You can't write a great book alone 🤝
Today's guest is author George Jreije
Writing might be a solo act, but improving your craft isn’t.
After countless mornings and nights spent just you, your laptop, and your story, it’s easy to feel like being a writer is isolating.
But the authors who level up are the ones who let people in. Because getting input from other people is what will actually move your craft forward. They could be critique partners, trusted editors, or fellow writers who get what you’re doing.
So share your work, even when it’s scary.
Putting your draft in front of someone you trust is how you find the gaps you can’t see on your own. It’s also what keeps you grounded when rejection inevitably knocks you.
In today’s interview, acclaimed author and creative writing teacher George Jreije shares the one technique that transformed his writing, why person-to-person connection sustains him through the harder parts of publishing, and how he stays creative when life gets impossibly busy.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST TODAY IS…
George Jreije
Acclaimed Author and Creative Writing Teacher
Latest novel, BASHIR BOUTROS AND THE JEWEL OF THE NILE, available now!
What is the most memorable writing tip or technique that you have heard, and how did it influence your process?
The one technique that transformed my writing and leveled me up as an author was sharing my work with others for feedback. Without a doubt, I couldn’t have achieved the success I’ve had on my own. Not without the wonderful critique partners, editors, and of course, my wife (the first person who reads any manuscript).
Sharing my work with professionals and readers who I trust challenges me to put out the best work I can, and I’ve grown so much since I began to bake it into my process.
What part of the writing process brings you the most joy?
I most enjoy sharing my love of writing and all that I’ve learned as an author to connect with others. This might be working with clients who aspire to get to where I am now, but it also manifests in getting to visit schools and helping to motivate students to read and think like authors themselves. Without that person-to-person connection, I couldn’t sustain the harder parts of being a writer myself.
What do you do to stay true to yourself in your writing?
It’s fundamental to my writing that I’m always placing a piece of my identity in my characters or the story. For example, many of my characters are Lebanese or Lebanese-American, like I am. Some even have alopecia like I do!
Being sure to establish that very personal connection allows me to write authentically and craft characters who feel like real people.
Are you querying this year?
Preorder my book written with the creator of QueryTracker!
What’s one thing about the publishing process no one tells you, but should?
Rejection comes at every stage of an author’s journey. Before getting to choose from several literary agents, I amassed dozens of rejections. I wasn’t ready for the fact that, even with an agent, publishers can still pass on my work.
It’s happened with every project I’ve put out, and the first few publisher rejections were especially difficult, but I got through them by continuing to do that one thing which I knew how to do best — writing!
Ready for feedback that takes your story to the next level?
“I have greatly benefitted from my collaboration with Alyssa; I would not be where I am today without her! Her developmental ideas and vision for my novel taught me so much and helped to elevate my work in highly effective ways. Her editorial fingerprint is evident in the final result—a novel on bookshelves nationwide.”
—Jill Beissel, author of Glitter and Gold
When life gets busy, how do you protect your time to write?
Life’s always busy when you wear multiple hats, so to speak. For example, I’m fortunate to have a thriving freelance editing career helping other aspiring authors, but there’s also the business of publishing my own novels as well as my speaking engagements.
That’s why I seek out the few minutes between daily tasks, when I can whip out my laptop (or even my phone) and type up a few sentences. You’d be surprised how much those precious minutes, day after day, can add up!
ICYMI…this week on YouTube, I review three manuscripts (submitted by you!) that make the same mistake on page 1.
Getting feedback is what drives me to keep going. Not only positive feedback but also criticism, pointers that I never noticed or thought about.
I'll be honest, I mostly share snippets with friends that really want to read to my work in progress once it's done. I tell them, "Don't be nice just because you know me. Be honest with me. Annotate if you have to. I just appreciate you taking the time to read my stuff." It genuinely keeps me going. 😊
As for the rejections I know I'll have face one day, I already know this story won't be for everybody and I'm okay with that. Whether I get published or not, at the end of the day, I'm enjoying doing what I love doing most. Writing. 😊
Also, I write on lunch breaks at work and my God, I get so much done at the end of the week. 🤘
Getting feedback is really important as an author. It's how you learn if you are connecting with a reader, if your intention is coming across at all, or if your work is riddled with mistakes. That's the main thing on the list I realized I am missing.