Today we have debut author Traci McDonald sharing her thoughts on writing, revision and critique groups. A few years ago, I was listening to a series of audio books, while recovering from a kidney transplant. These particular novels were topping the best seller lists and taking the country by storm. I hated them. The characters were underdeveloped, the story line was too slow, and I was not engaged in the plot…blah, blah, blah. I can do better than this, I told myself. If I know what’s wrong with these books, then I can write better ones. Armed with my sure knowledge of how to be a great writer I set out to write a series of stories that would top this pathetic group I had been reading. A year and a half later, I can’t read what I wrote; it is so bad. What was I thinking? Well, I was thinking that a little talent and determination are all you need to write good stories. While that may be true, being a great writer in your own head leaves your stories goo...
Opening a Chapter of Inspiration Served with a Heavy Dose of Reality