The March 2022 edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group is all about scenes and how we craft them for our stories.

"Beware the Ides of March!" That phrase from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar always pops up in my head during this time of year. The response is even better when Caesar looks at the seer and says, "The Ides of March have come, and I am safe." And the Seer replies, "Aye they have come but they have not gone." It's a great scene to a famous story, and that's what this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group post is about. But before getting to all that, there's some housekeeping to do.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was started by Alex Cavanaugh. The rest comes from the IWSG web page.

Here's their 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!

Here's when we all post: 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!

Here's their Social Media Information: Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Here's what you do if you have trouble coming up with something to talk about: 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!

And here is the March question that I'm answering today: Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence!

Writing or including scenes in a story (for me) all comes down to word count. I'm a verbose writer in just about anything that I endeavor to do. So, my process is to just get all the things onto paper first and then cut cut cut. An example of this is that I recently (through a kickstarter) sent in a wholly original monster to Kobold Press for their latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons monster manual in the hopes that it will get published. Careful reading of the rules and format to avoid rejection told me that it needed to be under 600 words with 575 words being a very strong recommendation. My monster was at 980 words. So, I cut absolutely everything that I possibly could, strengthened sentences by looking for stronger ways to say a thing, and managed to squeeze the core of what I wanted into 571 words. Then I sent it in.

This same process absolutely applies to writing. I look at a word count cap...let's say it is 100,000 words...and then I write my story. I guarantee that it is probably going to end up at 160,000 or some absurd length, because I'm a verbose writer. So then I look at all the things I could cut, trying to figure out what is bare bones and what isn't. What furthers the story and what is just filler? Do I actually need to rewrite large sections in order to make the plot simpler? Anyway, I go through mental gymnastics to try to fit under that word count maximum. I do think it makes me a better writer (for whatever that is worth). But that is how I figure out what scenes go in and what do not. As for there being a conflict or not depends on how much I really want a scene to stay. If it simply won't work, then I probably need to think about telling a different story altogether just to fit into the word count. After all, that's the end goal, right? Word count is the task master by which we writers live by.

I hope y'all find that explanation to your satisfaction. Thanks for visiting.