Last week a writer friend, Maria Toth, posted an author interview on her blog. It was about me! I was honored when she asked me a couple weeks ago if I would consider being the subject of her first such interview on her new blog. I am as yet still unpublished, so I was surprised and a little embarrassed, but I said yes. When I read Maria's piece on Wub2Write, I was impressed by her obvious interviewing expertise. You can tell she spent some time as a journalist. I just found it hard to believe that she was writing about me!
I also realized once again how lucky I am to have found such a great circle of fellow writers. I'm a member of three wonderful critique groups--Invincible Ink, Books Born Here, and "the Monday Group." The advice and encouragement the members offer is invaluable, and I grow every time I am with them. Together we celebrate our successes and mourn our rejections. When one person attends a conference, everyone benefits; notes are shared, updates on agents and editors are passed along, and we regularly loan new kids' books, craft books, and books on tape. Even when I have nothing of my own to read, I try not to miss a meeting, for there is much to be learned from listening to the other writers who do. Critiquing, like the act of writing itself, is a skill that takes time and effort to develop. I firmly believe that good writing doesn't happen in a vacuum. If you don't have a writers' group, join one or start one of your own. It's a critical part of the process.
Hi Nancy,
ReplyDeleteGood thing I bookmarked your site because I never got a notice in my Google dashboard that you added a new post. I signed up to follow a bunch of blogs, but most aren't showing up in the dashboard. When you leave another post, send me and email, or send everyone an email. I notice your "Subscribe by email" below, so I'll sign up to follow you that way.
Yes, Maria did a great job with the interview questions, but you're quite an impressive lady, and I'm so glad good things are happening for you now!