#IWSG Pros and Cons of Reading as a Writer

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.
http://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter is @TheIWSG and hashtag #IWSG

Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy and Joylene Buter!

 

February 1 Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

 

 

In recent years, now that I am writing full-time, my reading habits have continually evolved - 

 

for better and for worse.

 

My choice of genres has broadened from mostly mysteries to more diverse areas of interest, including non-fiction history of war. Interest in this particular genre initially blossomed as research to build backstory for my novels' protagonist.

Now I'm hooked.

My current reading list includes Last Hope Island by Lynne Olson (a Goodreads Giveaway win of a book to be published 4.25.17). Expanding my knowledge base would be one of the "for better" sides of the reader-becomes-writer experience.

 

On the down side, I often find myself editing as I read. It took a while to realize this occurred most when scenes dragged, characters had no character, or the plotline lost focus. These were not conscious considerations before I started focusing on the mechanics of writing my own stories.

 

While there are times poor writing or lack of editing become too much of a distraction, I will still read to the end of most novels. There is usually a lesson to be learned in how the author unfurls the climax.

 

*****

 

My reading goal this year is to read and review 72 books, in a wider range of genres than ever before! (Last year's goal was 71 and I hit 86.) As a writer, do you read more, or less?

 

*****

 

 

 

 

Where Do Ideas Come From?



Interesting cemetery off a back road on Maui
that could conjure up an anthology of ideas.

The question most asked of writers is: “Where do you get your ideas?” 

Some authors say it is the most difficult interview question because they don’t have a satisfactory answer. During the course of the day, an idea pops up and a kernel of a story sprouts. Whatever triggered that idea is the source, or the WHERE. But the thought may be too fleeting for the conscious mind to grasp, and it is only the residual grain of sand left behind that begins to develop into a pearl. 

Triggers can be a song, a painting, an ocean breeze, the shape of a face, a 140-character tweet, a friend’s facebook post, or even the scent of a grilled cheese sandwich, chicken soup, or a root beer float. 

Once the idea begins to form, it is the fertile mind of a dedicated writer that designs, shapes, and accessorizes the story from opening line to climax and denouement. 

Ideas are a dime-a-dozen. Good ideas are worth a bit more. Maybe a better way to answer the question would be for the writer to tell what they do with the inspiration generated by an idea and how the author molds a seed of an idea into an intriguing story. 

Here is a blog post by author Kaye George giving her take on where ideas come from.

http://cindysamplebooks.com/2012/09/where-do-ideas-come-from/ Kaye George @KGeorgeMystery