In February 2022 the IWSG asks me if I miss anyone that influenced my writing. The answer is complicated.

Welcome to February 2022. I started this blog back in 2010. It's hard to believe I've been at this about 12 years now. Weird how time flies. Most of my blogging time has been spent networking with other people who happen to write. And I've participated in dozens of Insecure Writer's Support Group posts over the years. I don't know when exactly Alex started this thing, but it always seems like a good place to begin when posting for a new month or coming back from a break. So, here we are, and what follows is a rundown of what you can expect if you go over to their web page and sign-up for the monthly IWSG.

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: 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!

The Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and the hashtag you use 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!

February 2 question - Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss?

The awesome co-hosts for the February 2 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

I had a childhood friend pass away last year. I call him a childhood friend, because we hadn't spoken in probably fifteen years. But his birthday was close to mine, so I googled him last year and discovered his obituary. We used to play Dungeons & Dragons a lot as kids, and that experience obviously influences me to this day. It taught us (if anything) that you could create your own worlds and your own characters without building on someone else's intellectual property. It's fun to imagine building your own characters in the world of Harry Potter and writing some fan fiction, but at the end of the day all you are doing is adding to someone else's ability to make money off your back. I think that it's always better to create your own worlds and take a chance with them.

Anyway, from time to time I think of this former friend, and I miss them. It's not the same kind of grief one feels for a close friend or for a parent. But more of a realization that we eventually are on our own to move forward with ideas and put them into action. And it's a realization that sometimes things don't end like we expect them to. In fact, they end sooner than we would like, unexpectedly, and once they do you never can go back. Some things are absolute in their finality.

Thanks for visiting.