IWSG: On the Road

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

January 2 question - What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

Remember, the question is optional!

 

The awesome co-hosts for the January 2 posting of the IWSG are Patricia Lynne, Lisa Buie-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue!

I'll get to the IWSG question in a minute, but for now, just want to let people know that the Ninja Librarian is pretty much away from civilization at this point, and won't be able to make return visits and comments for a while. Actually, today and tomorrow we are in Te Anua, so I'll try to do some visiting--but we'll be scrambling, getting ready to hike the Routeburn Track. As I've noted elsewhere, the blog will mostly be on a break this month, with something of a return to normal for February and March (and chaos will reign again in April and May, as we'll mostly be on the road during those months, first in New Zealand and then in the US).

Now for the fun stuff--the question of the month!

I love it when people ask me about what I'm working on. It makes me think about the WIP, and it makes me take my work more seriously. Yes, it can be a bit embarrassing if I'm not working, but it's also a motivator.

What I hate is when people ask about what I make at writing. Maybe I'm just embarrassed that I don't usually make enough to pay the power bill (was that Steven King who said that's the marker for being a professional?). Plus, I work hard at remembering that writing is a labor of love, not something I do for the money. 

Or maybe I'm kind of put off by the personal question. After all, I was taught that you don't talk about what you earn, or ask others what they do.

But I'm afraid the bottom line is that I don't like to think about it, because I can't deny that it's a bit of a disappointment to me that I don't earn more.

There. That's my insecure writer truth: I net only a hundred or two a year, and that bums me out when I think about it.