What does a writer need most?

An idea, sure. A word processing program. The discipline to write it down. The caffeine to keep going. And?

Critique partners.

They are absolutely vital. I have a close group of writing girlfriends and I can not imagine surviving this business without them. We share each other’s work, offer feedback at the right times and are all invested with making our novels the best they can be. Which means, we tell the truth. We pick chapters apart. We say, “It’s not ready yet. You need to work on it more.” Because that kind of input helps us make our stories better and get them in shape to show the pros — the agents and the editors.

So that’s why I’m hoping to help a new writer find some critique partners! I had the chance to talk to the lovely Andre Zollars who won a phone chat with me in the “Do the Write Thing for Nashville” auction.

She’s just finished her middle-grade novel and it sounds like a an incredibly inventive tale of adventure, mystery and zaniness. So I’m hoping to use today’s blog post to do a little match making. I know there are other writers who read my blog and some have reached out to me looking for a critique partner (I’m full!), so I’m hoping to match Andre with another aspiring writer! Email me if you’re looking for a critique partner who is equally serious about getting published and I will make the connection.