Other Authors

Communication with other authors is essential, in my opinion. Sure, there were days that you could sit at your desk, quill in hand, and write great stories by candle light. I'm sure there are still a select few who might do just that, but I think that to become a great writer, you need to get out there and talk to people, find out what they are doing, what they are reading, and how to make yourself a better writer.

Simply being a critiquing reader has made me better, both in being able to take criticism and give it, as well as somehow getting the superhuman ability to read at approximately five times faster than I had before, perhaps out of necessity.

Recently, a friend of mine got me started on Twitter, and I took to it exactly as she thought I might. I'm on there almost every day, reading what other people are talking about, whether it is how their cat smells, or about this awesome new scene they have just written, and that alone, the connection with people doing the same thing you are makes it stick.

You are not alone, sitting in a dark room, trying to come up with some scene in your head for your characters. You are sharing your talents, little by little, and doing the same things thousands of other people are, and trying to make the reading landscape a little better, one well placed comma at a time.