The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hi to the co-hosts:Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!

The optional question for this month  is: Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?
Readers would probably never guess I don't watch a lot of horror or vampire movies. I'm a wuss so I avoid horror, and, I dunno, I'd just rather read about vampires than watch them.

Now, onto my post. I had another topic in mind, but I forgot it.  I had this video sitting around and I thought it'd be perfect for IWSG, so I'm talking about this instead. Maybe I'll remember the other topic in time for the next one.

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hi to the co-hosts: Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken!

May 6 question - Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share? 
I'm skipping the question because the answer is simple: no. Instead, I'm sharing a post I wrote on my Patreon that I think pin points why I'm personally struggling to do much of anything right now.

There's a constant feeling of fatigue hanging just under the surface. Which isn't surprising. I've read that a lot of people are feeling sapped and worn by the pandemic. Our lives have all been disrupted in one way or another and it's like we're suffering from collective whiplash.

One thing I've realized that's been draining me is a fear I have. My 9 year old nephew has a compromised immune system. Before this blew up, I was worried about him. I honestly kept expecting a call saying he got Covid-19. When schools were closed for two weeks I was so relieved. That closure has extended, but I still find myself afraid for him. I realized why earlier this week:

I'm terrified of having to attend his funeral. It wasn't long ago that my brother died of cancer. The image of my dad fighting to remain composed enough to accept the flag from a Navy officer is etched in my memory. I can't stand the thought of it being my little nephew. I don't want to see that same expression on my family's faces again. (Just had to stop and walk away before I started bawling.)

So, yeah, it's hard to write with that hanging over my head. News stories about people breaking quarantine in my state to protest not being able to go boat do not help.

I hope wherever you are, you are safe and healthy, and your family is as well. My fingers are crossed that a vaccine will be found and this will be over sooner than later. We can go outside and enjoy interacting with each other again. And most importantly, everyone is safe.

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hi to the co-hosts:  Diane Burton, JH Moncrieff, Anna @ Emaginette, Karen @ Reprobate Typewriter, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

April 1 question - The IWSG’s focus is on our writers. Each month, from all over the globe, we are a united group sharing our insecurities, our troubles, and our pain. So, in this time when our world is in crisis with the covid-19 pandemic, our optional question this month is: how are things in your world?

I had a different post planned today, but I decided to swap it out after reading this month's question.

Things are a little crazy right now, even in my world. I'm in Upper Michigan. It's remote with lots of trees and small populations, so things reach here last. I remember Mad Cow, the last SARS, and ebola causing a panic around the country. But not here. Not much changed it didn't really affect many people.

​This time, it has. There has been one confirmed case of someone from my county having Coronavirus. They aren't being treated here, though. Probably downstate. Hubby read about a woman passing through the nearby airport that might have had it. I went to Meijer and there was no toilet paper! Yeah, the panic reached all the way up here.

That was when I knew this was something really serious. When the laid back folks of "Da UP" are worried, you know shit has gone down.

Fortunately, hubby is able to work from home. I was able to go out and get food stocked up and found some rubbing alcohol and Aloe Vera gel so I could make some hand sanitizer because all I could find was a small bottle to fit in my purse. We've been hunkered down and eager for this to blow over.

A Youtuber I watch, Markiplier, said something the other day that really struck me. He said the outcome we want from this is to prove the skeptics right, that it wasn't that bad because we took extra precautions and the death toll wasn't as high as it could have been. TL;DR: Better safe than sorry.

I hope you are weathering this storm and keeping safe. If it's stressing you out, I recommend going to the subreddit AWWW for some cute animal therapy. We'll get through this. The human race is too stubborn not to.

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hi to the co-hosts: Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence!

​This month's optional question is: Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?

My answer for this is short: No, I haven't. With that out of the way, on to my insecurities!

I had a thought last month that felt like the perfect topic for an IWSG post. I was making dinner and I had a thought: I wish I was successful. It paused me and I asked myself, "Why? Where did that come from?"

Because really, what would be successful achieve? Would it really make my life easier? At this point in my life, hubby and I are living comfortably. We can pay bills and buy things we want. Even pricier things aren't that much of a strain as long as we budget smart. Being successful wouldn't reduce stress in that manner.

But what else?

I thought some more and realized being successful wouldn't help much in my life. It won't cure my chronic illnesses or the bouts of depression I get. Sure I'd have loads of money to throw at seeing doctors, but they'd all tell me the same thing about my illnesses: they can't be cured. Think about it. How many successful people end up addicted to drugs or alcohol? How many come out and admit they are dealing with depression. Being successful isn't going to cure those things.

So, what did I really want with that thought?

I guess what it really was is a desire for things to be easier. Because of the above chronic illnesses there are times when simple things are exhausting for me. I run out of steam easily, and since I can't have caffeine, I end up napping and while that gives me a small charge, it's often not enough for me to be able to do much the rest of the day. But success won't make things easier just like it won't cure my illnesses. About the only thing success can do is ease the stress of money problems.

And then success adds new, different stresses. When you get successful, that generally means you have tons of people watching you. They criticize everything you do. Demand things of you. Impossible things. You start to worry about it all going up in smoke and losing everything you've gained. Either way, successful or not, you're still stressed out.

What do you think? Have I hit the nail on the head? Or did I miss something?

PS: Don't forget to head over to my YA blog where Elizabeth Seckman is sharing an excerpt from her new novel, About Us.