Tag: Alex J. Cavanaugh

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG March 2020: Are you ready to get personal?

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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.

Click here for a short personal update.

Optional Monthly Question: Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?

I don’t think I’ve done this yet, not really. I’d like to, though. I have found that when I tell people about some of my family’s traditions, they say “Oh, that’s really cool,” or “Oh, we don’t do anything like that.” I might write some short stories about them.

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IWSG Book Club News

We recently had a poll up for our February/March 2020 fiction book selection demonstrating characterization. The top two books tied. Instead of the book club moderators voting for one selection, we’ve decided to do something different and have TWO book options for you to choose from.

The Lovely Bones  | Chill Factor This is the one I’m currently reading.

Discussion Day is March 25.

WEP-IWSG

At the time I wrote this post, I don’t believe a winner for the February challenge had been announced, but you can read my entry here if you’d like. I had some fun with this one.

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Now, on to the personal updates.
I got no writing done in February other than my WEP challenge. I’ll have to do better next month.

I did two different February reading wrap-ups. I posted my reviews elsewhere (link lost 🙁 ) along with a video. I recorded just a wrap-up video on my personal YouTube channel, which will be featured below. Had some major technical difficulties….updated 3-5-20.

I’m sure there’s more to say, but it’s been a long short month. See you next time.

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Have you ever written about some of your family’s traditions?
Did you meet any writing goals last month?
Read any good books lately?
It may take some time, but I promise, 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:
Jacqui Murray,
Lisa Buie-Collard,
Sarah Foster,
Natalie Aguirre, and
Shannon Lawrence!

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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 #41).

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

Categories
IWSG Videos

#IWSG February 2020: Is there a story in the picture?

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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: Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

The WEP-IWSG challenge held every other month offers some pretty good theme, word, and image prompts for short stories, but in terms of pictures and longer works, I don’t think I’ve had that experience.

I recently participated in a short story anthology where we all wrote a story based on the same picture and it turned out really good. You can download the free PDF by checking my side panel or visiting my Toi’s Shorts page. Again, a single image has yet to inspire me to write anything more significant than a short story, but you never know.

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I hope for my next IWSG post to be a bit more involved, but this is all I got for now.

 Below is my January Wrap-up and Good reads update.

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Has a picture ever inspired your writing?
Read any good books in January?
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:
Lee Lowery,
Ronel Janse van Vuuren,
Jennifer Hawes,
Cathrina Constantine, and
Tyrean Martinson!

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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 #41).

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

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG January 2020: How did this all start?

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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: What started you on your writing journey?
Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series?
Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent?
Did you just “know” suddenly you wanted to write?

There were three distinct moments over a 20-year period that started me on my writing journey. First, it started with Peter Pan. I loved that story as a kid and read as many versions of it that I could get from the library. I wanted to be a lost boy and would write out adventures for me to go on. I also wrote other stories in my youth, but those stick with me the most and have inspired many of my stories.

Second, there was the teacher, the co-worker who revealed one day that she had written a children’s book about her journey to living in the U.S. and learning English. I had learned a lot from her and was inspired by her to write something, I just didn’t know what.

Lastly, there came “the dream” about the gray man. I feel like I’ve blogged so much about the inspiration behind my first book that there’s no reason to rehash it now. But after I started and then published that first story, I just couldn’t stop. Because of that dream, I started, writing, and blogging, and vlogging, and connecting with the writing community.

Sure, there were many other things along the way that also helped put me on this path, but those three things were pivotal in getting me where I am now.

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The December IWSG member spotlight was Donna K. Weaver. Be sure to stop by her blog and say hi.

IWSG Book Club News

Goodreads.com

The December 2019/January 2020 book will be On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Discussion Fun Day will be January 22, 2020.

I’m about halfway through it. The first chapter was rough, not the writing, just reading about his youth. It got better after that, but it’s very refreshing, at this point, to read about where he started compared to where he is now. I’m looking forward to finishing and discussing it.

WEP-IWSG

The 2020 challenges are on the way.  The WEP challenge for December was very touching. Here is my entry.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

I’m laying low for this post but here are a few nuggets.

I did a video wrap up with some goals for this year. I think I covered all the basis.

I brought back Counting My Blessings, but instead of posting to this blog, I’ve turned it into a vlog series. You can check it out here, with the updated image.

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So, where did your writing journey start?
Did you meet your 2019 goals?
Set any goals for 2020?
It may take some time, but I promise, 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:
T. Powell Coltrin,
Victoria Marie Lees,
Stephen Tremp, and
J.H. Moncrieff!

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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 #42).

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