Mary Brotherton

Often, unpublished writers don’t finish their work or even start to tell the stories they have because they believe they can’t possibly be good enough to compete with the other writers who are already published. This may be true, but unless they complete their work, no one will ever know.

“I’m not good enough” and “It’s just a hobby” are excuses these writers use along with “I don’t have talent” or “I don’t have time to do it right.”

Nobody gets it right the first time and some great writers require multiple edits to accomplish the brilliance we buy. Learn to turn off the voice inside that tells you to revise, revise and revise again. Write your story. After you’ve completed it, you will feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction and you can begin to tell your next story, or you can start revising.

This is the time to clean up your grammar, check mechanics and repair those unintentional fragments. When you have completed your second draft, let your writing peers judge.

If you haven’t already, join a writers’ group and find a local or online critique group you feel comfortable working with. This may take some research and trial periods until you find the one that works best for you and your writing. Writing peers are invaluable for helping emerging writers establish themselves and build confidence; they are also great for checking egos.

After your group has helped you polish your manuscript even more, you have choices. You can start your search for an agent/publisher/editor or create a diverse focus group and allow these unbiased readers to give honest appraisals of your work.

Ultimately, the readers in the buying market will be your judge. Your book will become a best seller or it will be a flop. Either way, you’ll never know if you don’t start – today!