Critique groups specially dedicated to those writers whose 2023 resolutions include joining a group
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They can be tough for authors to deal with, even painful sometimes. But I have learned to listen, shrug off any pain, and use the feedback to improve my writing. I would never have been published without a critique group or critique partner. That's why I am a member of four different groups right now. Thanks to these groups I have learned to understand voice better, and worked to make my own voice more distinct.
Personally, I divide the critique commens I receive into three groups.
They can be tough for authors to deal with, even painful sometimes. But I have learned to listen, shrug off any pain, and use the feedback to improve my writing. I would never have been published without a critique group or critique partner. That's why I am a member of four different groups right now. Thanks to these groups I have learned to understand voice better, and worked to make my own voice more distinct.
Each group is different. I have learned that sometimes I have to say up front that I want them to tell me what is wrong, because sometimes they just want to tell the good stuff. They don't want to hurt my feelings. But I tell then, I am looking for ways to improve my story, I can't do that unless there is someone to point me to problem areas I am too close to my own writing to see.
Critique groups and partners have always been instrumental in my writing. My very first group, which was part of an RWA chapter, showed me that romance was really not my genre, but that the young adult genre was. The result led to me signing with an agent and the eventual publication of my first novel, a young adult romance titled Pull, in 2009.
Since then I have settled into writing for middle grade and young adult readers. My most recent books were Courage (2020), about a damaged family family learning how to find courage together, and Unlawful Orders (2022) a nonfiction historical that covers the twentieth century while chronicling one black man’s journey from life in a small town to tuskegee airman in WWII, renowned surgeon, and lifelong struggle for civil rights.
None of this would have been possible without my Critique partners and critique groups. One of my critique partners is looking over my current WIP right now, a story about a girl and her “evil” stepmother seeking friendship and sympathy in a small town. The tentative title is Family Reunion. I count on her to tell me if my tween character is realistic, and if her character arc works before I take the story to the next stage of development.
I also belong to a four person critique group. Although we went quiet during the height of Covid, we are all happy to be back to meeting in person. We have a poet, an essayist, a writer of adult novels, and me, proving that a good critique group does not have to be writers of the same genre. They are looking at Family Reunion on a more granular level. We go over several chapters in depth at each meeting.
By he way, this evening (Wednesday Jan 11) I will have my first meeting with a new to me, on-line critique group. This will be my opportunity to size them up, see who is serious and who is not, and decide if this group is for me. Because that is numer one for any critique group or partner, finding out if their goals and procedures are compatible. As important as critiques are to my success, an incompatile group is not only a waste of time, it can acually make your writing worse.
In my early times in critique groups, I made some horrible decisions. I want to apologize to anyone I critiqued before 2015. I used to make suggestions and edits to help the author "improve" their work. Eventually, I realized I was really trying to talk then into changing to match a voice I liked, often my own. I became a better critiquer when I internalized that my purpose was to point out areas in a manuscript that might have issues and then leave it to the author. They get to discover the fix themselves, or to disagree and ignore my well-intentioned but unhelpful comments. I now counsel newbies to critiquing that every piece of advice they get is just another suggestion. Nothing anyone says to them means they are required to run out and change anything in their manuscript right away.
Personally, I divide the critique commens I receive into three groups.
1 - Things I totally agree with.
2 - Things I totally disagree with.
3 - Things that leave me uncertain, so I have to think about it in detail before I decide how to deal with the advice.
I suggest others consider doing something similar when they join a criique group.
4 comments:
Barbara, I totally agree with you on in many respects. My first 3 critique groups were challenging enough that I've stepped away from them during my writing process.
What works for me is writing the first draft and then going through it on my own and seeing/fixing what I can see isn't working. I can see many things now because I've had an editor who has challenged me on my writing weaknesses. If it was up to me, no rooms would be described nor would the clothing they are wearing be included. I've learned that as a reader I may not care and most readers do.
Your 3 groups of critique comments are spot on. My one editor and I have discussions about #2 and until we both agree. #3 is where I think I grow the most as a writer.
Really appreciate your writing such an informative post to start us off in 2023!
Thanks Judith. I absolutely agree that a writer's first step should be to self-edi as mush as possible. I don't feel I should waste a criique group's time having them find problems I could have found myself. I want them to point me at issues I am too close to the story to see.
BTW, I forgot to say one thing about the three groups of comments. Before changing anything after a critique, sleep on it. The way I feel about things after taking time to consider is often very different.
Excellent writing advice! I agree that critique groups are a vital part of writing.
The right critique group can be a wonderful way to learn the craft and improve your writing. Awesome post, Barbara!
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