Tag: Alex J. Cavanaugh

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#blacklivesmatter About Toi IWSG Videos

#IWSG November 2020: Why I #Amwriting

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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.

Optional Monthly Question: Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

I used to think the only reason I wrote anything was because of an internal compulsion- something within me that compelled me to write. I just always felt that, “I write because I am”. In the past, I’ve mostly stuck to writing fiction, only dabbling a nonfiction and poetry from time to time (and I never shared any of it).

A few years back, when still working in Special Education, I started writing and illustrating picture books to reach young people- to help them grasp complex concepts. Still, long or short fiction had remained my passion. Then 2020 happened and I couldn’t write what I wanted to anymore. My compulsion had changed. I started writing to help me cope with all the things in the world that were causing me to feel hurt. I wrote for myself to help me cope, but when I wrote and illustrated two children’s books to help me cope with COVID and the Black Lives Matter movement, I decided to share them with the world- not to make money (especially since I released them for free initially), but to put it out there in case someone else could relate and get something out of it.

On my blog, I traded my usual flash-fiction for poetry and narrative, exploratory, nonfiction as I addressed my growing concern for a large portion of the world that views my skin color as a threat, a commodity to be exploited, or a statistic to be ignored. Only in the last few days have I been able to return to my worlds of fantasy, science fiction, or romance and resume my many WIPs, though many have taken on some major transformations. My writing has changed because I’ve changed. I’m the same person and writer I’ve always been, but for the first time, I’m not censoring myself to suit any audience. I’m at the point where I write exactly what I want. People can love it, like it, be indifferent, or hate it. It is what it is.

So, in essence, “I [still] write because I am”, I’m just writing more honestly than I ever have before- even when I’m writing fiction.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

I turned 40 since last we met and posted a fun video in an effort to get back into the swing of things. I’d love for you to check it out.

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So, why do you write?
If you don’t write, have you considered it?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jemi Fraser,
Kim Lajevardi,
L.G Keltner,
Tyrean Martinson, and
Rachna Chhabria!

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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 #37).

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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IWSG

#IWSG October 2020: A Working Writer Sometime Needs Leave Without Pay

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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.

Optional Monthly Question: When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

To me, a working writer is one of two things, depending on how you look at it. 1) Ideally, a working writer is someone who makes a living as a writer. Writing is the work that pays their bills. 2) More commonly, I feel, a working writer is someone who works another job while also writing full-time whether it pays off or not. By full-time I mean, it’s just as much a part of their daily life as their paying job, and not a hobby they pick up when the mood is right, or vacation time is plentiful. (To clarify, there is nothing wrong with that. Writing should fit into your life in whatever manner suits you best.)

I think a working writer is supposed to look like someone who has a steady income stream consisting of: book sales, branded merch, guest articles and appearances, affiliate links and endorsements on their blog/vlog (or in this day and age, their podcast), and is at some level an influencer, even if it’s just within their local community.

I used to see myself as a working writer, but I recently had to take a leave of absence without pay (Just temporary. I’m back to work now.) I’ve struggled to read, struggled to write, and struggled to stay connected via my personal blog/platform and social media. I’ve struggled to see the point in sharing my words when I feel that so many of mine, and the words of other black people and people of color, seem to just go completely unheard by the powers that be.

So, the answer to this month’s question is also my insecurity. I’ve continued to cling to a few small supportive groups where I feel mine, and other struggling voices are not only heard but appreciated. Perhaps one day, down the road, I’ll be able to write an IWSG post where, as a working writer, I’ll be offering encouragement to someone else, whether a working, aspiring, or hobbyist writer.

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Thank you, again, for the WEP 1st-place award for the Long Shadow contest. If you’d like to see the guest article I posted at the WEP blog, click on the image.

Though I’m not reading as much as I like to (hardly at all) right now, I’m still excited about the release of Frozen Crimes, the 5th book in the Disaster Crime Series by our very own Chrys Fey.

BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

I’ve read the whole series and followed Chrys for years. Whenever I regain my reading strength, this will be at the top of my TBR.

Now, on to the personal updates.

I’m still here.

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What does being a working writer mean to you?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jemima Pett,
Beth Camp,
Beverly Stowe McClure, and
Gwen Gardner!

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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 #37).

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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#blacklivesmatter IWSG

#IWSG September 2020: Go ahead & skip me this month. Talk’n about #blacklivesmatter here.

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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.

Optional Monthly Question: If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

I’m not in the right mindset to answer this question or post right now, but I’m here doing the best I can. Here’s a list of black authors I’ve been reading instead: Kwame Mbalia, Ibi Zoboi, Piper Huguley, and John Lewis.

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My insecurity– My voice and all the other black voices will continue to go unheard by the people who decide who gets to live or not. I work hard to improve my writing skills every day, but at the end of the day, my black voice still doesn’t matter.

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Thank you, WEP for the winning award for the long shadow contest. I truly appreciate all the encouragement and support.

Now, on to the personal updates.
Did you read the title of this post? This is your last chance to escape before reading or seeing something that might make you uncomfortable; and yes, I’m going to talk about being black in America.

I’m making a last-ditch effort to follow my dreams but since I’m a realist, I don’t expect much. I try to teach kids that sometimes they just can’t have what they want, and I’m no different. I’m never going to stop dreaming, but at some point, I’ll have to start facing reality. I guess I’ll start after this. (If you can upload pictures to Facebook and want to help me with a virtual book fair to raise money for We Need Diverse Books, check out this link.)


I have no expectations that the world will change anytime soon. My ancestors were dragged to this country against their will and forced to endure labor and treatment not even inflicted on animals. It’s been almost two hundred years since half this country died fighting so people with dark skin could be treated somewhat close to humanely, and to this day, the color of my skin is a threat punishable by death. Yeah, hope your year, decade, centennial, or whatever is going better than mine. As a human being, you deserve better than this.

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Sorry (kind of) to be a downer.
I really do sincerely hope things are going better in your life than the overall situation in this country.
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
PJ Colando,
J Lenni Dorner,
Deniz Bevan,
Kim Lajevardi,
Natalie Aguirre, and
Louise – Fundy Blue!

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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 #38).

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