IWSG: January '15

Thanks to our mastermind and creator, Alex J. Cavanaugh, this group is getting stronger every month. This blog hop is to share our insecurities, support each other and network with other writers. Find the entire list on the IWSG blog or join in the fun on our Facebook page. This month is special in that we'll all be introducing ourselves all over again. With so many new members, we don't all know each other as well as we could. Find the entire list on this IWSG page.

I write high fantasy as Susan Gourley with two different series contracted and in various stages of publications. Using the pen name, Susan Kelley, I write science fiction romance with ten books published. As part of the IWSG staff, I'm proud to have been part of The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. I retired from teaching high school to write full time and make my home in the country where my husband and I have raised five sons and one daughter. I mostly blog about writing with a few other tidbits thrown in for some variety.

If you're a blogger and writer, being part of IWSG is very low stress. One post per month where you can pour your heart out to those who understand. Once per month when you can ask questions and get lots of advice coming back your way.

As writers, all of us like to read. I've seen quite a few blog posts lately where writers talk about how their reading habits have changed since they started writing. Almost all have become more picky about how they use the precious hours when they squeeze in reading time. Some have narrowed their reading lists to books in the genre they're writing while others have found enjoyment in a wider range of genres. Some find they're distracted by pacing, grammatical mistakes or shallow characters more than before they took up the pen themselves.

I personally have become pickier in what I read. A book really must capture my interest in the first two or three chapters or I'll put it aside for the next one on the list. I'm pretty forgiving of a few editing errors also though shallow characters can ruin a book quicker than anything else. I have always read a variety of genres and being a writer hasn't changed that one bit.

I think being a professional of something does influence your enjoyment of other's work. If you're an excellent cook, aren't you more judgmental in a restaurant than I would be? If you are a proficient musician, you would hear mistakes in a musical production a tin ear like me wouldn't notice. Embrace the changes your writing career has made in your reading habits. And with the new year, lots of publishers and authors are offering discounted books to fill those new devices with.

Has writing made you a pickier writer? Are you an expert cook, musician, seamstress or other skill that heightens or lessens your enjoyment of the craft as done by others? Are you sharing a brief intro today?