IWSG Day, Happiness Calendar, and Books Read in 2023 and 2024

elcome to Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG

Website / Facebook Group / Twitter / Book Club / Reedsy Discount / Past Issues
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Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
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! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! 

The awesome co-hosts for the  July 3 posting of the IWSG are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!
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. 
July 3 question - What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

Ooh, great question!

I love Scrivener, because its interface is so simple -- you open up a document and start typing, as if using a typewriter back in the day!

Of course there are formatting tools and many other helpful tools (especially when it comes to organising research) but all of that can be kept in the background and doesn't need to interfere with your writing.

However!

Scrivener is still not available on Android, which means I can't have it on my phone.

Part of the way I organise my life is to shove everything out of sight as much as possible :p I save everything, but it's not very well organized (tossed in an unsorted folder, thrown into my emails (hopefully with tags that will help me find it), shoved into a closet...

The only items in my face are those I'm actively working on.

This means that I rely on my phone for a LOT, including writing!

The Notes app on Android is the best. It's simple, clean, easy to use, saves as you go, lets you export the file in many formats, and basically does everything that other, clunkier systems (Word, Gdocs) do much more slowly. The only item it's missing at the moment is word counts.

Everything stays organised and, when I really get into the writing zone, I can ignore the notifications at the top of the screen, which means that I don't see anything except the story!

Look! A happiness calendar!

My Books Read list is out of control!

I've finally updated the Books Read page, and since then have read at least three more stories! I'm not at 1795 stories read on Archive of Our Own, along with other novels, poems, etc.

By necessity, the lists for myself and the kids now cover both 2023 and 2024.

This post is part of the official record, because here are all the photos of library books and other books read (mostly by the kids) that I just don't have time to type up the titles and authors of!

Here are all the photos from the past few months!

What have you been reading lately?

Please recommend some books!