Tracie Borum was our speaker at our General Meeting and dazzled us with an array of advice on how to be a successful author and writer. She is a full-time professor and has published seven novels; an eighth one is coming out soon.

General Advice:

1. Write selfishly and for yourself first. Stay true to yourself and listen to your gut. If a scene isn’t working, rewrite or dump it. If your work moves you, you are doing something right.
2. Observe and watch the world to get story ideas, which is as important as writing.
3. Try to get unstuck.
4. Keep your document always available and open.
5. Never finish without going to another chapter.
6. Write during your prime time and music helps.

For Editing:

1. Set it aside for a while and then go back to it.
2. Wear your editing hat; tweak and define.
3. Trim a lot and change words that don’t fit.
4. Sometimes, you can edit as you write also.
5. Make a scene in your head before placing it on the page.
6. Take everything out that’s not part of the story.
7. Be brutally honest.
8. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes.
9. Critique groups and beta readers help also. Listen and don’t be defensive.

For Publishing: Tenacity is the key ; “A professional writer is an amateur that never quit.”