Mary Martinez

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A New Writer’s Experience With Critique Groups

I’ve wanted to write a novel my entire life. I’m sure this is a common statement among writers. I started my first book when my children were small; twenty some odd years ago and before the Internet. This meant trips to the library for research with three small children. Chasing two boys and trying to keep an infant quiet was no easy task, and not conducive to concentration for research. Needless to say, the pursuit of my life long dream for authordom was necessarily postponed.

A few years ago, when the children had grown and were starting families of their own, I decided the time was right to pursue my dream. I wrote a book. I wish I had known about the wonderful support network available to writers in this day and age.

Then about a year ago I decided that I needed to have some type of formal instruction to help me continue. I took a creative writing class that Community Education offered. In this class I learned about a wonderful concept: ‘A Critique Group’. This is a group of writers who have the same hopes and dreams; they support each other, cry over rejections and cry with happiness over successes. No matter who’s! I wanted to join! Where could I sign up?

At the end of class one night two young people (I say this because I was old enough to be their mother) asked me if I would be interested in joining the critique group they were organizing. I told them I was very interested. That group was my first experience with the concept of critique groups. I learned a lot from that group, good and bad.

Eight months in, I realized I really needed to be involved in a group, but that particular one was not the one. By that time there were five members, two women who wrote romance, and three men, one wrote paranormal, one wrote poetry and one wrote fantasy. While all the writers were good people with the same goal, to be published, there was too much diversity of genres in the group. Most of us did not understand poetry and the poet did not understand romance, or fantasy for that matter. One member had a tendency to over analyze a sentence to the point of redundancy. On top of that, was so harsh the poor recipient of his critique would leave feeling battered and bruised.

We would meet at someone’s home and each would take turns reading out loud. Then the rest of the group would have time afterward to critique or brainstorm ideas. This sounds like a good format for a group. However we got in the habit of bringing food and the first half-hour tended to be socializing, that could sometimes turn into a party instead of focusing on the intent of the gathering. It became harder to pull ourselves back to the seriousness of reading and critiquing our work. As the time dwindle, most weeks only one person had time to read and then receive suggestions. Some felt self-conscious to read their work out loud and would find excuses not to read and only one or two people were constantly reading their work and the others were left out. It was time to move on.

I turned to research, both on the internet and books. I found several wonderful articles on how to form and conduct critique groups. I decided to organize my own. I found some women from the local RWA® who were interested and two from my first group. I also formed an online critique group with four other writers that I met through the National RWA® site.

I wanted to take what I had learned from the first group and combine it with the knowledge that I had found from my research. I sat down and made a list of things that needed to be addressed when critiquing someone’s work. I took pieces of information from the two best sources that I had found in my research and from personal experience. I was certain that reading out loud and meeting at a private home hadn’t been conducive to a critique group.

I came up with a checklist to use and guidelines to keep the group focused. The two groups run very similar, although the meetings are a little different. They are invaluable for the information that the group gives to each other. Both groups send, via email, up to 10 pages a week before the meeting. The local group meets at a coffee shop and each person takes a turn to go through the checklist of suggestions and comments for the writers. Being in a public place cuts down on chatting and socializing. We do have fun, but it is easier to stay focused.

Because we email in advance, no one is on the spot to read their work and it takes the stress out of the group. Because we do not take the time to read, everyone has a chance to give their critiques and to hear the critiques on their own work.

The online group is similar with the exception of the meetings. Once a week each member emails their work, then right before the meeting one of the members who is having a hard time on a scene or chapter emails a list of questions to the others. Then on Sunday evening we all log on to a messenger group and chat back and forth. We have the members list of questions in front of us and we brainstorm until we have resolved our issues.

Having someone who not only understands the genre you are writing but loves to read it is priceless. I’ve found that my groups point out things in my work that I never would have found on my own. There are always new ideas being suggested and small minor errors being found. The copy that you as the writer can read over a thousand times and never spot, another reader may find at the first glance.

That is not the only benefit of a critique group. Everyone has had different experiences, and members share those with each other. I find myself constantly learning new ways to do things. As I said before, the members of the group are made up of fellow writers; they have the same goals as you do, so each member is a source of encouragement for the other. If one of us goes to a workshop or class and gets valuable information, it is always shared with the group.

In conclusion, I wanted to let everyone who has never joined one to know how beneficial a critique group can be, especially to a new writer. But before you do, do your homework. In order to be beneficial you need to have the right combination. Please, if you have the time, check the internet site that I have included on critiquing fiction, and if possible, pick up a copy to Keys to Success, available on the RWA® web site.

Reference

Keys to Success, A Professional Writer’s Career Handbook,

Romance Writers of America, Inc. 1997

Available on http://www.rwanational.org/

Internet: http://www.crayne.com/howcrit.html How to Critique Fiction by Victory Crayne

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