IWSG: Never Say Never, Song Lyrics, and 500 Miles of Writing

The main blurb here about IWSG is reposted from the IWSG website. Check it out HERE. 

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! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the September 7 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim, Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

September 7 question - What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting the IWSG! 

IWSG

NEVER SAY NEVER

My thoughts on the September 7th Question: Never say never! Even if the genre would be the worst one for you to tackle.

When I say Never Say Never, I'm not quoting the Bieber song. In fact, when I say those words, I hear a very different song from the 80s running through my head and some of the lyrics are... well. Umm, I don't even know who the song was by or the actual name of it, but it was on a mix tape a guy friend gave me - and doesn't that make me sound like I could be writing 80s-90s historical fiction? Said guy friend was someone I dated, but did not ever call a boyfriend because, well, we thought about it, but he was Catholic, and I was Protestant and we thought it mattered. There's definitely a story there, but I'm not sure it's one I'll ever write. The above is actually enough over-sharing for that. However, as I said, never say never. Who knows, another decade will pass, and I might think, yes, it's time to write that story in a fictionalized way.

I say all this because I "never" thought I would write with a pseudonym. Now, I have two. 

I "never" thought I would write song lyrics. I have, both in fiction projects and outside of them. 

I "never" thought I would write a stand-alone book because I honestly love a great series, but now, I have.

I "never" thought I would write in second person point of view because that's just too weird and grammatically confusing, right?

But now I have written a novel with three POV characters that shifts from second person point of view, first person point of view, and letter writing (first again, but different). 

This is not a new writing technique, but it's a rarely used one. NK Jamieson obviously made it work. Scott Reintgen did it successfully in his Ashlords duology. I'm sure there are more examples outside of the speculative fiction realm. 

Will all of these projects see the light of day? 

Yes, eventually. Some already have. Some will someday.

Because this writing gig is something I love. I am not giving it up, ever. I will write and I will write, and maybe I will write all the "nevers" by the time I'm done, which will be when they pry the pen and laptop from my cold, dead fingers. 

 For anyone waiting for Rayatana 3, I apologize. Drafts 1, 2, and the partial of 3 were shlock, pure and simple. They didn't work. Parts of them shine prettily, but problems happened when I tried to salvage them, so I went back to the brainstorming phase. It will get finished. I have carved out a block of time to rewrite it entirely, but I am not promising any particular release dates until I'm satisfied it doesn't stink.

Current writing vibe:

I decided to replace Never Say Never with 500 Miles by the Proclaimers for my song for the week.

*I had to look that song up because you know how it is when a snatch of lyrics is running on repeat in the back of your head? Yes. That feeling. So, the Never Say Never song I remember is by Romeo Void and came out in 1981. I heard it the first time around 1989 or 1990. If you like clean lyrics, don't go looking it up. It's a weird song from a time when weird song lyrics were the norm.

What's your writing vibe right now?

Any songs sticking in your brain these days?