The Wonders of Great Feedback

Humans, born with a need for praise, long to hear words of affirmation. What better way to get that as a writer than to join a small writers critique group. I have been a part of a local group since November and I like it...no I LOVE it! Once a month we get together to share how the past month has inspired us to continue putting words to paper. We encourage each other, share in the trials and joys of great characters and stumbling road blocks...but we are in it together.
Nothing serves as greater encouragement than to have fellow writers who share the same passion you do. Personally I was beginning to think that I was a misfit in my town. No one I knew even cared about reading, let alone writing as a fun hobby. I was a loner...until I found my group. Now...I fit in with the other obsessed writers!
Some people are writers because they enjoy dabbling in tossing a few words together on a blank page and waiting to see what comes from it...others are born to write. They are compelled...a deep seeded longing within their soul to feel their fingers fluttering across the keys, or clenched tightly to a ball point pen. I am one such person. If I couldn't write daily I feel like I would simply burst! Is that the way you feel?
So last night my group met and I was given such glowing praise for my homework that I just had to share it with you in a separate blog. We were given a name and told to have at it. The response that I got simply made my night. Heck it made my entire week!
I encourage you to find a group that will help you to grow, encourage you to work on the areas that you need strengthening and allow your creativity to soar! Have fun!

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Starving Writers Unite!

So you want to be a writer?  Be discovered and make millions while people stand in line at midnight to buy your long awaited best seller?  Yeah...me too!  But that isn't reality...at least not in the beginning.

Some people spend years working on a book, collating their ideas into disorganized file folders, before they ever finish their book.  Once it's done...then what?  Do you pay to have your book self-published?  Do you go directly to the major publishers or search for an agent?

Those are the questions that writers face day in and day out across the world.  They have a voice that needs to be heard, but it's easy for that voice to fade into the background.  What do you do in the mean time while you wait for your big chance?

Many people work outside jobs, while yawning long into the night as their creation comes to life.  Others try to advance as freelance writers, hoping that with each published piece they will be one step closer to a larger bank account and making a name for themselves.   So what have you done to stay afloat while you chase your dreams?

I'm one of the lucky ones!  My husband is a very hard working man, supplying our family with an income that allows me to remain home with our son.  Without his hard work I would be a starving artist just like many of you.  Although my next meal is not dependent on getting an article published or waiting on that weekly paycheck, I do understand a little about the late night writing fests.

As a mom, I'm swamped from the time I wake up till the time I fall into bed.  Some days I would gladly trade my laundry pile for an office job!  I'd love to throw down my dish towel and quit!  But unlike many of you, I don't have a boss that I can walk out on.  My job is my family.  I write for myself, but the rest of my day is devoted to providing a safe and well run home for my husband and son, a job that most days is very rewarding.

So I write, to relieve stress, to relax and some days to simply escape the monotony of housework.  I can create a world in which I am the hero, well maybe not me, but you get the idea.  I can explore strange new worlds, face a fire breathing dragon, or fall in love all over again. 

So to all my fellow starving writers, I tip my hat to you.  Keep fighting for that dream!  And who knows, someday you might be the next J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer or Stephen King.  And maybe, just maybe, I will be standing in the midnight line waiting for your newest novel!


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