reviews

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Wants to Know: When Do You Drop The DNF Hammer?

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. You can find the group on social media with #IWSG. Every month a group of wonderful co-hosts steers us all towards meaningful discussion. We owe our January thanks to Ronel Janse van Vuuren (Hi Ronel!) J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue! January 6 question – Being…

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5 Tips for Writing a Book Review That Readers Will Enjoy – Guest Post by Desiree Villena

Today I’m welcoming freelance writer Desiree Villena to the blog. Desiree is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories, as well as the occasional book review! In the dim and distant past, book lovers scoured the pages of newspapers and magazines for reading recommendations. Today, when they want to discuss the latest page-turner or need…

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Six First Aid Steps for Bad Feedback: an IWSG Post

As part of the celebration for author Chrys Fey’s latest book release, we’re talking about writer’s block, depression, and the varied obstacles life will throw in your way as you try to publish. My contribution for the blog hop is about dealing with bad feedback. This could be editorial comments, a scathing one-star review, rejection letters, dismissive friends or family; anything which makes you feel like a big anvil made of “NO” just landed on your head. I know about…

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SE’s 10 DNF Red Flags

Featuring SE, being a Judgy McJudgypants. I’ve been alive for thirty-three years now, and a bookworm for roughly twenty-three of those years. TWENTY-THREE YEARS, friends. By now I know what I like. And, inversely, what I do not like. Any book gets at least a fair try, no matter what, but I admit to being a mood reader who will yeet straight to DNF if I’m not feeling it. And there are a few things which pretty much guarantee I will…

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Stranger Things Season 1-Episode 5 Review

TLDR; Everyone is off on their side quests getting lost and separated and infighting and I need them all to get together and have a PLAN. Alone, it’s not working for them. Together, they might have a chance. Also we lost Nancy and I’m surprisingly sad about this? The Acrobat and The Flea First thoughts; what does a flea, or an acrobat, have to do with anything? (For the record: there was no way I was guessing what that episode…

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Stranger Things Season 1-Episode 4 Review

TLDR: I’m both ecstatic and furious about Will’s body being fake. This is not a fucking BUILD-A-BEAR situation, Hawkins government people. NO. There is a family GRIEVING and you’re messing with them like that, what the actual fuck? The Body First thought of the episode: well that’s ominous. We start out with no one believing Joyce and it HURTS. Jonathan can’t listen to her without having to walk away for a cry, and I feel for him so damn hard.…

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Stranger Things Season 1-Episode 3 Review

TLDR for those with no patience: I’m not feeling jolly after episode 3. The episode title is a lying liar. Why must you hurt me this way, Stranger Things Writers? I am STRESSED and CREEPED OUT by something as normal as CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and I need to know what that body was RIGHT NOW. First thoughts of the episode went like: I really want to know how Barb is! Wait, shit, shit, no I don’t. I don’t want to know…

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Stranger Things Season 1-Episode 1 Review

Hello…um…this is kind of embarrassing. I’m not sure I should be in this group…but now that I’m here, I might as well start, right? Oh, I should be standing up? In front of everyone? Oh. Sure. Okay. Uh…My name is SE and I’m the LAST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE to watch Stranger Things. I swear to you, even far distant aliens sit down with pirated Netflix streams to watch Stranger Things under the light of their three moons, sipping…

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The Insecure Writer’s Group has Got the Power

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for our writing insecurities to pop their little heads out, just in time to get whacked back down into the depths of our subconscious by multiple author-hammers. GET BACK IN YOUR PLACE, INSECURITIES! Ahem. Anyway. The optional question for May 1: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? The co-hosts for the month of May are Lee Lowery, Juneta Key, Yvonne Ventresca, and T. Powell Coltrin! Thanks to all…

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Six First Aid Steps for Bad Feedback

It happened. The thing you’ve been dreading, avoiding, secretly praying will pass you by forever. Negative feedback. Maybe it’s kindhearted constructive criticism (OUCH) or maybe it’s a scathing one-star take down of your entire book (FUCKING OUCH OW PAIN). No  matter what form it takes this kind of feedback is hard on you. I know this, because I recently got my very own negative feedback. I enter every unfinished manuscript I write into RWA chapter contests for judging because apparently…

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