who had just switched narrators for her series (20+) and taken the opportunity to get a more Québécois slant to the reading. Then I was talking to a lady about my books last weekend, told her the first two were on audio, and she promptly bought the first on her phone. She also had ideas on narrator changes: as long as they’re good, it’s fine. I then tried out the idea of having a female voice for book 3, which features an all-female castle. Then back to a man to narrate Mariusz’s first person book 4.

Ideas I’m ‘working’ on

• obviously, the audiobooks. Probably set that off in a month or two
• I’m getting closer to having enough short stories in the green/clifi theme for another volume of Twisty Tales. Unfortunately there are already several books out entitled ‘Green and Unpleasant’
• As I’m now managing a 1000-word flash fiction each month, I should put more effort into developing those 3-5000 word ones for anthology calls. Some of the fantasy ones clearly have authors reusing their carefully built worlds; I can do that.
• Smashwords does not yet appear to have moved me onto Draft2Digital. I must sort that out, and sort out changes in buying links etc. And use their audiobook partner.

Question of the Month

Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

IWSG September 24

I’m not sure anything much from English class messed me up. I learned fast that I could start sentences with And or But, but limit it to when it made sense (usually because of POV). Dangling participles messed up my relationship with my editor, because she redlined them whether they were grammatically correct or not. You know the sort of thing:

Watching the plane fly away, she wondered if she’d ever see him again.

Provided she is the person watching the plane, it’s fine. But I read an indie book last week where they’d got it wrong, and it was cringeworthy.

I can’t think of anything else, but when I read the rest, I’m sure I’ll agree with everyone!

Victoria Zigler (Tori) RIP

Sadly, our writer friend Tori Zigler died at the end of July after a long illness. I missed the initial announcement on her Facebook page, but I saw many comments from my writing friends, IWSG and others.Tori wrote terrific fantasy stories for younger readers, and also tales of her menagerie. I suppose I got to know her because her degu, Joshua, used to comment on my guinea pigs’ blog, then Lilli the dog, then Artemis the tortoise took over. In her last email she assured me she was looking forward to meeting up with all her furry friends again. I’m sure you’re all happy together again, Tori, and thanks for all the insights you gave me.