God said, "Go on. Don't quit.
Your work is not in vain.
I'll always go with you
To strengthen and sustain."

I said, "God, I'm convinced
That I don't walk alone,
But some days I give up;
I lack courage to go on."

God said, "Get up. Don't quit.
Remember I love you;
Victory is just ahead.
Go on. I'll see you through."

             Perry Tanksley (copyright)

"May the Lord bless and keep you."
​                               Numbers 6:24

Sometimes, authors get great support from family and friends. Other times, those closest to us cannot quite understand why we are drawn to writing. They know we are not in it for the money. They know that when we get into our writing mode, it takes us away from them.
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A writer’s critique group is a small group where authors can meet with other authors who understand our writing passion. Critique groups have regular meetings where its like-minded members come together to offer each other support, encouragement, and, yes, even criticism.

The authors in a small group share bits and pieces of our writing in each meeting. We read our excerpts in an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding. Criticism is genuinely constructive and given in order to strengthen one another’s writing skills.

When I began writing, about twenty years ago, I didn’t know that critique groups existed. Initially, I would have been afraid to go to one thinking that the criticism would be severe and devastating, not constructive and encouraging.

If only I had known what I was missing!

Now, I heartily agree with one of our group’s members, Suzana Sandoval:
    I love our little group. I can see that we’re more than a critique group; 
    we’re also a support group. It’s so important that we have support groups
    where we can edify each other. We are there for encouragement, and
    allegiance to one another, and to our work.

Our critique group has five regular members who write in several genres. Initially, we gathered as authors of children’s books. We discovered that we are multi-talented and enjoy writing in diverse fields, as well. Those genres include historical fiction novels, memoirs, music-themed writings, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, and YA novels.

If you do not know of any local critique group in your particular writing genre, join organizations for authors and go from there. Texas High Plains Writers is an excellent organization based in Amarillo. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is an international organization with headquarters in Los Angeles. It also has numerous chapters, including five in Texas.
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If you are not invited to join a small group, or you do not locate a group that you are interested in, you may consider starting one. Find a comfortable, accessible place and a convenient time to meet. Get the word out by contacting other authors through organizations, like the ones above, or by posting information online.

Formats of critique groups vary, including face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, or online communities. The group I belong to meets in Amarillo. When we first used ZOOM online, we were able to include an author friend from the Alaskan wilderness.

When you first join or begin a critique group, you may be nervous about sharing your writing. At first, you may benefit from simply listening, but contributing your own writing will help you get more out of the small group.

Benefits of participating in a local writers’ critique group may include:

• Talking openly and honestly about your writing
• Getting practical feedback on your writing
• Getting some editing for free (but not enough to replace the need for a professional editor)
• Sharing your own knowledge with others
• Staying motivated to keep on writing
• Learning helpful information about writing, managing, and marketing.

Benefits of online critique groups include:

• More frequent or flexible participation
• Opportunities for people who may not have local face-to-face critique groups
• Possibilities for having special guests and speakers.

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Critique groups can be very enjoyable and rewarding, and should definitely be an important part of your life and growth as an author.

During Sunday's worship service, I was impressed with the need to look in my copy of The Daily Bible, Harvest House Publishers, that is in chronological order. When I had the chance at home, I looked to see what I must need to see.

In my notes, I saw "Balaam (Numbers 22-24)." So, I read those three chapters again. Balaam's story took place when the Israelites were camped in Moab, just before Joshua led them into the Promised Land. That is exactly where Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5 ended.
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This will be a short story to add to the Glops' adventures. Perfect timing, too. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

When writing, it is fairly standard for authors to show people's thoughts in italics. I decided to do the same for the glops, even though the glops are imaginary. Doing so meant I needed to go to the previous books and update them. The new editions have the glops thoughts in italics. 

For example, in Tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac: The Story of Glops, Book 2, the old way said:
Glops were shocked! They thought this could not be right! This was Isaac, Abraham's precious son!

The new way says:
Glops were shocked! They thought this cannot be right!
This is Isaac, Abraham’s precious son! 

It's a subtle change.

Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5 was launched on Tuesday, 5/12/2020. I rallied the troops, who are my family, friends, and anyone else who was available, to get the FREE Kindle eBook, spread the word, and write a review. I hoped to get the book in the Top 100 list in at least one category on Amazon.

Not only did it get in the Top 100, but others in the series did, too. Paperbacks and eBooks were in the Top 100 of three different categories. I know the ratings are very fluid, but it's three days later and several are still up there. Hooray! God is amazing, and my family and friends are great! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Wow!

To prepare for the launch of this new book, I knew I needed to do more than I had in the past. I took a look at information I had collected from various sources, including:
-- speakers at meetings of Texas High Plains Writers,
-- weekly emails from Reedsy.com,
-- webinars from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
-- searches on the world wide web,
-- as well as other sources,
provided more information than my "retired-teacher" brain could hold. So, I reexamined all the notes I had taken. A few important suggestions appeared many times. I did the math and tried to incorporate them.

This blog is one result. I can't even keep up with my Facebook and Twitter pages. I don't know if this will be any better. Time will tell.

With a "do-it-myself or die" attitude, I took a look at the covers of my Glops series. I tweeked the covers with larger photos (graphics) and rearranged the titles. Instead of having The Story of Glops as the title and other words or characters as the sub-title for each book, I flipped them. 

The books are:
Getting to Noah's Ark: The Story of Glops, Book 1
Tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac: The Story of Glops, Book 2
Jacob: The Story of Glops, Book 3
Joseph: The Story of Glops, Book 4
Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5

I also rewrote the blurbs on the back covers. I tried to "hook" the readers with relevant words related to the contents of each book. I have to remember that these books must appeal to my audiences of children (6-12), youth (13-15), and the parents or other adults who actually purchase the books. I am targeting three groups.

That's enough for now.
I'll be back. Sometime.
​Betty