If you are a new writer, who should you go to for advice on writing? Certainly not your Mom or your favorite cousin, not even your BFF! Nor a writing group composed of amateur writers or online writers' group who don't know any better than you do.
I would recommend books on the art of writing which have been written by well-known writers of your particular genre ( that is, fiction, romance, mystery, scifi, etc. ) Take advantage of their expertise. The fact that these people have succeeded as authors against all odds proves that they know what they're talking about.
Maybe not everything they advise will be applicable to your work, but it's well worth listening to their advice and taking it into consideration.
I've blogged before about the advisability of joining a writers' group, Some are good; most are not. It all depends on who else is in the group. What have they written? Are they published or not? What is their motivation for joining? Do they love to tear other people's work into bloody shreds, or are they actually trying to be helpful? Or do they simply kiss butt rather than honestly critiquing?
Be careful that you don't find yourself in a destructive group. Not only can it severely damage your self-esteem, but it might cause you to lose confidence as well as your motivation for writing. ( Heaven forfend! )
There are tons of good books on writing that have been written by respected authors. Choose some who are familiar to you, whose work you respect. I'm sure you'll find them useful. Give it a try.
So keep reading and keep on writing!
MRTighe
