Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.
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Optional Monthly Question: When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?
Due to LIFE, I was unable to answer this question or even put together my usual post. Hope to be back to normal next month. If you didn’t see the IWSG newsletter, check out the update on the book club below.
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The IWSG Book Club Evolves Once Again
There are some interesting changes starting in August 2022 for the IWSG Book Club hosted on Goodreads.com. Back in September of 2021, we started featuring books by IWSG members and have enjoyed discovering the talents of this group. We set a simple interactive schedule posting our selections the first week of the month, posting a general poll the second week, encouraging a check-in on week three, and hosting micro discussions (3-questions each) in week four. So now it’s time to take a small evolutionary step.
Since the IWSG is a support group for writers, we thought we should revisit the original mission of the group, to help our members hone their skills, while still featuring member books. At the end of the day, the book club wants to support the IWSG members in the best way possible. That means, moving forward we will continue to spotlight one member book each month and also feature a craft book each month.
We’ll keep our same weekly festivities but offer a few tweaks. The monthly check-in will now be a simple poll members can engage with and share online. Just like the general poll, you do not have to be reading the current spotlight books to engage with either of these polls.
The discussions will be more general, removing the 3-question demand and allowing members to simply share their thoughts or their reviews, and or ask questions from other readers about their experience.
The spotlight books for the month of August are:
Fire Angel by Susanne Matthews: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon : Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating these books. As always, we encourage members to engage as much or as little as they’d like. Feel free to read one book, both books, or neither. We understand that writers don’t always have time to read, but we hope members will be enticed by some of the selections from time to time and join the festivities.
We highly encourage members to share the spotlighted member book image online or add it to a Goodreads bookshelf. It’s a great way to give a book exposure. Members are also welcome to suggest books and polls for the whole group to enjoy.
We are so excited about the new direction of the IWSG Book Club and look forward to seeing members participating and supporting one another.
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Have you been busier than usual lately?
Have you tried the IWSG Book Club?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts: Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, 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 #30).
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 #blacklivesmatter
12 replies on “#IWSG August 2022- LIFE”
Hi,
Yes, I have been busy than usual. Haven’t checked out the book club’s selections yet, but I will.
I hope you are either getting it together, or keeping it together. Whichever that fits.
Take care.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
I hope all is well. Life can be so chaotic! Take care of you and yours
Life happens! I’m learning not to let it freak me out when I get derailed as a writer for a few weeks or months. But it’s hard.
I think that will be a great mix-up for the book club. It gives people options depending on what they feel like reading that month and where they are on their writing journey.
good to see you and get an update on the book club — so glad you are still running it and I’m very happy to see you helping it evolve in the interest of supporting our IWSG writers. you’re doing an awesome job!
I’d like to do an interview with you sometime. Let me know when would be good for you
ps – i know how life can get in the way!
That’s an interesting title for the writing book.
Life does have a way of setting up a few obstacles. Hope all is well and you’re back up and running soon.
Hey! Hope all is well! Life can be a roller coaster now and then. I appreciate all you do with the book club. I love the Kleon book – it’s one of my favorites, and the audio bundle with his other two books is great, too!
Steal Like An Artist is a fantastic little book!
Take care, Toi!
Life will get ya every time. Hope everything is ok.
Life can be a real bummer sometimes. I hope everything is better now. I’m so glad you’ve taken part and doing a great job at it 🙂
Life certainly gets in the way sometimes. Thanks for all you do with the book club! Hoping things get easier for you in the coming month.