Anybody that knows me will be aware of the fact that I love writing; in fact writing is the thing that keeps me sane. My first novel will be out later on this year which I am really excited about but I would never have got this far if it wasn’t for my fantastic writing group. Especially my tutor Jayne, I think every aspiring writer needs a Jayne in their life and it’s a real shame we can’t clone her. She has been a tough but honest tutor, there were times when after she had nearly strangled me because of my punctuation and almost had me in tears that I would think ‘I’m not cut out for this writing lark’ thankfully the part of me which can’t stop writing even if it tried would not give in. Jayne’s brand of tough love has helped me to improve my writing to a much better level so much that I did manage to get a two book deal with Carina UK.
If you are at a point where you have sent submissions out and the rejections are flying back through your door quicker than they went out like mine were last year then I would highly recommend joining a writing group. Sometimes what you need is a fresh pair of eyes to see where it is you are going wrong because believe me after seven drafts of my book I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. I know that I am very fortunate and that Roose Writers may be the exception to the rule but a writing group as long as it is not full of people who only care about their own writing may just be the best step forward in your writing career. It certainly was for me.
Helen xx
Helen Phifer Crime & Thriller Writer 