What can the IWSG offer to its members that it already isn't offering?

Hello again. It's been a while but May ended up being a bit of a handful for me so I'm glad I stepped away from blogging. The first thing that happened was that one of my roommates decided on a whim that he was going to buy a Tesla. And a friend also approached me about their car being completely broken, and them having no transportation options. I owned a 1997 Ford F-150 that I decided to sell to them to solve their issue. And that freed up a space in the garage for the roommate to be able to park the new Tesla that literally showed up 12 hours after they made the decision to buy it. Then they hired an electrician to install a charger in the garage, I had to help them get contractor bids to do that work, and now they are doing some kind of "anime" flavor wrap for the car featuring two anime girls fighting each other with swords. And then my commuter car broke down (after I sold the truck) when the serpentine belt fell off. So I had to get that fixed. Anyway, May had its challenges!

Now it is June 2024, and I'm hoping that it is a lot quieter. So far, so good. And with June comes a new opportunity to write a post and participate in the Insecure Writer's Support Group. But before I get around to answering the monthly question, I'd like to tell you a little about what the IWSG is so that you can sign up for it yourself if this is a think that appeals to you.

What is the purpose of the IWSG?: It is 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, and it’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds.

When do you post?: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day, however, I've missed it a couple of times and then just post on the following Friday.

What do you post?: Well, the official guidance is to post your thoughts on your own blog that have to do with writing. For example, you can talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. You could discuss your struggles and triumphs. You could offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. You could visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer. If you do this, you want to aim for a dozen new people each time and return comments. At its roots, the blogfest is about connecting with others. In order to do that you need to leave "virtual breadcrumbs." So, 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.

What is the slogan of the IWSG?: Let’s rock the neurotic writing world.

Does the IWSG have an X (Twitter) handle?: Yes! It is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 5th posting of the IWSG are Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim!

The June 5th question - In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

I think the IWSG already fulfills what it can. Social media is just that: social media. It isn't really capable of doing anything physical like building a house or fixing a broken car. What social media does offer is the answering of questions and the sharing of ideas and resources. And the IWSG fulfills this role already in its monthly correspondence and communications and hosting of the blogfest. So, I'm not going to suggest that it do anything new because I think it is already doing what it is intended to do at its maximum.

Anyway, thanks for visiting. I look forward to seeing how other people approach this question. My guess is that there will be some who want help with the minutiae of the business-side of writing. Things like: editing, beta-reading, marketing, obtaining an agent, and other kinds of computer work. But that "work" is not something that I feel a blog like the IWSG is meant to be able to assist with. I'm going to use a metaphor here. What the IWSG can do (and is already doing) is print plenty of "recipes." But "cooking the dinner" is unfortunately left up to the individual person to be able to do on their own.