E is for Experiment and The Insecure Writers Support Group: April 2016

This year for the A-Z Challenge, I'm attempting to act like I know what I'm talking about and offering advice about writing.  Let's see how I do!

Also, don't forget to stop by the Parallels blog to see more posts about the upcoming anthology, which will be available on May 3rd!

Writers have a comfort zone, and within that comfort zone we produce plenty of great work.  At least, we hope we do, regardless of how insecure we may occasionally feel.  Some of us write novels, some of us produce more novellas, and some write mostly short stories.  There are poets and lyricists.  Many of us tend to stick to a primary genre or form.  There isn’t anything wrong with this, but occasional experimentation can be good for us.

When we experiment with a genre or form that we’ve never done before, we flex our writing muscles.  It’s a form of exercise.  The results may be great.  They may be good.  They may be so embarrassing that you couldn’t imagine allowing another person to see them.  Any of these results is okay.  If you don’t experiment, if you don’t push your boundaries and step outside your comfort zone, you won’t know precisely what you’re capable of creating.

I'm in awe of people who use music and/or imagery to help tell their stories.  Melanie Schulz and her amazing Ubooks are an example of what's possible.  If you aren't familiar with them, check them out!

Last year I tried a few Choose Your Own Adventure stories for the A to Z Challenge.  They were a lot of fun to write.

So go ahead.  Experiment!  Play around with words and ideas in new ways, and most of all, have fun!

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time to convene another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group!  Alex J. Cavanaugh created this group to give writers a place to share their insecurities and offer encouragement.  I'm happy to be co-hosting today, along with Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne.

Be sure to check out the IWSG website!

First of all, Crystal Collier is featuring me for her Writerly Wednesday segment today, so be sure to check that out!

I'd also like to say happy birthday to my son Jude.  He's 7 years old today.  Oh my, where has the time gone?

The next time we have a meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the anthology will be out.  Parallels: Felix Was Here comes out on May 3rd, and our next IWSG posting will be May 4th. That's a crazy thought.  

I'm so excited about this that I really can't put it into words, which is crazy since I'm a writer and that's kind of my job.  Putting my work out there is such an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience.  I know not everyone is going to enjoy the things I write, but I hope the majority do.  In the meantime, I'm doing my best to keep writing and not look at the countdown to publication that I wrote down in my planner.  Yes, I did that.  I'm such a dork.

Are you feeling insecure this month?