Writers need support groups

cj Sez: First: BSP (Blatant Self Promotion). Choosing Carter got a new rave review on Amazon, and I quote:  

A well written page turner! cj petterson did a wonderful job of putting you in the Colorado wilderness and weaving her cast of characters. I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to others. I am going to buy several copies to give as gifts. 

And cj Sez: LOVE that reader, and thank-you-very-much.

As my writing year progresses (or not), I have to admit that I need a support group. As my regular readers have noticed, I promote critique groups and writing groups heavily and often (this post is a rerun) because it is my belief that authors really cannot write in a vacuum. We need something that a Google search for info cannot give us; we need human interaction but not just for the atta girls. We need personal testimony of experiences and verbal encouragement in order to continue the singularly and often lonely task of writing. And there are two or three groups in particular that I rely on…in addition to a fabulously talented critique group of which I am a member.

Disclaimer here:  I am a proud member of the international organizations I profile below and am writing this blog with a great deal of affection and appreciation for the support I’ve received from the members all along my journey to publication. Most of the paragraphs that follow are lifted directly from the public websites of the organizations because there’s no way I could say it better.

From the Sisters in Crime website:  http://www.sistersincrime.org/

“Did you know...
SinC was founded in 1986 and is now 3600 members strong in 48 chapters world-wide, offering networking, advice and support to mystery authors.

“Did you know...
We are authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by our passion for the mystery genre and our support of women who write mysteries.”

The work of the organization benefits not just its members but all women authors of crime stories as it seeks to garner equal review space in newspapers and combat gender bias.

Sisters in Crime was founded by Sara Paretsky and a group of women at the 1986 Bouchercon. In 1996, SinC realized it had achieved real recognition by the publishing industry when Publishers Weekly called Sisters in Crime “ubiquitous” . . . indeed, in ten years, they were everywhere.

By the way all you aspiring author-guys, there are misters among those sisters, so don’t be put-off by the name.

Once a member of SinC, writers are eligible for membership in Guppies. “Guppies” is the online chapter of Sisters in Crime.

From the Guppies website:  http://www.sinc-guppies.org/

“We come from many different occupations, locations, and avocations, sharing experiences and enriching our larder of resources. We write crime short stories and novels in the mystery genre. Our subgenres include; cozy, traditional, police procedural, PI, paranormal, supernatural, humor, suspense, thriller and romance. Our common goal: to see our work in print.

“The name ‘Guppies’ is an acronym for ‘The Great Unpublished.’ Although the majority of members start out as unpublished, many Guppies have changed that status by using the support and resources of the group to assist them in honing their craft and finding the right path for them to publication. Once published, many Guppies remain members to pass along their knowledge and expertise, which has become a tradition.”

A Guppy author’s BSP is guaranteed to receive beau coup congratulations . . . fin flaps, applause, virtual champagne toasts abound. Guppies are amazing in their generous and selfless support of the success of fellow members.

If you’re a mystery/crime writer looking for a great support group, opportunities for online critique groups, and whole manuscript exchanges, SinC and Guppies

are inexpensive memberships to consider. (Psst: I am also considering memberships in the highly acclaimed Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America. They are a little more expensive, so I have to save my pennies for those.)

How’s your writing progressing this year? Facing a conundrum? Ask Lyrical Pens. Stick it in the comments, and we promise to answer.

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

(PS: The toons are from my Facebook pages.)

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

cj Miscellany

cj Sez: Yesterday, the world remembered D-Day, June 6, 1944—the day Allied forces hit the beaches of Normandy in defense of freedom. I remember especially an uncle who was injured on those bloody sands and a dear friend, who travelled with Patton and with whom I am privileged to be able to still connect. Sa-Lute to America’s heroes and thank you.

Following up on last week’s post

The toon is from my Facebook page.

I’ve written about this before but it bears repeating: Critiques are a must for serious writers. We’re way too close to our manuscripts to be subjective. Despite our best intentions, we can’t judge, proofread, or edit our own words, at least not thoroughly and objectively. We read past things. Sometimes the words we intended aren’t even on the page. Objective critique partners are able to find those missing words, poorly constructed sentences, punctuation errors, missing story threads, plot holes, and all the etceteras that the subjective writer misses.

It’s true that finding compatible critique partners is often very hard. Shared likability and a mutual respect for expertise are required by/for/from each other. But your manuscript deserves/needs critiques, so connecting with a critique group is definitely worth the effort.

Your (and my own) role in a critique group is to remember the rules for critiquing. The most important one is: Be kind. Second: Find a way to start the critique with something positive. (Writers have fragile, creative egos, but you know that.) Third: Be truthful. It won’t help any writer if you praise something that is poorly written. I truly understand that no one likes to hear their baby manuscript is ugly, but speaking from experience, if we’re going to be successful writers, we have to develop a rhino hide in order to continue writing despite criticism—whether unwarranted or warranted—and despite the feared agent rejections.

 

Okay, time to quit this tome and get back to transcribing my notes from the Southern Christian Writers Conference that I attended over the weekend. I’ll tell you more about that next week, but in the meantime, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
DEADLY STAR (Publisher: Crimson Romance)  
    http://bit.ly/19QDQq3   (B&N.com)
    http://amzn.to/1LRRwC9  (Amazon.com)

 

P.S. Congratulations to prolific author Carolyn Haines on the release of the latest must-read book in her Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series. BONE TO BE WILD is number 15 in this series!

 

PPS:  Still waiting for publisher Crimson Romance to send me the edits they want for my newest romantic suspense, CONFLUENCE OF TERROR.  The anticipation is making me nervous. ::grin::

 

Critiquing the critiquers

cj Sez:  I have a writing partner who had to leave a long-time relationship with a critique group because someone took a personal dislike to her and made the meetings miserable. Not a nice thing, and certainly one no writer should have to experience. The fact is, finding a compatible critique group is almost as hard as finding a spouse (okay, maybe not THAT hard).

I know my words aren't going to please everyone, but what I hope to get out of each meeting are objective comments. I also know that may not happen 100 percent of the time, and that means I analyze critiques of my work on a bell curve.

 

Those at either end of the bell curve (Junk↔Marvelous) carry less weight and are generally discarded, after I digest them, of course. Sometimes I can find a nugget in there that says maybe I should tweak a line or two or three. The critiques I really look at, however, are those that cluster in the middle; that is, they seem to focus on the same thing. That's when I know for sure that I've missed on something at that point. 

I've also found that the level of experience of the writer/reader is important to how I analyze the critique. A newbie writer who reads a lot in my genre may make exactly the comments I need to consider because she/he could be rendering the opinion of my on-the-library-shelf browser, the person I want to entertain. I've been fortunate to have multiple critiquers of that caliber. They were very helpful. I’ve also encountered writers who try to squash everything into her/his voice and rules. A bit pedantic, perhaps, but helpful in the long run. (I must admit I tend to that personality quirk much too often, but I'm working on it.)

Yep, the bell curve works for me, even though negative critiques can sometimes get my goat before I discard them. I've learned that writers have to keep an open mind and be thick-skinned in order to keep writing.

From my Facebook page

Now for some BSP (blatant self promotion). I eQueried Crimson Romance publishers for the romantic suspense novel I recently finished, and (drum roll) they offered me a contract!  The tentative title is “CONFLUENCE OF TERROR.” I’ll be dropping hints and blurbs about the story from now until publication, so stay tuned. (Now I have to get cracking on my next manuscript--I'm only on Chapter 13.)

In the meanwhile, here's a wish for wonderful successes with your work, and I’d love to hear how you dealt with the personalities you’ve encountered in your critique groups. You are in one, aren't you?

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

DEADLY STAR (Publisher: Crimson Romance)  

    http://bit.ly/19QDQq3   (B&N.com)
    http://amzn.to/1LRRwC9  (Amazon.com)