“Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it – whole-heartedly – and delete it before sending your manuscripts to press. Murder your darlings.” ― Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch When I met with our WOK (Writers of Kern) critique group leaders last month to hammer out the details of our upcoming meeting on critique groups, I shared a story that I’d never told anyone else. It’s private. It’s about writing—my writing. I had a critique group experience that changed me, and I felt it was relevant …read more

Learn the craft of interview and techniques to get the story on paper This Saturday, March 16, I will be speaking at our own Writers of Kern meeting in Bakersfield. The Writers of Kern, a non-profit local chapter of the California Writers Club, is one of the only professional writing associations in the Central Valley of California. Guests are welcome. Here’s the info: Dana Martin is a professional writer, editor and social media consultant, who is frequently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Woman’s World Magazine and Bakersfield Life. …read more

I was asked recently to talk about the critique groups that Writers of Kern facilitates, and I thought it was an interesting enough topic to bring up here.  Many writers have never belonged to a critique group and don’t know how they work.  In fact, some of you might even be hesitant to join for fear of rejection or worse—fear someone will steal your idea.  Thankfully, none of that happens at WOK.  Critique group discussing a submission. Let me begin by explaining what makes a good critique group.  When I …read more