This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post for June 2026.
Alex's awesome co-hosts this month are:
Please stop by their blogs and say thank you.
💻💻💻💻💻
In May, I took part in the May I Write a Novel writing challenge.
My goal was to write 40k words for the month.
I ended up writing over 58k and finishing the first draft of my current WIP!
Over the years, I've found ways to increase my daily word count. First, I began putting notes in brackets and moving on. Next, I began plugging my plots into worksheets to help flesh them out. Then, last year, I took part in my first month-long writing challenge. That was the first time I'd really pushed myself to achieve a big number of words per day.
This year, in preparation for the challenge, I spent a few days taking my plot notes all the way to scene note level. It helped me write even faster! Instead of staring at a blank page when it was time to start a new chapter or scene and trying to figure out how it should go, I had a plan.
It's taken me 15 years, but I've gone from being 80% pantster to 80% plotter. Whoda thunk?
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June 3 question - Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?
Great question!
Mine come from all over. Sometimes it starts as a single plot twist or intense scene that an entire story gets built around. Other times an idea is sparked by another book, a news story, or just people-watching. Some ideas grow into books. Others get shoved in a file for later. (Those are still waiting.)
The idea for my debut novel came from a middle-grade book I read with my daughter. The story was written from the perspective of a preteen traveling with her family on the Oregon trail. It was diary-style fiction based on real diaries and other historical texts.
The book mentioned how settlers would dump heavy items from their wagons to keep their oxen alive long enough to complete the trip. I thought, 'Hmm. If the heroine was left behind, she could use those things to survive until the hero rescued her.' Next thought was: 'Now I just have to come up with the rest of the plot.' LOL
As I mentioned in last month's post, that standalone got turned into a series when fans asked if supporting characters would get their own books. For those, I had a starting point, but I had to come up with settings, professions, love interests, and plots. I decided to write companion novels rather than true sequels - the supporting character's story shooting off like a branch from the 'trunk' of the original book.
It was fun exploring different parts of the country and different professions, such as railroad work in Fool's Iron. Because my scenes sometimes have a mind of their own, a smidge of the Underground Railroad got thrown into that one, too. It came about when I was researching the churches in the area, to create a realistic one that the heroine would go to for help, and came across an article on the split of the Presbyterian church.
Here's snippet of a conversation between the heroine, Maggie, and the hero's best friend, Liam (Irish), after delivering an escaped slave to be smuggled out of the country:
The tension left Maggie’s muscles as the campfire warmed her. She
washed down the last bite with a swig from her flask and dabbed
her mouth with her handkerchief. “What were those men arguing about, back at the barn?”
“The burly one moost be a dyed-in-the-wool covenanter.”
“What’s a covenanter?”
“A stubborn Presbyterian,” Liam said with a glint of mischief
in his eyes.
Maggie pressed her lips together and gave him a withering
glare, not that it would do any good.
Liam wrapped up what was left of his food and leaned back
against a tree. “Tha man is ‘old light.’ ‘New light’ Presbyterians
accept tha separation of church and state set out in your country’s
constitution, but ‘old light’ members believe tha church’s covenant
with God cannot be altered by man. They doon’t hold office or vote,
and they doon’t serve on juries.” He took a drink from his canteen. “Both sides detest slavery, but they maintain their differences
when it comes ta religion.”
“So, which are you,” Maggie asked, “old light or new?”
Liam’s eyes twinkled again. “Neither. I’m Catholic.”
Though Hatchoq's story (Battered Pride) was the most requested, it got save until later because of all the research it was going to require. I was determined not to perpetuate stereotypes, and sources on the Mojave clans were limited compared to other Native American tribes.
During my search, I came across an incredible find - a linguistics paper, which included an English-Mojave dictionary that allowed me to add some authentic lines of dialogue in the hero's language. It also contained fascinating bits of Mojave culture within the Mojave-to-English definitions. Writing that book took some effort, but I think I did the story justice.
Here's a snippet of a conversation between Eva, the heroine, and the hero, Isaac (Hatchoq's English name, given to him by his white mother):
Eva went to start lunch and left the door ajar.
Several minutes later, Isaac shouldered in, carrying an armload of firewood. He stacked it in the box, dusted of his hands, and took a seat at
the table.
“What’s the word for gnat,” she asked.
“In my language?”
“Yes.”
“Smalykaapak.”
“I can’t pronounce that,” she said, setting a cup of tea in front of
him. “What do you call someone who sneaks into a woman’s house
and won’t leave.”
The corner of Isaac’s mouth twitched with another half-smile. “Makach suuduurvm.”
Eva frowned but attempted to repeat it. “ Muh-kak soo... muh-kak soo-doo-r... I can’t say that either, even though that’s what you are.”
He grinned and stuck out his chin in a look of playful hubris. “Then
call me maqualachiisk.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “That’s too long for a nickname.”
His grin faded to a look of pleasant sincerity as he lifted his cup and
took a sip of his tea. “How about posh?”
“Posh?”
“Yes. Posh.”
“What does that mean?
“Cat.”
Well, he did move like one.
If you want to know the meaning of maqualachiisk, you'll have to read the book. I will tell you that when Isaac's mother finds out he told the heroine to call him that, she scolds him for it. ;)
By the time I planned my next series, I had gotten the yearning for such variety out of my system and realized the benefit of having a fixed setting and recurring characters (livery owner, boardinghouse matron, etc.). I also saw the wisdom of setting the story a couple of decades later, so travel time and long-distance communication would be faster. I decided on a post-Civil War setting and created the fictional town of Sagebrush Springs, Nebraska Territory.
For this one, I searched basic historical romance plots / tropes then fleshed them out with details to make them unique. I also picked names for all the major characters ahead of time, so I wouldn't forget and reuse one by accident. I still must research other locations when a character travels to or comes from somewhere else, but not having to research the main setting every time has sped things up considerably.
Thanks for visiting.
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❤❤❤❤❤
IWSG is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It's a monthly bloghop that offers a safe haven for writers to express their feelings and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. It's also a venue for offering support, both in the form of comments and positive posts. Writers of all kinds are welcome.
We 'meet' the first Wednesday of every month. If you're interested in learning more, click on the link above. And don't be intimidated by the size of the group. We're not expected to visit everyone on the list.
Twitter (X) handle: @TheIWSG ~ Hashtag: #IWSG
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