Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Road Trip and a meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group

 It is the June meeting of the IWSG (hit name to go to sign-up page) 



Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the June 1 posting of the IWSG are SE White, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguire, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray!

June 1 question - When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end?

I feel particularly qualified to answer this question as I ponder the last twenty years. For it was roughly twenty years ago that I began to focus my writing on producing a novel. I had always wanted to write one and had begun a couple here and there but truly there must have been a part of me that thought that was a dream too far. Luckily I was wrong. So I turned my mind to writing a novel. Since then I've finished (mostly still need more revision) five novels. One was published this year - The Crooked Knife. One is on the hunt for a publisher -Bright Angel , a YA. And three are probably not going anywhere. I'm happy I wrote them though because you need to write a novel (or three) to learn how to write a novel. 

What helped me? A couple of things - I mostly will do things that I say I will do - so having outside accountability, even when I know it is mostly in my mind, really helps. Belonging to IWSG, blogging about my ambitions, doing several (six?) NaNoWriMo's - one of which generated The Crooked Knife.

Another help was the voice of my father (affectionately referred in this blog as Daddio) saying to me things like "When the going gets tough the tough get going" and "the secret to writing success is bum-glue". 

My third boost for when the going got tough was to remember that no one requires of me to write. It is a choice and therefore pointless to whine and whinge about how hard it is. I remember that writing is my art and my discipline and that I write to share ideas I feel passionately about and also for the sheer joy of stringing words together. 

Road Trip

I'm going on a book tour and I'm taking my fella and my dog with. We're leaving on June 6th and will travel from Prospect, Nova Scotia to North West River, Labrador and then on to St. John's, Newfoundland and then home. 5000 kilometres - three ferries, many different beds, old friends, family and flogging books! Yay! I'm launching in North West River where The Crooked Knife is set. Kind of nervous about that as it is a small place and well...eek...maybe no one will have read it yet!  We will drive to St. John's by way of Red Bay where my next Nell Munro mystery is set and I've only been once before. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and very thrilling to me as it looks out onto Iceberg Alley - a highway from North to South that icebergs travel on! After that we will go by the lighthouse pictured above in Point Amour, Labrador. I'm happy to go to St. John's which is one of the funnest cities in North America. On our way home from there we'll be going through Gros Morne National Park - a place of exquisite beauty. Then a ferry to Cape Breton and a six hour drive back to Prospect. Ah... A week after we are home I will do the Nova Scotia launch of the book in Halifax. Tonne of fun!

Hope you are well and writing and do remember to keep on truckin' !





11 comments:

Liza said...

So happy to hear about your road trip. Hope it results in many book sales and a lot of fun! You give me hope with your twenty years...I think I'm only at about twelve! Best to you, Jan!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

A choice so pointless to whine - well said!

Jan Morrison said...

Thanks youse guys! You make coming to work every day worth it.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I love your father's advice. Have fun on your road trip.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Enjoy your trip and safe travels!

I find NaNoWriMos really motivating, too. I don't ever officially join, but I feed off everyone else's progress. :)

Margot Kinberg said...

You're so right about bum-glue, Jan! Writing and writing some more is the way to get better at it. It can be disheartening, but I think perseverance is another quality writers need to have. I hope you have a wonderful road trip, and I can't tell you how excited I am that you're about to do a book tour. I hope The Crooked Knife is a real success.

Nick Wilford said...

So fun that you're doing a physical (not virtual) tour. Enjoy it and I hope you sell a ton. I've been writing about 15 years and the first few books were definitely the "learning how to write books" books, too.

Fundy Blue said...

I love Daddio's bum-glue, Jan! I know you've mentioned it before. How I envy you your fabulous road trip! I've been to Red Bay which is fabulous ~ well except for those damn, maddening, unbelievably persistent black flies of Labrador. And Gros Morne National Park ! It is one of the most important geological areas on the planet, and another UNESCO Park. When are you launching the book in Halifax? Do tell!!! I will buy and read your book before I get to NS. Can't wait. Maybe you should arrive in North West River with a little Screech ~ lol! You're going to have a blast!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I did a tour for my second novel from Prince George down to Kelowna and back. It was tiring but fun. I met some lovely people when I lived in Chipman, New Brunswick. You're in a beautiful part of the world so I'm sure you'll have a great time. I hope the weather cooperates.

Carol Kilgore said...

You're going to have so much fun! I'd love to visit all those places. Husband has been to St. John's, but I've never been that far north. Enjoy!

Deniz Bevan said...

That sounds like an awesome road trip, bon voyage!