If you want to become a better writer, get ready to do some work. Because it won’t happen overnight, and not just because you want it to. You’re going to have to practice.

Anyone who writes is a writer, but that doesn’t mean they’re a very good one. So let’s talk about how to become a better writer. We’ll begin with the basics — here are seven key lessons (with links to important articles about each):

• Writing is simple, but not easy.
• Before you get a larger audience, you have to get better.
• Practice makes you better; it’s the repetitions that make it effortless.
• Until you put your work out there, you’re only screwing around. Write for real.
• You can’t practice without discipline. Keep showing up and persevering.
• There will always be resistance; type through it, anyway.
• Get over your excuses and do the work.

The Whole Article  

If you are interested in an on the fly critique from the entire Writers Chat Room this is your Quarterly Opportunity.

Follow the guidelines exactly. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will be rejected.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Email sally@writerschatroom.com 150 - 300 words from your work. Paste your submission into the email, do not send an attachment. Do not hit reply!

Use the subject line "Submission: Critique Chat March 2018".

Copy this list and put it at the beginning of the email, with your answers:​​​​​​​

Genre: 

Format: (short story, novel, cover blurb, query, proposal… ): 

Section: (beginning, middle or end of piece or the entire thing)

Name you intend to publish under: 

Name you use in the chatroom: 

 
You can add one or two sentences to set the scene, if needed. But no more than two sentences. 

Submissions must be received by 3 pm ET on Sunday, February 25^th, 2018 to be eligible for chat.

Submissions following the guidelines will be used in the order they are received. This means you must be on time and the whole room needs to be focused.

Unless you are really stumped, submit your best work. Most of us are aiming for publication. To get there, we have to be able to handle honest critiques. We will not allow personal attacks, but problems in the writing will be openly discussed.

If you are not in attendance, your submission will be skipped. It's a waste of everyone's time to critique something if the author isn't there to hear it.

Fiction, nonfiction, essay, query letter...it doesn't matter. Try to get an entire scene into 300 words. Full scenes tend get better critiques.

Why only 300 words? More than that will scroll off the screen too quickly. People need to be able to read it, to give a good crit. 300 words is the maximum but if a blurb, bio, query, hook only needs 150 or fewer words to do the trick then don’t feel any pressure to pad your word count.

Paul McDermott

Jack Olesker

John and Flo Stanton