A Writer, A Sister and Three Teachers...

Its been said that writing is a solitary act...that it must be done alone. Well, maybe this statement is true for a large part of the writing process, but I've learned throughout this little journey that writers can't do it alone.

We all need help.

Before you sign with an agent, before an editor picks up your manuscript, your work needs to be seen. The thought of this is terrifying I know, but it is a necessary evil.

I used to hide away in my little writing hole scribbling incessantly on my manuscript with no plans for any other human eyes to see it but my own. And then the day came that I sent a little snippet of something I had been working on to my sister. She immediately called me back asking questions. You see she was the first person to ever know what I was up to. So she became my first critic. I'd send her work, she'd go over it with a fine tooth comb and then send it back to me.

Now I have an even larger circle of betas or critics...whatever you want to call them. Four who are non-writers...my sister and three co-workers who are avid readers and don't hold back on their opinions. If something is off, they let me know. My final beta is a fabulous writer in her own right. You all know her, the fabulous Lindsay over at Adventures in Writing. She goes through and finds all the embarrassing little mistakes that I manage to miss no matter how many times I edit my ms. Did I mention that I love adverbs? Oh yeah...she fixes those as well. She also gives me priceless feedback about things that might be unclear or ideas I hadn't even thought about.

So as you can see, all of the help is absolutely worth the torment of having an outside source read your work. If you don't have crit partners. Get them. If you haven't had someone else read your work. Find someone. You won't be sorry.

Still unconvinced? The best place to start if your a little nervous is querytracker. This site is a must have resource for writers at all stages of the process. Go to the forum and there is a thread where you can post the first five pages of your manuscript for others to review. The members are honest and positive.

So there you have it, a little peek into the method of my madness. Any tips on how you whip that WIP into shape? I'd love to hear them!