Wednesday, January 4, 2017

IWSG: A Helping Hand

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers. It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.

A great big thank you to our awesome January Co-Hosts:
Eva @ Lillicasplace
Crystal Collier
Sheena-kay Graham
Chemist Ken
LG Keltner
Heather Gardner


A Helping Hand . . . 
This month, I want to pause and give thanks to all the authors out there who so generously lend a helping hand to new writers.  I cannot begin to tell you how much your willingness to share your expertise, knowledge, resources, etc., means to writers like me who are trying to figure it all out and get their first book out there.  I am constantly amazed by the friendship, camaraderie, encouragement, and sharing found in the book writing community - including individual authors and organizations like our Insecure Writers Support Group which has opened so many doors for me.  The wealth of knowledge, resources, and experience is a true treasure . . . authors willing to share it with others - priceless!  To all writers who have taken the time to extend a helping hand to me and others, I just want to say "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart.  Please know that I value every single word of encouragement and advice that has been offered to me.  I hope I have the opportunity to give the same to another newbie someday.

Question of the Month:  What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard? 

Seriously?! There are rules?!  lol  Honestly, several of them.  But I guess the grammar and punctuation rules give me the most grief.  I tend to write the way I think without worrying about the rules so there's lots of room for errors!  As a writer/reader who writes a lot of book reviews, I'm a fanatic about errors in books.  I know it's the job of an editor to catch them, but no one is perfect and as far as I'm concerned, in my humble opinion, the buck stops with the author.  So yes, I'm most paranoid about grammar and punctuation errors that might slip through the cracks.  

What writing rule gives you the most grief?

4 comments:

Chrys Fey said...

That was a lovely thank you message. When I started writing, I longed for writers to help me and to pass on what they know, but I didn't have anyone to learn from, so I became one. :)

Grammar rules can certainly give the most grief, although they are necessary. You're right that no one is perfect. Even editors can miss things. My editor has, and at first it worried me. Now, though, I ignore it. We're only human. :)

Crystal Collier said...

LOL. Grammar can always be corrected. It's the deeper stuff that should be worrying. Truthfully, my issue with writing rules is different by work. One piece will sing with beautiful prose, but the character arcs are a mess. Another, the plot is amazing, but I can't cut the passive voice for the life of me. =) Here's to slogging forward and doing the best we can, eh? Besides, everything will get cleaned up in the edits.

Sandra Hoover said...

I've been so fortunate in that a couple of authors especially have been so generous in sharing information and encouragement. It means a lot!

Sandra Hoover said...

I know, Crystal. I'm just a grammar/punctuation NUT! Certifiable! lol I have to push myself to move forward with a w-i-p instead of constantly rereading and correcting as I go. I'm still working on it!