IWSG: A Few of My Favorite Themes
It's the first Wednesday of the month, which is IWSG posting day--and this month, I'm honored to be a co-host!
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 writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting.
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts (aside from me!) for the November 4 posting nof the IWSG are Kalpana, Kim Lajevardi, Jennifer Lane, and Cathrina Constantine!
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!
November 4 question - As a writer, do you have favorite themes that you like to explore in your stories? If so, what are they?
First, let me say how happy I am to be a co-host once again (and apologize for such a long post)! I'm home to stay (for a while) after my usual run of late summer to early fall hiking and travels. Watch this space for more photo-heavy trip reports from the Sierra Nevada mountains, Maine, Utah, and the Grand Canyon!
Now, as for themes... I'm not sure I deliberately set out to explore them, but I find there are some that are always part of my stories. There are, of course, schools and libraries (especially libraries!), which reflect my belief in the importance of those institutions, starting with The Ninja Librarian which is about both.
The other theme that has gradually crept in is that of difference and acceptance, and particularly LGBTQ+ acceptance. This was more of a side-line in my early books, and maybe an unconscious thread in the Ninja Librarian books (draw your own conclusions about the narrator of those books. I didn't do that consciously).
When I started the Seffi Wardwell series, I made her gay because I was trying to distance myself from her. At least, I thought Seffi's sexual orientation was an authorial decision. In fact, Seffi was always lesbian. In her books she's trying to find her way into a new and somewhat closed community on the coast of Maine, but she's always struggled with acceptance. Careful readers will know that she's estranged from her birth family because of who she is. I'm working now on plotting a new book, which will take us deeper into Seffi's past. With luck, she'll find some healing there.
In other writer news...
Though I've mostly been out hiking since my last IWSG post, some progress has happened. Logged Off has been getting proof-read, and I just need to make the corrections, then do the formatting. We're still on target for the Nov. 23 release date! (Click the image to go to the Amazon page for preorders, or wait for links to other sources, coming soon.)
On another front, I've made a lot of progress plotting a new book for Seffi! That involved reading through the draft of Painted Over, which I wrote last fall and will start editing soon, and a bunch of brainstorming. My time in Maine helped me to visualize where and how the murder will take place! I'm getting excited to start writing again, as opposed to editing (while I also accept that the bulk of my writing work is done *after* I finish the first draft). In fact, by the time you read this I may have given in and begun the opening scene. I'll probably resurrect my low-tech word counter in the side-bar of this blog to try to keep on track. I aim to finish an 80,000 word draft in about 6 weeks.
Thanks for your patience with this unmercifully long IWSG post! Be sure to visit other members of the group to learn about their favorite themes.
©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026
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