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IWSG

#IWSG February 2018: For the love of #paranormal; oh, and some #graphicnovels

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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: What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

I write in many genres most of the time, which isn’t always a good thing, but that’s a topic for another day. I’d say the genre I’m most passionate about is ‘paranormal’. I love to read and write about the paranormal in its many and diverse forms. Of all the speculative genres (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all subgenres) it’s the most speculative. I find that for, those like me, who like to blend a bit of spirituality and or religion into some of my writing, the paranormal genre is the easiest fit. I love to explore and manipulate ideas and concepts about myths and legends to find fun, new, and sometimes thought-provoking ways to show the many facets of humanity. Whether it’s vampires, werewolves, ghost, angels, or demons, I can never get enough of the supernatural goodness of the paranormal genre.

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Now on to the personal updates.

The IWSG Book Club is reading Lord of the Flies for our March discussion on symbolism. I’ll admit that I was a bit bummed by the outcome of the vote, but I’m not heartbroken over it. I was hoping to use this as an opportunity, a motivator, for me to finally read Moby Dick (I know, I can’t believe I haven’t read it either), but I think that ship has sailed (no pun initially intended). I just don’t know if I’ll ever get around to reading that, when I have so many other books that I really really want to read. In any case, I’m hoping my second read of LOTF will go better than the first. Perhaps being older and not being forced to read it for a class will make all the difference.

I’ve been struggling with how to approach the future of my writing. I feel like I need to start over from scratch, but can’t quite bring myself to make the leap. I’m trying to figure out a way to maybe take baby steps instead. For now, at least, I’m going to focus on reading, writing my rewrites, as well as the new ideas I’m developing, and am making no plans to publish anything in the near future. Perhaps in a year or two, I’ll be ready to take on the publishing challenge once again.

Over at A Small Gang of Authors, I’ve been writing a blog series about music, inspiration, and my writing. In today’s part 4 of the series, I talk about character theme songs, if you care to check it out.

I’m challenging myself to a graphic novel read-a-thon this month. Please check it out, if your interested.

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Why do you love to write in the genre of your choice?

Read any good graphic novels lately? Thinking about trying one out?

Have you clarified all your goals for the immediate future?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Stephen Tremp,
Pat Garcia,
Angela Wooldridge,
Victoria Marie Lees, and
Madeline Mora-Summonte!

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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

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Excerpts Reblogs

Reblog- #Book in the Spotlight from Toi Thomas #OurAuthorGang

So, yesterday I was hanging out over at A Small Gang of Authors sharing excerpts from my short story collection, Legend of the Boy, In the Window, and Other Short Stories. Then I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever really shared many thoughts or samples of that publication here at the ToiBox and decided I needed to share it. If you are interested, please go check out the post and read the excerpts.

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“I like the idea of seeing myself progress as a writer and I also like being able to explore different genres. My collection of short stories, Legend of the Boy, In the Window, and Other Short Stories, is an exploration of an author’s voice and developing creativity. It’s, sometimes dark and intense, adult fiction that is suitable for teens.

…” Read more at #Book in the Spotlight from Toi Thomas #OurAuthorGang

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