Improve your story by helping others.
You’ll never read a birth announcement that says, Yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. Talent became proud parents of an amazing storyteller — 8 lb, 7 oz — 22½ inches long. No, talent is God’s gift that must be developed through great effort over the years until one day people want to hear your stories. The best way to do that is practice, practice, practice — while helping others who have a similar passion.
Groups give constructive encouragement, not just compliments.
To hear how wonderful your story is, ask your mom. Even with a sincere desire to help, your best friend may offer advice that takes you in the wrong direction. Anytime somebody says, “This is great. I wouldn’t change a thing,” you’ve been given nothing to help you improve. You need to join other storytellers.
Don’t wait until your writing is “good enough.”
Refuse to be intimidated by others who are more experienced. Ask questions and learn from them. They can save you painful steps and help you avoid pitfalls. You might think you could never help them, but you can. That’s because you hold the audience’s point of view, which authors or speakers can never have. If something doesn’t sound right or make sense to you, chances are, someone in their target audience will be confused as well.
Join a group or start one.
Check the Roaring Writers Groups locations. If you see a group that interests you, then contact the meeting leader. If not, we would love to help you host your own group. This can be as simple as starting a home group at your church. You just need to find three or four others who will meet regularly with the desire to improve their skills.