There wasn’t a lot to be excited about in 2020, so to make up for Covid arriving at our doorsteps, the skies treated us to a once in a lifetime spectacle. Yep. Unless you were here 400 years ago, you never saw Saturn and Jupiter so close together (a 10th of a degree apart) in their orbits around the Sun. They seem to catch up to each other about every 20 years, but they’re not this close and the event often happens during daylight.
Because I couldn’t miss something this fantastic, I sat outside, huddled against the December chill, and gawked as Jupiter steadily gained on Saturn, finally passing it. How close they seemed, and yet they remained hundreds of millions of miles apart in space. Watching the night sky, knowing I’d never see this again, trying to grasp the concept of just how immense our universe is was a humbling, but inspiring experience. Some things were as they should be, and that was surprisingly comforting as I got ready to say goodbye to a year in which nothing seemed to be as it should be.
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag 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!
Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue!
Of all people, I should be the last to point out “flaws” in other people’s writing. If I look at some of my work, I’ll find every one of these frustrating, book-closing examples. But here goes!
The first thing that stops me cold is a book that tries too hard. When I break this blanket statement down into descriptors the first on my list is the “unique phrase” strategy. I know every writer strives for a voice that’s his or hers, but it’s difficult for me to read on when instead of just telling the story, they reach for clever ways to do it.
The second descriptor is the “gore for effect.” I can read well-written horror, but like comedy, horror requires a lot of skill to pull it off. Give me a good stabbing or ghostly stalking figure, but give it to me with some nuance and some excellent prose.
“Clever attribution” might not make me stop reading, but it does annoy me. I guess I’m old-fashioned and I either like “he said” or some kind of action to make it clear who’s speaking. When people blurt, snort, guffaw, chortle, or howl I’m likely to start skimming.
“Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.” I have to admit that I read one book to the end so that I could complete my count of the word ceaseless. The writer fell in love with that word in the first chapter, and clung to it from then on. There was ceaseless love, ceaseless worry, ceaseless seas, ceaseless…well, you’ve probably already stopped reading.
Now, I’m off to edit some of my books and make sure I didn’t commit any of these irritations.
And here’s what we’ve been waiting for…the next IWSG Anthology!
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology
Discover dark matter’s secrets…
What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?
Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Livshin, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter.
Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies (FIC028040) / Space Exploration (FIC028130) / Genetic Engineering (FIC028110)
MEET THE WRITERS
Artificial – Stephanie Espinoza Villamor
Space Folds and Broomsticks – C.D. Gallant-King
Rift – Kim Mannix
The Utten Mission – Steph Wolmarans
Sentient – Tara Tyler
One to Another – Deniz Bevan
Resident Alien – Charles Kowalski
Nano Pursuit – Olga Godim
Resurgence – Elizabeth Mueller
Vera’s Last Voyage – Mark Alpert
What’s Next?
Quote of the Month:
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” | Stephen Hawking
Ronel Janse van Vuuren says
Now I have to go and check that I haven’t fallen in love with one word and used it ceaselessly!
Ronel visiting for IWSG day Why You Need Reader Reviews
Chrys Fey says
I went outside to witness the Great Conjunction, too. 🙂
As an editor, I would’ve pointed out the overuse of “ceaseless” and suggested alternatives. Even if the story was titled Ceaseless, you don’t want to overdue it but use it only when it makes the most impact.
Jeff says
I live on a ridge with about a 270 degree view of the sky down to the horizon. It’s wonderful! But about 4 PM on the 21st, clouds moved in and obscured Jupiter and Saturn, which I’d been watching for months. I did get a great glimpse of it on the 22nd from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
C. Lee McKenzie says
So just at the time when the race was getting really exciting, the heavens pulled the curtain. You need to talk to who’s in charge. 🙂
Happy New Year, Jeff!
Pat Hatt says
Yeah. That one word out of left field that they keep using over and over again can sure annoy. As for stuff like snort and chuckle and such, I find it rather amusing because you can’t talk and do those things. Ever snorted and spoke 50 words at the same time? lol
C. Lee McKenzie says
I hadn’t thought about the physical limitations before, Pat, but you’re right. And maybe that’s why I don’t care for their use. Thanks for writing that here.
Sandra Cox says
The ‘Christmas Star’ was definitely a highlight of a heartbreaking year.
I got a chuckle out of your ‘ceaseless’ example of repetition. I imagine that’s something we all need to be on the lookout for.
Let’s hope January turns a corner and we’re on the uphill climb.
Here’s wishing you a New Year filled with good health and a muse that dances on your shoulder.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Oh, thank you so much for those good wishes. I’m sending them back to you and may this uphill climb take us out of Covid Valley!
Patty Josephine says
That’s cool you got to see it and thanks for sharing the picture. It was cloudy in my neck of the woods so I didn’t bother to go out and try to see anything.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Clouds seem have obscured a lot of the sky that night. Oh well, a lot pictures are posted. Happy New Year.
Deniz says
I’m so glad you got to see it! It was cloudy here all that week, and I never got a chance, sadly.
Yay, a new anthology! So exciting! It’s awesome to be part of a blogging community event 🙂
C. Lee McKenzie says
Sorry you missed it. Wish I could say better luck next time, but that would be fruitless. The anthology has some great reading.
diedre says
We’d all but given up on rain-dancing around here, yet on the day of the night of the “Christmas” star, the view was threatened by none other than cloud cover! Having sent out a group text to all my faves and family afar asking if they could see it, I was feeling pretty low. Then, lo and behold the clouds parted at just the right time and I was able to chime in “I see it too!” You, however, got a much better picture 😉
Happy New Year!
C. Lee McKenzie says
It sounds as if the heavens heard your need. So glad you were able to have the experience. I think we all needed something awe inspiring last year. Maybe the universe will send us more exciting phenomena to help us through 2021.
Cathrina says
Happy New Year! I’m praying 2021 will leave the despair of 2020 in the dusty background.
Love the quote by Hawking.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’m with you, Cathrina. This isolation and distancing is getting too old. It needs to go away.
Hope we both have a good 2021.
Gwen Gardner says
Reaching for fancy prose is annoying to me. Don’t make me work for it, just tell the story.
I braved the San Diego cold (LOL) to see the “Star of Bethlehem” too. It was pretty cool.
Happy New Year!
C. Lee McKenzie says
I love your humor, Gwen. Having grown up in San Diego, I definitely “get” it!
Have a great year. I’m looking forward to it. Call me Pollyanna, but I think it has to be better than 2020. :-‘)
Hilary Melton-Butcher says
Hi Lee – so wonderful you were able to see the Great Conjunction … I might have lived to nearly a Great Age – but won’t ever see one of them … it was cloudy here too … but lovely we can see them over net.
I don’t like all those things you’ve mentioned re reading books … I also get so discouraged by weak endings … puts me off the author. Congratulations to all the entrant winners in the Anthology. Have a peaceful and gentle year ahead – Hilary
C. Lee McKenzie says
It was quite a humbling vista. I made note that I should spend more time looking up into the sky to keep my perspective.
Loved your post this month about your father and the song. It made me smile. Here’s to all of us having–as you say–a peaceful and gentle year.
Yvette Carol says
You had some excellent points I wish I’d thought of! The “try hard” effect turns me off cold.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Hi Yvette,
Thanks for the visit and glad you took the time to read the post. Happy New Year.
Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy says
Super cool seeing Saturn and Jupiter so close together!
I’ve enjoyed reading what everyone in the IWSG picks out as the things that stand out most in what takes them out of a story. I’m sitting here nodding.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It has been a great question. Like you, I’ve been interested in what others have to say.
All my best, Lynda. Happy New Year.
Louise (Fundy Blue) says
I’m happy you went out to watch the Great Conjunction, Lee! Great shot. I, too, huddled in the cold and gawked at the wonder I was seeing. I had clever attributions drummed out of me by a journalism professor a long time ago. The trap I fall into is repetition. Thanks for the reminder. Have a healthy and happy new year!
C. Lee McKenzie says
I think we all have the repetitive word gene. I certainly do, but I work hard at catching those during the final edits. Huzzah to your journalism professor. I think journalistic writing is some of the best–so clean and informative.
Hope this year is good to you and your family.
Liz A. says
There was a guy in my writers group that did the interesting attribution (plus lots and lots of adverbs). His stories were interesting, but he was clearly a beginning writer. We worked on breaking him of those habits.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I don’t mind some adverbs. They add some variety, but if I can do without one, I think the writers more interesting.
Mary Aalgaard says
Great quote, also, stay curious! I agree on your book reading irritations. It would have been cool to sit outside and watch the planets catch up to each other. We had cloud cover that night.
Here’s to a healthy and prosperous new year. It’s off to a rough start.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It seems as if a lot of the night skies were cloud covered. So many people said that. Just another indication that we have little no control when it comes to nature. 🙂
Like you, I’m hoping for a healthy and prosperous 2021, but I’m digging in for what I see as a very rocky year.
Beth Camp says
What a lovely post — in spite of coronavirus, you had me looking at stars and thinking about that new anthology! Yet, you did not disappoint by sidestepping the question. Your comments had me smiling ceaselessly! May 2021 bring you good health, a sense of peace, and lots more creativity!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thank you, Beth. I believe we have to focus on what’s right in the universe instead of always on what’s wrong. I can read all the wrong stuff in the newspaper or online.
I return your good wishes and look forward to exchanges with you this coming year.
Tonja Drecker says
Glad you got the chance to watch Saturn and Jupiter. We enjoyed it, too. I’ve found that I grow more and more quick to put a book down if things bother me. Have a wonderful 2020!
C. Lee McKenzie says
There are so many excellent books out there that I figure, Why waste time on ones that aren’t so good?”
Hope your 2021 is excellent.
Sarah Foster says
That’s great that you were able to see Jupiter and Saturn and get a picture! I completely forgot about it, lol, although I’m not sure where I would have gone to look. And I hate being cold!
C. Lee McKenzie says
I had encouragement from friends who stood outside with me, and we did have some hot mulled wine to help. It was worth the effort and the chill.
Olga Godim says
I need to check my writing for this annoying word – ‘ceaseless.’ Yuck! I don’t think it should be used even once. I admire your persistence in counting them in a book. I wonder: how many?
C. Lee McKenzie says
I came up with a grand total of 20. The book was about 180K words, but still ceaseless should have ceased well before 20.
Happy New Year, Olga. Love the next WEP theme, and the badge is beautiful.
JQ Rose says
YES! The repetition drives me mad. Congrats to the authors in the new release, Dark Matter, in May!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Lots of good reading ahead!
Jacqui Murray says
I missed Jupiter and Saturn–can’t believe I did that. Thank goodness you posted it. The pundits speculate that this or something like it is responsible for the Star of Bethlehem.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I read that, too. They dubbed it the Christmas Star. Sorry you missed it, but there are tons of images out there to admire.
Anna says
I’m probably guilty of a few of your points too. Human and can’t seem to help it. hehehe
Congrats to all the winners. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
C. Lee McKenzie says
Guess I’m in that camp with you, Anna. I haven’t gone back to read some of my earlier writing because I can’t bear to even think about what I’ll find. I just keep plugging ahead, trying to be a better writer.
Elephants Child says
Lucky you. Our great conjunction was obscured by cloud – which when all is said and done was entirely appropriate for the year.
Character matters perhaps most to me. I don’t have to like them, but they do have to be consistent – and they have to grow.
And editing. When a book is screaming out for an editor’s scalpel (or ax) they often get slammed shut.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I can see no reason not to use a good editor. They are worth every penny as far as I’m concerned.
Hope you find a lot of books to read this year and that none of them are “slam-worthy.”
Natalie Aguirre says
That’s awesome that you huddled outside to watch Saturn and Jupiter. I agree with a lot of your list, especially repetition of words and the same thoughts. Happy New Year! Hope 2021 is a better one.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’ll send you the same good wishes for this new year. We have to stay positive or we’ll all go mad, right?
HRSinclair says
Ooooo, me too, I watched those planets with joy. So very cool.
Oh those repetitions of stand out words gets me too. One author did two things on your list at the same time. He growled out his sentences. 🙂
HRSinclair says
As in…
“Go back to where you came from,” I growled.
ACK!
C. Lee McKenzie says
🙂 English has more words than any other language, so isn’t it interesting that as writers we can’t always find exactly the one we need?
Pat Garcia says
Hi and Happy New Year!
Lee, I love that quote by Stephen Hawkings. It is so true. Now if only we would put it to practice.
Have a great 2021.
Shalom aleichem
C. Lee McKenzie says
I couldn’t agree with you more, Pat!
Happy 2021 to you. It absolutely has to be an improvement over 2020.
Tyrean A Martinson says
While I didn’t see the “full” conjunction due to rain and clouds, I did get to see it a few nights afterwards when they were still close. And yes, it was awe-inspiring.
I am guilty of repetitive words. I hate it, but I can’t see them until someone else points them out. CPs and editors are gold.
Happy 2021!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Love those editors and critique group readers. Like you, I latch onto a word and can’t seem to use it enough. Here’s to a beautiful writing year for both of us.
L. Diane Wolfe says
I didn’t get a great picture of Saturn and Jupiter, but I did see it.
If Wordle still exists, more writers need to use it. Then they can see what words they overuse.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I don’t know about Wordle. I should see if it’s still out there. I usually make a list of words I think I’ve overused and do a search. Thanks, Diane.
Jemi Fraser says
Our skies were full of thick clouds – as they always seem to be during special events.
I worry about all of those in my own writing as well – except for ceaseless 🙂
C. Lee McKenzie says
There were tons of images on the internet of that great race, but sorry you didn’t get a chance to actually see it in the sky yourself.
I ceaselessly worry about my writing, not wanting to irk my readers.
Happy New Year!
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
Congratulations to the authors of Dark Matter!
That was a once in a lifetime event.
And I’ll try not to chortle.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thank you for that, Alex. It isn’t a great sound.
Thomas Anderson says
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
Happy 2021 to you, dear friend! I wasn’t aware of that recent phenomenon in our solar system with Jupiter and Saturn appearing in close proximity. Given our typically hazy skies here in Central Florida, I doubt my vantage point would have afforded me the clear view you enjoyed of that once in a lifetime celestial spectacle. I was touched by the way you described what you saw that night and how it made you feel. Your eloquence reminded me of the words of a man I greatly admired, scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan, commenting on the view of our earth taken from outer space: “There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” I also appreciate your quote at the end by Stephen Hawking.
I enjoyed reading your list of writing techniques that irritate you and cause you to withdraw from a story. Seems like “ceaseless” would have made a good drinking game. 🙂
I’m sure many gripping tales await readers of the Dark Matter anthology.
I wish you a healthy, happy and productive year, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Good morning, Shady! I love Carl Sagan’s words. How spot on they are. Astronomers have to reckon with the constant feeling of being inconsequential. This universe is vast, and now that we know we exist in only one, that is mind-blowing. Thank you for leaving such an insightful quote in your comment.
The “ceaseless” author should have included one of those games. That would have made the book much better and certain would have added yet another opportunity to use her favorite word.
See you at your home base soon. Lee
Erika Beebe says
Happy New Year! We watched the stars too but didn’t quite get as great of a view as yours. I wish I had a pair of nice binoculars. It was fun though. The member will always be in my mind.
I agree with you on trying to be unique in description instead of just saying it. I had to learn that one too. And chortle! That always throws me off.
Have a wonderful rest of your day 🙂
C. Lee McKenzie says
Happy New Year to you, Erika. Glad you were able to see that spectacle and enjoy it.
Here’s to a great 2021.