IWSG: Inspiring Feedback

 It's the first Wednesday of the month again already, and time for my IWSG post! 

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds (and come on, we're all insecure in some way)!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. 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 writers - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG 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.

 

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 6 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi!

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! 
May 6 question - What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers? 

 

 

 I have some thoughts on the question of the month, but first...

 

Writer's Update
Well. That took a lot longer than expected--but the novel has gone off to the beta readers. That's left me unsure what I should be  doing with myself, other than trying to get ahead on my blog posts for once. And I could work on short stories. I could do some housework, too, and there are those nasty invasive plants in my yard that I need to dig out...

 

Okay, so I don't really have a lack of things to do, I've just lost the driving force that having a round of edits to get through provides.

 

Submissions:

Sent out one more story this month, which makes 3 out on submission, no responses. 

 

Which leads us to...

Inspiring Feedback

I've had a bit of inspiring feedback over the years. Some of it, from beta readers, has been in the form of "you have got to fix this" (and a huge thanks to those who have said that, and more. My books wouldn't be even as good as they are without you).  There is also the kind of inspiration that comes from sweet notes about how much someone enjoyed a book, and requests for me to hurry up with the next one. Perhaps the single most inspiring feedback I've gotten was a message sent me by an educator I respect, regarding all the positive messages she found in The Ninja Librarian, and that they were there in a way you didn't notice because the story was just so much fun.

 

What was truly inspiring about that comment was that I hadn't been consciously adding those threads and messages. The message made me realize that even stories written "just for the fun of it" can do something important. And it came when I was just starting out, always a good time to be told you're doing something right.

 

I've tried not to forget that comment: both that even fun books can have messages that matter, and that those messages work because the story is front and center, not the message. 

 

How about you? Have you gotten any feedback or comments that made you glow with the realization that you are doing something right?

 

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 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026 

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