The Insecure Writer's Support Group wants to know if I've written anything that I'd care to revisit.

Happy February. It's that time of the month again...time to air all our thoughts and fears about writing (or to pass on some advice). Who knows? Maybe February 2025 has got some love in store for us all. Before I get around to answering the Insecure Writer's Support Group monthly question, I need to tell you what it is.

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. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds.

When do y'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.

Where do I sign up?: You can go HERE and sign up.

The X (formerly Twitter) handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

Every month, the IWSG announces 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.

February 5 question - Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

No, but I haven't written all that many books. I also have a lot more fun reading what other people have written. For example, the third book of the Rebecca Yaros trilogy just came out, so I can finally start that series and see what the hype is all about (I try not to start series that aren't finished anymore because I was burned so badly with George R.R. Martin).

And now onto the state of my blog. I think I'm going to pull back from my regular posting schedule and just post once a month for the IWSG. The state of the world doesn't seem good, and I don't think I'm the kind of writer to post fun things while the house is burning down. Checking in once a month sounds about right.

Go see Wicked because it's great. It also tells you a lot about some people who are obsessed with it.

Like most queer people in the United States over December, I saw Wicked. I thought it was a great movie, and I enjoyed the singing. However, I was unprepared for how much of a cultural touchstone Wicked happens to be with other queer people. I just thought it was a musical, and I'd seen the Broadway show (which also featured good music). My eye-opening moment arrived during a brunch, when a trans woman "splained" me on why Wicked made her cry. All I could do was sit there, like a deer stunned by the headlights of an oncoming truck, and listen to the splain.

So...it turns out that Wicked at its source is just a story of two witches. One is treated badly yet has all the talent. The other is treated grandly, and she has no talent. And mixed in with all of that is the fascist metaphor of demonizing the talking animals and taking away their rights to pretty much just exist. I got all of that in the one viewing of the show. But it wasn't enough that I got all of that. It needed to be "splained" to me because I clearly did not understand, as (unfortunately) I didn't cry during the movie. I guess everyone who sees this thing cries because "Elphaba is me, dammit!"  "I AM ELPHABA! I AM UNDERAPPRECIATED! I HAVE BEEN WRONGED AND I HAVE ALL THE TALENT." Okay then...but just maybe you don't have all the talent, and maybe you weren't wrong. Only...that particular message doesn't resonate as well with a lot of attention-seeking people.

For those who haven't seen this thing, the character of Elphaba is an empty sleeve for any person with narcissistic personality disorder to try on like clothes. She's judged heavily because she is ugly and green. Yet, she's the most powerful magic user that the country (realm?) of Oz has ever seen. There isn't anyone who can do better magic...they don't exist. She is like a goddess among muggles. Yet...she's looked down on and stepped down on and crushed beneath the heels of people who are so stupid and ignorant that it's just plain tragedy. It's the worst of injustices. Sound like a narcissistic dream? Yup, it sure is. I myself know a handful of people who feel like this, and they aren't even close to having the greatest talent in an entire realm. Now just to be clear...I'm not saying that Elphaba is a narcissist. I'm saying that narcissists will be attracted to Elphaba's character, because she's like a mirror to them of all the things they feel. And yes, it makes them cry.

So, you might think that the next logical step in engaging a person who is obsessed with Wicked might be to say, "Oh...well...thank you for sharing. Elphaba must be who you want to be." That's when the real surprise happens. "Oh...I'm a Glinda. Everyone thinks so." Then they get their buddy to weigh in. "Oh...she's definitely a Glinda...all the way." This is fascinating until you realize what's really going on. Elphaba is ugly and black. Glinda is an attractive white person. So...yeah...racism. They super relate to Elphaba, but they don't want to be Elphaba because they are a Glinda.... Okay then. Yeah...you've just showed me that you are both a narcissist and a closeted racist. Thanks a lot for that.

Wicked...what a great story. It tells you so much about some people and is a reflection of our modern times. I honestly wish I wasn't as smart as I am sometimes. I just see way too much truth. What's the old saying? Ignorance is bliss? Yeah...how would that be?

Private Equity is bad but it isn't the only villain of the housing crisis story.

With Salt Lake City hitting the top 10 list of the most expensive cities to live in that are within the borders of the United States, I think I'd like to weigh in on the housing crisis. So, the narrative around housing from Republicans and from the news is always around "high interest rates" and "private equity is buying up all the property" and "immigrants are stealing housing from people who were born in the United States, making it impossible for them to live in the places they were born." Here's what I think is actually what's going on.

A company or a person in American capitalism is always going to charge whatever they need to in order to increase profits as much as possible. Everyone likes money, right? If a person or a company ever charges less for a thing, it's only because they believe it will lead to more sales which will make up for the lower revenue. That's it. That's the only driving factor of capitalism. In such a thing as housing where you don't have a huge supply of things, this is your first problem. And it is as true today as it was in 1950. There was never a time when the country was full of George Baileys, lowering the prices for the good of the consumer. People never have done the right thing, and you shouldn't expect it. In the United States, it is and always has been done...for profit.

I've read comments from people who believe that sellers are raising prices in a coordinated way, so that they all make more money be agreeing not to undercut one another. I think that this depends on the market. In a market with relatively few sellers, this absolutely can and does happen. In a highly competitive market where buyers have a lot of sellers to choose from...not so much. Rents are too high and landlords are absolutely making too much money off tenants, but there's another problem here, and I'll diagnose it for you.

The problem is that housing supply is very low compared to demand. Home builders are not meeting demand because we've made it illegal for them to build new developments where they're needed. And any time people try to fix the problem, rent-seeking property owners show up to Zoning Board of Approval meetings to shut it down. The reason? None of them are good at saving money, and they have become rich over the values of their homes and that wealth allows them to sit around and do nothing and complain that "people just don't want to work anymore."

The property owners don't want to let go of their dollar signs that reflect off their retinas. They've seen their property values double in recent years. Is this enough? Nope...they want more. Making housing cheaper necessarily means giving up wealth. So they have a vested interest in keeping the housing crisis going. This group includes not only corporate landlords, but regular landlords, and family home owners as well. These are all of the people who got in the boat and then pulled the ladder up right after them, even if it stranded their own kids. People do not give a crap about anyone but themselves. This is very American.

I'm not sure what the solution is. I feel like there needs to be a fundamental change in the attitude of people. But barring that, there needs to be laws and consequences that force people to be good and moral because they won't choose this if left to their own devices. And in the current fascism wave that's sweeping the country, it feels a lot like the collapse has already started and the wolves are in the house. Trying to assess what paint you want on the walls while the roof is on fire seems...I don't know...a bit useless. So I guess we'll see where it all ends up. But really...you can blame private equity all you want for the housing crisis. I just don't think that they deserve being labeled as the only villain of the story.

It's time for the January 2025 Insecure Writer's Support Group post.

Well, whether I wanted it or not, 2025 is now here. It's been a little while since last I wrote, but I'm back at least for the foreseeable future. I hope that all of you had a nice holiday season. I'm just glad that mandatory "put yourself into debt for people who don't really appreciate you" month is now gone for another year. Here in Salt Lake City, we've had days in the 60's, which seems strange for January. There's no snow on the ground, but there's some in the mountains. I feel like things are changing, and not for the better. That probably goes for writing too, but I'm still glad that there is a market for good books. I recently saw that Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas topped the charts in 2024, and people are very enthusiastic about their writing. I tried to read Maas' books, but they weren't for me. However, the one I tried to read was the most stunning book I've seen in a while. Gold leaf, beautiful end pages, sewn binding, the font was incredible...this thing was a work of art. I felt bad that the story didn't resonate with me. I haven't gotten to Rebecca Yarros yet, but the first two books of her trilogy are on my shelf. That's for my reading pleasure in 2025.

Being the second Wednesday in January, it feels a bit strange to be posting for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. But I get why it was put off a week. These last fourteen days or so have been strange having a day off in the middle of the week. If this is your first introduction to the Insecure Writer's Support Group, it is a monthly blog fest that writer Alex Cavanaugh started many years ago. I've participated in it for a little over a decade myself. I think it's just fun to connect with people who also like to write. Here's a little more about the IWSG and if you are interested, you can sign up HERE.

What is the purpose of the IWSG?: It is to share and encourage other writers. We writers are a very critical lot, and it can be difficult to put something we hold close to the chest out there into the world for other people to tear down. Anyone whose been in a Facebook argument can attest to this. The people online can in many ways, be even crueler than the bullies in a common schoolyard. So think of the IWSG as your support group and safe haven.

When do y'all post?: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day, but as what happened with New Years of 2025, this is subject to being moved around as needed (very rarely). 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. 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.

Battlecry of the IWSG: "Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!"

The X (formerly known as Twitter) handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. Has anyone thought of moving to Bluesky? I know Pat Dilloway originally asked me if I was interested, and I said "no" at the time. I'm swiftly beginning to think that X is a garbage dump of terrible. I may soon open a Bluesky account.

The awesome co-hosts for the January 8th posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Beth Camp, Liza @ Middle Passages, and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!

Every month, the IWSG announces 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.

But remember, the question is optional (I'm answering the question but you don't have to).

January 8th 2025 question: Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

I'm going to switch this question up a little bit and answer this differently. When I was a child, I admired institutions. I dreamed of going to an Ivy League school. I thought the office of the presidency had a kind of thing about it that just demanded your respect. I remember standing in front of the Supreme Court in Washington DC and snapping a picture of the statue of Justice, who is blind, and thinking of Martin Luther King saying that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. I admired actors like Michael J. Fox, and I legitimately believed that those people were better somehow. But, I was a fool. 

I learned that Ivy League schools don't really teach anything any better than a quality institution like the University of Texas at Austin. I learned that the presidency is just where rich people go when they desire more power than money, and it's a place where stupid people can ensconce themselves in the ultimate bullying position while being a felonious criminal. I learned that justice depends on what you can afford. I learned that actors are just people with interesting jobs and that many of them are just hedonists, satisfying every desire they can get their hands on until they kick the bucket.

I learned that nobody ever does the right thing, and I learned that common sense is not "common." I've learned that just because a person is an adult does not make them a good decision-maker, even though they may insist that they are. I've learned that a lot of people with privilege can't see their privilege and carry around a huge chip on their shoulders. I learned that nobody really cares about anyone else, and that most people will lose 80% of the people that they get to know through life due to atrophy and the fact that once people find their "one," they stop trying to keep up their other relationships. An example of this was when I witnessed a woman who had her grandma die (whom she lived with and knew very well) and she posted pics of her nails on Instagram an hour later while the corpse was still cooling. She wanted to know if anyone liked the shade she picked. This is the world we live in.

I've learned that there are actually a lot of limits to what money can buy...quality being number one. You can spend a ton of money on something and have it fall apart just like everything else. I've learned that expressing to someone else that you would like more of their time can be seen as "creepy" and "oh so cringe." Why? Because they never liked you all that much and maybe just were around you because you were their parent. None of what happens to people matters if it is outside your "family unit." I've learned that people value good looks and beauty a helluva lot more than I originally thought...in fact...it may be the most important thing in the world (which is really sad). That's why there's such a booming plastic surgery business, which in many cases will never give a person what they want, because what they want is unobtainable. You could say I've learned a lot, and that yes, there are many many people I used to admire that I no longer do as an adult. The list is so long it probably could fill a 2,000 page book. All that being said, I do admire one person: myself, for having sorted it all out and figuring it all out flaws and all. You should admire yourself too, even if it is only just a little bit. It's a good place to start because (I think) self awareness is rare these days. But if we all had just a little more of it, the world would be incredibly different. I'll call this idea of being self-aware "good trouble," and finish by saying that some of that good trouble might make it into your books and make the story way more believable
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