[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here]

This month’s awesome hosts are: Olga Godim, Chemist Ken,Renee Scattergood, and  Tamara Narayan!

And thank you to founder Alex J. Cavaugh 🙂

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I think it’s fair to say, most of us have lost that shiny feeling about where we are or what we are doing at some point in our lives. Whether it’s personal, professional, or just a block we can’t seem to see through, life, writing, anything might very well seem too large to conquer.

I recently finished something new I didn’t think I’d like doing at all. But my writing friend challenged me to try it. Excited along the process, I’d send her snip-its and she’d text me, “I can’t wait to read this book!” Her excitement was one of the pivotal points I found in an article on how to motivate yourself from time.com :

•  “Get Positive”
•  “Get Rewarded”
• ”Get Peer Pressure.”

I finished my new manuscript in the middle of February and since then I read a fantastic new book as a reward and now I’m getting back on an old horse, an old manuscript I’ve fought with for years.

So this month’s IWSG question asks:

“When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?”

My answer:

• Work hard.
• Try until it hurts then keep trying.
• Giving up doesn’t exist.

Sure, I hurt. Sure, emotion sucks me dry some days, but with the force of optimism there’s no chance I’ll stay in the clouds and the rain for long.

I found this one on Totes.com 🙂

By the way, did you ever have one of those clear plastic umbrellas as a kid? It was the best tool in the whole wide world to me. I could look up through the rain and watch it pelt the top of the plastic umbrella and my hair and face were both still dry. That’s what it takes. See through the rain. It still may pour, but with shiny bright eyes, and a dry head of hair, you might surprise yourself with what you can do. 🙂

And while I’m talking about optimism, I’m really excited about Tick-Tock coming up!

Have you heard about the new anthology? If not, be sure to check it out when it hits Amazon and the book shelves in May because …

The clock is ticking…

Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting…

Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime

Anthology

Mystery/Crime/Thriller

Print ISBN 9781939844545

EBook ISBN 9781939844552

Release date: May 1, 2018

Last note of the day: