Quote of the Day: When I face the impossibility of writing five hundred pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then, gradually, I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myself to contemplate. John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Today is another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. You can also visit the founder Alex J. Cavanaugh for more info and links.

I am one of the co-hosts today along with Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, and Louise – Fundy Blue.

Question of the Month: Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

Great question, and an easy one to answer. Yes! I’ve made great connections with other writers whom I consider to be friends. I’ve met a few in person. One is the Texas Playwright Chick, Cher. She doesn’t blog anymore under that title, but I clicked on her page early in my own blogging journey. We’re both playwrights, love theater, and have talented singer sons of the same age. She came to Minnesota with her son a few years ago for a music study opportunity. We met in Minneapolis and attended a show together, and talked and talked. I hope to visit her some day soon in her native Texas. Other bloggers I’ve connected with are also in the Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime Anthology. I feel particularly connected to C. Lee McKenzie. I enjoy her writing, comments, and plan to visit her beautiful state some day soon, as well. Perhaps, we can meet for coffee? Of course, Alex, the champion of all Insecure Writers. You’re a gift to this world. I also have much in common with Michelle, Writer-in-Transit. She’s a writer, piano teacher, and lover of the arts. I would be so excited to meet her in person. I believe she lives in South Africa. I’ve been worried about Roland from Writing in the Crosshairs, who became homeless after the latest hurricane hit Louisiana. I feel like I have friends all over the world. I could write about more blogger friends. I appreciate all of you!

My insecurity links back to the Steinbeck quote above. It is a daunting task to think about writing 65,000 words, or whatever the proper length of your novel. I’m up to 45,000 words, which sounds impressive when you tell people, but it needs more. The story’s not done. I want to travel the route of the novel, but Covid still rages. I write and worry, Is this any good? Will people read it and think its mundane, dorky, cheesy, overly dramatic, or worse, boring? It’s hard to shut up the critics in my head. But, I follow my teacher Candace Simar’s advice, to write every day, even if it’s just one sentence, one page, heck, even one word. I find myself jotting down ideas on tiny scraps of paper and leaving them all over the house! Some day, when my kids go through my things, they’ll discover a confusing paper trail. I hope they’ll realize it’s mostly story ideas!

Keep writing and creating, my friends. So glad we made this connection!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: What do you do when you hear those little critic voices in your head that try to sabotage your creative work?