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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