Insecure Writers Support Group February 4, 2026: Rereading My Past Efforts

 

 

Image by Ioana Motoc from Pixabay

February 4 question - Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you? 

I really like some of the things I wrote in the past. Ketil and Yitzy's Adventure In the Xura Dream House is one of my favorite books because I wrote the story (or collection of interrelated stories) that I wanted to read. Same with The Quest For the Wizard's Key and The Quest For Captain Sammy's Treasure. My work has never become popular with anyone else, but I didn't write it for anyone else. 

However, some of my previous efforts are the sorts of things where I'd have to kill anyone who found them. They are that bad. 

For instance, I have tried several times to revise my 2011 NaNoWriMo project. I had the grain of an interesting idea, but the execution was disastrous. Frankly, this is how I feel about most of my past NaNoWriMo projects and why I refuse to be a slave to word counts anymore. The grindset style of writing leaves me loathing the result. 

I once made the mistake of publishing one of my NaNoWriMo projects. I must have been huffing some kind of toxic fumes when I decided this was a good idea. I unpublished it after rereading it. Fortunately, I don't think anyone else saw it. 

I am trying to get back to writing what I want to write, not what other people have told me I should want to write. 

Anyway, if you're in the mood for something different, check out the stories I mentioned at the beginning of this piece. I still have them up on Amazon, but that may change in the future.

Ornery Owl Has Spoken

 

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

 

The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure is one of the stories in the Pirate Gold anthology.

http://books2read.com/PirateGold 

 

The Quest For the Wizard's Key Epic Fix-Up Novel.

https://amzn.to/3ZtZ09w
 

 Ketil and Yitzy's Adventure in the Xura Dream House Fix-Up Novella

https://amzn.to/2ZHmryK 

 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

 

  

Here's the link in case you can't see the player.

https://odysee.com/@VinylDJ:a/ClassicHouseProgressiveHouseMix:9?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with a classic progressive house mix, and I am unanimous in this. 

 

Friday Book Blogger Hop: Roasting in Hell's Kitchen

 

Genre:

Autobiography, memoir

Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/3lAHRMQ

Search for this book at Better World Books

https://bit.ly/BWBCIE

or search for this book at Thrift Books

https://bit.ly/ThriftBooksCie

Disclosures: 

I will earn a small commission from Amazon or points towards a free book from either Better World Books or Thrift Books for every book purchased through one of the above links.

Blurb

Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell

For the first time, Ramsay tells the full inside story of his life and how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction, his failed first career as a soccer player, his fanatical pursuit of gastronomic perfection and his TV persona—all of the things that made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today.

In Roasting in Hell's Kitchen Ramsay talks frankly about his tough and emotional childhood, including his father's alcoholism and violence and their effect on his relationships with his mother and siblings. His rootless upbringing saw him moving from house to house and town to town followed by the authorities and debtors as his father lurched from one failed job to another.

He recounts his short-circuited career as a soccer player, when he was signed by Scotland's premier club at the age of fifteen but then, just two years later, dropped out when injury dashed his hopes. Ramsay searched for another vocation and, much to his father's disgust, went into catering, which his father felt was meant for “poofs.”

He trained under some of the most famous and talented chefs in Europe, working to exacting standards and under extreme conditions that would sometimes erupt in physical violence. But he thrived, with his exquisite palate, incredible vision and relentless work ethic. Dish by dish, restaurant by restaurant, he gradually built a Michelin-starred empire.

A candid, eye-opening look into the extraordinary life and mind of an elite and unique restaurateur and chef, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen will change your perception not only of Gordon Ramsay but of the world of cuisine.

Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors

Ornery Owl's Review

Four out of Five Stars

"I sometimes think that if I were to stop, I’d cease to exist." --Gordon Ramsay

I feel these words deep in the core of my soul. It's only been within the past couple of years that I've been able to sleep at night without feeling guilty about it. I feel like I always need to be doing, doing, doing. I'm terrible at taking breaks, and I'm always in conflict with myself.

This isn't supposed to be about me, I know. However, the more I learn about Gordon, the more I understand why I've always liked him despite his bad reputation. I kind of feel like we could be siblings, although he's an extrovert and I'm an absolute social shambles. We're in the same age range with him being a year and nine months younger than I am.

It may sound strange, but watching Kitchen Nightmares has actually helped me improve my writing process. 

I know how that sounds, but I'm being serious. I realized that my inclination to include way too much information and sometimes way too many characters in my stories boils down to a lack of confidence in my abilities. 

Gordon helped me realize that my passion project fix-up novels are like a dish lovingly prepared with meticulous care for family or company by a home cook. With the stories I create for potential inclusion in anthologies, I need to behave more like a professional chef. The recipe needs to be simple. It needs to get to the point. Nobody should feel like they need an Ornery Owl's Fucked-Up Universe encyclopedia to understand what's going on.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but I think I'd like to meet Gordon. I honestly don't think he'd treat me poorly. The hard part would be knowing I'd never see him again when we parted ways. 

As for Gordon's book, it's a bit like the man himself. It's real, it's unpretentious, and sometimes it's raw. I give it four out of five stars, because even though Gordon is a good guy at heart, sometimes he says things that are a bit butt-headed and can come off as unsympathetic. However, he is in no way the mean-spirited bully that some people make him out to be. 

The following is a duplicate of the review I left for this book on Scribd.

Gordon is a very smart man and is actually much nicer than people tend to give him credit for. He reminds me of my late father in some ways. My father was also a good person who clung to some butt-headed opinions and refused to consider the fact that he might be wrong. 

Gordon expresses disdain for fat chefs, but I haven't seen him treat larger people poorly on his shows. He seems to think that because he was able to lose weight and keep it off through strenuous exercise, everyone else should be able to do the same. Not everyone has the same physical abilities and some people have metabolic problems. Gordon also does not take into account the fact that chronic dieting tends to lead to weight gain in the long run and, over time, an inability to lose weight. He was fortunate to lose the weight the first time and have good physical strength and a decent metabolism so he could keep it off. 

Gordon also expresses the opinion that addiction is not a disease. Research has shown that an addict's brain is physically different than the brain of someone who is not prone to addiction. He states that addicts are selfish people. I disagree. Addicts are people with a serious problem. Unfortunately, not all addicts are able to stay clean. I think Gordon would do well to read The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx.

Gordon, you can pick up your copy of The Heroin Diaries here.

https://bit.ly/GetHDCH

(I did not include the affiliate link in my review on Scribd. I think they might frown on my doing so.)

In fairness, Gordon does have ample experience dealing with someone whose addiction to heroin destroyed his own life and has the potential to destroy the lives of those around him. Gordon's brother Ronnie honestly seems like a scary person. I wouldn't want him in my home. He has a propensity for violence and he steals to feed his addiction. I'm not saying living with an addict is easy. Often, it's impossible. I'm only saying that I don't think addiction is born of selfishness, and I don't think it's a choice. Not everyone is wired the same way. 

Gordon is a strong person who is not prone to psychological problems. I think it is well and good to encourage people to be their best selves, but I disagree with expressing disdain for those who don't measure up to your own exacting standards for yourself. We don't all respond to things in the same way.

Honestly, I wonder how much further along I'd be in life if instead of being told what a fuckup I was at every turn someone had told me to choose three to five important elements of a task and stick to those, or to set an achievable goal like working on something for an hour. Those are the kinds of coping techniques that really help with productivity, particularly in people with ADHD, who may have trouble focusing. Like, you know, this old owl.

The First Line/Book Beginnings

https://www.rosecityreader.com/

https://readingismysuperpower.org/

IN MY HAND, I’ve got a piece of paper.

The Friday 56

http://www.fredasvoice.com/

He saw Boiling Point on television and–making rather a mockery of those so-called catering experts who insisted the show would put people off working in professional kitchens–he decided right there that my kitchen was the place he wanted to work.

Book Blogger Hop

https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/p/blog-page.html

11th - 17th - On average, how long does it take you to write a review? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Between writing and editing, probably about an hour on average. I've pulled way back on in-depth reviewing, preferring to spend my time writing and promoting my own work. 

I am happy to promote the works of fellow authors on this blog, but I don't have tons of time to invest in doing the legwork, so to speak. I am much more likely to create promo posts for authors I know from the mfrw.io group, for authors who are able to provide me with a complete media kit and at least one image (i.e. a book cover or banner), or for authors working with a book tour company such as RABT or Silver Dagger. 

If you have an upcoming book tour or a complete media kit, let me know in the comments. I also recommend joining the MFRW group. Yes, it says romance writers, but you don't need to write romance to join. I work with my fellow MFRW authors to promote the Lovecraftian fantasy and horror stories I write as C.L. Hart as well as the erotic romance I write as Lil DeVille.

https://mfrw.blogspot.com/

Naughty Netherworld Press: Tidbit Tuesday: Galaxy Girl: Sorrow

Naughty Netherworld Press: Tidbit Tuesday: Galaxy Girl: Sorrow:   Pepper Baiij did not mind her job at Trinity Gardens Re...

Sharing a tidbit from my WIP, Galaxy Girl, which is part of The Yadira Chronicles and Tales from the Dreamlands series.

New Chapter from The Key of Eidolon + Places to Support My Work

 Get the latest chapter from The Key of Eidolon

https://www.ko-fi.com/post/The-Key-of-Eidolon-Lost-in-this-Masquerade-R6R32KLI7

https://www.ko-fi.com/post/Lost-In-This-Masquerade-Z8Z62KLOU

https://www.patreon.com/posts/43419801

Another way to support my work and get early access to new chapters is on BitPatron. Check it out!

https://bitpatron.co/orneryowl.id.blockstack

You can always keep up at http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Also, follow the Naughty Netherworld Press channel on LBRY

https://lbry.tv/@naughtynetherworldpress:d

Sign up for a LBRY account here:

https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@naughtynetherworldpress:d

NaPoWriMo 2020 Day 17 + April PAD Challenge 2020 Day 17: Sedoka For a Lost World

Image by Eli Digital Creative from Pixabay

visitors to Earth

long after life had vanished

found many exotic things

tomes filled with strange glyphs

would they ever decipher

the meaning of our lost words?

~cie~

Check out the Ornery Book Emporium for reviews of strange tomes you may enjoy, plus the occasional rant.

Also check out this exotic tome filled with ornery glyphs for your reading pleasure. It's free to borrow on Kindle Unlimited, or own it for just 99 cents!