The January 2022 IWSG has asked us to explore our writing regrets.

Happy New Year. It seriously just feels like a breath of fresh air to have made it through the holidays. I know some people just love the holidays, but I've yet to experience the joy of living through them that I had when I was was a kid. There's always so much to do, and throwing get togethers are a lot of work from cleaning everything to food prep. I did make some homemade Swedish meatballs that got a lot of talk from people I invited over to have some, and the following week I made a splash with a homemade lasagna. Lots of wine was consumed, and conversations around the table seemed to become an excuse for people to talk about what was bothering them. Sigh. I attended no one else's get togethers because there weren't any. I think people just realized it was too much work and decided to rely upon me to do everything. So if I didn't throw a party, then no one would see each other for two months during the holidays. My social circle is kind of terrible about doing things for others. I'm the only doer and everyone else is a taker and has the attitude of, "I take care of myself and that's it. That's all I can do. No spoons!"

Anyway...it's all over for another year. :) Now, that it's January, I have a little more time and peace of mind to start blogging again. I'm kicking it off with my New Year's post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. If you haven't heard of this blogfest started by Alex Cavanaugh, then you can go HERE and sign up for it. It takes place the first Wednesday of every month. Here are some other details about the neverending blogfest:

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: As I explained above, 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 this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Remember, the question is optional!

January 5 question - What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

The awesome co-hosts for the January 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

Okay, so now that I've said all of the above, I'm going to answer the January question.

I think my biggest regret with my writing career was trying to please other people. I think that for many years when I was young, I tried to tailor what I wrote to fit within boxes that were checked by creative writing "professionals." It was validation-seeking, and yes...I was able to overcome it. I think to be any kind of true writer, you need to turn off the voices of everyone else that yammer at you about what you should write about. Writing needs to flow from the person that is doing the work. Writing (at least the rough draft) should bring you some kind of joy. If it doesn't, then you are probably not being true to yourself.

At the same time, I think it is okay to idolize other writers out there as long as you know that you are not them. Don't try to be the next Stephen King. There is already one of those. Don't try to be the next Maya Angelou. The only thing you have to be (as far as a writer is concerned) is you. And if the world doesn't make you a best seller, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. And that's okay. That still makes you a writer. You're just a writer with a very niche audience.

I think artists create too many rigid rules to follow that just dumb down everything to mediocrity. I get why this happens. It's a collision where art and business collide and the dollar has to justify the time, etc. But in other industries, there's so much disruption that the dollar isn't even tied to logic of any kind (crypto currency is an example of this as is Tesla being valued at over a trillion dollars). None of it makes sense. But art programs and writer programs are still trying to pound away with their rules saying, "You have to do this to be successful," and "You have to write this way" when the whole world doesn't care anymore. Everything is being disrupted. The old way of doing this doesn't make sense any more. It's just my two cents. However, I think that writing is evolving fast, and the old gatekeeping of the past just doesn't make sense at all anymore when you can just publish on platforms like Medium and start gaining an audience. I also think that many people will also not be able to make a living with writing. However, I want to expand this to: I don't think many people going forward will be able to make a living...period.

Things are changing so fast in this world that it's given me a bit of whiplash. Average homes in Salt Lake City are now $650,000. To buy a home in SLC, you have to make $84.00 per hour. Like...what? That doesn't even make sense. Inflation is going insane, everything is expensive, rent keeps going up as landowners raise rent so that they can afford elite schools for their kids and a family vacation and maybe a new car. New cars now cost $70,000...and that's for a Kia. There are shortages of things everywhere. None of it makes sense, and I have no idea how everything became broken in such a short amount of time. I also don't know how any of it is going to get fixed.

Anyone writing a dystopia should have lots of ideas! Thanks for stopping by for this month's edition of the IWSG.