IWSG Anniversary

Insecure Writers Support Group 

Celebrates 2 Year Anniversary

While I have not been with the group for two years, I can definitely agree that this group is an amazing one to be a part of, so thank you +Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating it, and thank you to all the amazing co-hosts throughout the years that have helped to keep us all in-check. I would highly recommend joining if you love to write, love to read, are an aspiring author within any format, or just want to be a part of a wonderful group of charismatic people with the passion to create, share, and support.  Join the Blogging Sensation!!

My Testimony

As a new self-published author, I felt like a very small and feeble fish in a very big and intimidating pond. After reading article after article of tips and tricks on the self-publishing realms, one of the suggestions that seemed unanimous was blogging. So, with anticipation I jumped on the bandwagon and things started to look up. However, while my eyes were high in the sky, my spirits started to plummet. I think most of us have the dream of our creations, our writing, that once people read it they would immediately fall in-love with it and then it will be an over-night sensation. Well, at least this was a self-indulged concept that I would play with like a kitten with a ball of string. Then again, sometimes we need those indulging perspectives to get us through difficult times too. But! The great outcome of a difficult time was finding the Insecure Writers Support Group. Here you are able to connect with other writers, you can vent, share advice, and learn a lot about the field. It is an absolute invaluable tool, much like the Tailors tools for defeating the giant. This group provides those tools for the writers taking on the self-publishing proverbial giant as well. So, arm yourself, prepare for battle! 

I originally had joined the group to gain exposure for my work. Joining groups and blog hops really helps you to gain followers and individuals that could potentially be interested in your blog and your writing. At first I was obsessed with connecting with as many bloggers and followers as I could. I would also highly recommend Alex's other groups as well for fellow bloggers and writers. Join Alex and his many blogging adventures here!

*Tip: being a part of this group, you have to post on the first Wednesday of every month. I had a hard time at first remembering, finally I added it into my calendar. Now, I get notifications reminding me about IWSG and that I need to post and check out the fellow bloggers as well. Ironically I'm posting late this month! But otherwise, this is a great tip and really helps me to remember. Especially for people like me, I seem to lose more and more of my focus or my memory capabilities... well, stress is a big factor here too...

That being said, if you have not already drawn the conclusion, I absolutely adore this group. I have found that after self-publishing my book, it has been a huge learning experience that I keep learning through trial and error. I love being able to have this "check-in" that connects me to others where I can ask a questions and get comments, answers, suggestions, or even the desperate support we need as self-published authors. I have a lot of support from my family, but sometimes you need that unbiased opinion to give you a different perspective too.

I cannot thank you enough +Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this group and giving a forum, voices, and the invaluable tool to help us through - what can be - a difficult journey. I have only been contributing for a few months, but I do look forward to it. I'm also late in submitting this month (Oopps!) moving is so stressful and tiresome. But, I think I'll save that to write about for next month! Better late then never - agreed?

This Month's Insecurity

I dove head-first into the professional editing service realm. So far - so good. It is a little nerve-racking anticipating the manuscript. I am excited at the same time. The service I am using, There For You Editing has been used by other self-published authors and they highly recommend +Melissa Ringsted services. If you visit the link, you can read all of the testimonials. Some authors have received awards and a lot of recognition after using Melissa's services... not that I could be in the same category; I know I should not compare my work with others... but, I have to dream - right?  The editor has been very proactive with communicating and I look forward to Monday, receiving my first manuscript back and reading over it! If you want to continue to follow this adventure, I plan on sharing and blogging about it in another blog that I have, Going off Dreams: the journey and/or Going off Dreams: the series.

*Tip for newbies: MS refers to manuscript. I felt nearly idiotic for not knowing that... it was one of those moments where you palm-slap your forehead and tell yourself "Duh!" 

Have you ventured through professional services for your work? What services did you enlist and was it a positive avenue?

March Blog Challenge Day 10

March Blog Challenge

Day 10: your daily routine

March 10, 2013

Before my nervous break-down, my routine was consistent. I would get up, go to work, come home and it would start all over again. I use to have my son every weekend too, so weekends I would have to get up early as well. His father and I divorced and have shared custody. My son, Kaleb, is severely handicapped and requires 24/7 care. Now, we work the ‘week on, week off’ routine. Although, now that I am not considered employed, I help his father and their new family as much as possible. My career has been working with special needs students. My background training is with behavioral management.  However, due to my attendance and failure to correctly submit paperwork, I was terminated. All of this is an experience that I can share another time though.

Each week can be different, the weeks that I have my son I have to get up around 5:45 a.m. to relieve his night nurse (when I have one). If no night nurse is provided then I have to care for Kaleb myself. Sometimes, if Kaleb is sick I will have to keep him home for observations or hospitalizations.  He has a feeding tube in his jejunum (J-tube) so that he can receive nutrition and a tracheostomy (trach) that helps him to breath. Again, I can write the story of Kaleb another time – basically, I either stay home with Kaleb to monitor his day or he goes to school for several hours and I am ‘on call’. We don’t have a car, so that limits my abilities. My parents let me borrow their car when they can and I am very grateful for their support.

When Kaleb is with his father, I wake up and take care of the animals. Then I turn on my netbook and start the process of checking my e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, and +Gmail. I have been steadily blogging and enjoy taking the time to write and share with an invisible audience. If the mood is right, I start editing and writing within my book series “Going off Dreams: Book 2 Daydream - For all in the Hope”. I usually read the last couple chapters from where I left off, then start reading the rest, fixing what needs to be fixed and going through trying to make it captivating for my readers.  According to the spoon theory http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ each day you are given a number of spoons, each spoon represents a single activity. Some of us have unlimited number of spoons, some have less. Today I feel like I don’t have any!

I have been working so hard trying to get my name and book ‘out there’. Constantly monitoring and replying on the social media outlets; this alone seems like a full-time job. My mom keeps telling me that any form of success does not happen overnight and that I need to give it time. Some of my family have been really supportive, especially cousin’s I have never met before! +Stevie Nowinsky and Tanja Nowinsky. Not to dwell on distorted perceptions, but if my family that I grew up with shared my book and put as much effort as my other cousin’s, I feel that it would reach more people. C'est la vie!

Until next time or the next… dream

K.E.Nowinsky

www.goingoffdreams.com