Okay. I admit it. I’m competitive.

And one game I do get competitive in is Clue. When four people are playing, I get intense. I keep track of what everyone is asking and how often they ask it. I keep track of what everyone says they don’t have. I make little marks and code signs on my tiny who-done-it paper. (I can’t say exactly how I do this just in case my family is reading.) Yes, it’s an incredible mental strain and almost impossible to get it right. But, still, I try. Because that’s fun. And no, I don’t always win.

Being competitive doesn’t make me a sore loser, it just makes me try harder the next time.

And now, on the writing path, being competitive is what drives me to get better. I could float from novel to novel and keep writing, but I try and figure out what I did wrong and then I go out and find out how to do it. I’ll read books and study techniques those authors employed.  I’ll read how to books. I’ll google topics and read blogs. And then, I practice with my next story.

 Thankfully, I don’t feel competitive with my writer friends. It’s just a drive that pushes me forward to learn, to write, to improve.

When you move from one story and start another – how do you make sure your writing is improving? Do you just start plotting/writing another one or do you single out your weaknesses and attack them head on?