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
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!
Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
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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.
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 optional question is:
When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?
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Happy November, Everyone!
I hope all is well with each of you.
The first stories I remember writing was when I was eight and nine in third grade.
But as much as I enjoyed writing them, I knew I would not make my living as a writer.
Christmas Eve 1958 ~ The Year I Began Writing
My Brother Roy and I (Holding Gretchen Still)
with My Sisters Barb and Donnie
My youngest Sister Bertie would be born in March 1959.
Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
I knew from the time I was three or four that I was expected to go to university,
and not just any university, but Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
It was drilled into me that I would become a strong, independent woman
who could stand on my own two feet and not be dependent on a man to support me.
University Hall, Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
2000s ~ Date Uncertain
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
Seventy years ago this was a radical idea in Atlantic Canada,
but it came from the struggles of women on both sides of my family,
women who were widowed and left to support themselves and sometimes their children.
My father was as determined as my mother that their four daughters
would graduate from university as well as their only son.
And we all did graduate from Acadia.
My Great Grandmother Sara Cossaboom ~ One Very Strong Woman
Widowed at a Young Age with Four Girls to Raise
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada ~ Date Unknown
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
I wrote a lot during my careers as a geologist and a teacher,
but my creative writing dreams were deferred.
I did manage to publish a few creative things ~
but I wasn't able to focus on my nonprofessional writing until I retired.
And that's perfectly okay!
I'm proud of myself for becoming a strong, independent woman
able to stand on my own two feet.
I have experienced great joy in my retirement years as a blogger, a writer of short stories,
a diarist/journalist, and a memoirist.
I have big writing dreams that I continue to pursue.
Finally a Real Writer!
Copies of Voyager: The Third Ghost Arrive
Photo by Terry Barbour, May 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
My Writing Space in Our Newly Renovated Kitchen
Aurora, Colorado, USA
October 22, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
It's going to be fun to see how others have answered this month's question.
Have a healthy, happy, and creative November!
Take care!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be Friday, November 14th 🤞
Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them. This means your comment won't appear immediately. I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.
