It's the first Wednesday of the month and so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) post! In an IWSG post, we writers bring our writing challenges and problems out into the open to share with each other and try to offer solutions. 

I apologies, but it's been a long day, I'm really tired out, and so I'm going to keep this post short by just answering he IWSG question of the month. And that question is: Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss? Although I've only met each of them in person once, I miss the writers Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison. I miss new writing by them and talks that they did at sci fi/fantasy conventions. They were writers with two different styles yet with similar intentions for their readers and those intentions mostly had to do with getting the reader to see things in ways he/she never did before. Bradbury did this with an optimistic style that celebrated life, while Ellison did this with a pessimistic and harsh one that showed how ugly life could get. Yet, with these pessimistic means Ellison intended optimistic ends for humanity. Both authors used the elements  of science fiction and fantasy to do these things. To this day, when I’m feeling burned out with my writing, I’ll watch one of Ellison’s talks on YouTube or read one of Bradbury’s essays to motivate myself. For me, the two authors' lives have been motivators. 

Do you have any authors who, whether in person or through their work, influenced you in your writing?

Today’s IWSG is brought to you by these super co-hosts: Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery! IWSG was founded by awesome author Alex Cavanaugh, writer of the Cassa Series of novels! 

Until next time . . .