Writing Tip — 28

I belong to a number of writing groups on FB. Some have the gall to call themselves elite where critiques are concerned. What a joke. Most of them are full of junk posts like: What should I name my character? What should I write about? What color should I make my character’s eyes and hair? How should my character dress? For crying out loud, people! You are writers or so you claim. Use your imagination! If you can’t figure out these things on your own, then maybe you shouldn’t be writing. In these groups you learn nothing, but are great places to belong if all you want is praise for what you have written.

Of all the groups I belong to only one exists where you actually learn the rules of grammar and story structure: Writers World The man that runs this group — randall ‘Jay’ andrews — has thirty years of experience as a writer and an editor. The critiques you receive in this group are to the point, no messing around. They point out problems and will explain a way to fix it. If you still don’t understand and say so, they will happily explain further with examples. If you want to actually improve your writing and strengthen your writer’s voice, the best way is to join a group like WW. But be warned, I strongly advise you to develop lizard skin.