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.
Well, I don’t know what happened. I wrote my November IWSG post early and saved it, but when I went to edit and post it last night, it wasn’t there. 🙁 I felt defeated and headed to bed. After a good night sleep, I woke up, walked my dog, did some other social media, and decided to reconstruct my post. Better late than never… I guess.
Optional Monthly Question: How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?
Even before I started writing with an intent, I was an active creative individual. I never really mastered a particular skill, craft or art, but I’ve always dabbled. I bake from scratch, sew pillows and purses, paint canvases, decorate a classroom (now a desk), and so much more. Creativity has always been part of daily life, although, since I spend so much time writing now, some of my other creative outlets suffer until a special occasion brings them to the surface.
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October’s IWSG Newsletter member spotlight was Chrys Fey. Being a fan of her work and blog, I was happy to see her gain this recognition. Please, be sure to stop by and show her some love.
Over at A Small Gang of Authors, I continue my series: Would you read this, where I pitch blurbs and cover art for short stories I’ve written. Today I share my paranormal story, In the Window.
Also, we are hosting our first-ever short story contest and letting readers decide the winners. There are cash prizes for the winners and each entry is 500-words or less. If you are up for it, please check it out. It’s a lot of fun.
The IWSG Book Club book for October/November is: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
The discussion for this starts November 19th and I’m ready. I read this quickly and simply need to write my review. A great classic for those who appreciate the darker side of fiction.
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Now, on to the personal updates.
There’s lots going on, but I’ll have to blog about that later. I’m still a little bummed my original article disappeared. In any case, here are two videos you can check out if you’re up for it.
Here is me showing off some of my new books.
Here’s me giving a tour of my other website and offering an overview of my vision.
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Has writing affected the creativity in your life?
Did you have better luck uploading your post today?
Do you like short stories or flash fiction?
Got any good news to share or need some encouragement?
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,
Ann V. Friend,
JQ Rose, and
Elizabeth Seckman!
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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 #51).
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
25 replies on “#IWSG November 2018: Is creativity a vital part of your daily life?”
I’m sorry your original post disappeared. Definitely sounds frustrating.
I didn’t know about the IWSG book club. I’ll have to check it out. 🙂
It’s really good. We only read a book every other month, so it’s easy to fit it into your schedule. Our discussions are pretty insightful too.
It’s hard to focus on more than one big creative outlet at a time.
Sounds like a cool contest.
Thanks, Alex. For the first time out, I think we did really good. Got some good and diverse stories featured. Those participating seem to really be enjoying it.
I’m sorry you lost your post. That’s always a pain.
Thanks for mentioning my spotlight! That was a pleasant surprise. Having been the first newsletter admin for the IWSG, I didn’t think I’d ever qualify. I want to give Shannon a shout-out as the one who did it. I thanked her and told her how much it had made my day. It was awesome to be mentioned in something I had previously worked on and passed on to another.
I’m looking forward to reading about your updates later. HUGS!
P.S. the discussion will be on the 19th. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know about the discussion date. I’ve already updated it. As for my post, I still don’t know what happened; maybe I saved it somewhere different without realizing it or maybe I didn’t save it at all. IDK. Still, gotta keep moving forward.
What a shame about losing your original post 🙁 My computer just ate a file the other day. So annoying when that happens.
Yes it is. I’ve never had this happen before, so I don’t know what to do different next time. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m afraid we’ve all been there with that gremlin in the computer gobbling up our fabulous words. I find I usually do better on the next attempt anyway–AFTER gnashing my teeth, stomping my feet, and throwing things. You had a great post here anyway. Thanks.
JQ Rose
Thanks, JQ. I keep a separate template for all my regular post, but it just felt bad to have to find all the titles and links to things I was going to talk about. I didn’t bother looking for the images.
I struggled with my post this month too. I wrote it but for some reason I just couldn’t answer the question and didn’t realize until it was too late. Oh well. Your creative journey sounds riddled with so many wonderful projects and interests. Thank you for sharing all the lovely IWSG news and happy IWSG day Toi 🙂
Thanks, Erika. I know we all have these moments, but it still bummed me out. I think I did the right thing, waiting and coming back to it in the morning. Happy IWSG Day!
I had a comment and then had two nuisance calls – then demanding dogs wanting my wife. Brain loses info like your computer. Oh – I call you incredibly creative.
Thank you Roland. I like that creativity is part of life in many ways. Creativity inspires creativity. Now, I just need my tech to behave.
I’ve learned a trick when searching for a file on my PC. Bring up the file explorer and enter datemodified in your search box. A calendar will appear, so you can choose a date. If it’s there, it will be listed. (I Googled it a while back.)
You’ll never lose another post. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Thanks for the tip. I will try that in the future. I’ll just have to remember what the date was when I last worked on something. But even if I can’t remember, I should be able to scroll through and see what’s there. Thanks again.
I’m so excited that you published your “book review” book! Congratulations!
Thank you. Your encouragement has been priceless. It was just something I felt I needed to do. Even if no one ever reads it, I’m satisfied with what I produced… Let’s face it; that’s why most of us do this anyway.
I’m a dabbler too 🙂
I like being a dabbler. When I get stuck in one area, I can escape to another creative outlet until I’m ready to go back and tackle the other issue.
I’ve had a post disappear and i really didn’t feel like redoing it, but like you, I did. You have a lot going on as always. I”m mainly working towards getting my whole paranormal series ready for publication. Everything else is a distraction, LOL!
And I hope you don’t mind my saying but it usually takes several processes to reach your blog. It would be great if it was direct. Going to Google+ is to me a slow way, and with most people, I just don’t bother, but I do it for you! I suspect you would get more comments because people don’t like having to search.
I’m totally confused. Why do you have to go through Google+? I though my link on the IWSG linky went straigh to my blog. I guess I need to contact the admins and have it updated. Thanks for letting me know.
Later is always better than never. Glad to see you were able to regroup and rewrite. That’s the true sign of a pro.
I love exploring creativity in all its various forms.
The most recent creative endeavour, was when I tried Zentangle.
I loved it… but time is so tight, that I haven’t done more than that first introductory lesson… and it’s a creative form that requires constant attention… little by little…
One day when I’m much older, I’ll have all the creative outlets to keep me busy!