Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, August Movie Preview, Big IWSG News, and Ninja News

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 1 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Lee Lowery, and Susan Gourley!


August 1 question - What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

Write faster? Or at least don’t be as slow a writer as I am. One book a year seems like a good pace. More if you can swing it, but at least one.

So write fast and get way ahead.

And yes, during my break, I did write! I have over 13,000 words in my new story now.

Today we have a special reveal for the 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest! We are announcing the theme one month early. Here are the details:

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Theme:
Masquerade
A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren't. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions accepted: September 5 - November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges, who will be announced September 5.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

So now you have a month’s head start on your submission! Go for it.


IWSG News

The IWSG has also formed an awesome new partnership with WEP – Write-Edit-Publish.
We encourage our members, blogging and Facebook, to join this month’s challenge.

The August WEP Challenge – A Change of Heart
Who hasn’t had one? This one’s easy, right?
A commitment made when a prospect looked attractive, a decision on a course of action, and then regrets and reluctance to follow through. It could be an engagement, a date, a diet plan, a chore someone said they’d do and didn’t follow through. A strip poker-game. Or maybe a gamble with super-high, panic inducing stakes. A break for independence that once made, gives pause for second thoughts. A bolt for the grass-always-greener pasture and then wanting to vault-n-turn right back. Something offered, then withdrawn. Myriad ways to go.


The IWSG Goodreads Book Club’s selection for August/September is The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

This one is for our memoir writers and anyone who has ever thought of writing a memoir. The discussion will start September 19th and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you're able.

Book club members have the chance to win a paperback copy of Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. This is a used copy, but it’s in great condition. One winner will be randomly selected on August 8th, and Chrys Fey will email the winner to get mailing details. All info will be kept private.

To enter, go to this Rafflecopter Form. It’s free to enter, but you have to be a book club member. We will verify this, so join us on Goodreads!

Ninja News 

A new Aquaman trailer is out! Going to be so awesome…

Available now:
Tempting Friendship by Patricia Josephine (Patricia Lynne)
Find it on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, and Kobo






August Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for August! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

3 –

Christopher Robin 
A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.
Director: Marc Forster
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss
I’m not into toilet humor, but I do like the occasional Pooh joke…


10 –

The Meg
After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Stars: Ruby Rose, Jason Statham, Rainn Wilson, Bingbing Li
I’ll pay eight bucks to watch Jason Statham punch a shark!


17 –

Mile 22
An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.
Director: Peter Berg
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey
It really only serves to set up the sequel, Mile 23...


24 – 

Slender Man
Slender Man tells the story of a tall, thin, horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens.
Director: Sylvain White
Stars: Joey King, Javier Botet, Annalise Basso, Julia Goldani Telles
Is this the sequel to Thinner?



Everyone have a good July?
What advice would you give? Ready to start writing now for the IWSG Anthology Contest? Joining us for WEP? Excited about Aquaman? (More cool trailers on Monday.) And what movies interest you this month?

121 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Welcome back Alex. Your break has obviously been productive, but I hope it has been fun too.
Looking forward to floods more stories to read for WEP with the ISWG inclusion.

Heather R. Holden said...

Wow, you've had a productive break! Congrats on the 13K words--that's awesome!

And ooh, love the theme for the IWSG anthology. I'd have a lot of fun with that, if I wrote something other than comics, LOL. Looking forward to seeing what stories end up winning!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Congratulations on the productivity! I'm looking forward to Meg.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Congrats on your 13,000 words!!! Exciting!

Suzanne Furness said...

Congrats on the words written, Alex. I'm not a particularly fast writer I must admit but I try to keep going. Interesting theme for the new anthology.

Patsy said...

I write quite fast when I'm actually writing, but I have big gaps when I do very little ... hmm, think I've just spotted one of my pitfalls!

Nita said...

Hi Alex. A book a year seems like a dream to me. If I can write even one in two years I'll be happy!
Unable to leave the link to this month's blog post in this form though.

Pat Garcia said...

Thirteen thousand words on your next book while on vacation! That's awesome. Congratulations also on the new partnership. It brings about a change, and it will be interesting to see where it leads.

I am really seriously thinking about entering the next challenge for the next anthology. However, I need to get over the fear of writing outside of my genre.

All the best, Alex.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

I have seen the Piranha series and all the Sharknado sequels. Now I am ready for The Meg. Slender Man immediately brings to mind the 2014 case of two young girls who lured their friend into the woods, stabbed her 19 times and left her for dead to please Slender Man. I fear the new film might inspire similar crimes.

Enjoy the rest of your week, good buddy Alex!

Sarah Foster said...

Glad you got so much writing done!
I'm a very slow writer. I would love to publish a book a year. I would love to just publish *A* book, actually.

Pat Hatt said...

WEP entry is done. Great you got a bunch done indeed. I'm always 5 novels ahead. I don't release one until I have 5 done lol Get ahead and things are a breeze, more or less.

Erika Beebe said...

Good morning Alex. Wow! Masquerade? That's really interesting and different. Hmm....I wish I could write faster too. My kids are so small though all I can do is my best :) They are excited for Christopher Robin and Slender man looks pretty creepy. July was really wonderful and I hope you had a great summer :)

Arlee Bird said...

I had a great July in some ways while very frustrating in others, but that's often the case for many of us I suppose.

Another anthology already? I've never dabbled in the Young Adult Romance writing genre although I worked in the "Masquerade Industry" for many years. I've also known a lot of people who have been pretentious or false. Maybe a story will pop into my head.

I've never been a Pooh fan, however the trailer for Christopher Robin has caught my eye. Maybe I'll see it when it comes to DVD.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Toi Thomas said...

Thanks as always for hosting this awesome hop.

I'm with you. I write slow too, but I think that's just how I roll.

While YA may be a challenge, I'm so excited about this anthologies theme.

Happy to hear about the WEP partnership.

I'm actually excited about Christopher Robin.

Lynn La Vita said...

As always, I'm inspired by your words and how to apply them to my writing. I asked myself, how could I write faster?

One answer is to build my vocabulary so the right word falls instantly fall into place. I'm seriously considering listening to old radio shows. They used words (and music) to get just the right effect.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

That's great you did so much writing over your break!

I might check out that Slender Man movie at some point. I've got a few other scary ones on my list to see first. Funny, but your comment made me want to re-read Thinner. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nita, I'll find you.

Pat, do it!

Shady, I remember that case.

Pat, you are smart.

Lee, not one I'll see in theaters but I'll also catch it on DVD.

Thanks, everyone!

Jennifer Lane said...

Writing faster is a great tip! And not very doable for me. :-) I think one book a year is a healthy clip.

The anthology sounds interesting!

Joanne said...

congrats on all of your writing. Excellent. And your movie snark comments were hilarious this time. My advice would be to stop worrying about what's cool, what's out there, etc and make sure you find your voice and truly commit to it. And write....that is a piece of advice I don't do enough of.

Julie Flanders said...

Wow, 13,000 words on your new story. That was definitely a productive break! Congrats.

Do you still need co-hosts for the rest of the year, Alex? If so I'd be happy to help. The only month I couldn't do is October. Just drop me a line if you need help and let me know what month.

The Cynical Sailor said...

13,000 words - way to go!

This year's anthology theme sounds great - looking forward to reading the winning stories when it's released.

Christopher Robin sounds like it could be a cute movie.

Hope you're having a fabulous week :-)

Jemi Fraser said...

Love your advice - and I need to take it :) #speedup!
That's an intriguing theme for the anthology - I'll have to put on my thinking cap!

Cathrina Constantine said...

It sounds like the break was advantageous to get some writing accomplished!

Too bad none of the movies are thrilling me this week.

July was a good month, and today my daughter is being induced with her first baby. The little thing is refusing to leave its sanctuary....LOL! Been praying for them, and can't wait to see if it's a boy or a girl!!!

Have a great week.

Tamara Narayan said...

A book a year would be amazing. I'm not that fast, not by a long shot.

I wouldn't mind seeing Slenderman with my horror-obsessed daughter.

Michelle Wallace said...

13,000 new words? YAY!
Maybe we need to create a spin-off group for slow writers... LOL
I need to get moving with a story for WEP!
Happy IWSG Day, Alex!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Wish I could speed up my writing. I do for work, so maybe I just need to change my perspective on my own writing. Glad you got writing accomplished on your break.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Not sure if I can do WEP if I need to write faster. I have too many projects in the works already!

Welcome back! Glad you hear you got some writing done.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's wonderful you wrote so much during your break.

Andrew Leon said...

You're writing faster than me, right now.

Nick Wilford said...

There's nothing wrong with slow writing if it results in a quality product. Find the pace that works for you! Glad your break was productive.

Sandra Hoover said...

Congrats on a very productive break! Very satisfying, I'm sure. Loving the IWSG Anthology theme - Masquerade! Oh the possibilities!

Heather M. Gardner said...

Is this Alex 'I'm done writing stories' Cavanaugh? 13,000 words is a lot! Good for you, sir!

HI ALEX!!

So much awesome IWSG news!

The BOY and I finally saw Jurassic World! That was fun. Haven't seen the new Ant-Man yet, but maybe before the end of the summer.

Heather

Patricia Stoltey said...

I want to see the Christopher Robin movie. The trailers have been so charming.

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

Ouch. That puts me two months overdue for a new release. Can I get an extension?

Loni Townsend said...

Woot for being productive! Great to hear you got words down. :)

That Aquaman trailer was amazing. I can't wait to go watch.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Joanne, I am here to amuse!

Julie, thanks - I will.

Jemi, go for it.

Cathrina, big day for you!

Michelle - funny!

Heather! Yes, I am still writing.

Joey, we both can take one.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I'm glad you took time off from blogging even though you did write!!!Writing to me is such a pleasure that I must write each day. Congrats on the 13000 words. WOW.

Teresa

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Young adult romance?

Someone is going to regret that challenge. Maybe me. Probably you.

Lori L. MacLaughlin said...

Hi Alex! Glad you had a productive blogging break. Congrats on all your writing progress! That's always a great feeling. I'd love to be able to publish a book a year, but I don't think it will happen. If I get my next book done in two years I'll be happy. Christopher Robin looks like a cute movie. I was a Tigger fan as a kid. Aquaman looks good, too. Slender Man is too creepy for me. Happy August!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Alex, I agree with your advice of writing faster. One book a year is good and more than one book is super.

13,000 words is way too good. I love the fact that you write in your break too.

Love the theme of the IWSG Anthology.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Congratulations on making so much progress on your WIP during your hiatus. I agree that one book a year sounds like an ideal target, but it's one I'm not every likely to achieve. Fuhgettabout those writers like Stuart Woods, who churns out three books a year. The dude must never sleep.

J.L. Campbell said...

Congrats on the WEP link and the good stuff going on with the IWSG.

Liz A. said...

13,000 words! Woo-hoo!

Meka James said...

Woo-hoo for the words!!! That's great. I would love to get to 1 book a year. I am a little behind already, but the year isn't over, so there's still hope.

We have plans to see The Meg. My youngest is a lover of all things shark movies.

Anonymous said...

Your productivity is much to be emmulated and admired! I need to step it up a bit.

Slender Man. There was a horrific situation in Wisconsin a few years ago where a couple of 12-year old girls tried to murder a classmate in some kind of homage to Slender Man. Both of them are now in a long-term state psychiatric facility. The classmate recovered from her 19 stab wounds.

On that creepy note, thanks for letting me co-host today!

cleemckenzie said...

I have to say that I watched the Aquaman trailer to the end. It does look like one exciting movie. The WEP for August is going to even more exciting. Love the new badges.

Fundy Blue said...

How exciting to hear about your writing progress, Alex! I am looking forward to reading your next story. Right now I'm about an hour and a half from the nearest movie theatre. I did manage to catch "Jurassic World" while in Laughlin, Nevada. I'm looking forward to reading "The Art of Memoir." I don't know where I will be in September and October, so I'm not sure if I will have a computer, let alone can write a submission. Good thing I'm learning to live with not knowing what I'm doing. Have a good one, and happy writing!

Chrys Fey said...

So many writers are insecure that they don’t write fast enough. I don’t believe you have to write one book a year. Write to your own pace. Don’t stress about writing as fast as others.

Masquerade is a fun theme.

Gwen Gardner said...

I'm a slow writer too. Maybe when I'm more experienced I'll speed up?

Thanks for all the news, Alex, and have a great week!

sherry fundin said...

At the moment I only write reviews, but who knows what the future holds, so I love visiting blogs like yours.
sherry @ fundinmental

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

CD, probably both.

Lori, every other year is my speed as well.

Jen, getting back into it after over a year was really tough!

Susan, or he has clones.

Lee, I remember that. Thanks for co-hosting!

Fundy, thanks, and I never know what I am doing.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - glad you got so much done in July ... must help settle the story in and let you write on. I guess I'll see Christopher Robin ... the others probably not. Good luck to all who enter the Anthology contest ... and then joining forces with WEP is a great idea ... cheers Hilary

Christine Rains said...

Welcome back, Alex! July went by so quickly. One week until school starts here! Great theme for the anthology contest. Is it bad I laughed out loud at your Pooh joke?! Hehehe. I'm pouting this week because I'm catching up on Face Off, and I see it's the final season. So sad.

Liesbet said...

Congrats on starting a new book and already having written 13,000 words. I think the quality of the writing (and the inspiration level) is more important than writing fast. Unless you have a lot of talent and can pull it off to write one or more books a year. That is incredible in my book!

I can't believe there is another anthology contest already. Man, these years fly by! And, I'm excited about the IWSG cooperation with WEP. So much to do for writers. I wish I had more time and was doing house sits instead of traveling right now, well for the sole reason of any writing productivity anyway. :-)

As always, I love your movie snarks. But, I won't be visiting movie theaters this summer. Nature has to offer its own, spectacular shows.

Diane Burton said...

What a productive break! Congratulations!!!

diedre Knight said...

Hey there, Captain!
July was full of surprises - many of them memorable ;-)
Good for you in writing on vacation! That's usually when I accomplish the most as well.
Wow! So many cool challenges going on - The Masquerade theme is certainly enticing. I suppose my Summer Kids have outgrown Christopher Robin, but I'll no doubt be seeing The Meg ;-)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Glad you got some writing done on your hiatus. My children all read Meg sometime in their teens. They can't wait for that movie.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I'd say write fast to other writers. With how the market is, there is a crunch to get stuff out fast, but we still need to take the time to hone our craft and make a good story.

Also, thanks for the shout out of my release. =)

Sadira Stone said...

OMG, Aqua Man! Yeah, a book a year is about my pace. I hope to build speed as I progress in my career, but quality is far more important.

dolorah said...

Write faster? Or write something, lol.

Love the masquerade theme.

Leigh Caron said...

Oh, now I gotta see Aqua Man. thanks for the trailer. I had a great July...hope you did too.

Cherie Reich said...

Now I have "Masquerade" from Phantom of the Opera stuck in my head. LOL! I must admit I really want to see The Meg.

J E Oneil said...

I don't know how some people can write more than one book a year. Granted, I did it myself a couple of times but I didn't exactly write anything publishable...

Looks like Slender Man is going to be a dud. There are a hundred internet vloggers who could have done it right, but nooooo.

Unknown said...

Well done on the additional 13,000 words. There are days when I can't believe how slowly the words trickle out onto the page. Sometimes, I read on Twitter folks posting that they wrote 6, 7, 10K words that day, and my eyes just about bug right out of my head. How?! How is that possible. I'm a happy camper at 1k words/day. Glad you're looking forward to the new Aquaman movie. I just watched Justice League and... well... I guess I'm more of a Marvel fan these days. In any case, happy August, and happy writing to you (even if it's slow).

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Christine, glad I could amuse you. And I know! I'm bummed we're at the end of Face Off forever.

Liesbet, you travel to some beautiful places, so I don't blame you.

Susan, it's actually a book? Did not know that.

Patricia, you're welcome.

Kathy, I have no idea how that is possible.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Thanks for dropping by, even before you came back to us all. You're appreciated.

I'd warn others not to compare. For example, one book per year, and a stellar one at that, is ninja speed. It might likely take years to publish a book. My memoir took four. But it's all good, so long as you feel good about it and keep on keeping on.

Be well, Alex.

Leslie S. Rose said...

I'm excited for the new anthology contest. I'll start marinating ideas. There was a cool Aquaman presence at Comic Con this year. Looks like a fun jaunt to the movies.

Sandra Cox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra Cox said...

Congrats on the word count, Alex. Woot!
Welcome back. We missed ya.

Anonymous said...

Write faster? Yikes, I"m such a slow writer I don't think I could do it...well, maybe I can. This time around it didn't take as long as I thought it would to write a second book. Two years vs. four. Maybe next time I can cut it in half again. haha So glad you got some writing time in during your break and I'm glad you're back!

Elsie

mail4rosey said...

Yep, had a good July!! Summer's ending so fast, isn't it? I have a question...just curious. How many tries did it take to get a publisher to say yes? I wrote a children's book awhile back when I was stressing to find a way to start over and pay these bills (unexpected divorce) and wrote a book (I was trying any way possible). I submitted to 10 publishers. I heard back from zero publishers until recently. Someone asked me to resubmit with a change. I did and they sent me a form letter saying, 'we're sorry your work isn't what we're looking for' or something like that... I didn't even remember I sent it out, it's been over a year. And then I got excited with the e-mail. And then no. hahahaha What an instant emotional rollercoaster!! Anyway, so looking forward to Aqua Man!!

J.Q. Rose said...

What a broad spectrum of movies--a sweet movie, Christopher Robin, all the way to the horrifying Slender Man. So many different audiences to please. Congrats on the 13,000 words. Not much of a rest and relaxation kind of break. I've read the Art of Memoir. So much helpful and inspiring information for memoir writers.
JQ Rose

Bish Denham said...

Okay, I'd watch Aquaman just because Jason Momoa is in it.

Lots of good stuff happening!

kaykuala said...

during my break, I did write!
I have over 13,000 words......

My, what a vacation, Alex, when others relax. Masquerade is a perfect theme for Young Adults. That should attract the expected responses. Change of heart should be useful for writers, yes!

Hank

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Robyn, at this rate my next book will take four or more years.

Leslie, hope you submit something.

Thanks, Sandra.

Rosey, some people find a publisher after a dozen queries, some after a hundred. It's all about finding that one perfect fit.

Bish, you and my wife!

Hank, I made it a productive vacation.

Denise Covey said...

Slow writer? That's me. I'm in this FB group where people consistently write 50,000 words a month, every month.Hmm. Every month is NaNo to them. I've at least started setting deadlines which i manage to meet. Congrats on your word count in your break.
Exciting this new partnership. Looking forward to seeing if you can write an entry for us. How about an extract from your new WIP?

Raimey Gallant said...

Can't wait to see what happens with this new anthology contest! Writing romance is hard for me. I didn't realize IWSG had been around since 2011. That's so amazing, Alex!

L.G. Keltner said...

My writing speed varies greatly. Sometimes I can churn the words out quickly, and others it feels like I can hardly get the words on the page. I wish I could write faster than I do.

The theme for this year's anthology contest is a fun one! I love it!

kimlajevardi.com said...

Welcome back, Alex! It sounds like you had a very productive break. The anthology contest should inspire a lot of entries.

Truedessa said...

Hi Alex

Welcome back! You have been missed. I am excited to hear you are writing and we may get another story.

I look forward to Aquaman I saw previews recently at the theatre. I will make a point of seeing Mile22.

Peace, light and love always!

Rhonda Albom said...

Writing faster is a good tip. My pitfall was following the advice from my critique group who changed my story so much I don't recognize it any more, so I gave up. There is a tip: save every version. Don't just rewrite. Great theme for the anthology.

Juneta key said...

OMG I loved the Aquaman Trailer. I can't wait. I love Jason Momoa. He was a fave character in StarGate Atlantis. I was tickled when he showed up in the Batman/Superman film. Now one of his own as the STAR, YEAH. You made my day.

Yes I know he has been other things even a series called the Frontier on Netflix but I can't get into the storyline despite liking him.

LynNerdKelley said...

One book a year is awesome! Congrats on writing 13,000 words on your vacation. Thanks for the movie reviews. I always look forward to them. Slender Man sounds like a nightmare. Eeek!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Can't wait for The Meg and Slender Man! The first looks like a lot of fun, and the second seems sinister as hell.

Liza said...

Right now, I'm WISHING I could write faster! Happy August, Alex!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Denise, I can't imagine writing that much! Not sure I've hit a change of heart moment yet in the manuscript. I'll see what I can do.

Raimey, seven years!

LG, hope you have an entry.

Rhonda, definitely good tip.

Juneta, he was awesome in Stargate Atlantis.

Mary Kirkland said...

I read a book called, Meg by Steve Alten quite a few years ago and omg it was such a great story. So I'm pretty excited about The Meg movie, I hope it's a good one. I love big shark movies.

Aquaman looks so good...and so does the movie. LOL

Slenderman... sounds good to me. I'm sure I'll be watching it at some point. I usually wait for movies to come out On Demand and watch them at home since I don't like going to the theatre.

Sandra Cox said...

Can't wait to see Aquaman.

DMS said...

Welcome back! Awesome that you got so much writing done on your break. I wish I was a faster writer too. I am more of a turtle. :)
~Jess

mail4rosey said...

I figured as much. I was just curious since that response came in so long after the fact. Thanks for your reply.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I was aiming for a book every two years and failed miserably. You're right though. This is an era that changes those old concepts. Thanks for the movie reviews. Congrats on 13k.

John Wiswell said...

Ha! Good Thinner joke, Alex. :) I'm watching my way through Marble Hornets right now, which is much lower budget than this Slender Man movie, but also much more intriguing. It's unfortunate that the trailers make the movie look like it turns Slender Man into a generic gimmick.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mary, even if it's cheesy, it will be fun.

John, I'm here to amuse!

Betsey Grace Groover said...

Lots going on in the community! Great to see so many things to get involved with. Can I just confess I really want to see MEG?? lol and of course, Aquaman looks amazing. I'll see if I can come up with something for the anthology. Sounds fun!

Unknown said...

One book a year is a good challenge. I've done it 6 of last 8 years. I think it not only helps you develop as a writer, but also lets your readers know there is always more coming.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Write faster? I think you write plenty fast. It reminds me of a joke: What did the snail say on the back of the tortoise? "Wheeeee!"

In this case I'm the snail.

Tyrean Martinson said...

I didn't know I could reveal genre yet, but I'll edit my post late and add something next week, too.
Definitely want to see those movies.
Congrats on your word count!

SpacerGuy said...

Of course there is the simpler option, Remember Klingon Worf from Star Trek TNG? His solution was unique. When one does not have the words.... say nothing but I jest of course... so set your phasers on stun and may luck favour trekkers far and wide.

Charity Bradford said...

Write faster. Yes, definitely! I'm with you though, Alex. I'm slow. I look at the IWSG anthology and think, "I'd love to do that!" But I write so slow I doubt I'd even get the low word count story done in time in a polished enough form to submit. I'll look forward to reading the winners though. :)

Olga Godim said...

Great advice, Alex. Now, all I need to do is write... :(

Roland Clarke said...

I'm not sure that my scrambled nerves can handle writing faster, but I will try. Planning something for The August WEP Challenge – A Change of Heart. And I loved the Aquaman comics so intrigued about the movie.

Lidy said...

Congrats on your word count for your new story!

Can't wait to see Aquaman. You know what I find funny? There's a Teen Titans Go movie yet I haven't heard anything about a possible Teen Titans movie. Especially now that Justice League already came out and a sequel is supposed to follow.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

Thanks for the info about the anthology -- perhaps it's exactly what I need to write right now to get back to writing.

Lisa said...

Can't wait to see Aquaman, used to read him in my adolescent days, and I can't wait to see Christopher Robin either! I have loved Pooh and Piglet since childhood. So much info to take in, as usual. Thanks for coming by my blog. I know you are a busy man!

Tonja Drecker said...

Enjoyed the Aquaman trailer! Guess that goes on the list of 'to sees'. To write a book a year sounds like an insurmountable task for my writing snail, but I know it's a good goal.

F. Stone said...

Hi Alex. It's wonderful to be back with these great authors. Thanks for not banishing me to the dark side. :)

Magic Love Crow said...

Welcome back Alex! You've been missed! Congrats on writing so much, on your time off! Excited to hear more about your new story! Slender Man? Never heard of it! Sounds scary! Like your Pooh joke for Christopher Robin! LOL!

Melanie Rickmann said...

I think it would be a lot easier to write faster if I didn't have a full-time job! I keep telling myself someday I won't have to work so much and I'll be able to concentrate on writing. Great question this month, I've read a ton of really good advice on many different blogs now. Thanks for hosting!

Stephen Tremp said...

Aquaman has potential so we'll see where this goes. I have no idea what to think of Christopher Robin but we are set to see it in the next week or so.

Nilanjana Bose said...

Welcome back and congrats on a productive break!

Excited for the WEP+IWSG partnership. The antho contest sounds like another great read is on its way.

JEN Garrett said...

I'm not the right type of writer for the new anthology, but I might be able to create something for WEP. We'll, see...
Want to make an anthology for five-year-old kids? ;P I could enter that one!
Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to keep loving READING the great IWSG submissions.

Botanist said...

Write faster? I find the writing itself isn't the major factor, it's the editing. I figure on about 2 years to get a novel out the door, and about half of that time is spent getting and processing detailed feedback from critiquers and beta readers. I guess I'll just plod along at my stately pace :)

Good going with the 13k words!

H. R. Sinclair said...

Ooooooo! Great theme for the new anthology.

I'm a slow writer. I hope I will get faster as I progress, but for now, it's still a snail's pace.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

BG, I really want to The Meg!

Spacer Guy, I will remember that.

Lidy, that movie is trash. They are making a television show called Titans though.

Ronel, go for it!

Feather, welcome back.

Melanie, thanks for joining us.

Jen, we might do a kid's book one day.

Blue Grumpster said...

70 feet... that's it? Don't we have 70-foot sharks for breakfast, Ninja?

Yolanda Renée said...

I still haven't seen Jurassic World, can't come up with a reason why either.

The new challenge sounds interesting, but this one I may sit out. So many talented YA writers out there though, I've no doubt your submissions will be overflowing!

Elizabeth said...

Those are some exciting announcements this month! I love the anthology contest theme, I hope my writing brain can come up with something. Also, great to hear IWSG is joining up with WEP. I enjoyed it when I participated in February.

I'm glad you had some productive writing time. I would agree that writing faster would be something for slow writers to aim for :)

Deniz Bevan said...

Yay for 13,000 new words!
I agree about the write fast -- or at least write often. If I take a break of even a few days, I feel more sluggish when I start back up again.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on 13K Words! Wish that I was that productive. I've been easily distracted lately. Gah!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Alex....

Sorry I've been so scarce. Returning to Chicago has been difficult. I was sick all last month with major allergies which developed into major sinus issues. I could barely function. I did miss two, and hope I'm not banished... lol. I was already to post, but I hadn't realized it was on the first. Been trying to finish up the Chicago place.... So much work. I hadn't even written on the memoir for a month. Bad, Michael. Lol

SOOOO happy to read that you are getting some major writing done... CONGRATS! That's amazing. Keep it up....

I just had to drop by and give you my update... I'll be more present now that things are settling.

Ah... advice to a new writer.... HANG IN THERE! It's a tough road, but with perseverance you will eventually get where you need to go.

I would love to do the anthology... I was already to tweak my NOIR piece, but it's really not Y/A more like N/A... but perhaps I can come up with something similar that would work...

Haven't even had time to know what movies are coming out. I would like to go to see something within the next few weeks.

Hope all is well with you! I missed being in the loop....


J.H. Moncrieff said...

There's so much advice I would give, but mostly, not to listen to authors' advice, as everyone is different. Even the seemingly innocent advice, like "writers write" or "write every day" has caused anguish. Everyone needs to follow their own path.

I have no idea how some writers manage to put out twelve or more books per year. I'm a decently fast writer, but the output of successful indies blows my mind. Not sure how they do it.