Happy August , writers! Join the Insecure Writer's Support Group at Alex Cavanaugh's blog . Thank you to this month's courageous co-hosts: Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery! I love this month's question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey? I've faced publication pitfalls galore so I hope that sharing them will help newbie authors avoid them. Here are beliefs that put the pain in publishing: 1) "I've got this writing thing." I thought my debut novel was well-written. It wasn't. WRITING IS A CRAFT. It takes years of developing the craft even to knock on the door of good writing. I feel more confident in my day job after over twenty years of experience, so why did I think I was competent at writing after only a few fledgling years of fan fiction? Fortunately I had the opportunity to re-edit my debut novel seven years later, so at least now I can read it withou...