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.
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How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes.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
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 Something offered, then withdrawn.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. 
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…
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…
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!
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...
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?
