Tag: insecure writers support group

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Fun Hops IWSG

28 Days #WEPFF Challenge featuring The Sarah Cycle #amwriting #flashfiction

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The Sarah Cycle

Day 28- Sarah is sad again. Melissa was taken to the hospital today. Sarah was told the girl would likely not return. Sarah decided to watch puppy videos online to console herself.

Day 1, First Impression- Today, Sarah got to meet Abby. Abby seems eager to connect with Sarah, but Sarah seems apprehensive to interact with this new girl.

Day 3- Abby has been leaving puzzles and riddles for Sarah to solve on the table in the center of the room. The girl seems to be tickled at how quickly Sarah solves each one. Sarah has made no attempt to interact with Abby other than to solve her riddles and puzzles.

Day 5, First Attributes- Abby seems to be losing interest in getting to know Sarah just as Sarah seems to be showing an interest in Abby. Abby has started solving many of the puzzles and riddles on her own without asking Sarah for input.

Day 7, First Indirect Contact- Abby fell today when she grew bored with puzzles and decided to time herself running the length of the room. Sarah reached out to console Abby, but then quickly pulled away. Sarah called out for help and offered Abby a teddy bear to hold until someone came to help.

Day 8- Sarah asked if Abby would be back tomorrow and smiled when she learned that Abby would return after a day of rest.

Day 9- Today, Sarah greeted Abby when she arrived and the two played together all day. When it was time for Abby to leave, she reached out to hug Sarah, but Sarah told her maybe they could hug another day. Abby tilted her head and then shrugged before waving goodbye.

Day 12, First Symptoms- The girls enjoyed another day of play, but Abby soon grew tired of bouncing around. When Sarah asked if she could read to Abby, she quickly requested three of her favorite books for Sarah to read.

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Day 15- Each day the girls play less and less but seem to enjoy each other’s company more and more. Abby adores the way Sarah reads to her, expressing that she wished adults would read to her with such funny voices.

Day 18, Secondary Symptoms- Abby arrived late to play time today and Sarah yelled at her that she was very worried. Abby said that she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to miss their play time. Instead of their usual game of tag, Sarah suggested they start with a game of hot and cold, it did not require either of them to run in order to play it.

Day 19, First Contact- Today when Abby was getting ready to leave, Sarah asked for a hug. Abby hesitated at first and asked if Sarah was sure she wanted a hug. Sarah said, “Yes. I want to hug you because you are the best best-friend I’ve ever had.”

Day 22, Final Symptoms- Abby arrive late to play time again, but Sarah didn’t yell at her. She prepared a special reading nook for Abby to lay in and told her, upon arrival, that she would sing and dance for her before reading some of her favorite stories.

Day 25- Abby didn’t arrive to play time today and Sarah was very upset. She asked for Abby all day. Sarah refused to eat or play with any of her toys.

Day 26, Critical Condition- Abby came to play time today, but she could barely hold her head up or keep her eyes open. Sarah told her it was fine and that she would take care of her. Sarah set Abby up in the special reading nook she’d made for her a few days before.

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Day 27- After a day of singing, dancing, and reading to Abby, Sarah gave her a big hug and told her she couldn’t wait to see her again the next day.

Day 28- Sarah is sad again. Abby was taken to the hospital today. Sarah was told the girl would likely not return. Sarah decided to watch sloth videos online to console herself.

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FCA- 677-words- The Sarah Cycle 2019 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas

Please visit other entries in this hop (February 1-20) and enjoy some funny, scary, touching, and thought-provoking stories. You’ll be so glad you did. Look for names with DL next to it.

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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IWSG Videos

#IWSG February 2019: My Creative Interests & a feature from author Tatum James.

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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.

I was almost in tears when I woke and realized my post hadn’t gone live. Seems I set it for the wrong date. 🙁 Oh well, better late than never… Hold on tight ‘cause I have a lot to cover today.

Optional Monthly Question: Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?

I have so many creative outlets, I sometimes have to schedule the time I spend doing different things. While reading itself isn’t a creative outlet, writing book reviews and filming book videos can be. I also enjoy cooking and baking from scratch (or semi-homemade when resources are scarce). I love to draw and paint, and while I’m better at drawing than painting, I’m not really good at either. Still, I love to do it. I used to love sewing pillows, purses, and other things, but getting back into it has been tough (again resources…). And lastly, I love to dance. I used to be really into jazz, ballet, and hip-hop though I never trained for them. Still, I do enjoy a good beat or melody.

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January’s IWSG Newsletter member spotlight was L.G. Keltner. Be sure to stop by and check her out, if you have a chance.

IWSG BOOK CLUB NEWS

The IWSG Book Club on Goodreads is changing things up…
And members are love’n it.

-5 Discussion Questions: We will pose 5 questions that you can answer about the book we’ve read as a group. You can answer one question or all five. It’s up to you.

-Discussion Day Poll: Every discussion day, there will also be a poll that all members will get invited to answer. This is a great option to participate that is fast and simple.

-Quiz: You can also help us create a Goodreads quiz for the book we’ve read.

-Giveaways: Every Discussion Day, book club members will get a Goodreads message that will include the chance for members to enter a free Rafflecopter giveaway.

-Freebies: When we announce the next reading selection, another Goodreads message will go out that’ll include a downloadable freebie, which could be anything.

-Other Polls: We will also invite members to answer writing or reading-related polls during our “down” months. One poll will be related to the book in some way.

We read a new book every other month, alternating between craft books and fictional books that demonstrate an aspect of writing. Members vote on our fictional books. Join us here.

Goodreads

Our February/March 2019 book is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. This book was voted on by our members as a good example of setting. Discussion Day will be March 20th.

The cover for the next IWSG anthology has been revealed and there’s a new admin to the group. Click the image to get more information about the anthology release date and more.

The February WEP-IWSG sign-up is open and I feel pretty silly not having a story posted yet. While I do have until the 20th to get my DL-link up, I’m having trouble developing a story for the theme I came up with (Yes, you read that right. It was all my idea). He he, guess I didn’t think that through very well.

AUTHOR FEATURES

I’m happy to announce that I have some lovely authors to feature today. First, over on my YouTube channel, I’ve interviewed two authors and have another on the way. I’m always up for interviewing more authors. Check out video interviews for Christina Weigand and Joanne Lipford. Plus, I had a lovely blog interview with author Rhiannon Lee, on Monday. And today, I present you with an original article from author Tatum James.

What Becomes Of A Broken Doll?

By now, some know that Tatum James is a pen name. I recently signed with Major Key Publishing writing under my real name. I wanted to keep my author life separated from my regular life. Plus, some of my scenes are graphic so I wanted to disassociate from that.

I began a love affair with storytelling at a young age. I would read or watch something and think of ways to make it better. My favorites came from the urban fiction genre, well that’s if we exclude Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are.  I was introduced to urban fiction in 8th grade. A more mature classmate brought in a book about a hair salon. I couldn’t believe there were books with characters like people I knew.

I didn’t realize that I was talented until some of my teachers and friends brought it to my attention. I loved writing but, I couldn’t see myself doing it as a job. Instead, I chose to be a nurse, which I’ve done since 2009.

I became a published author in November of 2018, self-publishing my first novella Identical Sins. Soon after I published my baby Diary Of A Broken Doll which I had completed about 2 years earlier and the sequel Diary Of A Broken Doll 2.

Diary of a Broken Doll is a coming of age story of a girl with a negligent mother. The protagonist Courtney becomes wrapped up in a world of drugs and sex. Once she is in, there’s no turning back. There is a 3rd part to the series coming February of 2019.  In the 3rd installment, the readers get a more personal look into her life with Drew, the guy that saved her from her mother’s home.

Find Diary of a Broken Doll at Amazon.com.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

I’m crazy busy with my day job, plus all the stuff I’m doing online. That’s just the state of my life right now, and for now, I’m okay with it. Not letting myself get too overwhelmed. I do what I can and don’t worry about what I can’t.

Since it’s February, I’m doing my self-created #28daysofgraphicnovels challenge over at my, Carnie the Bookworm, Instagram account.

 

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And, I finally finished my semi-animated read aloud video series for story time. I worked really hard on it and am happy with what I was able to accomplish with very little technical skill, low-tech equipment, and minuscule time. I do so hope you will give these 5 short videos (less than 5 minutes each) a look and or a share.

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What other creative interest do you have?

Gonna try the IWSG Book Club Book?

Gonna try my storytime video series?

I’m feeling good at the moment and wish you nothing
but blessings in your endeavors.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:

 Raimey Gallant,
 Natalie Aguirre,
CV Grehan, and
Michelle Wallace!!

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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 #50).

This post contains some affiliate links. Please see the about page for more information.

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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IWSG

#IWSG January 2019: Dreaded Questions

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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 are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

I once had someone tell me they didn’t want to read my book because it wasn’t available in hardcover, but that was just the once. I don’t think that guy even reads. I think he felt he needed an excuse not to read my book, though I never told him I wrote one. My mother told him… Oh well.

I guess for me, the most annoying two questions I get is, “Is it really that hard to write a book?” or “Why don’t you get a publisher?” I don’t think I’ve actually tried to answer either of these questions in at least seven years. Now, when someone asks me one of those questions I tell them, “You’re not ready to talk to me about my writing.” Sure, I get strange looks, but at least I don’t have to provide a long explanation to someone who barely reads anyway.

On the flip side, my two favorite questions are, “Where did you get the idea to write that?” and “What made you decide to start writing?” Both of these questions seem to express a genuine interest in the subject of the question.

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December’s IWSG Newsletter member spotlight was Raimey Gallant. Be sure to stop by and check her out, if you have a chance.

The IWSG Book Club book for December/January is: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

The discussion for this starts January 23rd and I’m ready. I finished the book a while back but still haven’t posted my review. Hope to get that done this weekend.

Be sure to stop by the IWSG blog today to see the announcement of the anthology winners. I submitted a story, along with a bunch of other people. If I make the cut great. If not, I can add the story I submitted to the collection I’ve been working to release later this year. Either way, it’s a win for me.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

My 2018 ended a lot nicer than I expected and I am very blessed coming into the new year. I got caught up on all my unposted book reviews and managed to decorate for the season with plenty of time to actually enjoy the decorations. I even got to do a little baking.

I have several WIPs going but I figured I’d wait til next month to get into all that when I discuss my reading challenge as well. One thing I do want to mention is that I’d like to feature more authors on this blog this year. I used to feature authors all the time but stopped for some reason. If you think you might be interested in being featured on this blog, check out my sign-up form here. Also, check out this form if you are interested in a video interview.

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What questions do you often get about your writing?


I wish everyone a happy and fulfilling New Year!

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Patricia Lynne,
Lisa Buie-Collard,
Kim Lajevardi, and
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 #50).

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