The Insecurity March

Hallo fine peoples! It’s first Wednesday! Wait, whut? Where did February go? Though to be honest I’m glad it’s over. February is when winter really drags and once March arrives I feel a little more hopeful.

Gratuitous cat in drag

So welcome to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group meeting!

This month's question...

How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/ finish a story?

Gads, I wish I remembered! I guess I must have been doing it wrong though. Because if I was doing it right, it would have reinforced me to do it more often and it also would be epic enough that I would remember.

I think my trouble is my first drafts are dirty, so it ISN'T the end. I still have at least 9 rounds of editing ahead. And even then I don't know if it's done. I mean it may not be good enough for any publisher or agent and then where are we? In front of more editing, that's where.

But when something is accepted for publication--THAT is big. THAT is a party.

I gotta question for you. If you had NO RESTRAINTS (time or money), how would you LIKE to celebrate this? I think I'd do a trip. A different country for each book....

Okay, now go visit some other insecure people!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group meeting!

A Wee Reminisce

So five years ago today was my first ever blog...

I thought I'd stroll down memory lane a bit... If you are curious, here is my first blog, Python and Princess Bride references in tact. I'm proud to not be embarrassed by the thing... Because MAN, did I not know what I was doing. I'd never even really READ any blogs. I know. That's embarrassing. It is sort of my way... jump first, research to see if I did it right after...


Where I was in my Writing Life (or why I started blogging)

I finished my first MS in October 2008. I was still writing a little fan fiction, but I jumped into revisions of that right away—it was a book that had pestered me for years. I actually tried to query it that May, only to be given a kindly reality check from a second degree friend “Um, I hate to tell you this, but at 204,000 words, agents aren't going to read that.” (confirmed by my first rejection sent fifteen minutes after submission...)

THAT—realizing there was a whole bunch I didn't know about this writing thing (because I am too cocky to have learned that without being told) spurred me into blogging and opening my Hart Johnson Facebook profile. I was in the midst of a second book (one I never finished—I had two ideas but started THAT one and then I got a prequel idea for the OTHER and wrote THAT (fast).

Since then I've finished 14 more first drafts, published (almost) 4 books, I'm writing in my 10th WriMo, I've entered ABNA 5 times... But blogging was sort of my first outing as a writer. It was also my first real outing to people I KNOW.


So I want to thank my first COMMENTERS.

We all crave these, yes? They keep us going, when we might just whither into the void otherwise.

First commenters were:

Pinecone Girl (a friend of mine from high school)
Chary—Part of the Burrow, which is my writing group
GA Endless, who seems to have been caught up in a fraudulent publisher scam. I feel very bad for her, and the fact that I didn't know until now...
Siv Maria, who I'm still friends with AND
Christopher Allen, who I am ALSO still friends with...

So two people who knew me previously, one blip on the radar, and two new lasting friendships. I will call that a success.


So I offer a HUGE thank you to those early friends and a toast to all who have joined since. Thank you!