Tag: critiques

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Writing and Publishing

Is Writing Your Hobby or Your Job?

I view my writing as a job

I use that term loosely. Though I derive some income directly from my writing, like most authors, I also have a day job to help pay the bills. Few authors earn enough money through their writing alone to fully support themselves and their families. The vast majority have another source of income, even though it may be writing-related. Such is my case. (I’m a magazine publisher.)

Still, I think it’s critical to treat writing like a job. This means:

  • I write every day, just like going to work. Though I don’t punch a time clock, I do have a regular time to write. When it’s time to write, I sit down, and I do it, with no procrastination and no waffling. I write.
  • I invest in my job of writing by going to conferences, two per year. This allows me to meet other writers, as well as agents and publishers. I make friends in the writing community; I network; I help others. I give and I receive it.
  • I also strive to improve as a writer. This includes reading blogs, listening to podcasts, taking online courses, and reading books and magazines that relate to writing. I attend writing groups to have my work critiqued and to give input to others. I seek input every chance I get.
  • I treat writing as a business, too. I track expenses (yuck) and income (yea). Some years I make a profit, and I’m trending towards profit every year. Right now, most of that income is derived from freelance work.

I treat my writing as a job. My dream is that one-day writing will be my only one.

Other people view writing as a hobby

They write when they feel like it. They write just for their family or friends, maybe even just for themselves. Sometimes they don’t even let other people read their writing. They don’t expect to ever make money from their work. But they do spend money on their hobby.

They attend conferences, though it’s mostly for fun: to have an excuse to travel, hang out with other writers, or tie in a mini-vacation. They may also be part of the writer’s groups, but it’s mostly for social benefits. Last, the writing hobbyist often prefers to talk about writing more than to actually write.

Though I wish every writer would treat writing as their job, I know that for some it is a hobby. And that’s okay, just as long as they are honest with themselves.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

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Writing and Publishing

Seven Steps to Deal With the Sting of Rejection

I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve received very little rejection from the articles I’ve written. In fact, aside from contests, I haven’t won and a few editors who never responded, I can’t recall a single time I’ve heard “No!” But that’s just for articles.

For books, my results are different. Half the time, I hear “no.” And the times when I hear “maybe,” it eventually turns into a “no.” Given my success with articles, I wasn’t prepared for a lack of success with books. Rejection stings.

The first time someone said “no” to one of my books, I went into a tailspin. It lasted several weeks. I stopped writing for three, and when I resumed, my heart wasn’t in it. It took too long for me to bounce back, to reclaim my joy for writing, and write with zeal.

Since then I’ve gotten better at dealing with rejection. Here are my thoughts:

1) Be Realistic: We will hear “no” much more often than we will hear “yes.” Accept this; it’s the reality of being a writer.

2) Be Positive: As they say in sales, each “no” gets us one step closer to “yes.” It’s a numbers game, so don’t stop too soon. Our next submission may be the one that’s accepted.

3) Listen to What Is Said: Consider why our book or proposal was rejected, but don’t make false assumptions. If they say, “This isn’t the right book for us at this time,” they’re not saying our book is bad, we can’t write, or we should quit. They’re simply saying the timing is off.

4) It’s Not a Reflection of Who We Are: Although our work is rejected, we aren’t. Reflection of our work is not a rejection of us; it may not even reflect our skill as a writer. Maybe our idea wasn’t good or our type of book isn’t selling at this time. But none of this means we are a bad person.

5) It’s Just One Person’s Opinion: In my critique group, I’m amazed at how many times one person doesn’t like something and the next person really does. The same is true for books. Everyone has an opinion, but that’s all it is.

6) Allow Time to Grieve: I give myself time to grouse. Sometimes I only need a few minutes, while other times I take the rest of the day. What I don’t do (anymore) is to ignore the pain; I acknowledge it – but only for a time.

7) Start Again: Then it’s back to writing as usual – even if I don’t feel like it. That’s what the pros do; that’s what I’ll do.

Rejection stings, but it’s not the end.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

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Writing and Publishing

When Your Writing Group Fails

I’m a big advocate of writing critique groups. My group has moved me forward as a writer and improved the quality of my work. And everyone who attends regularly has improved, too.

We encourage one another, celebrate our victories, and never have to struggle alone. Plus, they’re a great group to hang out with.

However, I recently received an email from someone who wasn’t so excited about his critique group. To summarize his chief concerns: many people weren’t taking their writing seriously, he only respected the comments of a few attendees, and he feared his writing would get worse if he kept ongoing.

It’s been a year since he last went. I used to go to that group and understand his frustration.

A few days later I talked with another writer who dropped out of that same group for similar reasons. However, unlike my friend who emailed me, she joined a different group; it is functioning at a higher level and meeting her needs. She’s glad she made the switch.

Not all writing groups are the same. Aside from pursuing different goals, they can function at different levels. If you tried a group and dropped out frustrated, don’t give up on them, but look for a different one. If you can’t find one, start your own.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

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Writing and Publishing

Six Types of Writing Communities

Two weeks ago I asked the question, do you have a writing community? Although a writing community can be a haphazard hodgepodge of writing connections, an intentional solution will likely offer the best type of community. But what might a structured writing community look like and do? The answer covers a gambit of options. Here are six:

  1. Critique Group: The purpose of this writing community is to give one another feedback on our work. The success of these groups hinges on two things: the structure of how the critiques take place and the attitudes of the writers. Not all critique groups work for everyone.
  2. Support Group: The purpose of this writing community is to care for and encourage one another, sharing the joys and struggles of the writing journey. Consider it as self-directed group therapy for writers.
  3. Writing Circle: Similar to a support group, but with the focus on sharing our writing with one another, but not for a critique. It’s also a place to update each other on what we’re working on and our career plans, as well as our successes and failures.
  4. Accountability Partners: Do you need someone to check up on you to make sure you’re writing every day and doing what you said you would? Then you need an accountability partner. Just keep in mind that it’s often a fine line between holding someone accountable and nagging—and no one likes a nag.
  5. Discussion Groups: The goal of a discussion group is to read books and talk about them. While most groups consider their reaction to the words, writers will gain more by analyzing the authors writing style, techniques, and voice.
  6. Craft Groups: The purpose of craft groups is to mutually help one another become better writers. At each meeting, one person takes a turn to share an aspect of writing he or she is good at (or at least one step ahead of the rest of the group) or to research and teach one facet of writing.

There are many similarities between these options and much room for overlap. Often, groups will focus on one area, while dabbling in a few others, be it as needed or consistently. While there’s great value for these interactions to occur in person, when it isn’t an option, online groups offer a great alternative.

The important thing is for writers to seek community.

Are you in a writing community? What does it look like?

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

Categories
Writing and Publishing

Six Tips to Maximize the Value of a Critique

When I speak at writers’ conferences, I sometimes offer a free critique to the people who attend my sessions. It’s an offer I don’t make casually and one I take most seriously. Unlike a critique group, where a piece is read once and members share their initial thoughts, I spend an hour or more considering each submission and crafting my response, a task I do with great care. My goal each time is to “speak the truth in love.”

Only about a third of the attendees ever make use of my offer. I don’t know about the rest, but they may be afraid to share their work, procrastinate, or believe I have nothing to offer. What I do know is that anytime I have an opportunity for someone to give me feedback on my work, I gladly accept it.

Whether giving critiques or receiving feedback, here are some things I’ve learned.

  1. Seek Truth: If we only want to hear good things about our writing, don’t ask for a critique. No writing is perfect; even edited and published pieces can be improved. A critique is not a means to stroke our ego.
  2. Focus on Improvement: The purpose of a critique is to help us improve our writing. This means having someone point out confusing parts, errors, and poor technique. It’s never fun to hear negative comments or convicting criticism about our creation, but it is necessary if we are to improve.
  3. Consider the Source: All feedback can help, but some are more helpful than others. As a magazine editor, I’ve seen thousands of nonfiction articles and am most confident in providing feedback on that type of writing. I’m less familiar with fiction and let writers know my level of expertise with certain genres. That way they know how much credence to give my comments.
  4. Watch Motives: Some critics have an agenda. Perhaps they’re insecure and want to lift themselves up by pushing us down. Maybe they have an unchecked ego or think more highly of themselves than they should. Possibly, they’re trying to prove themselves to someone who hurt them or cover a past disappointment. However, others have a sincere desire to truly help us improve. Their input is golden. Consider the messenger first, then the message.
  5. Evaluate Feedback: Resist the urge to follow every bit of advice; making all the suggested changes is a sign of insecurity. Conversely, don’t dismiss every comment either; rejecting each suggestion is a mark of arrogance. We must pick what suggestions to implement and which ones are safe to downplay.
  6. Remember a Critique is Just One Person’s Opinion: Aside from spelling and punctuation rules, seldom is there one right answer or perfect solution. Each piece of feedback is simply the judgment of one person.

As writers, we are wise to seek feedback on our work. Even better is when we handle those suggestions well.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

Categories
Writing and Publishing

My Writing Goals for 2013

Last year, I posted my writing goals for 2012. They were:

  • To fully and totally complete my dissertation
  • To unveil my revised website
  • To complete the first draft of one book
  • To start book two
  • To query agents

How did I do?

My dissertation was finished and approved and my website was completely overhauled. I did complete the draft of one book (though not the one I intended) and started book two. Though I have had some informal interaction with agents, I have not queried any. I intentionally put this on hold, per the recommendation to wait until I finished writing the books.

There were also some other key developments that weren’t annual goals, having been started midyear:

So, looking forward, what are my goals for 2013?

  • To self-publish My Faith Manifesto (now titled How Big Is Your Tent?
  • To complete my two works in progress (God, I Don’t Want to Go to Church and 52 Churches)
  • To query agents to represent me in the above two books.
  • To rewrite my dissertation into a more accessible format.

I will post updates as they occur, but check back next year to see how I did on the entire list.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

Categories
Writing and Publishing

Five Types of Critiques

I’m part of multiple critique groups (yeah, they’re that important) and receive all manner of feedback, from good to bad, helpful to hurtful. They fall into five general categories:

1) Unhelpful: Let’s start with this one and get it out of the way. Some critique partners don’t provide useful information. The reasons are numerous, but it includes people who don’t know how to give a critique, people who aren’t qualified (such as someone who only reads nonfiction, attempting to critique fiction), people who try to make their writing look better by criticizing others, and people who simply like to talk. We must discern and then dismiss this type of feedback.

2) Encouraging: Some readers gush with praise. They may not know what else to say, not want to criticize, or hope if they’re nice to you, you’ll reciprocate with them. We all need encouragement, but a steady diet of accolades will skew our self-perception.

3) The Big Picture: Some people look at overall structure; they address confusing passages, awkward flow, and unneeded passages. They may also suggest you reorder your piece, delete sections, or insert new content. Following their advice is time-consuming, but each suggestion warrants careful consideration.

4) Line Edits: Some folks are detail people. They provide copious comments on punctuation, word choice, sentence structure, and so forth. Their feedback is tedious to process. It is also most valuable, assuming they know what they’re talking about.

5) Less is More: These critique partners challenge you with one major item to address. Their words are concise and profound. One trusted reviewer simply smiled at me and said, “I want to see you bleed.” I immediately knew I needed to pour more of myself into my piece and not play it safe.

When we share our work, we’ll receive all five types of feedback. Knowing how to receive and respond to each one is critical to improving our writing.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

Categories
Writing and Publishing

How to Improve as a Writer

I recently read a piece I wrote a short five months ago—an article I worked hard to perfect—and was shocked. It wasn’t that my writing was bad; it was that I’ve improved in the intervening time.

For most of my life writing has been something I did as part of my job; it was secondary. I never gave it much thought or tried to get better. I just wrote. Yes, I did gradually improve, but it was at the pace of a snail.

As writing becomes more of who I am and what I do, I’m taking it more seriously. The result is I’m improving. Here’s what makes the difference:

Write Everyday

I stopped writing when I had to or when I felt like it, but every day—whether I wanted to or not. Sometimes we just need to push through.

Read Everyday

I’m not there yet, but the more I read and see how others write, the more fuel I give to my own work.

Study Writing

I read books about writing, follow blogs about writing, and take online classes about writing. The moment we decide we don’t need to work at becoming better is the moment our writing begins to wither.

Join a Critique Group

Receiving honest feedback on our work sharpens it and sharpens us. I’m currently in three such groups. Yeah, they’re that important.

There’s more, but this is a good start.

What are you doing to improve as a writer?

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

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News

Kalamazoo Christian Writers Critique Group Holds First Meeting

Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett have started a writers critique group, Kalamazoo Christian Writers (KCW), based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The first meeting was held on July 11 at The Point, a non-profit community center located on the west side of Kalamazoo.

KCW materials passed out at the inaugural meeting state, “Though this is a Christian writers group, there is no expectation that all our work must be ostensible ‘Christian’ writing. Christians who write have a place in virtually every genre, market, and industry; we need to embrace and support that.”

“The response was great,” said co-founder Peter DeHaan. “We talked about the vision for the group, shared the critiquing process, and practiced on a couple of pieces.” Attendees were universally excited about the group and what it will offer to improve their writing and advance their careers.

For some time Barrett and DeHaan have been making an hour drive twice a month to take part in another critique group. When they realized the value of group critiquing and with the uncertainty of winter driving in Michigan, they began making plans to form a local group. Though the two intend to remain connected with the first group, this new endeavor, KCW, will be their focus.

“The main value of a critique group is to help the writer to look at the window of the craft of writing not through it,” said co-founder Jerry Barrett. “The goal of critique is to help one another, as writers, to accentuate what is clear for the reader and to remove possible smudges on the pane.”

The critiquing process is scalable, so there’s no limit to the size of the group – and the meeting room is large enough to accommodate a much larger scope. Regardless of the number present, writers will split into manageable sized groups to maximize effectiveness and minimize time requirements. Critiquing is best when done in groups of four or five, with everyone having a piece to share and everyone providing feedback.

The group meets the second Wednesday of each month. Email Peter DeHaan for more information.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

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News

Writer’s Critique Group Forming

Earlier this year, my buddy and I started attending a writers’ critique group. It has been beneficial to us, offering encouragement, affirmation, and correction. Unfortunately, it takes us an hour to get there—and even longer when the weather is bad.

Though we will remain connected with that group, we are also starting our own writers’ critique group, closer to home, in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. If you live near the ‘Zoo and want to check things out or join us, add a comment here or email me (peter@authorpeterdehaan.com).

Here’s the official invite:

We are in the process of starting a Christian Writers’ Critique Group in the Kalamazoo area. It is open to all interested writers at any level. We will meet once a month, likely on Tuesday night. If you—or anyone you know—is interest in learning more, please contact me.

I hope to hear from you!

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.