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Being a rookie isn’t a bad thing. That’s how all of us start after all. No one embarks on a career as an expert in their field. But what kind of rookie will you be? Will you take constructive criticism and use it to improve or will you brush it off because you know better? Will you get angry and defensive after bad reviews or will you use them to fuel your quest to be a better writer?

First of all, opinions on books are completely subjective. To be in this industry, you MUST first realize this and develop a thick skin. Not everyone will like your work no matter how amazing it is.

That being said, bad reviews can be a tool. Many times, they will point out issues in the story or the writing style. Get it through your head. You. Are. Not. Perfect.

[image error]Frankly, when you put out your first book, there’s a good chance you suck. If you don’t like my tough love, then you’ve chosen the wrong dream.

I sucked when I started. If you write more than one book or one series, you’ll look back on your early work and cringe a little bit. I have now written north of ten books and recently went back and completely rewrote my first series. BECAUSE IT SUCKED! See, it’s easy to say that about yourself. This business is no place for egos or your precious feelings.

Here’s how you know if you have what it takes to become a good or even great writer: Every book is better than the one before it. When you stop improving, it’s probably time to quit. There is always another level to get to.

I’m a big time hockey fan. Seriously obsessed. Well, this year, my Columbus Blue Jackets are loaded down with rookies. No matter the skill ceiling they supposedly have, they too make mistakes. A lot of them. Now, let’s spot the rookie in each part of the game (book).

In hockey, it is very hard to win without a good game from the goalie. Rookies usually serve as backups and don’t play much, but when they do, their game can

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be riddled with little issues. They do things like mishandling the puck behind the net or don’t squeeze their pad tight enough against the goal post when making a save and the puck slips through.

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A goalie is the backbone of the team, the most important factor. It’s the structure in the writing. The pacing. The chapter breaks. Writing structure.

Spotting the rookie: Sloooow pace. Not enough dialogue. Way too much inner monologue. Rookies don’t always know when to cut scenes or sentences. They aren’t using the scores of beta readers more experienced readers rely on to tell them when they’re getting bogged down in unnecessary crap. Their sentences tend to run on longer than they should.

Fixes: The best way to fix these issues before going to print is finding beta readers who aren’t afraid to be critical � not friends who only want to placate you. Look for other writers whose only connection to you is online rather than personal.

Read. A lot. In your genre. Find what structures work well for the genre. If you’re in YA or contemporary romance, shorten those sentences to speed up the pace. In Fantasy of historical, make sure the longer sentences are clear. Romance or YA readers don’t give two craps about flowery imagery. Fantasy readers might.

Don’t be the rookie who lets too many pucks through and loses the game. Firm up your structure.

This is the exciting part. Rookies can dazzle here more than in other areas. Offensive players drive the game and keep the puck pounding towards the net.

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Here we have the plot. What happens in your story? Is it the second game of a back-to-back and the team is lagging? Or is it game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs and they’re firing on all cylinders?

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Spotting the rookie: It’s very easy for a writer, especially a new one, to write a book where nothing actually happens. Or one where everything that happened was utterly predictable.

This is fixed in different ways depending on the genre. In romance, it may be helped by really enforcing the emotion in the book. This is one of the hardest things to do and will get easier the more you write. Writing the kind of emotion that can make the reader smile or cry or laugh is a talent worth developing.

In many other genres, the plot is helped by unrelenting action.

My rule for you: EVERYTHING MUST MAKE SENSE. Rookies have their characters do things that are so utterly out of character. You never want your reader rolling their eyes.

If the center drives up the middle of the ice, deking defensemen and pulling a crazy move that only rookies do before passing it into the corner and no one is there to take the pass, all he did was lose the puck. It doesn’t matter how awesome his move was if it wasn’t backed up by logical hockey thinking. Don’t make your characters pass into the empty corner. Give them reasons for what they do.

And here we get to the number one mistake rookies make. In hockey, rookie defenders need to be paired with responsible veterans. Defensemen develop later than other positionsÌý[image error]and their mistakes in this area of the ice tend to be the largest.

Spotting the rookie: We’re going to call our defense editing. Many many rookie writers see how easy it is to get a book out that they forgo this crucial step. I admit I was one of them. I didn’t pay for an editor for my first series and it had issues until my publisher picked it up.

Editors aren’t cheap. BUT, unlike just about any other reviews, negative ones that trash the editing quality can ruin a book. They never go away.

This isn’t only about hiring an editor. A good defenseman needs to be able to understand things on their own. Learn grammar rules. Expand your vocabulary. Get familiar with editing software. Buy books on editing. AND THEN hire an editor � a good one who will give you references and a sample edit.

I read a lot of books � most of them fabulous � but it’s easy to see why indie publishing has the reputation it does. Anyone can publish these days. It’s a hard market and in the end, the good products will rise to the top.

Don’t be the rookie who loses your team the game. Be the one who dazzles with not only their raw skill but their willingness and drive to perfect every part of their game. Break the rookie mold.

Don’t be the writer who creates an emo character that speaks like a valley girl and is supposed to be a nerd. (No, I won’t mention the book

Basically, try not to suck right from the start and you’ll be ahead of the game.

If you’re a new author who’d like some help navigating this crazy world, check out my author services