Hello, friend! Welcome to another post in The Creator’s Roulette. Today’s post might be of particular interest to writers as Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group shares about the group and how it can be helpful to authors. Let’s get to know him:
Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
A guest post by Alex J. Cavanaugh
Just what is the Insecure Writer’s Support Group? Well, to understand everything about it, we need to go back to its humble beginnings.
Nine years ago, I noticed a lot of blog posts from writers mentioning their doubts, concerns, and lack of confidence. Many received positive replies and I realized the writing community offered an abundance of support. Writers want to see other writers succeed, which is how I came up with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This group would act as a form of therapy, letting writers post about situations where they needed encouragement or to offer reassuring words to others.
On September 7, 2011, I launched the monthly blog posting of the IWSG. On the first Wednesday of every month, we share of thoughts about writing on our blogs. (We also have an optional monthly question to assist with member’s posts, which can be found on the sign-up page.)
As it neared the one-year anniversary, I realized how much the group had grown. We needed to take the next step and open a website. Enlisting the help of other writers, who became IWSG Admins, we purchased the domain name, selected topics of interest for each page, and set up a weekly posting schedule. We also invited writing, publishing, and marketing experts to contribute to the site.
I also wanted to provide information for writers and links to helpful sites. Rather than just another database, I wanted the site to be the database of all databases, linking to sites with huge resources lists rather than linking to individual items. We sorted these into categories and the following pages: Writing Tips; Publishers, Agents, Queries; Self-Publishing; Contests; Marketing; and Conferences, Workshops, etc./Publications. The pages are maintained by the admins, adding new sites as they are found and removing dead links, keeping it up to date.
After that, we launched the Facebook group, giving writers there a chance to ask for help. We also offer prompts during the week, such as Friday News and Promo, Sunday New Member Shout Out, Informational Monday, etc. These provide our members specific days to share their news, offer services, explore hot topics, and do writing exercises. With almost five thousand members, it’s a great community.
We also launched @TheIWSG on Twitter, following industry experts and authors. We send out links to resources and articles, retweeting items that would interest our followers. Several years ago, we launched our own Twitter pitch event, #IWSGPit. Now held at the end of January every year, it draws thousands of writers, publishers, and agents, and we’re a trending topic every year. Over 11,000 follow us on Twitter.
Our free monthly newsletter features industry experts like Jane Friedman, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, and Sandra Beckwith. We keep subscribers informed about upcoming events and what’s happening within the IWSG. We even feature members and new releases.
A Goodreads IWSG Book Club was established several years ago. It focused on writing books and novels that were great examples of plot, characterization, etc. We recently shook things up a bit and now the book club focuses on two members’ books every month, giving our people some free advertising and sales, as well as exposing members to new books.
Instagram is another platform we are on. Writing prompts, quotes, news, and other image-based items are shared on the site.
We offer two free guides for writers: The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Guide to Publishing and Beyond and Guide to Writing for Profit. These were created by our members, offering essays that cover ideas, experiences, tips, and more. It was a great way not only to pass on information to other writers but also feature some of our excellent members.
We even have our own merchandise which include pens, magnets, and a T-shirt!
Finally, we have an annual anthology contest. Every May, the genre and theme is announced, and writers have four months to write and send submissions. The IWSG Admins read the entries and eventually vote for the best ones. The top 13-14 are sent to a panel of authors, agents, and editors for judging. Once their votes are cast, the top ten stories go into the anthology with the winning one becoming part of the title. Dancing Lemur Press publishes the books and pays royalties. Our anthology titles include Parallels: Felix Was Here, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Dark Matter: Artificial, and First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts.
Ultimately, writers looking for support, resources, and information are in the right place when they visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Nothing is impossible when insecure writers band together. Find them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Are you part of any writers’ support groups?
Tell us in the comments below!
Thank you so much for hanging out with us today! Connect with Alex on his website and Twitter. His latest book, CassaDark, at iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Kobo, Scribed, and Goodreads.
Banner Photo on Unsplash
Thank you for letting me highlight the IWSG!
It has been an interesting and rewarding experience to be a part of IWSG. Alex had a great idea and I applaud his putting that idea to work!
The IWSG welcomed me as a new writer and has kept me writing through the tough times, both professionally and in my personal life.
IWSG offers support to insecure writers by fellow writers, but also inspiration to newbie and experienced writers. It is a platform that offers helpful tips and exchanges between writers on technology, helpful books, and great advice. Writing is a solitary job, so having folks to connect with is an opportunity to grow writing skills, to network, and find friends. Thanks, Alex.