There are lots of ways to do it, of course. We all have our favourite. But the lists out there are interesting to study.

One of the best ways is to write in a vacuum. I was part of a writer’s group that took a table at a market fair in downtown Victoria last summer to sell our books. I swear that every second person who stopped at our booth was a writer who was partway through their first book. Would I look at it and perhaps give an edit? Could I sell their book at our booth once it was finished? How did you get a book up for sale on Amazon?

Most of these people were writing in a vacuum and had been for years. They had failed to find themselves a support group for critiques, a party of authors who shared their experiences and information with each other. It can be difficult to do. Showing someone else your work is high tension stuff– what if they hate it? What if they tell you it’s great when it isn’t? Or the other way around – tell you it isn’t great when it really is?

But in reality, it’s the best step you can take as a budding author. Get out there and show someone else your work. Ask for honest feedback, and give the same in return. Your writing will only get better with the exposure.

Have a look at – Don’t Derail Your Writing Career Before It Starts, blog by Anne R Allen at annerallen.com