#IWSG December 2021- There’s a thin line between stress and delight.

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Optional Monthly Question: In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

At times, the writing process itself can be stressful, when the words and or ideas aren’t flowing, but for me, that’s a good kind of stress. I always enjoy the process of writing a story and working out the plot and characters. Even in the developmental editing phase when critique and beta readers are giving me feedback I don’t want to hear because I know that part is good no matter what five other people tell me (well, maybe). Once I get passed all that and start to think about publishing, that’s where the stress comes in.

I don’t even stress about marketing anymore. I will do the best I can and hope for the best, but I’m not stressing over advertising. For me, editing and the actual process of publishing is what stresses me out. Making sure all the edits have been applied, making sure all the formats are ready, making sure files and codes are ready for upload, etc… This isn’t so bad when publishing traditionally because someone else takes care of all that, but still, the waiting drives me crazy- waiting for the release date to be announced, waiting for author copies to arrive in the mail, etc…

So, I guess my point is that writing isn’t that stressful, even when I never have enough time to do it as much as I’d like. It’s the stuff that comes after writing that stresses me out. Writing is the delightful part… when it isn’t driving me crazy. There’s such a thin line between stress and delight.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

Member Spotlights

#iwsgbookclub

The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of December are Falling for the Villain by Kim Elliott and Being Human by Patricia Lynne. Please check these out and consider giving one or both of these a read this month. If you’re not up for reading them, no worries, you can still help spread some love for these publications and or participate in the book club activities.

My co-mods and I have done a lot of research into the books written by IWSG members to help facilitate the current direction the book club is taking. In the process, I’ve learned about how readers find and don’t find books by our members. So, I’ve put together some, hopefully, helpful tips I like to call…

Ways to Make Your Book(s) “Findable”

…and increase their chances to be featured and discovered.

4) When listing your books on your website or blog, go a few extra miles and do more than simply post the book cover. By listing a description and or genre, it will clarify for a potential reader whether it’s something they really want to know more about. I discovered several wonderful-looking books with great cover art, that didn’t explicitly let me know what to expect from the pages within. When a description and or genre was listed, I had a better idea of whether I was interested or not. The books without descriptions or genres were overlooked because I didn’t want to risk it. *Also, if you have books in a series, please list the series number.

Reminder: Here’s our new spotlight schedule.

IWSG blog list 1-50 = Feb, Jun, Oct
IWSG blog list 51-100 = Mar, Jul, Nov
IWSG blog list 101+ = Jan, May, Sep (Anthologies)
IWSG Registry Apr, Aug, Dec

In January we’ll feature books from authors in the 101+ position of the IWSG blogging list. We are very excited to be featuring books by IWSG Facebook members this month. Don’t forget, if you are not currently on the IWSG blog hop list and don’t plan to join, the registry is the only way for your books to have a chance to be spotlighted by the book club.

Please click this hyperlink to fill out the form to be added to the IWSG Book Club Spotlight Registry, and please help us spread the word.

Now, on to the personal updates.

I think I’m finally ready to start working on something for publication. I’ve been playing around with the idea to release another collection of short stories but didn’t really know what direction I wanted to go. Next year, releasing that collection by my birthday will be a big focus. I’ll be needing critique readers early on and ARC readers closer to publication. It will either be a collection of fantasy shorts or science fiction, but not both together. Perhaps I’ll release one and then the other, depending on how the first wave of critiquing goes. When I’m ready, I’ll see if any IWSG members are interested in reading ARCs. I have a list of people I want to ask for critiques. We’ll see how that goes.

Also, I’m excited to announce that the Kickstarter for RavenCon relief was so successful that they released two anthologies. My contribution to the effort appears in the first book. I’m so excited about another royalty opportunity.

Last month, I posted my previous month book reviews with my IWSG Book Club Poll announcement and will do that again this month. Come back next week if you want to see that. Below I’ve attached a fun video of me unboxing some new glasses!

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So, what about writing stresses you?

Where do you find delight in the process of writing?

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:
PJ Colando,
Diane Burton,
Louise – Fundy Blue,
Natalie Aguirre, and
Jacqui Murray!

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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 #31).

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

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