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!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!
July 6 Optional Question - If you could live in any book world, which one would you choose?
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IWSGIf I lived in a fictional world, I would have a hard time choosing between Narnia, Middle Earth, Aramatir from The Champion Trilogy, or the alternate Earth in my Rayatana Series. I love world-building, even if I keep some of the details back to myself and struggle to know how much is enough.
For now, I live here, and I do my best to live life well and fully.
This means, going to the gym, eating healthier than I was, taking bike rides, reading good books, writing books (hopefully good ones), worship, prayer, travel, volunteering, teaching, family and friend time, music, and more.
Something New These Days
I'm on TikTok these days, something I thought I would "never ever" do, and I'm actually liking it. Did I admit to that? Yes. There it is.
Has it been a good marketing tool? It's a little early to tell, since I started it a few weeks ago. I do know more about Tik Tok now, like it's a good idea to follow certain hashtags and accounts to stay away from some of the garbage on there - because, yes, there are some icky things on Tik Tok as well as the good things.
The best "click-rate" for marketing for June came from an ad I pinned to the top of my page on Instagram for the month. I'm hoping I can utilize both IG and TikTok more effectively together.
So, why did I go on TikTok when I said I "never" would?
I write YA fantasy and science fiction.
There's a YA #booktok community, and some pretty active YA Fantasy and YA Scifi #booktokers as well as those on Instagram.
I am giving it a 100-day trial to see how it goes. I'll try to remember to recircle back to this and review my experience in October.
Branding Reflection, AgainI've been working on pinning down my main themes, my universal fantasy areas in my books, my often-used tropes, and my joys in writing to create an easier-to-understand platform. I don't think I'll ever have a good one-liner this is "all of who I am" kind of brand, unless lightning strikes me with it, but for now, I know I work with doubt/fear vs. courage as an often-used theme, chosen one and chosen one with a team kind of tropes, and I enjoy writing imaginative adventures with faith and reflection. I also enjoy helping other writers to hone their craft and overcome the blank page or muddy middles. Hmm. Anyway, still keep thinking on this. And, I still love my new logo created by MiblArt
Upcoming Events/ActivitiesGig Harbor Senior Center Author Talk July 6th.
Gig Harbor Art Fair Local Author table July 16th-17th.
Attending Realm Makers in Atlantic City July 20-24th.
This is my first time at Realm Makers, so I'm going as an attendee. If you're coming, let's hang out!
Books and BBQ at BBQ2U's Author Table August 15-21st.
Teaching a class at the Write in the Harbor 2022 Conference November 4-5.
Teaching College Prep English at Harbor Christian Homeschool Cooperative for the 2022-2023 school year.
Sign up HERE if you would like to read some super short fiction or poetry and get more updates in my newsletter.
Also, for now I'm double-posting here and on Tyrean's Tales although this site is the only site I have signed up for IWSG. I'm trying to figure out which is more effective. |
I know very little about this, but it does seem like a lot of young people are on TikTok so it makes sense for you and your books to be on there. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't ventured into TikTok yet, but I write for adults, so it feels less urgent. I'd love to learn more about how authors are using it and what kind of success they're having. I hope you'll report back after your 100-day trial.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with branding myself and my work. I really liked this line of yours: "imaginative adventures with faith and reflection." I wonder if you could tie it into the chosen ones and overcoming doubt and fear tropes. Good luck! And Happy IWSG Day!
Like you...I was hestitant about joining certain social media, but recently I joined Instagram. There are a lot of funny ones which I love. Haven't done Til Tok yet...but I just may jump soon,
ReplyDeleteLove that logo. "Choosing Courage" might work for your brand.
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken the TikTok plunge yet. I don't currently have the energy to take on anything else. Maybe one day... Have fun with it!
I'm still on the TikTok sidelines. Hope you do great things with it, but I'm sure you will. You always dig in and use social media to your best benefit.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea about Tik Tok. Just heard about it.
ReplyDeleteLike you I too love world-building.
Narnia is an awesome world, would be a great second choice for me!
ReplyDeleteTik Tok is certainly the place for the young. I think it's great that you're giving it a trial run.
I know Book Tok is gaining in popularity. I'll be curious about what you think about it.
ReplyDeleteI'll be curious to hear about your Tik Tok experience. It's something in which I have no interest, but I do know quite a few authors who really like it.
ReplyDeleteLove how many events you have scheduled!
You are busy!
ReplyDeleteTik Tok isn't for me, but I will be curious how it's worked for you.
While TikTok seems to be taking off, I won't be engaging in it. I'd love to know how it goes for you, though.
ReplyDeleteSome fun worlds you've picked. Fantasy often seems like the best book worlds.
ReplyDeleteGood for you on learning TikTok and making it work.
For the IWSG July prompt asking which book world I would live in, I narrowed it down to three choices.
One is a short-story I published. One is from a popular series. And one is better known from television, but there are books. It's all on my blog.
"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
Over at Operation Awesome, our Pass or Pages query contest is open this week with July's family saga genre. Know any writers who might want to enter?
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
I love the logo.
ReplyDeleteTik Tok is the rage, but there's so much negative around it, too. I hope you have a positive experience.
To all who have been awesome and commented - thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm far behind this week.
Since most commented and said they would "never" do Tik Tok, I was right there with you. I know it has some negative stuff on it. But there is also some good on there, too, and so far, it's been fun. Again, I'm only a few weeks into it, so I'll see in a three months how I feel.
Well done Tyrean - always good to experiment and to learn at the same time - I, too, will be interested at how it goes ... good luck and cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYour post feels so upbeat and positive, Tyrean! Kudos to you for taking good care of yourself! Happy July!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your venture into TikTok. Is it worth the time? I look forward to reading your report in October. Sounds like you're taking good care of yourself. Congratulations. Both Narnia and Middle Earth would be interesting places to visit. Not sure I'd want to live there.
ReplyDeleteI too write YA sci-fi, so TikTok is where I must be, although my palms get a little sweaty at the idea. But it's where the YA readers are. You go to the market instead of expecting it to come to you. I may have to check out your progress over the 100 days.
ReplyDeleteBranding is hard too. So hard to pin down your themes into just a snappy one-liner.