IWSG DAY, AUGUST 3, 2022, WRITING IN WHICHEVER DIRECTION MY CREATIVE MUSE LEADS ME By Pat Garcia, #IWSG, @TheIWSG

Hello Everyone,

 

 It is IWSG Time!

 

IWSG is a writers' support group created and led by Alex Cavanaugh. 

 

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!

 

This group is an immense help to many of us who do not mind sharing our insecurities, our successes, or giving encouragement and support to others. 

So, if you are interested and would like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us.

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

The awesome co-hosts for the August 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard,Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery! 

I

No Submissions this month 

 Writing in Whichever Direction My Creative Muse Leads Me

 

 

I must admit that I struggled with this question at the beginning of my writing career. I found my answer by examining my beliefs and my raison d' être for writing. Simply put, I don't write what I don't want to read myself. For me, the highest satisfaction is writing a book I know I can be true to regardless of what others may think about my creative imagination.

Wishing all of you a lovely month and take care.

 

Shalom aleichem,

 

 

 

Pat Garcia

 

IWSG DAY, March 6, 2019, The Writing Perspective That Propels My Imagination

Hello Everyone,

It is the first Wednesday of the month, and IWSG Time. 

IWSG is a writer support group created and led by Alex Cavanaugh. It is a big help to many of us who do not mind sharing our insecurities, our successes or giving encouragement and help to others. 

So, if you are interested and would like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us:

The Insecure Writer's Support Group 

My report:

Glimmer Train: Very Short Fiction

The Perspective That Propels My Imagination

Honestly, my answer to this question is short. I am an optimist in every sense of the word.  When people see storms, most of the time, I see the rainbows behind the storms. One of my psychology professors pinned me very well when I was studying for my master’s degree. He said, Pat jumps into the ocean without worrying about the sharks. It is when she sees them coming that she starts thinking about a way to deal with them. 

Which comes to our question of the month for the IWSG.  I always write from my protagonist point of view. Why? Because I see them as world changers beating down the sharks only when they have too. They are so optimistic about changing the world that they don’t consider the sharks unless they have to find a way to get around them.  Vision directed, they jump into the ocean and learn how to swim because they are world changers. 

Wishing all of you a lovely month of March. 

Shalom aleichem,

Pat Garcia

IWSG, July 5, 2017 - My Insecurities

Hello Everyone,

It is the first Wednesday of the month, and IWSG Time. 

IWSG is a writer support group created and led by Alex Cavanaugh. It is a big help to many of us who do not mind sharing our insecurities, our successes or giving encouragement and help to others. 

So, if you are interested and would like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us:

The InsecureWriter's Support Group 

My report:

Submission June 2017  

Turn the Lights On – Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Anthology

Outstanding Submissions

Lascaux Review – The Woman and Her Dream

The Box in the Loft – The Wigleaf

GOOD NEWS!

The Bridge of Hope was runner-up in the WEP JUNE BRIDGES’  CHALLENGE  

If you care to read the story, it is linked to this post, so please tap on the story's title and it will take you to it.

My Insecurities

 Been sitting here wondering how I can shortened my insecurity article for the IWSG.

Well, what am I insecure about? Nothing! I’ve learned to kick myself in the butt and continue reading, writing, and journaling even when life is attacking me in all kinds of unexpected ways from every direction.

I’ve learned to submit my stories, my essays and whatever else I write to agents, publishers, editors and my writing colleagues and expect to get commentaries or critiques.

I’ve learned not to accept these positive or negative critiques as an acceptance or rejection of myself. They are responding to what I write.

Most important, I’ve learned that not everyone is going to dig (get that word dig? It is slang and it means like) what I write. People are just as opinionated as I am.

Sure, the fears knock on my door every now and then, but I’ve learned how to say BOO! And they have to flee.

So why am I still in the IWSG?  That’s easy to answer.

Among all of the writing organizations that I know of, the IWSG just happens to be one of the few that stands out as a flagship of compassion and willingness to support their writing members.

So, y’all have a lovely July as they say in the Deep South and be safe.  

This Georgia girl based on the European Continent hopes to see you  next month.

Shalom aleichem,

Pat G

Forgetting What Is Behind, I Press On

Hello Everyone,

It is the first Wednesday of the month, and IWSG Time has come around again. 

IWSG, a writer’s support group, which was created by Alex Cavanaugh, is a big help to many of us who do not mind sharing our insecurities, our successes or giving encouragement and help to others. 

So, if you are interested and would like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us:

The Insecure Writer's Support Group 

My report:

I was a NaNo participant and did not submit any stories this month.

Submissions still out:

1. Submitted one short story to Wordhaus, an online publication. Haven’t got an answer yet.

DECEMBER'S QUESTION: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

ANSWER: Five years from now, I will be a successful published author. Continually strengthening my writing through writing courses, attending writer’s conferences, reading other people’s works, and writing daily will help me achieve my goal.

Forgetting What Is Behind, I Press On

Two thousand sixteen, standing on the starting line,

I waited for the whistle to blow.

It blew, and I started running forward.

Forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, I pressed on.

Sometimes, I stumbled; I even fell,

Sometimes badly,

Each time, I got up.

I kept going.

Forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, I pressed on.

Projects started.

Some, I completed.

Some, I forgot.

Others remain ongoing.

Forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, I pressed on.

Tests came.

Shook my patience,

My tenacity,

My perseverance,

And my faith in myself.

Forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, I pressed on.

Shadows hovered over me and blocked my sight.

My vision hampered,

I learned to walk in darkness.

Forgetting what was behind and straining toward what was ahead, I pressed on.

Trained my eyes to look upward,

To move away from the dark center,

To find the silver lining,

I keep going.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.*

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a safe walk over into 2017.

Shalom aleichem,

Pat Garcia

*Bible Verse comes out of Philippians 3: 13 -14, New International Version, 1984, Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK.