IWSG - October

I've taken a break from blogging for most of the last few months (actually a lot of months). It was a much needed break, enough time for me to figure out what I want to make of this space.

Starting next week, I am going to begin weekly posts writing about the things I'm writing about - the history in my novels. I honestly think a lot of history-related sites are boring, which is part of what has made me hesitate to write about these topics here. For me, the history is personal. It's about the people I've come from, what they've been through, and what has been forgotten.

As for insecurities, I'm not feeling all that insecure lately - it just creeps in once in a while. I'm taking a graduate level novel writing class, and I went to a writer's conference this summer. I'm getting positive feedback on my writing ability and my novel.

But I find myself making excuses for myself when people compliment my novel and my writing. I tell them, "I don't have another job. I've been writing for five years. This isn't my first novel." When I hear these things coming out of my mouth, it feels like I'm apologizing.

In class on Monday, I started to do the same thing when a classmate complimented my writing. It wasn't easy, but I simply said, "Thank you," and accepted the compliment.

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group is putting together an anthology based on the writing this month. I am not participating in that, but I strongly encourage you to go to the site and check it out (as if you don't already know about it).