IWSG: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 ~ The Best and the Worst

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Kim Elliot, Melissa Maygrove, Chemist Ken,  Lee Lowery, and, Nancy Gideon!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is: 

It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?

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Happy May, Everyone!

I hope everyone is healthy and doing well, maybe feeling little optimism.

This month's question really resonated with me, 

not so much with writing, but with reading.

It catapulted me back to grade seven when I read 

the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' A tale of Two Cities: 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, 

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, 

it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, 

it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, 

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, 

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, 

we were all going direct to Heaven, 

we were all going direct the other way--in short, 

the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities 

insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, 

in the superlative degree of comparison only." 

Wikimedia Commons

Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities. With Illustrations by H. K. Browne. 

London: Chapman and Hall, 1859. First edition

What a perfect description of the times we have been in 

since the beginning the pandemic, and the times we are facing

with the increasingly dangerous Ukraine-Russian war.

The passage gives me hope, because it reminds me 

that humanity has faced terrible challenges before,

and somehow we've always stumbled through to a better place.

A Tale of Two Cities is the only book I've ever read 

that I remember the opening and closing lines.

As much as I remember the opening, I remember the gut-wrenching closing more:

 "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done,

it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

I am terrified whenever I think of having my head chopped off by a guillotine.

And to think that Sydney Carton went to the guillotine willingly in the name of love!

Carton takes the place of Charles Darnay who is being executed

for treason against the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Estampe d'une double guillotine, musée de la Révolution française

Wikimedia Commons

Carton physically resembles Darney who is married to Carton's love Lucie Manette.

Carton loves Lucie unconditionally and is willing to give his life for her to be happy:

“For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything…think now and then 

that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!” 

Wikimedia Commons

If I could write something like Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, 

one of the best selling novels of all time, 

it would be the best of times for me.

That would be the highest of writer highs.

However I recognize that that is highly unlikely to happen,

and I am stumbling along with no book published at the age of 72.

Surely that is the worst of times for me as a writer.

Have I given up?  No. 

If I can publish my memoir, that will make my life worth living.

I will get there!

I really need to read this favorite novel again! 

 

Have I had someone who truly loved me?  

Yes, more than once.

John was the first.

Someone Who Truly Loved Me

Lac Seul, Ontario Canada

Summer, 1961

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  

All Rights Reserved

And in a complete change of subject:

Let me share a review of a book that touches on someone else who loved me

(for a while).

C. Lee McKenzie’s recently published contemporary novel ‘Shattered’

is an uplifting story about a young woman 

whose life is shattered by a devastating accident.  

The novel is written for young adults, but it can be enjoyed by people of all ages.  

It is a timeless story about overcoming despair and rebuilding your life, 

not the life you imagined for yourself, but a good and rewarding life nonetheless. 

Amazon

I have enjoyed reading a number of Lee’s books, so I was anticipating a good read.  

I was particularly interested in reading this book 

because I was married to a former paratrooper who was paralyzed

in an accident just as he was shipping out to Vietnam.  

I met my husband on a blind date in Madrid after he was paralyzed, 

so I know what it’s like to unexpectedly fall in love with someone who is disabled.  

As his wife I learned about the impact such an injury has on someone’s life. 

I also got to know other people with spinal cord injuries,

and to meet the people in their lives, those who stayed and those who couldn’t.

C. Lee McKenzie didn’t disappoint me.  

She deftly wove Libby Brown’s painful story of injury and recovery

with a compelling mystery, a sensitive love story, and a surprise twist at the end.

Most important to me the novel felt authentic.  

Libby wasn’t very likable at the beginning of the book.  

She came from a privileged background and single-mindedly focused

on becoming an elite skier and winning Olympic gold.  

When everything is stripped from her, she discovers who the truly important people 

in her life are and who are not worthy to be part of her new reality.

Who was the mysterious snowboarder 

who slammed into Libby and destroyed her dreams?  

Was the collision an unfortunate accident or cruelly deliberate?  

Is her life worth living after she is paralyzed, or would she have been better off dead?  

Will any man ever desire her and love her again?  

If you read Libby’s story, you won’t forget it! 

  

I am inspired by the books written by IWSG members,

like C. Lee McKenzie's Shattered which I reviewed above.

I think it's important to read books written by members of the IWSG community.

Every author appreciates the validation and encouragement that comes  

from having their books published, reviewed, and discussed by fellow members.

That's why I really enjoy the Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club on Goodreads.

It spotlights books written by talented and creative IWSG members. 

Each month two books are featured, from craft books to books in a range of genres.

The book club is a place for writers to learn, discuss, and enjoy 

the art of crafting stories and publishing books. 

I love how the book club supports IWSG members by sharing great reads, 

because we insecure writers are readers too.

This month's selections are:

The Or'in of Tane: Book One: The Chronicles of Aden Weaver

by Yvette Carol

This is the first book in Yvette Carol's debut middle grade fantasy series. 

Up on the Roof and Other Stories: Revised with Bonus Short Story 

by Judy Ann Davis

Judy Ann Davis's collection of humorous and serious short stories explores the relationships among people and families, young and old.

I invite you to check out the IWSG Book Club! Click Here 

Happy writing in May!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be on Friday, April 15, 2022.