Insecure Writer's Support Group: IDENTITY

This post is late, and I blame the insecurities that overwhelmed me this week.  They weren't necessarily writing related, were more about identity in general, but I guess IWSG is the right place to talk about it.

I think whenever you're involved in a creative profession it's difficult to own your identity.  I've read other posts along these lines, so I know that I'm not alone.  It's always--ALWAYS--been hard for me to say, "I'm a writer."

Aspiring writer?  Sure.

Wannabe-published author?  Absolutely.

But writer?  I don't know what it is, but saying it straight up like that makes me uncomfortable.  The same thing happens when I talk about dance.  I've been dancing for most of my life, but I've never been comfortable saying, "I'm a dancer."

Dance teacher? Yes.

Dance enthusiast?  Of course.

Again, the sentence, "yes, I'm a dancer," is so hard for me.  It's like, if you give it a definitive title, there's more pressure, more judgment…more expectations.  Sometimes I wish I could just believe in myself and the things I create.  Be normal.  I don't have anything published yet--except one poem--though I've completed a few manuscripts.  I've never performed on Broadway, though I hope one of my students will one day.

Anyway, it's just been one of those weeks :).  I hope everyone is doing well.  I hope you know who you are--and that you aren't afraid to say it.

Ninja Girl

Insecure Writer's Support Group: 900 WORDS

Hi everyone!  My IWSG post this month is actually less insecure than previous posts, and that's because...

I AM WRITING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yayyyyyy, hip hip hooray, and thank the Good Lord for that :-).  I had a severe case of writer's block/doubt that I just couldn't get over--seriously, I could not shake it.  Still struggling to figure out the next step for my completed novels, and honestly, I wanted to be sure I had more stories, more characters I wanted to bring to life.  It was that whole "writers write" mentality, and I wanted to make sure I still had that drive.  Now, I've started a brand new work-in-progress, about 900 words in, and it just feels really great to be writing again.  I'm sure I'll hit a wall at some point, doubt myself every now and then, but right now?  It's a pretty good day to be a writer.

Hope you're having a great week so far!  If you're struggling, don't worry.  The words will come--and I hope when they do, they flow like a river :).

Ninja Girl

STACKING THE SHELVES (25)

Hi all!  Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  Just thought I'd show off the books I got this week :).  Some YA, NA and adult thrown in the mix.

List of Books: All Broke Down by Cora Carmack
                       The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
                       Size 12 and Made to Rock by Meg Cabot
                       The Dirty Girls Book Club by Savanna Fox
                       Sway by Kat Spears
                       Loop by Karen Akins
                       Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

First up to read:

I really enjoyed the first Rusk University book, and I have high hopes for Book 2 :).  Also, Dead of Winter is FINALLY here, so I'm pretty excited.  Really love this series!  Sway has one of the best summaries I've read for a YA in a while, and I remember when Karen Akins was first making the writing contest rounds with Loop.  Hooked me then, and I'm still hooked, looking forward to reading.  I hope you all got a great haul as well!

Ninja Girl

Insecure Writer's Support Group: GOALS

Hi there!  This first IWSG post of 2015 is about introductions and goals, so here we go.

Hmm...well, I love to read, write and dance--which is why I'm a dance instructor :).  Tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, you name it, I teach it (except for ballet).  I've written four complete manuscripts so far, all YA.  I try to write books that I'd love to read.  At this point, I'm not sure which route I'll pursue as far as publishing goes--and that leads me to my writing goals of 2015!

My goals are to: Write a(nother) book!  Learn more about all of the publishing options available. There are so many avenues, just have to find the best one for my books.  And I love hearing what worked for other people/their stories which is one of the many reasons I'm so happy to be a part of IWSG!  Write (at least) 6 more book reviews for the blog, so I can reach my goal of 100 reviews.  Encourage other writers.  Tweet them, comment, rate their books, review etc.  Tell them when I enjoy their work, even if I feel like they might think I'm just trying to suck up.  Gah, I hope no one thinks that :/.

And also: Never, never, never give up!

Okay, so those are my goals; can't wait to check out all the other posts.  I hope everyone's 2015 is off to a great start!

Ninja Girl

Insecure Writer's Support Group: INSPIRATION

I can't believe it's already December! O__O That means it's almost 2015, and I can't even...wow this year's gone by fast.  Honestly, the flat out, plain truth is I'm still insecure about basically everything having to do with my writing.  Submission really did a number on me, so confused about what my next step should be yadda yadda...  So, this week I decided to make my IWSG post about a few of my favorite things (yes, that's a Sound of Music reference :)) that inspire me to write.  Here's a short list:

1. Songs and lyrics

2. Movies

3. Sherlock :)

4. Real life conversations/interactions (I love to people watch!)

5. Books, books, books

6. Dance choreography

7. Famous Quotes...like this one from Ernest Hemingway: "There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

Yep, pretty much.  So what are your writerly inspirations?  What are are you working on?  I'd love to know!

Happy Holidays,

Ninja Girl

Insecure Writer's Support Group: WIPs

Hi again!  Since it's November--and also NaNoWriMo--I decided to make an IWSG post about my WIPs.  I'm a writer who can only work on one novel at a time.  If I try to do more, things get a little cuckoo, so I try my best to finish a book before starting another.

BUT before I got an agent, I'd started a novel, got 30,000 words in then got The Call and stopped to focus on revising before sub.  Once on sub, I started another novel (to stay sane), got almost 10,000 words in--then put that aside when agent and I decided I should work on a different project.  I ended up completing that project (a companion to my novel that was on sub...confused yet lol?!?), but never got back to the other two before my writerly mojo took a severe hit (see post below).

Now, I have another idea for a series in a genre I've never tried writing before: New Adult.

That's three projects I could tackle.  In case you're interested, the two I'd set aside are paranormal YAs and the novel I'd subbed plus companion are YA contemporaries.  And I really haven't bounced back yet after this awful year, sooo...

How do you decide which project to focus on next?  Is it based on which book you're most excited about?  Is it based on the market?  Do you go with what you think  you write best?  I'd love to get your input :).

Ninja Girl

P.S. Thank you to everyone who commented and for the support on my first IWSG post.  Much needed and very appreciated!

Insecure Writer's Support Group: FEARLESSNESS

Hi guys, this is my first IWSG post (jeez…and my first blog post since July!).  Sorry, it's a day late.  I've read a few of the articles on the IWSG site, have actually been silently following/rooting for several of the writers on here for a while, and it seems like a great community.

So, here's where I'm at in my writing journey:

My agent and I have recently gone our separate ways.  It was a very hard decision, especially after all the time we'd spent subbing my manuscript.  It was coming up on 2.5 years that we'd been on sub (3 years with my agent), got some great responses/comments but no definite bites.

*FYI if you haven't been on sub, just know that if you're not one of the lucky few who get an offer immediately, the silence is a terrible thing.  Awful, the worst, it sucks.*

Anyway, it took me three years and three manuscripts to find an agent--which was tough, I remember--but I don't think I ever felt as craptastic as I do now :(.

I remember when I was in the pits of querying hell with everyone else.  There was a sense of camaraderie.  We were all suffering the same form R woes and slogging it out day after day.  Everyone celebrated together when someone got a partial or full request or--hit the jackpot--got The Call.

I used to bounce back after a day.  Get a rejection?  (and man, I got a TON of those)  Just get back on that horse.  Send out 2 more queries so you know the story's at least out there.

But rebounding this time has been a lot tougher for some reason.

I think it may be because when I signed with my agent I thought I was signing for the long haul.  And also I thought, "Here's someone who believes in your work.  It's only a matter of time before we find the right editor..."

I've still got so many book ideas floating around in my head.  And really I would love to see the 4 manuscripts I've written published.  I just need to find that fearlessness again.  That courage all writers whether they are looking for representation, indie or self-publishing seem to have.  I want that back.  Badly.

Got any ideas on how to get that writer-ly mojo back?  What would you do?

Have a great one,

Ninja Girl