Wednesday, January 6, 2016

On Not Giving Up #IWSG

Happy 2016 everyone!! At last I can announce the winners of the IWSG 2015 writing contest! But I won't. Instead I'll direct you to the IWSG website for that info. Big cheers and congratulations to everyone who took part. It was especially difficult to pick the winners because of the high standard. 

On a different note, I'd like to introduce you to Anna Simpson, a wonderful inspiration and a writer who didn't give up. Her new release is White Light, a cozy mystery. Take it away, Anna.


Thanks, Lyn, for welcoming me onto your blog.

Today is a twofer. It’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group day and my blog tour stop. So I thought I’d put them together and explain something that may not look too obvious.

I’ve been really, really lucky. Mostly because I find people like Lyn online that are not just intelligent, and creative, but supportive. She is a perfect example of why we are drawn here every month.

Don’t blush Lyn. It’s all true.

When I wrote White Light I wasn’t sure it would get published. In fact, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t. I was lucky enough to get some great beta readers in and thanks to them I managed to improve the work. But then I let it sit.

It sat for a long time before I got the nerve up to submit it. As you might have guessed I was rejected at first. I did get some kind words along the way but they still added up to the same thing—No.

It hurt, but I didn’t give up. Because giving up is more scary than trying again. I revised White Light again and again, looking for mistakes. You know the ones I mean: Plot holes. Typos. Abandoned subplots. Then found #pitmad and found a publisher. It was like magic. All my insecurities left for a bit.

The whole process was an education. It still is, truth be told, and so worth doing again. What stage is your work at? Ready to submit? How do you keep going when it gets tough?

How to find Anna: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
How to find White Light: AmazonAll Romance Books, Kobo, Goodreads

This post was written for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.