Introvert and Insecure about Networking - No More!

Time for another Insecure Writers Support Group post. To join up, simply click on the badge:

Drawing a topic from my long list of insecurities, today I thought I'd tackle 'networking'.

Networking is a great buzz word in business, but for me, it simply means connecting with peers. Sounds less intimidating that way, doesn't it? And yet, it still scares me.

It's important to connect with others in your industry, especially for writers, as we are not conditioned to interact with the humans on a daily basis. Networking allows you to benefit from the wisdom of colleagues who have been through the trial and errors you're about to embark on. You can also meet industry professionals who can give you a helping hand to achieve your career goals. But I think, most importantly, it allows you to help emerging writers on their journey to publication -- that can be so rewarding.

And yet. I attend conferences, workshops, seminars, and I simply can not go up and speak to someone unless they speak to me first. I always convince myself I'm just bothering people.

Lucky for me I have the internet. You can approach people you don't know at all, converse, ask for favours, joke around, and all without ever having to look them in the eye!

But I would like to improve my networking skills, so, I've decided to create a networking opportunity to encourage introverts to connect with other writers, face to face, without the need for even a tiny bit of courage! I'm coordinating the Rainforest Writing Retreat - a two day retreat set in the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland (for our Aussie writers). We'll have writing masterclasses with expert presenters and publishing advice. But more than that, we'll be taking part in planned networking activities.

Ever purchase hundreds of contact cards, but were too afraid to hand them out? One of our activities will have everyone swapping cards, you'll actually have a list of names that you must tick off as you collect their card. We'll also have 'get to know you' games, chat sessions and everyone teams up with a roomie for the twin-share accommodation.

So, if you've wanted to attend an event that meets your dreams--don't wait for it to appear, create your own!

My retreat:

https://www.facebook.com/RainforestWritingRetreat

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Insecure about launching a book?

Today I am an insecure writer. Mostly I'm insecure about missing an insecure post. Seems every month I forget it's on. So, here, on Thursday, is my Wednesday Insecure Writer's Support Group.

One of the many, many, many things I'm insecure about is launching a new book. How about you? I'm terrified no one will turn up to the book launch and when organising a virtual launch, I hate asking people to post for me. But I've learned two things that I hope help you too:

1. People want to help. Seriously. We love seeing one of our online buddies do well with their new book.
2. We all know at least one person who does a brilliant job of launches. Learn from them. Watch them and basically, do what they do. Reach out to them and ask for advice.

I have a friend who does an amazing book launch. For her new book Bailey Beats the Blah (I'll be posting more about that tomorrow), Karen Tyrrell presented a pantomime while she read her story to eager children! I adore Karen for the work she does promoted mental health issues (and because she's just a really nice person), but mostly I adore her for allowing me to dress up as Fuzzy and take part in the performance. It was my shining moment!

dream... write... publish has moved!

You can check out the new site at:

dream... write... publish

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Insecure Writers and Self-editing

"I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because what I thought was an original idea for a novel about racism and poverty in the South, during the Depression, and told through the eyes of a 10yr old girl whose father is the local lawyer... might already exist."

Join IWSG and share your insecurities!

One of the main things I was insecure about when I first ventured into creative writing was editing. Turns out, I had good reason to worry.

I stupidly thought good novels were created from inspiration, sweat and fairy-dust; that certain authors just had the magic and breathed engaging narratives onto the pages. Of course I was delighted to learn the existence of 'drafts' and that my first one was allowed to 'suck' because I could edit it later. Easy, right?

Ha!

My first manuscript to earn a finished draft was a girl's mystery novel filled with passive language, poor grammar and only one suspect character (not much of a mystery in this who-done-it). I was keen to polish the story, but had no idea how.

I sent it off to an editor. That was a mistake.

What? Wait a minute Charmaine (I hear you ask ... in a kind of a creepy little girl voice), you always recommend getting a professional editor. What gives?

You should get your work edited professionally before publishing, but not before you edit your own work.

My manuscript was in such a mess that after a few chapters of painful interactions back and forth, my editor gave up on it. Truth was, it wasn't ready for the editor yet.

1. You should polish your story as much as you possibly can before you send it out to editors or beta readers. So how can you best edit your own work?

Put your manuscript away for a while, come back to it with fresh eyes.

2. Utilise an editing program for the really obvious problems. Word Spellcheck is very flawed, but will at least get rid of some issues. A better version of this is Grammarly, which I use for my online writing (there's also a check box for you to paste your work on their website).
3. Read books on revising before you take another look at your manuscript. I found these ones very helpful: 
Take up a course to find the best strategies for tackling your manuscript. There are plenty offered through writing centres or online.

4. Study. You can find lots of courses on editing through your writers centre or online. I've said this many times before, Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel is one of the best revisions courses I've ever undertaken (and there's been a few). Check it out, it will teach you so much about strengthening that first draft and tightening your story.
5. Find a mentor. Someone who has more experience and can guide you through your manuscript's plot flaws and show you how to improve it.

Still want more on editing? Check out Denise Covey's guest post on writing, revising and editing at revisionseditions.

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Overcoming Stress; or how I stopped being insecure about pressure and painted my nails instead.

Deadlines, obligations, accomplishments, and expectations... these words have been highlighted in my life lately with the big fluro yellow marker of stress. I need to let go a little.

Another self-imposed deadline! But a fun one.I'll post my wrap up of the blogfest tomorrow. Want to visit the participants? Click on the image.

Deadlines can be great for productivity, but not when the pressure outweighs the benefits. In Theories of Productivity I included the triangle theory - the idea that you can successfully prioritise up to three segments of your life at any one time, but accept that there are many more divisions which will have to wait their turn for attention (to read more, you can see that post here). The problem is, each of those departments wants to be at the top of the triangle all the time.

I love being busy. But I take advantage of that trait and pile it on too thick sometimes. 

Do you convince yourself everything needs to be done NOW? I do. 

My natural rhythm is to be an early bird. I love, love, love sleep and can't wait to curl up in bed each night and get excited to jump out of bed early each day. Not lately. I've stayed up until midnight on my websites tweaking, fixing and then mumbling curse words at WordPress. Then I drag myself out of bed early ('cause, you know, I'm an early bird) and walk around in a daze. Of course that leads to being unproductive all day, so I feel I have to stay up late to catch up and... well, you can see the pattern.

The solution

You didn't think I'd just depress you all for nothing? My solution was two part. 

1. Get to bed! Sneaky me, set a challenge for the family. For one week we all must be asleep by 9pm and awake by 6am. They took the bait. Three days in and I'm feeling great and getting more done each day than I could in a week when I was tired.
2. Paint my nails. I was never much of a nail painter. It involves sitting still too long for me. But during my weeks of no sleep and high stress, I realised that was exactly what I needed. I paint my nails and then I CAN'T move or touch anything, or do any tasks until they dry. I do several coats so it takes a good hour to dry properly. I've also noticed family members seem to value my nail-drying time more than my work time. They leave me alone, do things for themselves, even offer to do tasks for me, all because they don't want to ruin my nail polish.

I appreciate that last suggestion might be tricky for some guys - but find something that makes you stop thinking and just sit still. You need time to take a big breath before you dive back under the ocean of deadlines, obligations, accomplishments and expectations waiting for you.

My next read is Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Work Week

This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group. To join up, click here:

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Insecure Writers - I'm Doing it Wrong

The first Wednesday of every month, us insecure writers get together and discuss the things that make us writers insecure. We also look at ways to overcome those insecurities.

One of my biggest worries as an author/blogger/parent.. and just about everything else, is that I'm doing it wrong. I've made loads of mistakes along the path, so there's a lot of evidence (still in people's basements) to prove I've done it wrong. A lot.

Even now, with the release of my new book, Dognapped?, I keep thinking I'm doing something wrong with my giveaway. The book sales are going great - thank you to everyone who downloaded it! But not a lot of people have put their name down to win a free Kindle Fire. Is that unusual? Am I not promoting it right? Should I care if the book sales are still good? 

But I do care. I worry that people have earned an entry and won't have their fair chance. I worry that I'm doing it wrong. I worry that I'll disappoint people. And I have mild panic attacks.

Then I calm down (usually after sleeping it off), and remember getting it wrong has taught me a lot. It's shown me better ways to do stuff. And I remember that the people I think are judging me, are actually just like me. They're not perfect, they make mistakes too, and they'll understand.

If it wasn't for you guys, I would crawl under a rock whenever I got it wrong and stay there.

Now, if you did get your copy of Dognapped? (even if you got it when it was free) don't forget to get your entry in for the Kindle Fire comp!

KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of my new mystery novel for girls, I'm giving away a Kindle Fire and a $25 Amazon gift voucher! Simply download Dognapped? A Dog Show Detective Mystery or blog about the book to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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12 Tips to Market Your Book at Shows

My ISWG post this month is on marketing/selling your book at shows.

Regardless of your interest or niche, there's bound to be a show or exhibition to celebrate it. These events can be strategic opportunities to market your book. I recently attended Supanova, an annual expo on all things pop culture. I go every year with the kids, because they love the cosplay (visitors come dressed as their favourite characters from films, books, games, comics, etc). This year I took the leap and booked myself a stand. It was a great experience. Some things I did well, and I've learned a few tips for my next show.

Yoda... or some weird zombie dog?

Here's my tips on how to market your book at shows:

1. Choose the show carefully. Who is your customer and which shows would they attend? Romance novels based on weddings, would do well at a wedding expo, the visitors are mostly female and obviously interested in weddings and most likely romantics. Supanova was a great choice for me because of the zombie aspect of my book. I'd also be keen to do any shows where the visitors include a large percentage of children.
2. Stock up. I signed 74 books at Supanova and went home with only 6 copies (which I had to post out the next day for orders anyway). I did order more stock, but not in time. Make sure you won't run out!
3. Have freebies. I took along magnets to give away and promote the book. I get these printed through Vistaprint very cheaply, and each one includes my website address, or a QR code. I give them away freely. I am careful not to make the image look solely like an advertisement, because people (especially kids) would be less likely to even want them.
   
4. Follow up sales. I also have postcards printed up (Vistaprint), which promote the book, include a blurb and all necessary contact details to make it easy for someone to order books after the show. 
5. Signage. I have a good sign with bright colours, to promote my stand and books. I've decided the sign should be a little bigger for these events, but luckily, I can get one made up for very little cost (yup, Vistaprint).
6. Price wisely. I put a discounted price on my books just for Supanova. At $10, it's cheap enough for parents to happily fork over the dough without having to think too much about it. I also had signage announcing the price so people knew before they approached my stand.
7. Dress it up. A plain fold-out table looks unprofessional. I didn't plan this ahead, but thankfully remembered to bring some fabric. Mine was green fur (appropriate for the book), and I covered that with purple tulle just to make it stand out. 
   
8. Bring back up. My kids were keen to attend the show anyway. And although they spent most of the time off exploring, it was good to have someone to mind the stand for bathroom breaks and fetch me a cuppa every now and then.
9. Chat don't sell. When people came up to my stand I'd chat about the costumes and celebrities at the show. I don't jump into a sales pitch for the book. Just make them feel welcome to come and have a sticky-beak. Most people will then choose to turn the conversation to your book by asking questions.
10. Display the book. Don't leave all the books lying flat on the table. I'd have some books sitting upright on top of stacks of books, so they're easy to spot at a distance (these are my own copies that I feel comfortable bending). The other copies are stacked and fanned out at the front of the table, so no matter where a person stands, they'll be right in front of a copy.
11. Get to know the other stand-holders. It's such a supportive environment. I sold a few books to other people with stands at the show, and even did a couple of book swaps with authors. Another bonus for me was being right next door to some awesome artists doing caricatures. One of the artists did a great zombie dog drawing for me!
    
12. Build an email list. This is something I didn't do, but will include next time. By having an email sign-up sheet at your stand, you can build a list of future customers and let them know when you have a new book out. Anthony from Book Cover Cafe has all the best advice on how to create and use an email sign-up sheet: Building your email list at live events

That's it, it was a great weekend and lots of fun! The girls and I had a Doctor Who theme going, but some of the other costumes were very original!

Have you signed up for the Dognapped? blog tour?

I'll be emailing participants in about a week (give you time to recover from A-Z first) and aim to release the book about mid-May. There'll be competitions and prizes:

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8 Ways to stay positive when the world says 'give up'

I had no idea what to blog about for this month's session. I've been so incredibly busy and working long hours on readying my next publication, DOGNAPPED? A Dog Show Detective Mystery, that I haven't had time to feel insecure. Then life had a good chuckle at my expense and provided a reminder that sometimes things can go wrong in gloriously disastrous ways. Sigh.

I won't go into the dull details, but it reminded me that even ditzy little giggle-heads like myself can get down sometimes. I've never been a very sympathetic ear, I'm always the one that wants to devise an action plan to tackle any adversities. So, instead of sulking (alright, I may have given myself five minutes to whine), I decided to look at actions we can implement whenever we're down. Here's mine:

1. It could be worse. I know, I know, that's bad luck to say. But it's true. I reminded myself that this issue was just damaged property, it's only a money issue. Everyone is safe and well in my house.
2. Meditate. Stress can affect your sleep and lack of sleep increases stress. I listen to guided meditation recordings I've picked up from Audible and iTunes. I turn the volume down low, focus on my breathing and pretty soon I'm all relaxed. They also help inspire creativity.
3. Write it down. When things turn over and over in your head, your brain becomes active trying to process what can sometimes be a problem on a loop. Even if you wake up at 3am worried about something, grabbing a notepad and writing down the problem allows you to go back to sleep. Your brain needs an action to be taken, this small action allows it to move on.
4. List the positives. If you've had a super-crappy day, list all the positives in your life at the moment. My list included finishing another manuscript, being offered a place in an anthology, invited to run children's writing workshops at a local bookshop/cafe and receiving heart-warming feedback from beta readers for Dognapped? Oh, and My Zombie Dog made a few extra sales this week. Listing positives can put the negative in perspective and remind you that life comes in waves with ups and downs. If you just ride the down out, you'll get another wave of gleeful times.
5. Make a Plan. A plan within a plan! What actions, regardless of how unappealing they seem, could you take to remedy the situation? Choosing to do nothing is still making a choice, it's just a passive choice that rarely helps.
6. Get over it. Sounds harsh? Whenever my kids are devastated over some loss (usually an electronic gadget), I tell them to imagine explaining their problem to a child suffering extreme poverty and life-threatening conditions in a third world country. This makes me feel too guilty to wallow in self-pity.
7. Laugh about it. It's not always easy, but humour lifts the spirits. I think laughing at our adversities is part of the Australian culture.
8. Do something nice for someone else. Can't feel sorry for yourself if you're busy helping others. Plus good deeds make you feel better.

There it is. My list of cheer-ups for those really cruddy days. Any extra ideas I can add to that list? I'd mention chocolate, but I think it's just become out of my budget (see, humour... yeah).

Speaking of doing good deeds for others, Nick Wilford has put together an anthology to raise money to help a young man with cerebral palsy attend a specialist college. You can grab the Overcoming Adversity for just $2.99 at Amazon, or check out Denise Covey's blog for more details.

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6 Ways to hook up with other writers -- even if you're insecure

Writing can be a solitary task, but it doesn't need to be. There's lots of support for writers if they know where to find it. Get to know other writers, form alliances, give each other feedback, encouragement and advice. The writing community is one of the most generous with sharing of information. So where can you hook up with other writers?

1. Join a Writers Group -- Best thing I've ever done. We meet once a week and take part in writing exercises, share our work and discuss the industry. This is an intimate, safe environment to share your writing with people you trust for an honest critique.
2. Blog -- I never realised there were so many writing communities until I started blogging. Start your blog on whatever you like. I enjoy blogging about the craft of writing, but also love reading marketing, education and reading blogs. It's a way to interact. Turn off 'captcha' or 'word verification' in your settings. These are horrible torturous tests visitors must endure just so they can leave you an encouraging comment. It's not polite. If you are worried about spam (yes, I'm rolling my eyes), then use comment moderation instead.
3. Sign up to Blog Groups and Challenges -- Such as Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group. You put your link on a list and everyone posts on an agreed topic or event. You'll meet lots of blog friends very quickly.
4. Pick your Favourite Social Media Platform -- You don't have to do them all, so don't be overwhelmed. Best to pick the one that suites your style and use it effectively, than to flounder on half a dozen different sites. The top ones seem to be Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, but there's also Instagram if you're more of a photo person, and Pinterest if you like sharing websites and online photos. Browse through and read posts to see which platform suites your lifestyle. 
5. Visit your Writer's Centre -- There may be one not too far from you. Writer's centres have plenty of advice and contacts to get you on your way and most charge a reasonable yearly membership fee.
6. Attend Writing Festivals/Seminars -- You'll be educated, entertained and get to network with other professionals in the writing industry.

Most of all, it's important to get out there with a positive attitude. Be thoughtful and reciprocate. If you want followers for your blog, then go follow other blogs. Don't hide in a corner and expect all the introverts to come to you.

By offering a place where followers can comment without obstacles,
you'll increase the number of people who stay long enough to say hello.

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2013 - Year of the Writer

I'm declaring it for all of us

For my Insecure Writer's Support Group post, I'm taking my insecurities and creating myself a resolution list from them. So for 2013 I intend to:

• Edit - I've signed up for Year of the Edit, a course offered by the Queensland Writer's Centre. Editing can seem seem like an overwhelming task, fixing a story, the structure, character motivations... it always scares me a little when I begin. But to be honest, once I get started, rewrites are my favourite part of writing a novel because that's when I find my themes, motifs and hidden plot lines. I have at least four novels to edit this year.
• Improve my writing - This is always on my list, but this year I'm focusing on grammar to strengthen my writing. I'm working through workbooks and have a great friend who's very clever when it comes to grammar.
• Create Classroom resources - I do this anyway when I go to schools and run creative writing workshops or discuss my book. I'd like to make free classroom resources relating to my novels available by creating professional PDFs and putting a link to them up on my website. 
• Increase income/reduce expenditure - I've got a few big goals I'll need to save for. One of my goals is to have a weekender shack somewhere (beachside or national park area) that can double as my writer's retreat. 
• Read more indie novels and more Australian authors - I have so many friends that are indie authors, I'm ashamed I'm not reading more of these releases. I'm aiming to make every second book I read either Australian or indie. That should help me get through lots more without missing out on any mainstream traditionally published foreign books I may just be dying to read (like the next Spellman's book). I'm also going to submit a lot more Amazon reviews of the books I like.

In our family we also make a wish for the new year. It can be as big or wild as you want, and usually is something we couldn't possibly achieve in the one year, but it's nice to have high goals. Mine is for us to buy a property, but I do think it'll take more than a year of saving. Still, it'll help me stay focused on my saving resolution. What would your wild wish for 2013 be?

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Insecure about Indie Publishing?

Insecure Writer's Support Group is hosted by Alex Cavanaugh. It's a great idea, once a month we post about things that make writers insecure and offer advice and tips for overcoming those issues. 

Here's my insecurity. Sometimes I still feel awkward saying I'm an indie author. Not online, because here, we rock! But around the book shop circles and when I'm in writing workshops. At one seminar a speaker said don't bother self-publishing or no one will ever hear of your book. When you chat to people at workshops they almost always ask who you got to publish your book. There also seems to be an attitude that you only produce your own work if you can't land a publisher.

I didn't go lightly into indie publishing, I registered my business (Hot Doggy Digital Press), got my ABN and an EIN to avoid any tax problems (you need an EIN to get paid from Amazon if you're a non-US author here's a site with all the instructions). I put a lot of effort into my cover, studying popular releases, then I hired a professional to help pull it all together (Book Cover Cafe helped me produce the book). Read DIY Book Covers for some hints and tips. I accepted a lot of feedback on my story and worked on it until it felt right.

I'm fighting these feelings of insecurity. I'm proud of my debut novel, My Zombie Dog, and I'll be proud of the next few I publish too. One thing I've learned is readers don't care about the publisher, mostly it's just other writers who care.

There are steps I'm taking to lift the stigma of indie or self-published books. Let's face it, the standard needs to be lifted before the public's expectations will be lifted. I need to improve. I've made mistakes, but I'll be darned if I repeat those mistakes.

When I first uploaded my book to Kindle I was in too much of a hurry. The work had many errors. Lot of tense errors, typos. Took another three goes and a professional editor (again, Book Cover Cafe) to get it into the shape it's in now. 

I aim to be a darn good indie published author. 2013 will see me spending a lot more time reading and promoting other indie published writers as well. 

To start, here are some new releases from awesome blogger authors. I'll post some reviews soon, for now, just click on the cover to visit the Amazon site:

Fun kids book for Christmas

Amazing fantasy novel

Anthology of stories by awesome writers including Lynda Young

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Insecure Writers - Time Management

Every 1st Wednesday of the month is a time for insecure writers to group together. This month, my mind is obsessed with time. 

I have a bad habit of taking on more projects each day than can possibly be tackled in a 24hr period. My to-do lists grow into epic quests. Some of the projects I'm trying to juggle now are:

• Organise a launch, distribution and sales points for My Zombie Dog.
• Finish writing first draft to Undead Kev, sequel to My Zombie Dog.
• Edit/rewrite DOGNAPPED? My tween girl mystery.
• Find time to write my love project Warracknabeal Kids, a mystery set in 1939 outback Australia.
• Edit and submit short stories into competitions.
• Set myself up to run workshops at schools/libraries for creative writing.
• Together with my team, organise an Indie Expo for Australia's music, film, art and writing industry.

Each of these projects have many tasks to complete, and I want them all done NOW! I start to feel panicky, like I'm running late (I CAN'T run late EVER). Of course I also need to fit life in around these tasks. 

I am taking steps to manage all these projects:

• Downloaded Pomodorable from the Mac App store. This uses the method of set time limits per task. You work on one task for twenty minutes, then take a ten minute break (stretch, move about).
• Morning pages - I write three pages longhand when I wake up. It's not always useful words, but it does push me to keep going.
• I'll (try to) limit my task numbers on my to-do list. Do you know if you have more than five tasks on your list you're less productive on each one? A to-do list needs to be achievable, otherwise it just becomes a reminder of failure and a form of punishment. I need that reward of ticking boxes.

So what do you do to manage time wisely? If it's time to write you need, you can check out this post:

10 Ways to find Time to Write

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Insecure Romantic Writing in 3 Pages

I am a prolific writer.

Um, not always.

Actually that first line is an affirmation I repeat when I meditate. I know I CAN be a prolific writer, I've had days when I poured out pages and pages of work. I even managed the 30,000 words in 3 days challenge. But then life starts seeping back in. During those times I struggle to write anything. One suggestion I've come across many times is to write morning pages. 

When you wake up, you write three pages, free-writing style. It doesn't matter what you write, it can include grocery lists, dreams, grievances or story ideas. The idea is to dump all the clutter in your brain, so you're free to write. 

In my morning pages I've come across a character called Rosie. Rosie is in her late 30's, single, overweight and has a bit of an attitude problem. She pops into my morning pages with snarky snippets of her life.

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Setting Rules Story

Snoopy's world was limited in space, but imagination meant anything could happen!
Click on the picture if you want to get this as a wallpaper

Setting is often a key element in our story. Sometimes it can even be a character in the story like the big old house in Tim Winton's Cloudstreet. But often new writers overlook this and just have the setting as somewhere for stuff to take place.

I have an exercise I do with students when I run creative writing workshops for kids, it helps them to understand how setting can affect our story. I thought I'd share it with you now. Try this exercise with the setting to your WIP, but first use a few of the random ones suggested here as a warm up. We did this exercise in my writing group today and there were some interesting writing prompts from it.

If you're in a group, write these settings down on scraps of paper (add some of your own if you like) and disperse randomly. Otherwise, pick out two or three to work with.

Possible Settings:

• Pirate ship
• Prison
• Australian bush
• Homeless gathering
• Skyscraper
• High school
• Space
• Fantasy land
• Ski lodge
• Police station

Now you simply write two lists. 

One list is for plot ideas or motivations that can be generated from this setting, e.g. in a Prison, escape, trying to stay good for parole, guard might on their last day because they're quitting for a safer security job, governor or head of the prison might be trying to meet budget cuts or there could be an alien invasion on earth and the prison is the safest place from land attacks. 

The second list is all the threats that setting presents. In the Prison it could be knifing, drugs, vicious guards, attack dogs, lockdown and left without food in your cell (as all the guards have been killed off by the aliens), riots, lack of empathy from outside community, or losing your sanity.

Once you have a few lists, pick a plot idea and at least one threat then write for 10-15 minutes and see what you come up with, you might find yourself with a decent piece of flash fiction or the start of something bigger!

Now you've warmed up properly, pull out your own setting and see if you can find more threats or possibilities that could strengthen your WIP.

I'm currently working on a story where the little sister of Isis is resurrected in New York City 5,000 years later. So my setting is split between Ancient Egypt and New York City. Here's my list for Ancient Egypt:

Plot ideas

• Mummification
• Prophecies
• Secrets and plots
• Gods
• Superstitions and religion
• Afterlife
• Amulets and protection magic
• Came race

Dangers

• Mummified alive
• Cobras
• Assassins
• Rabid Camel
• Crocodiles
• Heat, sun exposure
• Dehydration
• Floods (The area by the Nile was not a desert but quite lush back then)
• Evil Gods
• Sacrifice
• Sentenced to death

If you try it out I'd love to see some of your suggestions for plot ideas or dangers for setting.

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, challenges are posted once a month, you can sign up to join in here (or click on the picture). Now there's a few hundred participants, so it'll take me a while to get around to everyone, but I'll certainly try before the next challenge!

Realised, I should mention my writing insecurity! Mine is when I've finished that first draft and got all the plot details down, I won't be able to figure out that magic ingredient that adds life and pop to the book, it'll end up a bit bleh. What I do about it is exercises like this one to strengthen different elements of the story.

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