#socialmediabuttons {text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; display:block;} -->
Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Co-hosting IWSG & A New WIP is Born


Aloha,


Thanks to El Gran Capitán Alejandro for the chance to co-host the Insecure Writers’ Support Group … and after last month, I too, am so very glad we’re not changing the format or the name of ISWG…

Wait a sec – whoa Betsy…

...Speaks “ISWG” out loud…

Ah knickers…

C'mon, man, it's IWSG.

Say it again… IWSG

One more time... IWSG !!!

(Coughs)… I mean the IWSG.

Anyhoo, it’s always a pleasure to help his Cavanaughness, and I’ll zip through much of the current IWSG membership alongside my co-hosts, the wonderful Nancy Thompson and the delightful Heather Gardner.

For once, my issue is simple (PTL, I hear many say :)

I started WIP#2 Monday.

I can’t share much about the story, except to say it’s about this great, white Poodle that takes over a beach in New Jersey and creates havoc over one, long summer season.

(It’s set in the 1970s – and my working title is PAWS – but I’m not sold on it yet.)

Seriously though, if I can recap where my writing head is:

·         WIP#1, a memoir, heads to a professional editor this week for final polishing, so things look good there.

·         The days as a weekly and daily beat reporter are well behind me.

·         My blog is doing well (and I remain forever grateful when non-blood-relatives leave comments – and beg forgiveness for my crassness when unable to respond in kind.)
This leaves me, for the first time in my ten-year writing career, at the beginning of a project that is all fiction – and all mine.

So, I’m writing what I want – like I've always wanted – but now it’s also time to discover if I can walk the walk.

Honest, I’m *NOT* fishing for compliments, but this is the Insecure Writers Support Group, so I wonder:

Am I a good enough Writer?

Can I create a great story that generates more interest and buzz than the three coffee machines I unsuccessfully tried to sell at our recent garage sale?

My deadline to finish the first draft is Halloween, so I suppose we’ll see how scary the writing is, right. :)

###

Thanks again to El Gran Capitán Cavanaugh and now, off I go walkabout…

(PS: Since Monday, I’ve found myself standing over the small amount of first draft pages, chanting “My Precious! O my Precious!” in a strange, Gollum-esque voice. It's kinda weird, but I’m sure it will pass once I get to chapter two... Right? :)

55 comments:

M.J. Fifield said...

I never get IWSG right the first time either...

Best of luck with your brand new WIP...you're a fantastic writer, so I've no doubt that it'll be a great read.

Bob/Sally said...

Write what you want, like you've always wanted, and the rest will flow naturally. I think you can always tell when an author enjoys their own story, and that love of the material shows in the care that's given to the writing. Best of luck!

Melissa said...

Holy poodle piddle! What a fun premise! ;D
With your sense of humor, you're going to do a great job. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

IWSG! Say it with me.
It's your first time to write fiction - go wild with it, man.
I do like PAWS though. Or is it PWAS?

Rachna Chhabria said...

Paws is a good title. Congrats on starting the second WIP.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

LOL -- I totally get the "Precious, My precious" bit. Do you cackle in delight over it, too, or is that just me?

As for the "Am I a good enough writer?" question, I think we never get over asking that question. No matter how many books we write.

Suzi said...

Thanks for repeating ISWG so often, I never get it right.

Oh, and O.M.G. I can't believe you're writing about a great white poodle that wreaks havoc on the beach in NJ one summer in the 1970s because I totally have a similar story going, but don't worry, mine takes place in the winter, so I'm sure it'll be a little different than yours, and my finishing deadline is Oct. 15th, and I'm sure I'll get an agent right away, so don't despair, there is room for two stories about great white poodles who wreak havoc on NJ beaches in the 1970s. (Okay, I'm sooo out of breath :)

Yolanda Renée said...

ISWG or IWSG, that's the best reason not to change the name. Makes you think about what you're doing!

Am I good enough, wow, a question I thought only I dealt with. I've always known I could 'tell' a good story, it's the 'writing' a good story that kills me!

Go for it! PAWS! Excellent!

Unknown said...

All the best with your writing. Not only shall you beat the deadline by weeks, you shall also scare yourself and your readers! :D

Annalisa Crawford said...

How great to be in charge of your writing. Don't panic! It's all yours :-)

PK HREZO said...

Aloha Mark! yep, we all wonder that frequently about ourselves. I heard Neil Gaiman even say he used to wait for the fraud police to show up at his door and take him away. lol
Sounds like you're being very productive and my theory is as long as you're still writing, you're moving in the right direction. ;)

Mark Means said...

Hey Milt! Best of luck with your new project and, if you can be a beat writer, you can be a fiction writer -and- do it your way.

Looking forward to hearing more about your latest project and thanks for co-hosting this month.

Have a great holiday!

Heather M. Gardner said...

I always write ISWSG. For some reason I think Insecure is two words. I'll never learn!

YOU CAN DO IT!

We just need to remember if we did it once we can always do it again. We can!

Keep writing!
Heather

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

You can do it, Mark! I can't wait to hear more about it. :) You are such an interesting writer and totally made for fiction. :) It's going to be awesome. :)

cleemckenzie said...

Holy Poodle! What a plot. Can't wait until you disclose all.

Great job as co-host!

Anonymous said...

Never fear--my internal Gollum is my Infernal Editor who hisses violently "ly"ce and that-gnats. And, yes--we DO argue with one another out loud and in third person.

Some days are better than others. At the end of the day, there's only one course of action: sally forth!

Jessica Ferguson said...

I did it once... in 1996. I'm just now doing it again. :) Not to add to your insecurity or anything.

Love your "My precious... my precious." Yep, been there done that.

Good post! Best to you on your new WIP. Always fun starting something new.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't pass. Until the draft is over. I know I'm on the write track when I'm sitting in a meeting and can't focus until I figure the 20 possible choices I am going to make on the next couple pages of my WIP. Love this stage of writing. Congrats on WIP #2.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Whoo hoo, look at you go! You are bound for success. I chuckled at the "Halloween" deadline. Do it or die, might be your mantra. You can do it. You're inspiring me!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

You've got ooodles of talent. And as a non-blood sibling, you know I would totally give you a noogie over a compliment any day ;)

David P. King said...

Woohoo! Way to start that WiP! Best of luck to you and I'll be rooting for your to beat that deadline to the finish line - just don't be dead when you finish. :)

Bevimus said...

Mark, I love you- have I said that lately? Cause seriously- when you make me laugh, you MAKE ME LAUGH! The idea of you standing over your current WIP doing your best Gollum impersonation is just priceless.

As for the writing, I think your co-host Heather put it best- WRITE! Just write and it'll be the kick-ass thing it will be.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Oh, Please!

OF COURSE you are good enough!!!!!!! A contract should tell you so... not to mention your wit, passion, charm, and good nature. What more do you want?

No need for insecurity on your part! Get over it. LOL.

LOVE the sound of your new novel.. The kids will love it! I like the title.

When it's ready, send it over... I'd love to crit it for you.

Suzanne Furness said...

So glad you are enjoying your new project. Thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month.

farawayeyes said...

I hope you're a good enough writer to pull this one off, because your poodle premise sounds awesome.

Michelle Wallace said...

You are such a funny guy Mark! *laughing* Good luck with the new idea!
Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG.
Writer In Transit

Rena said...

I'd say that one of the biggest concerns for many writers is whether we're good enough or not. I'm struggling with that right now.

You personally? You're good enough, but it's not about you: it's about your words. And the awesome thing about that is you get to control when those words go out into the world. You get to polish and revise and rewrite to your heart's content. So yes, you can be a good enough writer, all you have to do is work.

Meredith said...

So oddly enough, I've found that writing what I want is actually harder than writing something I have to do for a living. Go figure. Although I think it's more of how important my MSS are to me. It makes them so hard to share compared to things I've written for work etc.

I look forward to following your journey :)

Meredith
Meredith’s Musings

Golden Eagle said...

Good luck with your new WIP! :) It sounds awesome.

Molly/Cece said...

New is a good thing. Have fun!

Unknown said...

So excited for you! Have fun with it:) Your new WIP will be your "precious" until it's done - then it will be your reader's "precious"!

Unknown said...

So stoked for you Mark. I love your writing and can't wait.. CAN'T WAIT.. to read your book in its finished form.

Huntress said...

Holy Cats! I'm sure glad I'm not the only one screwing up the acronym.

CD Coffelt ponders at Spirit Called
And critiques at UnicornBell

Lisa said...

I too have to check the letters sometimes to make sure I got it right! Glad I'm not alone there. Congrats on your new WIP! Sounds like you could have something there. Don't feel alone with your questioning this quest. We have all been there, or are there now! Thanks for hosting!

J.L. Campbell said...

Hi, Mark,
A new writing adventure is always exciting and along with that come the questions. Stay with it though and have fun. It makes the journey worthwhile.

The Words Crafter said...

If you write like you blog, there should be no problem! Congratulations on the new wip :)

DL Hammons said...

You've given yourself plenty of time. "You Can Do It" (said in my best mexican accent). :)

klahanie said...

Greetings Sir Mazza type dude,

Yes, where is that Gary? Gosh and yay, here I am! :)

Now then, like I've mentioned a couple of times, okay several times, on several blogs, I thought, "IWSG" stood for "I Was Seeking Gary". Imagine my devastation when I discovered what it actually meant. Weirdly enough, my millions of adoring fans, okay two people noted that they could remember the letters in the right order, thanks to me, yes me, shy and humble me.

And now, dude, you've made the big time, along with another couple of my adoring fans, Nancy and Heather. Hi Nancy and Heather!

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar, likes the working title of "PAWS".

Of course, you are a good enough writer. Penny has confirmed this. So you must be really 'pawesome'!

You can do this. Remember "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary".

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Cavanaughness *snickers*. I mean great name. WIP#1 is doing well, good. Glad WIP#2 is on the up and up and the storyline with the poodle is interesting.

Morgan said...

I am SO INTRIGUED to see what your brain comes up with... it must be such a *free* feeling to write what you will absolutely create through and through. Maybe I need to make my deadline Halloween too for my next book. Since all I have are a few scattered ideas!

I can't write in the summer. *Looks at watch* When is it fall???

Stephen Tremp said...

Good luck with both your Mark! Cant wait to see the finished products. Im sure they will be nothing short of awesome.

Kirsten said...

Ooh, this is so exciting! Welcome to the world of fiction! I think you are going to love it here.
As for that nagging question? That's why we're here at IWSG isn't it?
You're a fantastic writer, Mark, and you are going to kick butt writing fiction. No question about it!

Sher A. Hart said...

So,Mark, how good is your writing? If you really want to know,critique groups and beta readers are great for being honest... One told me my book was an "acid trip" two versions ago. Ouch. So I got over it and started rewriting. I'm still doing that between editing jobs. I love it. It's so much easier getting other people's books into shape than your own. I hope you get more positive feedback.

Cherie Colyer said...

Change can be exciting. Thanks for co-hosting ISWG...ooops, IWSG.

Happy writing!

Carrie-Anne said...

Good luck with your new WIP. It's best not to stress yourself out by making a set in stone deadline, unless of course there's a contract involved in meeting a deadline. Just making steady progress is good, so long as the momentum keeps up.

Tammy Theriault said...

*fiiizzzz* i told you these coffee machines you sold me were crap!! dang it mark! at least i know you did it for a reason. you didn't want the crap to preforate your nose hairs or your new WIP! i gotcha...sending it my way to make mine be all stinky-sally in all. wow...true friendship. i am sticking you BACK on that island!!

good luck!!

~Sia McKye~ said...

Lessee. A beach, a standard sized poodle-and that is one big dog, btw, the ocean and Paws. There is a certain irony to that. I love the humor of it. Yeah, I'm sitting here giggling.

Thank you for being a co-host. I know you split the list but I also know from being a minion in A-Z, it's hard work too. So I appreciate your hard work as well as the rest of the co-hosts!

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

LD Masterson said...

I'm getting here a little late but I'm wondering...are all these other commenters blood relatives? Or are you having a really grateful day?

Have fun working on that new WIP.

dolorah said...

LOL; I hope you meet your own deadline for the first draft, but I also encourage you NOT to stress if the writing is progressing, just not as quickly as anticipated. On the other hand, you may be a writer than pounds out 15k words a day and are satisfied with the concise results.

Time and writing commitment will tell how you progress. But it is what it is, and if you are happy with the result, that is all that matters.

.........dhole

Julie Musil said...

Yay for you! How exciting to start a new fiction project. Good luck to you. I'm sure it'll be amazing. And hey, the "am I good enough?" doubts haunt ALL of us. Newsflash: you ARE!!!

Liza said...

Congrats and good luck on your new project. Doubts plague us all, but keep at it. The more any of us write, the better we become!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Yes, your writing IS good enough.

Thanks for co-hosting, Mark.

xoRobyn

Anonymous said...

I figure that if you're clutching your draft and calling it Precious as oppesed to dancing around it with lighter fluid and a lighter chanting "Die demon die" you consider yourself a good writer. So yes...your writing is good enough.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I write ISWSG. It's okay. lol

I'm under the assumption that every good writer asks themselves if they're good enough. I try to look at it that way. :)

Chancelet said...

Congrats on WIP #1 getting its finishing touches. And I'm sure WIP #2 will be the buzz around town. Sounds like a thriller many animal lovers would love to dig their noses in. I'm also sure there's no doubt about your writing abilities, so you have nothing to worry about. If you love it, then I'm sure others will too.

And, I think the title is a good working title, but that you'll come up with a wonderful title later. Writer’s Mark

Post a Comment

Dude saunters up to Dude-ette: You Comment Here Often?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
;