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IWSG

#IWSG February 2021: Friendship through Blogging

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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: Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

I’ve made a lot of connections online in the past ten years, but to say I’ve made friends is a little different. I’d first like to point out that just because someone is your friend on Facebook doesn’t mean they are your friend in the real world. With that said, the blogosphere, for me anyway, is way better at building solid, meaningful connections that in time can become true friendships.

I’d love to someday meet some of my blogging friends face-to-face. Before COVID-19, it was a real possibility. I mean, I got to meet one of my favorite publishers at a writer’s conference, who’s to say I couldn’t have also met up with a blogging buddy? Still, I recognize the difference in relationships that thrive in cyberspace and the ones that could potentially thrive in reality.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having only “online friends,” as long as they are genuine. I consider all the solid connections I’ve made within the IWSG and WEP to be real friends, especially since they’ll be honest about my writing and let me know where I need improvements. Do these friendships translate into the real world? I have no idea. Maybe. Even if they don’t, they’re stronger than most of my Facebook friendships.

Still, there are those that stand out. There are those I’d love to have a cup of coffee or tea with once a month as I do with my old high school friend. I’m so blessed to have made these friendships through the blogosphere. I won’t name names for fear of leaving someone out, but I think they know who they are. They are the ones I email from time to time and follow on social media platforms. They have truly made my life better, and that’s what a good friendship should do.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

I have finished one of the book club books for December/January/February. Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters by J Lenni Dorner was a short read and I really liked it. Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor is another story. Aside from my Goodreads overall reading challenge, I also joined an audiobook challenge and I thought I’d listen to Ghost Light instead of reading it. I think I made a mistake. I’m really struggling with it. Still, I hope I’ll make it through by discussion day.


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! Don’t feel pressured to read both. Pick the one that suits you best and go for that. Or don’t read either but still participate in the discussion day poll. They’re pretty good.

JOIN US!

 

Now, on to the personal updates.

I continue my quest to settle into my new home. It’s been a slow process, but it is coming along. I’m hoping everything will be done by the Spring. For now, I’m just trying to survive the winter. It’s so cold, and much as this may hurt some people’s feelings, snow is way overrated.

One month down in 2021 and COVID is still taunting us all.

I’ve been posting videos on Facebook and YouTube chronicling my struggles with technology, but think I finally found something that might work long term for me. You can check it out in my January wrap-up video below.

Lastly, my Patreon experiment is going well, at least in my eyes it is. I have three supporters and am actively writing new material again. It’s not a lot, but every little bit counts. I designed an exclusive postcard to send out to them, hopefully, today or tomorrow… Oh, and check out my most recent book reviews at Lit Carnivale.

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Have you made any lasting friendships through the blogosphere?
Read any good books lately?
Met any writing goals?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually 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:
Louise – Fundy Blue ,
Jennifer Lane ,
Mary Aalgaard ,
Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and
Nancy Gideon!

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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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About Toi IWSG

#IWSG April 2018: Just keep writing; just keep writing; just keep #writing.

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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.

Monthly Question: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

I honestly feel like my writing life is always cloudy. It’s kind of like the rest of my life, in that I’m sick all the time. Still, I get stuff done. If I stopped and waited to be healthy to do stuff, I’d never do anything. If I waited for the rain in my writing life to clear up, I’d never write anything.

For me, I think it’s more about being patient and not forcing it. I wish I could be one of those writers who writes 100 or 1000 words every day, but that’s not my reality. I have to work on multiple projects at a time so that whenever the muse strikes, I have plenty of material to work with. I also distract and inspire myself by reading and watching creative content; and again, when the muse strikes, I write (even if it’s 3 a.m.)

And, if and when, I get discouraged or overwhelmed, I look back at the few good reviews I’ve received and the two pieces of fan mail I’ve received to cheer me up. It helps remind me why I write. I write because I enjoy sharing my stories, even if I just share them with a few friends.

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Now on to the personal updates.

I’m on spring break and, oh boy, do I deserve it! Just in time for a full recovery from Strep. I just got back in town to enjoy the rest of my break on staycation. If you follow me on YouTube or Facebook, be on the lookout for some cool pictures and videos.

Illustrating is hard when you are not formally trained. I used my computer’s paint program to draw my first children’s books, but now I’m trying to do some hand drawings for the new stories I’m working on.

I’ve been cleaning up and rewriting a few stories for a short story collection I hope to release later this year. Plus, I have my ongoing project to rewrite my Eternal Curse Series for the 10th-anniversary release. We’ll see what happens with that down the road.

Over at A Small Gang of Authors, we reached 100,000 views. I’m so happy to have found this group of amazing author-bloggers to connect and collaborate with. If you’re up for it, please stop by and congratulate us.

And last, but definitely not least, I completed my Graphic Novel Read-A-Thon and had so much fun. If you’re interested, check out the video wrap-up below. My March wrap-up video will go up this Saturday, April 7th.

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What keeps you writing?

What are you currently working on?

Are you having a vacation or staycation anytime soon?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Olga Godim,
Chemist Ken,
Renee Scattergood, and
Tamara Narayan!

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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 #57).

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