Writerly Nonsense

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:

Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Connor said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

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 see how I answered this question below.

So why do I write humorous cozy mysteries (and now rom-coms)? Cause I have all these silly ideas in my head that make me giggle. And if I don’t get them down on paper, I worry that my head might explode. Which would be gross. But an interesting way to die . . . an exploding head caused by an overabundance of silly ideas.

Hmm. Better jot that idea down in one of my notebooks.

Can you tell I write murder mysteries? I’m always looking for new and novel ways to kill people. I’ll have to figure out a way to work this whole exploding head thing into my next book.

One of the tricky things about trying to write funny books is that we don’t all have the same sense of humor. When you write a book and put it out there in the world {which is incredibly scary, by the way}, it’s also a chance to find like-minded people. Folks who get tickled by the same things you do. Like-minded goofballs. When they send you emails, leave blog comments, or message you on Facebook to tell you that your book made them laugh, it’s almost better than chocolate.

Almost, people, almost. We all know there’s nothing better than chocolate. Except kittens. I think we can all agree on that.

Anyway, that’s why I write. Why do you write and / or read?

Why do writers write? They have stories bubbling away inside them that need to get out. Sometimes, the writing process is a lot of fun. The words ooze out of you effortlessly. Other times, well, it can be torturous. You know what you want to say, but all you end up with is a blank computer screen or a page full of nonsense words.

I’ve been working on Dead in the Dinghy, the fourth book in my cozy mystery series for the past few days and it’s been a struggle at times.

Naturally, I turned to my favorite way to break through that writer’s block—procrastination. How did we procrastinate before the advent of the internet?

Sure, I watched a lot of cat videos, but I also did some serious writing “research.” I learned about grammar.

I researched what causes writer’s block.

I figured out how to explain to my friends and family what a writer actually does.

Then I got serious, closed the internet browser, and wrote a scene where my characters debated a really important question about dolphins.

My cozy mysteries are set at a marina in Florida and my main character and her hubby own a sailboat, so dolphins are kind of a thing. Because I live on a sailboat with my husband, I often draw on my own experiences when I’m writing my books. The dolphin snot vs. dolphin spit is one of those.

When we were sailing in New Zealand, a dolphin came alongside our boat and sprayed something on us. We had a long discussion about whether it was snot or spit. What do you think—is the stuff that comes out of a dolphin’s blowhole snot or spit?

{If you want to know more about the subject, you can read the blog post I wrote about it here.}

Well, that’s probably enough writerly nonsense for now. Time to get back to the actual writing!

Category: Writerly Nonsense

Writing Books that Make Me Giggle | IWSG

Anyway, that’s why I write. Why do you write and / or read?