BY KATHI KAMEN GOLDMARK AND SAM BARRY

The Author Enablers are here to answer your questions about writing and publishing. Together, Kathi and Sam have more than 25 years of experience in book publishing. Kathi is an author, radio producer and former publicist; Sam is a marketing manager at a major publishing company and a freelance editor. They are also proud members of the Rock Bottom Remainders, the all-author rock band founded by Kathi in 1992.

Try group therapy

Dear Author Enablers,

My lifelong dream is to be a published author, but I am having a writer's crisis. I have never been published, and the prospect of doing everything that needs to be done to get there—writing a great book, finding an agent, selling my work—is daunting. How do I know if I have what it takes?

—Doubting in Austin

It's obvious, judging by the letter you wrote to us, that you are destined to be a great writer of worldwide renown, fame and fortune. Well actually, that's not strictly true. But we do appreciate your honesty and the fact that you have the courage to express self-doubt. There's no way you'll ever know if you "have what it takes" without giving it your best shot, is there? Ask yourself another question: Why do you want to be a writer? Bad reasons are things like money (most writers don't make much), fame, getting on Oprah and proving to Mrs. Veigel, your sixth-grade teacher, once and for all, that you aren't a nincompoop. Good reasons are the pleasure of learning to express yourself, finding your unique narrative voice, the joys of developing your craft, sharing your stories with people you care about, and proving to Mrs. Veigel that you aren't a nincompoop. We can't guarantee that your work will be published—no one can, at this point. But we can guarantee that the process of becoming a better writer and producing something you are proud of will be well worth it, even if it's only read by friends, family, your writer's group and Mrs. Veigel. This leads us to another question. . . .

Dear Author Enablers,

I am attempting to start a writers group at our library and could use any suggestions you have for me. So far I have a few interested writers, but need guidance and direction to make the group be effective and grow.

—Joydine Tiedeman

All writers groups are different, and since you are starting the writers group, you get to make up the rules. Is that cool or what? As the initiator, it will be up to you to set the tone and provide some guidelines. Here are some tricks that have worked for us and other writers groups we know.
= Figure out how often it's practical to meet; then require that members make a commitment to attend all meetings. More writers groups fall apart due to a casual attitude about attendance than any other reason.
= All members should be within shouting distance of the same level of writing skill. This doesn't mean you all have to be working in the same genre—a variety of writing styles and themes can make for an interesting group.
= Try to meet in person, rather than online, if you possibly can—and have those whose work is being discussed read aloud. Reading aloud to others is the surest way to catch all sorts of little things in your own writing, like redundancies, awkward phrasing and redundancies.
= Decide how many pieces, and pages, will be read and discussed at each meeting. In a larger group you might want to take turns, with no more than three or four members' work being discussed at any one meeting. Distribute pages among group members at least a day or two before each meeting, so everyone has time to read and think about the material ahead of time.
= Establish a positive tone. Even if a piece of writing needs a lot of work, find something good to say. Critique one another's work in a supportive and constructive manner, but do critique—it doesn't help the other writers if you see problems but are afraid to mention them. Be as specific as you can. "This doesn't work for me" is not as effective as "I think if you dumped the first paragraph and started here, you'd have a more engaging beginning."
= Always write your suggestions down on your copy of the pages, and return them to the author.
= Remember that the reason you are all in this group is to help each other improve. Watch for patterns and themes in the feedback that you receive. If three out of four people think you should lose the three-page description of a cornfield, well, they just might have a point. Develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses, and you are guaranteed to become a better writer.
= Don't invite Mrs. Veigel.

Thanks for writing,
THE AUTHOR ENABLERS