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.
Hi there everyone. Guess what. I’m co-hosting today. Yay! Or Wish me luck, whichever you prefer. Be sure to stop by and say hi to my fellow co-hosts today: T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!
Optional Monthly Question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?
I tried traditional publishing but just couldn’t deal with the negotiating aspect of the process. I do, however, believe that if I’d had a better publisher the process would not have felt so restrictive. Many of my traditionally published friends have great relationships with their publishers. I’m a self-publisher at heart, but that doesn’t mean I’m against traditional publishing or won’t ever try it. In fact, I plan on submitting to the IWSG contest. Even if I don’t make the cut, I’ll be proud of myself for making the effort to actually submit my work.
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Last month, I started the habit of mentioning the member spotlight from the IWSG newsletter, so imagine my surprise when it turned out to be me this time around. Thank you IWSG. I’m so honored and grateful to be part of this community.
Be sure to stop by the IWSG blog today because we are announcing the judges for the IWSG Anthology Contest. I, for one, am very excited about this, especially since I think I might actually enter this one. In fact, I’m seeking at least two more beta-readers for the story I’ve been working on. It’s a YA historical-fantasy romance based on the Golden or White Stag mythology. If you’d like to beta read this short story, please visit my contact page and tell me why? (I’m asking for feedback by September 15th.)
Another honor that blew me away last month was that I won the Encouragement Award for the first WEP-IWSG Challenge. The winner and runner-up stories were amazing, and all the other stories offered good-quality entertainment. The next Write…Edit…Publish Challenge will be in October; theme- Déjà vu or Voodoo! I’m so ready for this. Check out my August story by clicking the image below.
Over at A Small Gang of Authors, I’ve taken on the role of co-manager. We issued our first-ever group magazine, which I think turned out great. Kudos to Erika M. Szabo for putting that together… Today, I’m finishing my blog series on words and their meanings in the English language. Oh, and we’re hosting our first-ever micro flash-fiction contest. Click the image below to learn more.
The IWSG Book Club book for August/September is: The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr. I guess I need to head to the library for this one. Haven’t picked it up yet, but I’m eager to. Memoirs have really begun to fascinate me lately.
I’ve put together a reader’s scavenger hunt, from September 7-9, and would love it if you’d give it a try. 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 tasks 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… The prize is a $50 gift card of choice plus $50 worth of bookish swag. Open to U.S. and Canada.
The whole point of this scavenger hunt is to make readers aware of my Lit Carnivale dream and have fun. That’s it.
Even though I can’t win, I’ll be posting my own task entries into the challenge, simply because I think it’ll be fun. Will you join me?
Now, on to the personal updates.
Well now, that was quite a bit, so I’ll keep this short.
Most teachers in the U.S. have headed back to school by now, and I’m not with them. This is the first year, in ten years, I won’t be working in a school. I think I’ll be okay, though. With my new job, I still get to work with the kids I love.
I have been writing up a storm. I just finished a piece I’m reluctant to release because it’s controversial and may make some people mad. Not sure what to do. I’m really proud of it, but not ready to face all the cyber-bullies.
I’m struggling a bit with my illustration, but I’m still doing it, so that’s something.
I just barely made it back to YouTube with this VIDEO, but it’s not quite BookTube worthy. The Carnie Loves Books Challenge should fix that this weekend.
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What’s your publishing path?
Are you entering the IWSG Anthology Contest?
Wanna beta-read my story?
Wanna try my scavenger hunt?
Any advice on publishing controversial topics?
The writing life comes with highs and lows. I’m blessed to be having a bunch of highs right now. I want to encourage you to stick with it and wait for your highs to come. They are on the way.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s other co-hosts:
T. Powell Coltrin,
M.J. Fifield, and
Tara Tyler R !
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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 #54).
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
127 replies on “#IWSG September 2018: What’s your publishing path? #amwriting #amreading”
I wish I had the energy for all that! But we don’t all have to, some of us can just enjoy what you’re doing without doing it all ourselves!
Good luck with the piece for the anthology. I had an idea, and hope I’ll have time to write it before the deadline comes around!
Thank you. I too sometimes like to sit back and see all the cool stuff others are doing. In fact, that’s what I plan on doing this month. August was rewarding, but I’m ready to get back to my regular slow pace.
Wow you are rocking it! How do you handle so many wiriting projects at once?! I am interested in several things you mentioned. We’ll see what i actually have time for this month. Congrats and thanks for co-hosting!
Honestly, I never used to have time to do a lot at once, but I’d kill myself trying. I don’t take on more than I can handle anymore. My new job comes with a lot of flexibility and I’m taking advantage of it. Still, I plan on this month and the next slowing down quite a bit. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow! You are one busy woman! I can’t give much advice about publishing controversial stories. I wouldn’t do it cause I’m a wimp. But I think you can stand up to the critics and bullies after reading this blog. Go for it, GRRL!
JQ Rose
Thank you so much. I appreciate the encouragement. I may just be moving forward with it.
Thanks for co-hosting this month, hope you’ve had a great time. Congrats on the writing and mentions, always a boost. Good luck with the new job too.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the well wishes.
You are one seriously busy lady! You deserve to have praise heaped upon you.
It’s hard to say anything these days- even stuff that isn’t controversial. If I were to publish something I believed in, I’d stand firmly, but politely behind it and not engage with any haters.
Thanks for kudos and encouragement. Yes, staying away from haters, or least, avoiding them, sounds like a plan.
You have been busy. Congratulations on the honors. Good luck with the anthology and all your other projects. Thank you for co-hosting this month. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the encouragement.
Yeah, a lot of the stuff with traditional just annoys me, so went the self route. WEP is done times two at our sea.
Yes, I mostly find trad publishing restrictive, but I’m more open to small presses now. Still, I love self-publishing.
Congratulations on the wins and the IWSG Spotlight. I was tickled to see you. Happy belated IWSG Day.
Thanks, Juneta. I was ticked too.
Congratulations on the awards and the exposure you’re getting! It’s a good time to be you.
I guess it is. Hadn’t thought about it that way. Thanks.
Happy for you. Enjoy!
Hi, Toi! Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG this month. You have a lot of writing plans in the works! I wish you lots of success! Good luck with your new job too! I’m late making the rounds due to traveling and technical ineptitude. This is my third attempt to post a comment to you. Here’s hoping the third time is the charm!
Sorry you had a problem with commenting. I’ll look into it, though, all comments by first-time commenters are held in moderation. If you have commented before, there should be no problems. In any case, thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.
Thank you for co-hosting this month. About the controversial piece, it’s impossible to please everybody. By the same token, it’s impossible to offend nobody. If we’re talking about fiction, what matters is story. If your ‘offensive content’ makes sense for the story then you’re good. If you’re venting and calling it a story, you risk losing readers. I vent to the mirror. Better yet, I try not to vent. It doesn’t change anyone’s mind, including my own. Does that make sense?
Thanks for stopping by, and yes, I get what you are saying. The problem I’m faced with isn’t a matter of fiction or venting. It’s more of a perspective issue.
For example, some people feel that celebrities should stay out of politics, yet we’ve now had two celebrity presidents and countless mayors and governors be former entertainers.
Some people don’t think men should have a say on feminist issues, whether they support feminism or not.
What I’ve written has nothing to do with politics or feminism, and I’m not making a statement about either right now; these are just examples.
Some people don’t think I should be writing about my topic simply because of who I am.
Thank you for co-hosting IWSG’s September question. All the luck with your new position, Toi. And bravo to you for writing up a storm. Good luck with everything. And as for that new piece that you’re afraid of offending someone. It’s amazing what will offend someone in today’s world. Go with your gut and send it out. I believe I’m following you and your blog. I’ll check to be sure. All the best to you!
http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com
Thank you, Victoria, for stopping by and for the encouragement. I probably will put it. At the very least, I’ll go from having a few readers, to a few less readers. I’m okay with that.
I am amazed and inspired by all the things you’re doing right now. I wish I had both the energy and the time that you have. Or at least the organizational ability. 🙂
Regarding the controversial story, if you’re still thinking about it…that is such a hazard, especially if you’ve made it part of your author brand to stay out of politics. If it truly matters to you, and if you feel it’s something you must say or you won’t be able to live with yourself, even if you lose readers, I say do it. Heck, you might even *gain* some readers in the process. Who knows? What matters is your integrity. Stick with that, and you’ll be all right. Good luck!
Thank you for the encouragement, Amy. This piece isn’t really political so I’m not too worried about that. It’s more of a perspective issue. Some people will simply have an issue with me writing about this particular subject, but I don’t think I care too much anymore about that. Of course, I want people to respond well to it, but I know going in that it’s not going to appeal to everyone; it’s not supposed to. Also, thanks for stopping by.