Wednesday, April 4, 2012

D and INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT GROUP


‘What Are Words?’

D was going to be for DENOUMENT {the conclusion or resolution of a plot} BUT then I was reminded that today is also IWSG. So…although ‘denoument’ is a cool word, (it’s even cool to say) today D will be for Demon  {a supernatural being from various religions, occultisms, literature and folklores that is described as something that is not human and, in ordinary (almost universal) usage, malevolent}

Because I’m a writer and this is A to Z you might figure I would write about the demons that haunt our nightmares. But, because this post is ALSO going to cover my ‘INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT GROUP’ post, I want to talk about my personal demons or demon. Those things that haunt me in particular.

My biggest personal demon is LOVE. Aha, you say; that’s not a demon. Love should be a good thing. Well, not always. For those of us who believe in love, it can be a terrible demon that haunts our every thought and action. Not the least of which is the written word.

Insecure writers come from insecure people. People who have been betrayed in love, are maybe more insecure than most. Yet the true lover of love, keeps coming back for more, believing beyond hope there is one sincere lover left, who will not betray them. One who will hold their hand in the dark, keep their darkest secrets, protect them at all costs, and return the love in kind. People who truly believe in love, know that it transcends mere romantic love. We know it is more beautiful, durable and tangible than any simple emotion. It is complicated, diverse and surreal. It’s hard to explain and normally comes out of the blue. We’re shocked when we realize what has happened. We’re afraid and often work to push it away, thereby hurting, in terrible terms, that/those which/whom we love.

As writers, we write about it, we write to it, we write it for others, but, especially if it is our personal demon, we are also terrified of it. MY ADVICE, embrace it. Go with it. Let it embrace you. Step out into the dark/on that limb/off a cliff. If for nothing else you will be a better writer. The greater gift is that you will be a better person. I know that I am on both counts, because of love.


Badges ~ have we got badges. Take a minute and check out the IWSG badge to see some of the other posts. Then follow the directions for the A to Z Challenge. Are we having fun yet?

 {definitions courtesy of Wikipedia or Wiktionary}

A to Z Challenge – Want more information? Go right over there to that little A to Z Badge, CLICK and see what it’s all about. While you’re there checkout some of the other participants. It’s fun. You will like it. Go on now, you know you want to.



35 comments:

  1. Great post. I like to say denoument too. I agree that our demons drive our writing and probably make the choice for us of what we will write.

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  2. Excellent post and great way to work in your letter with other topics.

    Gregg Metcalf

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  3. Wonderful post, very thoughtful and thought-provoking. Embrace that demon!

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  4. Awesome and insightful post! I certainly attempt to embrace the demon myself. In my various unfinished works, I've definitely found the subject of love to be my kryptonite. Not that I've had any harsh run-ins with love, I just suck at portraying it. But, practice makes perfect I suppose.

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  5. 'Denoument' is a cool word to say.

    And Demon makes for a very good IWSG post. Good advice.

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  6. Love the post. It actually forces me to take a look at my own writing demons. Those little dark places that keep drawing me in, but will also pull me back into the light. Thanks for sharing

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  7. Nice! I love the way you combined the two themes. Love can be both a demon and an angel.

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  8. Love the post - great way of combining D and the IWSG - thought provoking too.

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  9. good post...now my thoughts were that writing about love can be tricky becuase there are so many 'kinds' of love; a parent's love for a child, a romantic love, the love of your life and a child's love...so it's finding the 'right' words to describe love!

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  10. It occurred to me long ago, when I first began to embrace the sort of Love that Jesus taught and that God requires us to show - the "Universal" Love you mentioned - that LOVE is often an act of will.

    It seems odd to say and write that, but I was shown that, and I quickly understood it, although it would require much more than a blog comment to explain it fully.

    It felt good when shortly after coming to the conclusion that "Love is an act of will", another person - one whom I respected and who published a Christian newsletter - said those very words to me in a personal discussion we were having.

    It was nice to know that someone else saw that, too, and that someone was a person who had been attempting to "Walk The Way" for years longer than I had.

    Nice post, Nitro!

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  11. You are on a roll with these A to Z posts! And who was fretting over it? Excellent post and advice! :)

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  12. Demon! Great choice especially paired with insecure. Not sure I'm now readying to hugging my demons and singing Cumbaya but I might invite them over for dinner and a chat.

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  13. Wonderful post. I didn't expect the Demon to be love, but I completely understand what you're saying. I write romances (sometimes with demons!) for that very reason.

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  14. This was an excellent post. Writing about love is tricky but you can manage to pull it of if you understand that love isn't always perfect.

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  15. I hear you about the insecurity. We can let it eat us up or we can choose to work through our demons.

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  16. I need to work on tackling my own demons in writing. They're hard (of course) to write about!

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  17. Love your thoughts on love. Great post.

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  18. Kudos to your post. But I feel that love is only demonized when love isn't reciprocated. I'm middle-aged and have only found true love two years ago, and this success was do to a pragmatic process. Long story short, my method was successful. Happiness is the ultimate reward in life...

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  19. Good stuff. You gave me a lot to chew on there.

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  20. LOVE this part, "MY ADVICE, embrace it." You're totally right!!!!!!

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  21. Great post! It's easier said than done, especially when those demons seem so real!

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  22. I understand about what you're saying about love and insecurity. It's a rough world out there. You don't always know who to trust.

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  23. I like how you tied A to Z and ISWG together in one post. Very efficient.

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  24. Wow-- I need to learn more about the Insecure Writer's Club-- it sort of sounds like me.

    Second-- how interesting that Love would be your demon. And oddly as I read- I could relate! I have some head examining to do here!! HA HA.

    Great post, Jenn
    http://www.wine-n-chat.com

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  25. Love can indeed seem a demon when it goes wrong - but when we're loved in return it's wonderful.

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  26. yeah i want to know more about the insecure writer's club also!

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  27. I always enjoy the IWSG posts. This is a great D word, even if denoument sounds more exotic.

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  28. I absolutely agree. Take risks in your writing, and don't be afraid to embrace that fear. The best writing often comes from it--never from 'playing it safe.'

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  29. Hi there. I'm back and this time I followed you. So you're part of IWSG too. I combined a quite funny post on how the golden oldies edited their work with one of my childhood blogger posts.

    You say truth here. I think most/many writers are insecure. After all, we're always thinking, does the world need another book/story and why from me?

    Denise

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  30. A lovely post with lots of food for thought. Demons are such irascible little things.

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  31. Personal demons are, in my opinion, the biggest barrier in writing!I like your viewpoint on love: it should be embraced at all times :D

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  32. denoument. Such a classic writer's workshop word! :))

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  33. Clever! I'm doing the A-Z and I still wanted to click! You're quite persuasive!

    Kelly Stilwell
    www.kastilwell.com

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  34. dude, time is my demon! i waste it and crave it and cant budget it!

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