Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.
Optional Monthly Question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
The main pitfall I think many authors succumb to, myself included, is asking the wrong people for help or not asking for help at all. I learned the hard way that just because someone looks shiny and new doesn’t mean they are.
Some authors are great at building up an audience and having that look of success, but that doesn’t mean they have the skills to guide or mentor you. It sounds odd to write it out this way, but the best authors to help you are the ones who have either a giving spirit or a teaching spirit. The only way to find out if they can teach you is to spend time getting to know them. I took advice from authors who were further along in their career than I was, but their advice wasn’t meant for someone at my level. A new author and a long-established author aren’t working at the same level and may need to use different strategies.
Plus, there have been so many times where I’ve not asked for help simply because of all the bad experiences I’ve had working with others. Like it or not, though, sometimes you must take that risk and reach out; especially if it’s something that’s going to make you better at your craft.
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Congratulations to Jemima Pett on her newsletter spotlight.
Today is also WEP Challenge posting day. You can check out my entry my clicking the image below.
Over at A Small Gang of Authors, we’ve reached 156,166 views and heading toward 200,000 soon. If you guess when we’ll reach that goal, you could win $50. Pet Loki to make your guess.
The IWSG Book Club discussion on description featuring the title, The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe is still going strong if you want to check it out.
Our book selection for August/September is: The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
This one is for our memoir writers and anyone who has ever thought of writing a memoir. The discussion will start September 19th and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you’re able to join.
Oh, and there’s a GIVEAWAY!
Book club members have the chance to win a paperback copy of Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. This is a used copy, but it’s in great condition. To enter, go to this Rafflecopter Form. It’s free to enter, but you have to be a book club member. We will verify this, so join us on Goodreads!
One winner will be randomly selected on August 8th, and Chrys Fey will email the winner to get mailing details. All info will be kept private.
I’ve put together a reader’s scavenger hunt, from September 7-9, and would love some help getting the word out. Here’s the thing. This is a real scavenger hunt. I’m using Rafflecopter to record the results, but this is not an online “like and follow” campaign. Its 50+ fun and bookish task for book lovers to complete and share online, such as taking selfies in front of their favorite bookstore or reading an excerpt from their current read, etc… It’s open to anyone in the U.S. and Canada. The prize is a $50 gift card of choice plus $50 worth of bookish swag.
The whole point of this scavenger hunt is to make readers aware of my Lit Carnivale dream and have fun. That’s it.
If you’d like to help me promote this or have any suggestions for me, please either let me know in the comments below or visit my contact page to leave me a message. It would mean the world to me.
Now, on to the personal updates.
Well now, that was quite a bit, so I’ll keep this short.
I’m enjoying my new job.
I’m writing more often, which has been a major struggle for me.
I’m illustrating more often too.
I’m working to get back on to YouTube; I really miss it.
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Any pitfalls you’d warn writers against?
Interested in the IWSG Book Club discussion or giveaway?
Have you done any writing lately?
Any tips on how to promote my scavenger hunt?
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Erika Beebe,
Sandra Hoover,
Susan Gourley, and
Lee Lowery!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #55).
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
35 replies on “#IWSG August 2018: Writing Pitfalls to Avoid & a #Giveaway”
Hi,
I think that asking the wrong people for advice about your manuscript is like throwing ice cold water in your face. My on personal belief is that you should start writing and first let it settle within you.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
That’s good advice Pat. Thanks for stopping by.
You raise a really interesting point about seeking advice from people who are at your stage in the publishing/writing journey or just a little ways ahead of you. I know that I’ve read advice targeted at people who way beyond me in terms of experience and it just wasn’t suitable or didn’t make sense for someone at my stage in the process.
Thank you for stopping by. I think there are some universal truths to be learned as a writer, but as a new writer you’re probably still learning some of the basics while a veteran is constantly working on honing. It’s very different.
Glad you’re enjoying your new job.
Good point that a new writer and an experienced author aren’t on the same page.
Yeah, I think it’s the difference between learning and putting what you’ve learned into practice. Thanks for stopping by.
That’s a good point about listening the wrong people. I was at a mini con and a very successful author was so negative about small publishers and actually rude to writers who tried to defend them. I didn’t listen, but I’m sure many writers were very discouraged as she told them their success stories weren’t success at all.
That’s heartbreaking. I tell people all the time how caring of a community authors are, but I guess there are always exceptions. Thanks so much for sharing this.
I love your point today about asking for help from the right people. I think genre matters too. And also writ My style. We all need help but it does take the right kind of help. Happy IWSG day Toi 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Erika. I agree, genre is important. What works for one, may not work for another.
When I first started out, I didn’t have anyone to ask for help. I finally did once I started blogging and found a great community, and it felt awesome being able to ask for help.
I know what you mean. I once felt as if it was wrong to ask for help, not sure why, but blogging helped change that for me. Thanks for stopping by.
You are quite right that different a kind of advice is needed, depending upon how far along the author/project is as a writer. And then one has to sift between the helpful help and the unhelpful help. But in the end, we need to reach out and find our community. Thanks for your insights.
I like that, ‘helpful help’ vs. ‘unhelpful help’. That sums it right up. Thanks for stopping by.
Even if someone sincerely wants to help, doesn’t mean they have the natural skill to mentor. Teaching and leading are two skills that take time to nurture and grow before they are worthy of sharing. I know there are idiots out there too, but intent should count for something. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Yes, it really does make a difference. I have an author friend who I consider successful, but I can’t ask her to critique for me because she offers the most vauge advice. Even she will admit that she writes better than she assesses.
Oh, and, thanks for stopping by.
I loved your answer to this month’s question. It was perfect. We need to be careful who we ask when we need help, and it does take some courage to reach out at first. I’ve been fortunate to have some excellent people in my corner. I appreciate every one of them.
I still stuggle with reaching out sometimes, but I’ve learn to be mindful and reach out to the right people at the right times. Thanks for stopping by.
I love your thoughts on the pitfalls you’ve experienced. It is important to ask for help, but just as important to ask for help from the right people.
Yes, connecting with the right people can make all the difference. Thanks for stopping by.
Toi, you’re doing so much! Go girl! I’d love a best-selling author to mentor me but it’s just not going to happen. I learn from books such as Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. But I read too many ad have to distill them down to the foundations. Writing is a craft with a long apprenticeship.
And I feel guilty for not posting a review on your book/s yet. I have a squillion in the queue. But I will do it…
Thanks for stopping by Denise. The great thing about book reviews is that you can post them at any time. I like your viewpoint that writing is a craft and apprenticeship. I don’t think it’s something that is ever perfected, but gets better or evolves over time.
Great advice. I always felt it good to reach out but also selective who you trust. Good point about authors on same level or a little ahead. Happy belated IWSG.
Thanks for stopping by Juneta. Reaching out to the right people is important, but knowing where you are is too. It’ll help you get to where you want to go.
Finding the right people to help you is hard. I think most of us make the mistake of reaching out to someone who doesn’t know any more than we do, though–that’s less scary. But even when we’re all small fish, when we start sharing what we know, there’s a pretty good pool of knowledge.
Good point about finding the person who is a teacher by inclination, too. Or the critique partner who has some natural (or well-learned) editing skills. It’s not easy.
—Rebecca
My IWSG Post
Thanks for stopping by Rebecca. Even though it’s not wise to take advice from just anyone, I do think it’s kind of nice that most authors are so willing to be helpful. I’m sorry, but I’m not able to click on the link to your post.
HI Toi
Thanks for the publishing advice. The line that struck me was the thought that new authors and long established authors need different strategies. Makes perfect sense.
I’m glad you included book selection The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr on you post. I’m writing memoir and need all the help I can get. I’m going to try and join in the discussions in September. So purchase made, I am looking forward to reading it.
Laura
That’s great Laura. I’m glad to hear you’re intersted in joining our book club discussion. Thanks for stopping by.
The two pitfalls for me, with fiction writing, are closely related: a reluctance to take that first risk needed just to get started and finding the stamina to stick with it. Every summer, I decide I need to devote more time to writing. Then the school year kicks in and, well…
I get caught up doing other things too, but as long as I’m trying, I don’t feel too bad.
Not all people are teachers, eh? I usually advise young writers to find someone who is a few steps ahead of them on the journey and learn from them. It’s too true that a veteran author has a different focus than a newbie. –And thank goodness for the diversity, eh?
I’m so sorry that you reached out to somebody and had to learn a lesson the hard way… the good news is that there are loads of helpful writers in our IWSG community. 🙂
I get the impression that memoir writing is gaining in popularity. The writing/publishing industry moves on and changes, so quickly.
Yes, there are so many helpful writers in the IWSG. I’m glad I’ve stuck with it over the years. Thanks for stopping by.
Love this, Toi. It’s so true. Recently, I was introduced to a successful author who’d agreed to be my mentor. It ended up being one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. She’d ask me tons of questions that took a lot of time to answer, but once I’d responded, would never give me any feedback or helpful advice. She never once answered one of my questions.
After weeks of runaround, she finally bowed out, claiming burn out. Fair enough–I just wish she’d never agreed to mentor me in the first place. Luckily, she passed the baton to her friend–a newer, less successful author, but someone who really wanted to help and take the time to answer my questions. Her input has been so helpful, and it was such a great experience. All goes to show that successful writers aren’t necessarily great mentors.
Thanks for sharing that. It’s so true. It’s not that authors can’t learn from others who are further along than they are, but to be mentored by someone who doesn’t really undestand mentorship is no good.