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#IWSG February 2018: For the love of #paranormal; oh, and some #graphicnovels

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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.

Monthly Question: What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

I write in many genres most of the time, which isn’t always a good thing, but that’s a topic for another day. I’d say the genre I’m most passionate about is ‘paranormal’. I love to read and write about the paranormal in its many and diverse forms. Of all the speculative genres (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all subgenres) it’s the most speculative. I find that for, those like me, who like to blend a bit of spirituality and or religion into some of my writing, the paranormal genre is the easiest fit. I love to explore and manipulate ideas and concepts about myths and legends to find fun, new, and sometimes thought-provoking ways to show the many facets of humanity. Whether it’s vampires, werewolves, ghost, angels, or demons, I can never get enough of the supernatural goodness of the paranormal genre.

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Now on to the personal updates.

The IWSG Book Club is reading Lord of the Flies for our March discussion on symbolism. I’ll admit that I was a bit bummed by the outcome of the vote, but I’m not heartbroken over it. I was hoping to use this as an opportunity, a motivator, for me to finally read Moby Dick (I know, I can’t believe I haven’t read it either), but I think that ship has sailed (no pun initially intended). I just don’t know if I’ll ever get around to reading that, when I have so many other books that I really really want to read. In any case, I’m hoping my second read of LOTF will go better than the first. Perhaps being older and not being forced to read it for a class will make all the difference.

I’ve been struggling with how to approach the future of my writing. I feel like I need to start over from scratch, but can’t quite bring myself to make the leap. I’m trying to figure out a way to maybe take baby steps instead. For now, at least, I’m going to focus on reading, writing my rewrites, as well as the new ideas I’m developing, and am making no plans to publish anything in the near future. Perhaps in a year or two, I’ll be ready to take on the publishing challenge once again.

Over at A Small Gang of Authors, I’ve been writing a blog series about music, inspiration, and my writing. In today’s part 4 of the series, I talk about character theme songs, if you care to check it out.

I’m challenging myself to a graphic novel read-a-thon this month. Please check it out, if your interested.

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Why do you love to write in the genre of your choice?

Read any good graphic novels lately? Thinking about trying one out?

Have you clarified all your goals for the immediate future?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Stephen Tremp,
Pat Garcia,
Angela Wooldridge,
Victoria Marie Lees, and
Madeline Mora-Summonte!

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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 #57).

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

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By Toi Thomas

Author and illustrator of children's books, as well as clean adult fiction and nonfiction. Toi is a geek-girl blogger, vlogger, reviewer, and advocate for a healthy reading lifestyle. She finds comfort in faith, family, and creative expression. Toi believes in the dream of world harmony and hopes all your dreams come true.

31 replies on “#IWSG February 2018: For the love of #paranormal; oh, and some #graphicnovels”

I don’t think I’ve read Lord of the Flies. If I did, I guess it didn’t stick with me. It would be interesting to go back and read some of the books we had to read during high school and see how they compare when reading them nowadays without the pressure of having to write a paper, take an exam etc.

I’ve read Lord of the Flies and Moby Dick. Both required reading at the Uni. I hope you come up with some constructive ideas about the future of your writing. From what I’ve seen of your work, I don’t think you need to start over but that is just my opinion. The main thing is to keep writing even if it is only in your journal. Write.
Wishing you all the best, Toi.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Thank you so much for your kind words. I always look forward to your visits. As far as starting over with my writing, I’m still on the fence. I’ve grown and developed so much from when I started…

The topic about multi-genres will be an interesting one for many of us. I didn’t care for Lord of the Flies when I had to read it in high school. I’m wondering how I’ll react to it in my more advance age.

When people say that finding a niche is important, they’re not kidding. If I could stick to one genre, I totally would. Oh well… So far, my advanced age has allowed me to fly through the pages of LOTF but I’m still not quite enjoying it.

I tried to read Lord of the Flies but could not get through it although I skimmed it and passed. Could not watch the movie either. I have never liked the premise but I will endeavor to read it again.

Great post. Wishing you much success and courage in your journey.

You know, I haven’t read Moby Dick, either. I was supposed to junior year, but I didn’t for some reason (junioritis?), and just took the hit on the test, though I did fairly well without having read it. On the other hand, I’ve read Lord of the Flies multiple times, and enjoyed it, but it’s been at least a decade probably.

I’m glad you enjoyed LOTF. So far I’m still undecided. It’s not bad or good at this point. I think I might be focusing too hard on interpreting symbolism.

I can’t remember if I’ve read LOTF or not, I definitely haven’t read Moby Dick – and doubt I’ll ever get round to it. I have such a big tbr pile that I couldn’t keep up with the demands of a book group!
I think your decision to concentrate on your writing and not worry about publication for now is a brave and great one. It’s all to easy to get flustered about needing to be published, but taking your time has to reap rewards. Best of luck 🙂

I know what you mean, there’s so much on my TBR I’d rather get to than Moby Dick at this point in my life. Thank you for the encouragement. It feels good to not worry about publishing anything anytime soon.

Sometimes we just need to take time and breathe. I think you’re wise to do that. We don’t need to write the perfect story, paragraph, line. We just need to write. I think it’s fun to sit down and write solid for five minutes (usually longer) where whatever you wanted to say will just fall out on the page. I usually end up writing something completely different from where I started. And who cares? Noone but me will ever see it. Enjoy finding your niche.
JQ Rose

Thank you for your words. I do enjoy those times when I write stuff that I know will never be shared with the public. Those things are just for me, just for the sake of writing.

So far, I’m not loving the book, but I’m also not hating it. I think the years and maturity are helping me to see more between the lines than I did as a kid. I’m actually curious to see how I’ll feel once I’ve finished it.

Yes. I feel like I’ve been doing the same thing over and over, yet I’ve improved so much as a writer from when I started. I feel like I need to revisit all the ideas I’ve had in the past to see how I would do them now; but more importantly I feel like I need to remove ‘Toi’ from the process, moving forward, and just be a writer. I want anything new I write to truly reflect all the skills I’ve learned.

First, I believe writers should be readers and you’ve been reading some deep books here, Toi. I’ve read Lord of the Flies and Moby Dick. Writers can learn from the classics. I agree with everyone here. Keep writing no matter what. Take walks. I think it helps clear the mind and get you away from the computer screen. You can do this! Good luck!

Thank you for your encouragement. I usually enjoy reading the classics and have learned a lot from them, but it is sometimes hard to break away from my reading comfort zone. As for writing, I’ll never stop. I’m just trying to figure out my approach moving forward.

The thing I love about psychological horror/supernatural suspense is that a happy ending isn’t assured. This allows the writer much more freedom. I like the message these genres have about the human condition as well.

Sorry to hear you’re feeling in need of a new start, but if it helps you feel rejuvenated, it’ll be worth it. Good luck. I’m always cheering for you.

Thanks, J. H. That means a lot coming from you. I too agree with way psychological horror/supernatural suspense always seem to have a special message about the human condition.

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