Writing is a solitary activity. This is the adage that many people believe. Yet in reality, writing is a collaborative work effort. A writer must network with other writers, negotiate and work with editors and publishers, and in many cases, participate in a critique group. A critique group can give writers an honest opinion of a work in progress, and can be beta readers for a finished manuscript.
Critique groups can be a tremendous help or they can be a drag on a writer's time and resources. Before joining a writing critique group, consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages. If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then it will be in the author's interests to join one.
Advantages of a Writing Critique Group
Successful critique groups are composed of writers who are serious about improving their craft. These are writers who write frequently, write prolifically, and write to the best of their abilities. Every writer goes through a learning process. Consider the stages of the writers in the group. Will the critique group meet the needs of all the writers in the group including one's own?
Newer writers may be focusing on basic issues such as grammar, punctuation, story structure, and how to submit a story to a publisher. Intermediate level writers might focus on plot structure, sagging middles, and dramatic arc. Higher level writers will most likely want feedback about more nebulous areas, such as emotional impact, scene tension, multiple threads, and theme.
A critique group can accommodate all of those issues, especially when there are experienced writers in the bunch.
Disadvantages of a Writing Critique Group
Some groups may have a negative feel to them, or the writers may not be kind in their comments. Some groups don't have set guidelines as to when critiques will take place, how much one person may submit for review, and how to give positive and negative feedback. Without guidelines, the group can degenerate into something less than helpful.
It's possible that if guidelines aren't set, a person might submit thousands of words of a work in progress, and expect the other members to critique it right away. This can be a time drag for an author; it can take away time that could be better spent working on a manuscript.
In addition, if the writers aren't open to receiving honest feedback, and only want to hear how wonderful their stories are, then the group won't be as beneficial to improving their craft. Honest and insightful criticisms are what will strengthen a writer's prose.
If one prefers to not be a member of a critique group, then the novel editing software, AutoCrit might be an alternative. It gives a detailed analysis of a manuscript, pointing out common weaknesses and writing mistakes.
Critique Group Guidelines
Each group is different, however, there are some fairly common guidelines to which most writing groups try to adhere. These include:
- Giving positive feedback along with the criticism.
- Backing up a critical analysis with details and suggestions for improvement.
- Being kind in the critique and considerate of other writer's feelings.
- Not going over an accepted word limit with each submission.
- Returning critiques in an accepted amount of time.
- Talking to all members of the group before inviting new writers to join.
By far, the most commonly agreed upon guidelines are the ones about positive feedback and being kind and caring in critiques.
When accepting a critique, it's important to remember that it isn't personal. It's about the writing, not about the author. If a criticism stings, put it away for a week or two. Then, look at it again to decide if the advice is sound. In the end, an author has the final decision as to what changes will be made to a manuscript. If one disagrees with a critique, there is no need to change the things mentioned.
All in all, critique groups can be beneficial or detrimental. It all depends on the makeup of the group, the guidelines in place, and the needs of each writer. When all these things mesh, then a successful critique group is born.
Suzanne Pitner - Suzanne Pitner is a teacher and published writer. A member of RWA and YARWA, she writes fiction as Suzanne Lilly.
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