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 JS Pailly,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are JS Pailly,
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:
What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, Writer, 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?
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Happy July, Everyone!
And Happy July 4th to all our American members!
Everybody Loves a Fourth of July Parade!
Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
July 4, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
When I write, I use Microsoft Word, even though I have always been a Mac user.
The reason is simple: Nearly all editors require
writers to submit their work in MS-Word format (.docx).
I think it just makes sense to use the publishing world's de facto standard.
Mac or PC? Always good for a passionate discussion!
I use Dictionary. com and Thesaurus.com frequently.
Dictionary.com is a favorite because my spelling is forever scrambled
by living in both Canada and the USA,
and my accuracy in spelling is not aging like a fine wine.
Also, I want to make sure I am using a word with the correct meaning.
I've lived in many places in North America,
and sometimes a word carries different connotations in different areas.
Thesaurus.com is a favorite, because I'm often looking for
a precise shade of meaning when choosing a word.
Also, Thesaurus.com helps me overcome using clichés.
I have frequently been criticized for using too many clichés,
and it's a challenge for me, because I don't always recognize clichés as being clichés.
You can't beat a using a dictionary to improve the accuracy of your words
and a thesaurus to increase your voice in your manuscripts.
My favorite thing that I can't live without and use daily when writing is a pen ~
so old school, I know! 😂 Is that a cliché? 😂
I come from a line of letter writers, diarists, and memoirists on both sides of my family.
But no one matches my brother Roy
who has written daily in his diary since his late teens.
He sits down each evening with a glass of cognac and his diary and writes without fail.
Roy sometimes carries his diary around with him,
because he likes to keep score during card games in his diary, especially when he wins.
We all have our quirks!
Roy scores a game in his diary, while Terry doublechecks his math.
Guys, it's just a game! ~ but then it never is just a game in my competitive family!
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
December 8, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
I on, the other hand, have been more inconsistent.
I've also written in my diary since my mid-teens,
but sometimes life gets so busy that I drop out of the daily habit.
In recent years I've written in my diary pretty regularly.
I struggle with distraction and time management,
but I'm missing fewer and fewer days.
One reason is I like Julia Cameron's recommended practice of Morning Pages
which is handwriting three pages of whatever is on your mind each morning.
As I get older I find this very helpful for maintaining the fluency
of my creative thinking and my handwriting with a pen.
I am haunted by the memory of my mother struggling to sign
"Love, Sara" on a Christmas card and asking me to show her how.
She couldn't form the "L," as renal failure robbed her of more and more.
The most important reason is writing in a diary calms me down.
I don't write with the intention of someone ever reading my diaries.
I write to record my days, sort through things, vent, dream,
and capture whatever strikes in my squash court of a brain.
Physically picking up my pen and putting it to paper also validates me as a writer.
Writing doesn't have to be published to be worthwhile.
The Diarist Fueled by Coffee!
Aurora, Colorado USA
June 29, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
In closing I'd like to give L. Diane Wolfe a high five for
her multi-genre romance book In Darkness
which was released as a paperback on March 24, 2024.
It's a compilation of four ebooks Diane published separately
starting with The Vampire on February 7, 2023,
and followed by The Shark (May 9, 2023),
The Werewolf (September 5, 2023), and The Alien (February 6, 2024).
I waited for the paperback edition, because I like to read a physical book
propped up in bed in a circle of light cast by my lamp.
I have read romance stories about humans and vampires, humans and werewolves,
and humans and aliens, but a human and a shark?
I give Diane credit, she pulled off such an implausible pairing!
Jewels, an introverted and dedicated aquarium employee, meets Clarence,
a talking great white shark, and an increasingly close relationship develops.
Trust and communication can bridge great divides!
I enjoyed the three other novellas included in the paperback In Darkness.
In each story, Diane takes one of her human protagonists,
Anna, Vicki, or Liz down unexpected paths
by upending familiar expectations for vampire, werewolf, and alien romance.
In Darkness is definitely a fun and thought-provoking read.
Available at Dancing Lemur Press and Amazon as well as other booksellers.
Wishing each of you an enjoyable IWSG Day.
It will likely take me more than Wednesday to complete my visits to your blogs.
I enjoy these visits every month!
A big thank you to our great co-hosts today.
Have a healthy, happy, and creative July!
Just a heads-up ~ In an effort to visit more of you on IWSG Day,
I'm going to visit around first and then reply to comments.
And I will reply!!!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2024 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be July 5!🤞
I love reading diaries and memoirs. I dabbled (inconsistently) with the first and have never attempted the second. They are both favourite genres. though.
ReplyDeleteCool, Sue! I enjoy reading both as well. Have a great weekend ~ I keep forgetting, you're halfway through the weekend. I hope that it is a good one for you!
DeleteI prefer pen and paper, too :-)
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for IWSG day A Round-Up of Resources For Writers
As a former elementary teacher, I know using a pen and paper is important for cognitive development. I wonder what all the screen time is doing to the brains of our kiddos. Have a great weekend, Ronel!
DeleteDiane will be pleased with that review.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine keeping spellings straight is difficult after living in two different countries.
Thanks for co-hosting and welcome to the IWSG Admin team!
Thanks, Alex! I like doing reviews, but only for books I like. I'm too tenderhearted ~ lol!
DeleteI would love to have your excess energy any day. You are doing so much just in a week. I admire your talents and explosive energy reserve
ReplyDeleteYou're so kind, Roentare! Thank you! I do love being energetic. Have a great weekend!
DeleteI wrote morning pages and loved it. But to write them the way Julia Cameron suggests, is to write them before you get out of bed, first thing, while your brain is still tuned to your subconscious. Since I already get up at 5:30 am so to have time to write before work, I have given up on Morning pages until I retire.
ReplyDeleteI admire you for your ability to get up and write before going to work, Liza! I could never do morning pages in bed. I'm awake and my feet hit the floor. Well, most days ~ lol. I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend!
DeleteI'm a Mac user, too! This made it a little difficult when at work I did not use a Mac. I worried that spellcheck would ruin my ability to spell words on my own. But the second grade winner of a spelling bee still lives in me. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of you, BTW!
Yay for that inner second grade spelling champ, Teresa! Spellcheck makes me nuts. I have to keep going back and correcting its mistakes ~ lol! I hope that you are enjoying a great summer break!
DeleteHi, enjoyed your post, I could never keep a diary, but I do write everyday (novels eh), I also love writing by hand, and have the traditional 'can't write in that notebook unless it's something awesome' blank notebooks...but stacks of also well used ones. I love writing by hand, it took me forever to learn to edit on the computer. I try to write the outline chapters by hand, and then the second draft is to the computer where it is expanded as much as I'm able to, before given a rest and something else is worked on.
ReplyDeleteWe writers all have our unique approaches to writing, TWW. I believe in whatever works for a writer. I embraced editing on a computer pretty quickly. It beat the heck out of a manual typewriter and carbon paper. Happy creating in July!
Deleteoh...that didn't post...
ReplyDeleteI hate when that happens! Thanks for persisting!
DeleteI use Word too. That's amazing that your brother has written in a journal every day since he was a teen. And it's great that you write in one regularly because it helps keep you calm. Thanks for co-hosting with me.
ReplyDeleteYou bet, Natalie! I'm always happy when I can do something to help the IWSG. It's been so good to me. I hope you had a great 4th! Take care!
Deletedear Louise i really enjoyed your response to the question of this month and along with that i learnt that even such incredibly intelligent and smart people like you can use the dictionary and synonymous . i won't lie each time when i use google search bar for synonymous or meaning i feel bit hesitant or embarrassed as if know nothing . reading your post makes me understand that no matter what language we belong to we can never be perfect enough specially when writing something to present before other readers and we always need help to figure out if something isn't right .
ReplyDeletei felt relived honestly .i thank you for the links as well my friend !
it sounds unbelievable that Bob still likes to write with pen wow !!!
this is indeed inspiring !
you have family of beautiful ,creative and hard working minds undoubtedly :)
special thanks for mentioning the "morning pages" the title made my eyes teary instantly !
how nice to write when mind is totally ready to do so sounds mesmerizing . i could write hardly few posts in morning times but i can still feel how strong and fresh one feels when mind is not contaminated by further daily routine . i am glad you pointed out it here because sometimes we forget such little things to add in life which can bring bigger joys along .
you look FABULOUS while writing your diary :) i stopped writing diary when my second son born and than later i started to write blog and it felt enough for me to share my heart with myself and friends as well .
The stories by Diane you read sound wonderful and very interesting indeed . i love such sensitive love stories of unusual relationship .the best i have watched anime in which a really tiny( minion) girl falls in love with normal tall human . i could not locate the video today so i could tell you exact name .it was truly heart melting and touching without any strong romance or action but a deep and exceptional feeling . i will ask my eldest son if he remembers the name .
hope you and Terry are doing great and summer days are full of pleasurer for you !
health peace and joy ot both of you and loved ones!
Thanks for your lovely comment, Baili! Don't ever think that you don't know a lot. I am constantly amazed at how well you do with English, especially since Urdu is so very different. I feel ignorant next to you!!! Dictionaries, thesauruses, and other references are just tools that are meant to help us write better. That's how we learn and improve. Not that I appreciated it as a kid. I'd ask my father how to spell something and he's say to look it up in the dictionary. It used to drive me crazy, especially when he wanted to see where I found it in the dictionary ~ lol! Maybe some day you'll have more time to write in the morning. It is a special time to write, and it starts my day off calmly. Hugs and love to you! Take care!
DeleteI admire anyone with the discipline and patience to write a daily journal/diary entry. I've never been able to. I'm also inherently reluctant to leave an evidence trail, especially if self-incriminating.
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh, Debra! I have too much incriminating information in my diaries. I suspect Grammie burned an especially incriminating diary of mine in her trashcan in her backyard. I had sent it to her for safekeeping when I went to Europe after university and it just "disappeared." She never admitted burning it, but she was known for destroying letters and other things in her trashcan. I'll never know. Have a great weekend! Hugs to you!
Delete...my accuracy in spelling is not aging like a fine wine, either. I can't understand how my son turned out to be an English teacher! Have a Happy 4th.
ReplyDeleteThe interplay of genes and nurturing is endlessly fascinating, Tom! I had a great 4th! I hope that you had a good one too!
Delete"I don't always recognize clichés as being clichés"--wow, me too! Writing with pen and paper calms me down too! Oooo, twinsies. 😅
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your mom, that is heartbreaking.
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it! People were very curious about The Shark.
ReplyDeleteI used to journal more. I don't write as well with a pen anymore though.
I'd forgotten Morning Pages. I did that years ago and it helped answer many personal questions. Thanks for the reminder. Sounds like you manage an extensive To Do List. Question for you: How do you manage your To Do List? All in one note pad or? I'm trying to organized my multiple To Do Lists and looking for a solution that might work for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining the IWSG admin team!
Lynn
I can relate to almost all of these! My laptop and a good old-fashioned pen are my steadfast companions, and I don't know what I would do without Thesaurus.com. I don't do much journaling, though, but I think it might be a good practice for me to take up.
ReplyDeleteCongrats New Admin! I think I'm going check out this Thesaurus.com... I genuinely think that writing with a pen can never become old school. I'm even looking forward to learn to write with a quilt one day. Funny and Weird;). Writing diaries is just a path of self discovery anyhow, right? Have a great day Louise!
ReplyDeleteI use the online dictionary & thesaurus quite a lot. It comes in handy when trying to find just the right word. Thanks for co-hosting. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy hearing what other writers like. I'm an MS word user, too. Easy enough and the standard.
ReplyDeleteThe parade people are having way too much fun! 😂
ReplyDeleteI still use Word because it is just so easy and comfortable for me. You’re right that a lot of submissions are still required to be in docx format. I’m glad because it means I don’t have to change yet! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou had me in stitches with that squirrel and synonym roll! What a hoot.
ReplyDeleteWelcome aboard the IWSG Admin bus. Lovely to have you here.
https://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com/p/something-new-this-way-comes
Writing regularly is something I struggle with, so appreciate your brother and you keeping at it, since your teens. Thank you for co-hosting today.
ReplyDeleteHi, I agree. Most publishers requre Microsoft Word docx. I have a Mac and I use Microsoft Word for the Mac.
ReplyDeleteThank you for co-hosting.
Shalom shalom
I hear you! Once I learn it and love I stick with it. Thanks for taking the time to visit with all of us!!
ReplyDeleteI'd use a pen and paper but I can't read my own writing. Forced to use a computer these days. hehehe
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Love the awful pun in the cartoon :D I am another who uses a journal to try to keep my thoughts moving, and to write out whatever is on my mind. It has occurred to me recently that I may need to decide if I should ask for them to be destroyed when I die, and not read, because not everything I write is suitable for others to read, let alone meant for them!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Good point about Word and the publishers. A bit of support for me as another long-time user of Word for Mac.
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun read. I tried a diary, didn't work for me, but I can see how it should.
ReplyDeleteHaha oh yes, in some places people sure have their own meanings for words. Port moutoneers you can't even understand.
ReplyDeleteClichés can sneak in, but oh well. Mine that sneak in are idioms, but pffft. I'll confuse the non locals. Oh well. They'll either think me nuts or go look it up.
Always good to check that math too. That is a good point about word too, as thar is the format most everything wants. From resumes to manuscripts.
Dianne should enjoy that review.
I use Word and Google Docs. Diane's books are great! I enjoyed reading every one of them. I'm sure she'll appreciate your review!
ReplyDeleteYes, I’m a Mac user, but I use Pages and save to Word for beta readers 😀 I also use a dictionary and a thesaurus and a guide to emotions…they are on the book rack beside me!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Diane! Thanks for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteI'm off and on when it comes to journal writing, though I do keep travel journals consistently. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Yes, Word is the one, though passes through the filters of Grammerly and ProWriting Aid is a boon to my attempts to 'write right" Thanks for co-hosting and complimenting others - you are a gift to IWSG
ReplyDeleteThanks to you and the others for co-hosting, Fundy! Word has become pretty standard so I use it all the time. Aside from that, I just like it for it's useful tools and other amazing features!
ReplyDeleteI was never good at keeping a diary. I have a tendency to abandon things after a few days. Except for my fantasy series. That has stuck with me for years.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th and thanks for cohosting!
I'm a Word user also. I switched from Mac when my computer died. The learning curve was BIG, but now I integrate with everything better, including places for submissions. And it was really nice for you to put out a Hi Five to Diane. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteA synonym roll sounds yummy for breakfast. I like thesaurus and use it a lot. In the past, it was Roget's. Then Thesaurus.com. Now I use another online thesaurus, WordHippo.com. I like it better.
ReplyDeleteHappy July 4th, and thanks for co-hosting! My first novel was full of cliches, and I hope to avoid them in the future. I also use Word on a Mac.
ReplyDeleteI also use Word. Thanks for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteI have Thesaurus.com bookmarked, but I also find the OneLook thesaurus and reverse dictionary useful. I only use a Mac for Vellum. I'm a gamer, so I'll always be a PC girl.
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated IWSG Day! I love writing in a diary/journal whatever you want to call it. I still constantly carry mine around with me as well like Roy. I never know when inspiration will strike and I use it to jot down everything and anything. Not long ago I learned this was actually called an "everything journal." I like that they've become my snapshots to my past. I'll find first lines of one of my old stories, old Christmas lists, old to-do lists, things about my kids etc. They're little time capsules and I treasure them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to get back to journaling. I go through phases of doing it daily, then I get busy and stop. I don't think I've journaled since April.
I do most of my writing in Scrivener, which compiles in Word for publication. But writing directly in Word is just fine too.
Thank you for cohosting this month's question for IWSG, Louise. I use Word, too, because it is submission format. I keep a diary for trips, family occasions, and special times. I wish I was more consistent, though. I use Dictionary and thesaurus.coms too. But I still have a dictionary and thesaurus on my desk. Yes, Louise, I'm old-fashioned too.
ReplyDeleteI use Word for short fiction, but for longer pieces I tend to write in such a chaotic way, Scrivener works better for me.
ReplyDeleteSynonym roll. Hehe. I enjoyed Diane's series too. AND I use word:) Congrats on joining the IWSG Team:)
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
I'm with you and Word, and Thesaurus, and Dictionary.com, and Grammarly all the way ;-) And of late, Reedsy. What an excellent point about the format editors require! I love that you're from a long line of diary-keepers! Welcome to the IWSG Admin team, I'm sure you'll fit right in.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting and have a wonderful summer!
Oh, and... I just finished "Eruption" Wow, wow, wow!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a good Independence Day. It poured here, but that was welcomed because we've been in a drought and the garden really needed it. I almost always have a bound journal with me and write in it most every day.
ReplyDeleteI used to use pen and paper when I didn't own a computer. It can be frustrating, as I can't get a finished result until I type it out in a word document, as I like all of the lines in a piece to be the same in length! I wrote about 300 poems on paper not long ago, and lost them all with losing my flat, where they were. But I won't sorrow, as I still have tomorrow. Keep up the good work. Enjoyed. Take gentle care, Louise. Love love, Andrew.
ReplyDelete