The Masquerade Crew: Always got a pet project underway? Join the club. MEET @MsQuietStorm81, Our New Crew Member

The Masquerade Crew: Always got a pet project underway? Join the club. MEET @MsQuietStorm81, Our New Crew Member

Now working with the Masquerade Crew as a reviewer.  Check out my new reviewer profile.  Stay tuned for new reviews coming soon.

Shooting for Love Mock Cover Art

Mock Cover Art 

Potential cover art design for Shooting for Love.  Comments and Suggestions are welcome.

FB Author page

Tammy Roberson (@MsQuietStorm81) tweeted at 3:10 PM on Mon, Jan 21, 2013: Like me on FB (Author Tammy Roberson) for new upcoming projects, excerpts, reviews, cover design unveiling & more http://t.co/4zNdPd5f (https://twitter.com/MsQuietStorm81/status/293450491583672320) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

Mock Cover

Design/Layout of mock cover 

Currently working on the design & layout of my mock cover design for Shooting for Love.  Will use in the event that I go the self-pub route.  Unveiling coming soon.

Writing critique groups and writing partners? Yay or Nay? What say you...

What are the benefits of joining a writing critique group or get a writing partner or two? Is it wise to go it alone in your writing process or should one seek another discerning eye to give voice to what we fail to see or what we just plain ignore in our writing? I myself have not used a critique group or worked with a writing partner in my foray into novel writing and I must say I’m quite hesitant to start.

Obviously the benefits are tremendous for those who self-publish—which I’m still up in the air on —however I’m deathly anal about my writing. My beat writing from long ago during my college newspaper days along with my poetry and creative writing from even longer ago all had to be edited over and over before I even contemplated sharing it. What can I say, I’m a perfection at my craft and prefer self-criticism first and foremost. Therefore it feels me with angst to think about having someone read my unedited writing and then provide their “solicited” opinion on said unedited work.

So the question I’m presented with is how would a writing partner or critique group benefit me personally? Would I be able to join a group/partner that meets face-to-face or would an online interaction suffice? What are the best avenues to meet and connect with others to join a critique group or find a writing partner? Would I be open to a group or a partner from other genres or should I stick strictly with romance and women’s fiction focused writers. While the critique in its essence would be beneficial wouldn’t this take away from the time for actually writing, editing, etc?

What say you writers? Do you use writing partners or critique groups? What have been the benefits that made you decide to continue using this resource? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about connecting and networking with other writers, readers and lovers of all things literary. However I’m not completely sold on the benefits outweighing the demands on my already scarce amount of free time.

Launched New FB Author's Page

Go check out and like my new Facebook author's page: Author Tammy Roberson Facebook Page

Writers do you feel your character’s emotions when you are writing a scene?? Then how do you expect your readers to???

As a reader, anytime that I am reading a scene and I have this churning, unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach I realize that I am so keyed in to the story that my body is reacting to the words. I am feeling what the characters are feeling, therefore when they cry I may shed a few tears…when they feel certain emotions, I share in those same emotions. That in my opinion is the testament to a writer really digging deep and showing the emotions of their characters.

As a writer I try to do just that. And when I don’t, I rewrite and try again. Getting the reader to become emotionally connected to the characters in a story, first starts with the writer becoming emotionally connected. If you’re not experiencing that churning feeling in your tummy when you write a scene, then why would you expect your readers to grasp onto emotions from a character that just aren’t there, and continue reading a story.

Writers, make a practice of always keying into your character's emotions, whether they be ecstatically happy, inconsolably sad, deliriously amorous or just plain apathetic...whatever the case might be. A writer’s goal should be that the reader not only read the character’s emotions but feel them too.