Dear “I’m the Worst Writer Ever!” Writer

Dear “I’m the Worst Writer Ever!” Writer,

I can guarantee you that every writer has said they're the worst writer ever at least once. More likely, several times. Even New York Times Best-Sellers have said this at one time or another. I’m sure some of them still do. When best-sellers can think their writing is crap, aren’t we in good company?

I used to have these thoughts whenever I read a really good, vividly written book. I’d sit there with the book in my hands, my jaw unhinged, and I’d be thinking, I don’t write like this. Over time, as I grew as a writer, I stopped having these thoughts. I came to realize I don’t need to write like the authors I admired, because I write like myself, and that is good enough.

You don’t need to be like anyone else or write like anyone else. You are enough. Your writing is enough.

There are some things you can do to help your confidence, though:

1. Take a writing improvement course or a writing class at your local college. Universal Class offers online courses. You can take as many as you want with a one-year subscription that costs $189. They have writing and grammar courses.

2. Go to writing workshops or seminars. Many can be found online.

3. Read books on the writing craft.

4. Join writing groups. This could be critique groups or organizations like Romance Writers of America.

Daily mantras for you to say to yourself:

- I am a good writer. 

- I may not write like [name of your favorite author], but I write like [your name].

- My words mean something. 

- My books will get published because God gave me this passion and these story ideas for a reason.

Believe these mantras with every fiber of your being, send it out to the universe, and they will happen.

Author of Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.

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How to Take Critique

A while ago now, I stumbled upon the blog post of a writer who was concerned about having his/her work critiqued. This writer was worried. Would an honest critique of his/her work devastate him/her? Would he/she take it personally?

I thought it was an interesting question. It is kind of true. It does feel a little odd to ask someone to tear into that piece of writing you've been slaving over for a long time. And the first few times you put yourself out there it can sting. But in the end the whole idea is to make your writing better, and the only way you're going to get better is to hear the things that are wrong with your work.

The question itself is a good indicator of the willingness of the author to send his/her work out there and have it honestly reviewed. It is the authors who think their work is perfect as is who don't belong in critique groups. They'll be the ones to argue and defend their work when all that's being offered is a way to help make it better.

Then there are the people out there who feel like this writing thing is a competition, and they'll seek to "win" by denigrating the writing of others. These are not good people to work with. They're not going to be very helpful.

But so long as those who are critiquing your work are doing it for the right reasons, there are some ways to get through the critiquing process:

1. Take a deep breath. This is going to be fine.
2. Listen to what the person is saying. You don't have to react. You don't have to defend. Just listen.
3. Keep in mind that this is not about who you are as a person. It's only about what was on the page. And sometimes, what you thought was on the page was not.
4. Thank the person for taking the time to help you make your writing better.
5. Don't do anything with the comments for at least a day. Let them sit in your subconscious before you tackle any revisions.
6. You are the writer. While other suggestions might be offered, you are the final determiner of what goes on that page. 

This is something that does get easier the more you do it. Keep in mind that it's all about making the work better, and a polished piece of writing is worth the trouble.

How do you take critique of your work? What tips do you have to offer to someone who's never gone through the process?

To Critique

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Joining a writing group is great. You get to submit your work to others who will read and give you the feedback you've been craving. The only catch: you must read and give feedback in return.

How does one critique someone else's work?

What if I have nothing to say? What if my opinion is wrong? What do I know about writing anyway? I can't help anybody. I should just sit quietly and let the real writers do the talking. After all, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

At least, that's what I was feeling.

When you ask others to read your work, you want honest feedback. We get to caught up in our little worlds that we have a hard time seeing what might be missing. Which is why we ask for others to critique our work.

And that's all you have to do. Read. Offer honest opinions.

When you read someone else's work, you can only read it from your perspective. Your opinion is just that. The great thing about being part of a group is that yours is not the only opinion offered. There are others there to agree or disagree with your opinion.

A few things to remember when reading for others:

1. You are offering an opinion about the writer's work. Not about the writer personally. If you dislike the person you're reading for, keep that out of your critique.
2. Be constructive. If something isn't working for you, say so, but if you have some idea on how to make that scene/section/chapter work, offer it. 
3. Let the writer know what does work for you. Point out favorite lines. If something shocked you or made you laugh, make sure to include it in your critique.
4. You may disagree with the group's assessment of something. If something doesn't work for you, but it worked for everyone else, say so. Conversely, if something does work for you that everyone else has an issue with, speak up. 
5. You are not the author. You are only offering opinions on how the story as presented reads to you. If you disagree with the plot or viewpoint of the story, you are free to write something that works better for you. It's not your job to rewrite the whole story.

You are there to help the writer with his/her revision process. Presumably, before publication this writer will work with others, like a professional editor. It is not your job to catch every little mistake. So, enjoy what you're reading, and have fun with the process.

What do you look for when you critique someone else's work? What other tips can you offer?

Beware Of

You want to join a writing group, but you're kind of hesitant. What if they are awful?

Yes, this is a possibility. When you get a group of people together, they can either uplift you or they can be toxic. (Well, there is a lot of in between, too.) Just keep in mind that you're not signing some sort of contract that obligates you to be there (and if they're requiring one of you--run far, far away). If you find they don't work for you, leave and don't go back.

You're going to want a group that is open to the kind of writing you do. If you write sci-fi/fantasy and everyone else writes mysteries, they might not be the group for you. But if everyone writes something a little different, that can work, too. (In my group, we have two writing contemporary fiction, one writing a mystery/thriller, two writing fantasies, and one writing a memoir. And for some reason we work together just fine.)

Someone who knows a whole lot more about writing groups than me wrote a long post about some things to look out for when looking into writing groups: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

What do you look for in a writing group? What are some things that make you leave a group and never return?

Finding a Writing Group

"Stipula fountain pen" by Power_of_Words_by_Antonio_Litterio.jpg: Antonio Litterioderivative work: InverseHypercube - Power_of_Words_by_Antonio_Litterio.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

So, you want to join a writers' group, but you have no idea where to start. That's what the Internet is for.

I had kind of wanted to join a writers' group for some time, but I didn't know where to find one. For me, it was as simple as joining Meetup.com. I did this on a lark. One of the interests I put down was writing, and a bunch of writing groups popped up.

Of course, this might not be the route you wish to take, but a simple Google search of "writing groups" might turn up some interesting local surprises. I found this post on finding writing groups just with that simple search.

Check out Yahoo Groups as well. Or Yelp. Check out your local paper, library, or bookstore. Once you start looking, you might be amazed at how many groups are out there.

You won't know if a writing group is right for you until you try it out. A couple members of my current group talk of previous groups they attended and how bad they could be. But, if you find a group that doesn't work for you, all you have to do is stop going.

What if you can't find a group that works for you? You could always start your own. If you know some writers, you could all start getting together. Or you could advertise (on Meetup or elsewhere) to find like-minded writers.

How did you find your writers' group? Did you have to try out many groups before you found one that worked for you?

Writing Groups

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Writing is a solitary activity, done largely in a vacuum. We create scenes, dialog, and whole worlds in our heads. We craft them into stories that we put down on (virtual) paper. And one day we hope that someone will read our stories and hopefully enjoy them.

But writing is hard. It takes a long time (for most of us). And after a while we get so close to our work that we don't know if our story comes across the way we hope it does. We can't be sure if what we did say makes any sense. That is why writers seek feedback.

One way of getting feedback on our writing is to join a writing group.

There are as many types of writing groups as there are writers. But generally, it's a place where we can submit our work to the critique of the other members while offering our critiques of their work in return.

It's supposed to be a safe place to put our work out there so that we can improve it. The trick is to find that right fit. We all want that place where we can be our crazy writer selves and have others understand our particular neuroses.

This week I'm discussing writing groups. I'm no expert as I joined my first one not quite a year ago. I hear that I'm pretty lucky to have found a good group of writers, but I think that we can all be that lucky if we know what to look out for and are willing to get as much as we can out of the experience.

What's your experience? Do you belong to a writing group? Do you want to join one?