your suggestions down on your copy of the pages, and return them to the author. If you are working digitally, do the equivalent—make sure that the author has a record of your thoughts.
Remember that the reason you are all in this group is to help each other improve. Watch for patterns and themes in the feedback that you receive. If three out of four people think you should lose the three-page description of a cornfield, well, they just might have a point. If three out of four readers strongly think you have a gift for young adult fiction, you might want to be open to that idea, even if you have always been convinced it is your destiny to write the defining, dark postmodern novel about adult angst and win the National Book Award. Maybe the postmodern novel is your second book. Develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses, and you are guaranteed to become a better writer. If four out of five dentists prefer Blatz beer, then maybe you should consider switching to Blatz.
You can also instigate a more casual form of writers’ group by choosing one or two writer-friends and getting together in a café or at someone’s home to write, rather than discuss, your respective work. You’ll have some company, but there’s no pressure to read anything out loud or submit to a critique. You’ll have someone to share a pastry with and put on fresh sweatpants for. And with another writer or two in close proximity, you’ll be less tempted to talk on the phone or check your e-mail. Let peer pressure work for you.
ATTEND A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
Writers’ conferences can help you improve your writing and hone your message, and also offer opportunities to meet agents, editors, and other writers. Some conferences focus more on literary craft (these are sometimes juried—meaning you have to submit a sample of your writing and be accepted in order to attend); others focus more on sales and marketing; many cover both, and most welcome anyone willing to show up and pay the tuition. Do your research and choose a conference that best meets your needs and budget.
We recommend talking to others who have attended a particular conference before plunking down a lot of cash. You can also ask about scholarships, and there are often opportunities to volunteer your time in exchange for access to a conference.
Whether or not you end up making a connection that leads to publication, attending a writers’ conference will allow you several days to concentrate on nothing but yourself and your writing (not to mention getting a welcome break from your job, husband, kids, and dog)—a true luxury. Chances are you’ll learn a lot, too.
One online resource for finding the right conference for you is Writers’ Conferences and Centers (WC&C) at www.writersconf.org .
GET CAUGHT READING
We can’t think of any writer we know who didn’t start out as an avid reader. Reading is what makes many of us decide to be writers; reading fuels our imaginations, and even helps us learn how grammar and syntax work. So read. Read as much as you can, all the time.
Except . . .
Some writers find that when they are deep in a project, it throws them off to read other people’s writing. This seems to apply mostly to fiction and has to do with not allowing another voice to interfere with your own, and it’s a viable and respectable position. But if you find yourself unaffected by others’ writing styles (for example, if you’re the type who can write while Law and Order is on and not find lines from the script creeping into your manuscript) then by all means read. Read a lot, read anything you want, read for fun. But don’t read when you’re supposed to be writing. And even if reading in your own genre distracts you or causes you to have difficulty writing, you don’t have to stop reading altogether. Just read other good stuff and call it “research.”
THE AUTHOR ENABLER’S CARE PACKAGE FOR WEARY AUTHORS
No matter how talented, disciplined, or even lucky
Remember that the reason you are all in this group is to help each other improve. Watch for patterns and themes in the feedback that you receive. If three out of four people think you should lose the three-page description of a cornfield, well, they just might have a point. If three out of four readers strongly think you have a gift for young adult fiction, you might want to be open to that idea, even if you have always been convinced it is your destiny to write the defining, dark postmodern novel about adult angst and win the National Book Award. Maybe the postmodern novel is your second book. Develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses, and you are guaranteed to become a better writer. If four out of five dentists prefer Blatz beer, then maybe you should consider switching to Blatz.
You can also instigate a more casual form of writers’ group by choosing one or two writer-friends and getting together in a café or at someone’s home to write, rather than discuss, your respective work. You’ll have some company, but there’s no pressure to read anything out loud or submit to a critique. You’ll have someone to share a pastry with and put on fresh sweatpants for. And with another writer or two in close proximity, you’ll be less tempted to talk on the phone or check your e-mail. Let peer pressure work for you.
ATTEND A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
Writers’ conferences can help you improve your writing and hone your message, and also offer opportunities to meet agents, editors, and other writers. Some conferences focus more on literary craft (these are sometimes juried—meaning you have to submit a sample of your writing and be accepted in order to attend); others focus more on sales and marketing; many cover both, and most welcome anyone willing to show up and pay the tuition. Do your research and choose a conference that best meets your needs and budget.
We recommend talking to others who have attended a particular conference before plunking down a lot of cash. You can also ask about scholarships, and there are often opportunities to volunteer your time in exchange for access to a conference.
Whether or not you end up making a connection that leads to publication, attending a writers’ conference will allow you several days to concentrate on nothing but yourself and your writing (not to mention getting a welcome break from your job, husband, kids, and dog)—a true luxury. Chances are you’ll learn a lot, too.
One online resource for finding the right conference for you is Writers’ Conferences and Centers (WC&C) at www.writersconf.org .
GET CAUGHT READING
We can’t think of any writer we know who didn’t start out as an avid reader. Reading is what makes many of us decide to be writers; reading fuels our imaginations, and even helps us learn how grammar and syntax work. So read. Read as much as you can, all the time.
Except . . .
Some writers find that when they are deep in a project, it throws them off to read other people’s writing. This seems to apply mostly to fiction and has to do with not allowing another voice to interfere with your own, and it’s a viable and respectable position. But if you find yourself unaffected by others’ writing styles (for example, if you’re the type who can write while Law and Order is on and not find lines from the script creeping into your manuscript) then by all means read. Read a lot, read anything you want, read for fun. But don’t read when you’re supposed to be writing. And even if reading in your own genre distracts you or causes you to have difficulty writing, you don’t have to stop reading altogether. Just read other good stuff and call it “research.”
THE AUTHOR ENABLER’S CARE PACKAGE FOR WEARY AUTHORS
No matter how talented, disciplined, or even lucky
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