Jun
Critique Group, Anyone?
This week’s Writing Thursday question comes from Dru…
Q: How do you pick a critique group?
A: Dru, I’ll be honest, I no longer do a true critique group. In the beginning it was useful because it allowed me to see what I was doing well/what I was doing poorly. And when surrounded by other writers at your level or higher, that’s priceless. The thing to watch out for, however, is members who aren’t at your level. If they listen and take comments well, you’re still learning, too. But when they don’t listen or continue to make the same mistakes time and time again, you have to question if the squeeze is worth the juice.
These days, when I’m writing three to five books a year, I can’t afford to spend too much of my writing time doing anything other than writing. That said though, I have two dear friends who I can count on for honest feedback. I also engage in friend-to-friend goal setting on a weekly and monthly basis. We send daily emails about our word count, weekly emails about our goals for the coming week, and a monthly phone call where we essentially answer for how we’ve done and plan for the month ahead. I’ve found it helps with accountability and I think Lynn agrees.
But if you’re at a point where you feel as if you’d benefit from a critique group, there are several ways to find one. First, you can join a professional writing organization (Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of American, Romance Writers of America, etc..). Very often these groups have local meetings where you can find others interested in improving their craft. Second, consider taking a writing class at a local community college. During the course of the class you’ll undoubtedly find people interested in writing the same thing you write as well as people at a similar level. Finally, consider posting a sign at your local library. You may find the group doesn’t work for you…in which case you move on. But you may find it’s the best thing you could have done for your writing.
Thanks, Dru!
The mailbox is now open. Fire off some more questions, everyone!
~Elizabeth
June 10th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Dru – if I can add to Elizabeth’s response.
I’ve been in a workshop setting (think critique group you pay hundreds of dollars to attend), an online group, and now a critique group sponsored by the local RWA group.
My results have been hit and miss. In the online group, I’d get good thoughtful responses from most of the members. But one member, just didn’t get it. And her work showed. I found I was saying the same thing over and over so I left the group. And I wasn’t sure I was getting honest feedback – most of it was too positive.
My current group is very structured and as a reader, I probably won’t get more than two turns at bat each year. BUT the quality of the critiques from the rest of the table is worth the three hours devoted each month, even if I’m listening and critiquing someone elses work. Even if it is after working a full day.
As Elizabeth said, you just have to give groups a try and like Cinderalla, see if the fit works for you.
I’d like to be in a weekly group, but with my drive time and work schedule, I’d never find time to write. Or edit.
June 10th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Great topic–
I missed my deadline on Sunday and it was very important to me on Monday night to go to B&N, sit down and get it done before I went home.
I never really had an urge to join a group with people I didn’t know; I think part was a cynical protective reason—not to have my words out in ‘public’.
But just recently I was asked to join two other writers in a weekly critique group. We are in our second month, and I am really enjoying it. One writer is published and working on her third book, and the other is unpublished but from what I can tell more experienced in writing than I am–so I am definitely the rookie and hope I am pulling my weight.
I am learning tons by both the feedback I get and the feedback I give. We upload every Sunday (ideally) either a chapter or whatever our personal wordcount goal is, which ranges from 1000-2500 words.
Since they are in Houston and I am in upstate NY, we are doing it through Google Wave, which is pretty cool. It let’s us upload a word file, which we can do track changes on , but also have a 3-way text message going.
And the gentle harassment and threats of not getting it done is also very motivating
That being said, it is still helpful to get a few other thoughts from a few friends outside the group, and kind of take what feels right from each critique and make it my own.