Do You Belong to a Critique Group?

Last Saturday, Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling historical romance author, was luncheon speaker at a writer's conference in Virginia Beach. The importance of critique groups to Cathy's career stood out for me during her talk.

When Cathy joined Virginia Romance Writers she had recently developed a dream to become a published author, but she hadn't written anything. She did, however, become a part of a critique group. She then brought in other aspiring writers to that group, including Mary Burton, now another New York Times bestselling author, who hadn't yet written anything at the time. They, along with several other writers she named, read each others work, passing manuscript pages to each other often while working at their day jobs.

The critique groups worked for them. They supported each other and obviously became successful writers.

Soon after I started writing fiction, my instructor at the community college where I was taking a writing class formed a critique group with some of her students and I was part of it. We read each others work and learned a great deal in the process. Unlike Cathy and Mary, we were not all romance writers. Several people wrote non-fiction and later had successful books published. None were New York Times bestsellers.

Do you belong to a critique group? I know a lot of people who believe their successful writing careers began there!

Enter Like a Rock Star - It Would Work for Writers, Too

For the past several years I've been watching baseball players and St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. When LaRussa enters a room or comes onto a baseball field, he moves with authority and confidence. I get the feeling, he's entering like a rock star. Other high-paid players show the same confidence when they "come on stage."

The same is true of many well-known authors such as Nora Roberts. When she enters a room or takes the podium to make a talk, Nora exudes confidence. The Mary Burton author photo that depicts her standing tall, arms crossed is another example of an author with a fearless approach to the public. These people--ballplayers and authors--are confident, and they are successful.

As writers we can learn a big lesson from these celebrities. I love the idea of entering like a rock star. If you do, how can you fail to have self-confidence? Think about it. Shoulders back, standing tall, you are self-confident. Try it next time you make a talk, have a book signing, or enter a room. You may be surprised what happens if you enter like a rock star.

Does self-confidence aid a writer in promotion?

What part does self-confidence play in creating a star in any field?