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: Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
I’ve talked to many writers who don’t believe it’s important to read, and to that I say, WHAT! To each his own, I guess. I get the idea of not reading a lot while you are actively working on a story so that you aren’t overly influenced by what you read, but for me, a writer should also be a reader- no quota or nothing, just read something at some point that you didn’t write.
But, to answer the question being asked, I feel like I’m a more flexible reader than many other writers. I think sometimes we writers can be too harsh. Still, that’s not to say that writers shouldn’t be a little critical of their peers. For me, every reading experience is a learning one. I can learn what I’d like to be better at and what I hope I’m not doing or plan to stop doing immediately. With that said, the few reading pet peeves that make me want to put a book down are as follows:
-Too much profanity.
-Really bad grammar, not a few typos or misplaced commas, but grammar so bad I can’t figure out what’s happening.
-Gratuitous sex. I like a little steam as much as the average adult, but I do also need a reasonable plot.
-Too much snark. I like a laugh but again, plot. I need this to all be going somewhere not just endless jokes.
-Too many unnecessary descriptions.
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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS
Our book club is changing things up!
We will have quarterly book selections now, giving us more time to read. We will also have one fiction book selection and one writing craft book selection. Members can read both or choose between them. Finally, we won’t be offering 5 optional discussion questions anymore. Instead, we will be utilizing the polls that our members enjoy, so there will be one poll question for the fiction book and one for the non-fiction book on Discussion Day.
Our December/January/February reads are…
Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, a book written in second person. Since many readers haven’t read a book in second person, and many writers haven’t written in second person, we figured this is a great chance to explore something new.
Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters by J Lenni Dorner. This will be our writing craft book, with a focus on settings.
Discussion Day for both books will be February 24, 2021!
Now, on to the personal updates.
So, my husband and I just bought a house. The whole experience was horrible, stressful, and painful, but at least it’s over. I’m so happy on so many levels.
View this post on Instagram
I just launched a Patreon page because I have a few people who expressed an interest in the idea but then none of them supported it when I launched it on the first. Still, I love the idea and will continue to work at convincing those people that using Patreon is no different from shopping at Amazon. We’ll see how it goes.
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Is reading as a writer more or less fun for you?
What are your reading pet peeves?
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:
Ronel Janse van Vuuren,
J Lenni Dorner,
Gwen Gardner,
Sandra Cox, 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 #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
