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IWSG - Rise of the machines

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IWSG - Go Big or Go Home

  This is my   Insecure Writers Support Group   post for February 2024. Alex's awesome co-hosts this month  are:  Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine! Please stop by their blogs and say thank you .  💻💻💻💻💻 I took a break last month to spend on goal planning for this year. (God is probably laughing at my plans, but at least I have them. 😄) For the sake of accountability, I'm going to tell you my goals for 2024 and give you a free author tool for reading this mile-long post!  But first I'll answer the February question. What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Confusing or hidden navigation. Headers so large they fill the entire screen.  Annoying pop-up 'subscribe' windows that overlay the content the minute the page loads. A site that lacks the basics. No 'about me' info. (Whose blog is this?) Bonus points for a headshot. No blog follow options, or they're hidden way down at the bottom. When I

It's going to be a great year!

  Happy New Year! I'm taking 2024 by the bal-- horns.  I have BOLD plans, so I'm taking a break to jot them all down. See you next month!

IWSG December - If you can't say anything nice...

  This is my   Insecure Writers Support Group   post for December 2023. Alex's awesome co-hosts this month  are:    C. Lee McKenzie,   JQ Rose,   Jennifer Lane,   and  Jacqui Murray! Please stop by their blogs and say thank you . 💻💻💻💻💻 December 6 question: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book reviews do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author? This one is complicated. Not only has my perspective changed, but being honest is going to reveal a side of me I'd rather not. I became a voracious reader before I became a writer. I began leaving reviews that praised stories I enjoyed, but I wasn't shy about saying what I didn't like, if one didn't meet my expectations. As I learned more about fiction writing - about what authors *should* be doing - my negative reviews turned harsh. Too harsh. When I finally published, that created a huge dilemma. Not o

No NaNo

I am skipping this month's IWSG due to work obligations  (annual skills fair + NICU re-designation, for those in the know - Gah!).  So, I will leave you with a link to a past post about speed writing.  Maybe it will help you NaNoWriMo. Click here to go to >  Speed Writing (Eleventh hour help for all you NaNo people) Thanks for stopping by. :)

IWSG September - AI is the new Murder Hornet

  This is my   Insecure Writers Support Group   post for October 2023. Alex's awesome co-hosts this month  are:  Natalie Aguirre,   Kim Lajevardi,   Debs Carey,   Gwen Gardner,   Patricia Josephine,   &  Rebecca Douglass! Please stop by their blogs and say thank you .  💻💻💻💻💻 October's question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts? I'm still learning about AI and forming an opinion, but I agree.  From what I understand, it is not without significant limitations.  It can't be trusted for accuracy, and asking it the right questions is imperative.  This AI-generated image says it all. "Jesus flipping over tables at the temple." I don't fear AI. Honestly, it seems like a lot of hype over nothing.   I might let it help me brainstorm or outline a story, but I doubt I would ever let AI write a manuscript, especially cons

FREE BOOKS! Stuff Your E-reader

I have big news. HUGE NEWS! Today is STUFF YOUR E-READER day! ( Actually today & the next two days, because the promo broke Amazon last time .) Hundreds of authors have come together for this event.   Over 2,400 books are FREE to anyone who wants them.  Yes, you read that right. 2,400+ books . All books are either romance or have a romantic element. All new! No duplicates! None have EVER been featured in this promo before. There's a large variety of categories and a range of heat levels. The books are also grouped by author type, such as authors with disabilities, in case you wish to show your support. These books are genuinely free , not just free in Kindle Unlimited, so they won't count toward your KU limit. ( Check the price before clicking 'buy,' because glitches happen .) No Kindle? No problem. Many are available from other retailers. (You can also get the Kindle reading app for other devices.) Each book is listed with a brief story description and keywords