A constant learning process

 cj Sez: You know how, after filling a three-ring binder with rejections (as one writer I know did), we writers worry if our writing will ever be “good enough” to get published?

   Feelings of inadequacy can overwhelm any confidence we have in our ability and send us running for a big spoon and the nearest half-gallon of chocolate ice cream for comfort. (Oh, okay, that’s my solution.)

 

   But think about this: Professional writers do not, cannot, rest on their laurels. That’s a cliché, but truly, authors continually work to improve and perfect their skills. Pro golfers take lessons; powerhouse baseball hitters work with coaches and trainers as do Olympic athletes of every stripe.

   Every time Donald Maass, author of the famous WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, leads a workshop on writing, I’d venture to guess he shares some knowledge he’s learned since his last workshop. I know he keeps producing how-to books that incorporate new slants on writing. He’s a professional who keeps on analyzing the craft and learning fresh ways to produce a well-written novel that appeals to the whims of an ever-changing audience.

   Achieving some modicum of brand-name recognition in a market bursting at the seams with authors is more than a little difficult. The way serious authors can achieve a favored niche among readers is to practice their craft. They read in their chosen genre(s), study and analyze the work of best-selling authors, read how-to books, attend workshops, and network. And those tasks never cease.

   I know I can learn something new most every day, some nugget that I can incorporate into a work-in-progress (as I did today) or add to my growing list of helpful hints. I wish all writers the same success.

§§

  No fooling: THE BIG FANG charity anthology launched April 1 and is available on Amazon.  

  The anthology is cover-to-cover with 22 fun mystery and crime short stories from 22 amazing authors, each featuring a rescue or adopted animal. This benefit anthology from Harbor Humane Society (West Olive, MI) includes cozies, capers, and humorous crime and mystery stories.

BUY IT NOW AT: 

Ebook link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WLZHSMK

Paperback link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WW5S1VL

§§

   

That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Let me know if you found a nugget in here you can use or can improve upon.

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed paperback copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

P.P.S. I have yet to get paperbacks of THE BIG FANG, but if you order from The Haunted Bookshop and want your book author-graphed, let them know, and I'll pop down there and sign it for you. Thanks!

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6