IWSG, Writing

Imagining My Future Writing Self | IWSG

Ellen Jacobson

Hello! If you’ve been directed here from The Cynical Sailor, welcome to my author site. I’m still figuring out what I’m going to do with that site moving forward, but, in the meantime, I’ve decided to move my Insecure Writer’s Support Group monthly blog posts to this site. Thanks for following me over here!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It’s a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there’s an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they’re struggling with what to say.

This month’s question is:

Let’s play a game. Imagine. Role-play. How would you describe your future writer self, your life and what it looks and feels like if you were living the dream? Or if you are already there, what does it look and feel like? Tell the rest of us. What would you change or improve?

Check out how people have answered this month’s question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list HERE. You can find out how I answered the question below.

Simon the cat getting ready to lay waste to the Christmas tree.

Simon the Cat Demands His Breakfast with Very Sharp Claws

Note: If you’re new to my IWSG posts, I often write stories about my imaginary cat, Simon, to answer the monthly questions. He’s rather a grumpy cat who loves full-fat milk, bashing my writing, and making a general nuisance of himself. The complete opposite of Mrs. Moto from my Mollie McGhie mysteries.

“Wake up, lady,” a low voice growled.

I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. “Leave me alone, Simon. I’m trying to sleep.” A paw snaked underneath my blanket, its sharp claws fully extended. “Ouch! That hurt.”

As I sat up in bed, my large gray cat glared at me. “Stop being so lazy and feed me breakfast.”

“You know, you’re much more pleasant in my dreams.” I stretched my arms over my head. “It was such a nice dream, too.”

“What did you dream about?” Simon asked as he rolled over on his back.

“My future writer self,” I said, as I rubbed his belly. “I’m doing really well in the future. I’ve written in some other genres like sci-fi and sweet romance. Plus, I have several cozy mystery series published including one with a talking chameleon who lives in a library in North Dakota.”

“Whoever heard of a talking chameleon? That’s a stupid idea, lady. Chameleons don’t talk. “

“And cats do?”

“Well, duh. You can hear me, can’t you?” Simon crawled onto my lap and kneaded my legs. “What are your other series about? Me?”

“You? No way,” I said. “Who would want to read about you?”

“You really aren’t very bright, are you? There’s people reading about me right now.”

I chewed on my lip. “Well, that’s different. This is a blog post, not a book.” Before he could interrupt with another smart aleck response, I added, “The other idea I have is a side series of novellas about a fortune teller who lives on Destiny Key.”

“Your new book is set there, isn’t it?” Simon asked.

“It is. Mollie and Scooter sail there during the Coconut Cove regatta.” I furrowed my brow. “How did you know that? Have you been reading my books?”

“Only when I have insomnia.” Simon yawned. “They’re so boring that they put me right to sleep.”

I lay back down and pulled the covers up to my chin. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go back to sleep and dream about my future writer self and my future cat. He’s really sweet.”

“Future cat?” Simon jabbed my face with this paw, then sat back on his haunches. “Oh, I get it. You’re going to travel into the future, use their cloning machine and come back with a dozen more Simons.”

“That sounds like a nightmare.” I grabbed a pad from my bedside table. “Note to self,” I said as I scribbled on the paper. “Do not engage in time travel. One Simon is plenty.”

What about you? When you dream about your future, what do you envision?

Dead in the Dinghy will be released on December 13th! Pre-order your copy of the latest Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery at your favorite retailer and find out what happens when Mollie and Scooter participate in their first sailing regatta.

Spoiler alert: someone ends up dead in a dinghy & Mollie eats a lot of chocolate!

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Google Play

Find out more HERE.

Published by Ellen Jacobson

Writer of fun cozy mysteries, cat lover & chocolate obsessed.

80 thoughts on “Imagining My Future Writing Self | IWSG”

  5. Yay! It’s almost time for the new release! Simon does need his own stories. But I agree that one of him is enough. 🙂 Shhh… I would totally read about a talking chameleon!

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  13. Ah, Simon. I think if there were multiples of you, Ellen would go crazy. Like Anna, I too thought Simon would be your venture into the horror genre. 🙂

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  14. Wait–what? “Imaginary” cat? I’ll bet Simon says that’s just a scurrilous (purriless?) rumor. My Hemi, definitely not imaginary, also thinks he should be the star in my stories. And pretty much everywhere else.

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  15. Congrats on your release! And one Simon sounds like enough. Maybe you should just move all your blogging over here. It’s hard having two blogs.

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  16. As much as I love reading about Simon, I agree with you that one of him is more than enough. 🙂

    I have a sneaky feeling your dream of your future as a writer isn’t just a dream. It’s a prophecy. (Love your new site. Looks terrific!)

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  17. One wonderful Simon is all the world needs. But we do need him 🙂
    As to the chameleon…I’m looking forward to that story!

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  21. That photo of Simon is downright scary ~ It’s the eyes. Yes I know he’s imaginary, but a dozen sets of those eyes would do me in. I adore your Simon posts and good luck with your latest book! Happy holidays!

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  28. I never knew Simon had such glowing evil-looking eyes! But you know that Simon really loves you. It’s probably his own insecurities (about being imaginary and all) that make him act out. I bet the Simon in some parallel universe is all peaches and cream. Perhaps you need to do a multiverse trade.

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  29. I love you, Simon! ~grin~ I like to imagine myself in a cozy ocean front cottage or Alaskan mountain cabin. In between mountain hikes or beach walks I am whiling away my aging days writing in that peaceful setting, a pet or two always at my side. ~sigh~ Best wishes on all future projects, my dear.

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  32. Congratulations on the upcoming release. I just managed a sneak peek in your blog and I’m super awed! Simon is an interesting build up and I look forward to more intriguing conversations in the coming months!

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  33. I love Simon the cat. Well, I love reading about him harassing you. I wouldn’t want him haunting my laptop. Congratulations on the new book, and I look forward to learning more about the chameleon 😀

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  34. I think it’s a great idea to move your IWSG posts over here – it’s your author blog after all. 🙂 Even when you think about your future writer self, you are Uber creative, Ellen! Yeah… you are full of ideas, that aren’t boring at all. Don’t mind Simon!

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  35. Your Simon and Ed Hoornaert’s Effing are my fav cats. I am not a cat lover, so that’s pretty special. I hope your writer’s dream comes true, and you have many more books/series to write. Looking forward to reading Dead in the Dinghy.

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  40. Pingback: My Writerly Journey | IWSG – Ellen Jacobson

  41. Sorry for the very late response. Honestly, these days, I dream of going back to writing full time. I know that once I’m back with my students (the day after tomorrow–eek!), I’ll remember the joys of teaching and why I do it. But there’s been so much drama on that front lately that I’m definitely missing the days when I could just stay home and write (or pretend to write while I procrastinated).

    If my future self could just do the full-time writing thing again, teaching an occasional class when it moved her, that would be perfect. Last year, I took on too many classes, my writing suffered (as in, I rarely got to do any), and I exhausted myself.

    So that’s my dream. When it’s -30C below, I’d love to just stay in bed with the cats instead of waiting for the bus, freezing my butt off. (Or explaining to a cab driver how to get to the exact same place I go every morning. Do they not have GPS? Why do they never use it?)

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