I first came across D. Wallace Peach on Bookvetter; her fantasy novel Sunwielder was one of several suggested to me. It joined my tbr list and climbed steadily until I read it. That was a few months ago, and still find it twirling in my head.
Peach has created not just a great fantasy world, but also one of the best books I’ve read this year, so be sure to check out her “ask and ye shall receive” giveaway! It couldn’t be simpler: just leave a comment on her website saying which book you’d like to receive. The first twenty visitors will get a free copy in their email!
One of the best things of our era is the ease with which we can get in touch with our favourite authors. I contacted her to let her know how much I enjoyed her book, and she agreed to a guest post for my blog, where she shares her thoughts on writers’ critique groups.
Enjoy!
Writers’ Critique Groups
My first book was a masterpiece, of course. I poured my heart onto the pages, begged my family to read it, and labored over revisions until it was undeniably sublime. Then I sent my newborn tome to agents and publishers, certain they’d coo with delight and sign me up with a fat advance. The result: Reject…Reject…Reject…Reject…Reject…
“What went wrong?” silly, starry-eyed me asked, a clueless look on my face. Little did I know (literally).
I discovered the answer to that question when I joined a writers’ critique group. With tender support and pointed criticism, my peers taught me that my baby was far from beautiful. Apparently, I was determined to describe every character’s point of view in every scene. Among other lame verbs, I found “was” extremely handy. It became painfully clear that I couldn’t write a sentence that didn’t include the word that. On top of that, I overwrote with reams of tedious detail; I could sink an insomniac into a coma. This embarrassing confession encompasses only a teeny-weeny sliver of my writing transgressions, but you get the idea. My baby was a toad.
The good news? After two years with my critique group, the toddler emerged transformed. I landed a publisher and the rest is history. I know now that well-informed, honest feedback is essential to learning and refining my craft, and joining a critique group was the smartest step I took in my writing career. Without hesitation, I advise all new writers to find one or start your own.
Group Composition
Not all groups are alike and finding the right group is like finding the right psychotherapist, sometimes you have to work at it to get a good fit. You want the truth, but in a way that’s helpful and encourages you to grow. Some groups are loosey-goosey, others more formally structured. Learn as much as you can about the expectations of a group and be honest with yourself about your needs and the time commitment you’re prepared to make.
A few considerations:
- Not everyone in a critique group needs to write in the same genre, but there may certain drawbacks to being the only romance writer is a group of military sci-fi
- Four to five members is ideal, providing sufficient feedback while not overwhelming members with critiques.
- A mix of male and female participants is great for garnering different perspectives.
- Though some writers may prefer a group with equivalent experience, a mix of new and seasoned members can be extremely rewarding. New writers often bring fresh energy.
- If a group experience leaves you discouraged or angry, don’t stay. Groups are supposed to vitalize your love of writing, not drain your enthusiasm.
Structural Norms
Structure varies group to group. Some meet face-to-face, others are entirely on-line. In general, guidelines for effective critiquing are the same, but I’m a strong proponent of in-person feedback where verbal and physical cues (like smiling) augment the words we chose in our critiques. Meeting in person offers an opportunity to elaborate on comments and ask/answer questions.
However a group is structured, there are generally norms related to timing, submissions, and how critiques are returned to the authors. My critique group meets twice a month for approximately three hours and we provide written critiques between meetings.
This is how we work:
- Via email, we distribute our submissions to other group members. Submissions are limited to 20 double space pages (with occasional exceptions).
- Group members critique each submission and return it via email to the writer with comments. (Word has a “comment” tool that is very helpful in this regard.)
- Prior to the in-person meeting, we review our comments so we’re prepared to discuss ideas and answer questions for the author.
- Meetings start with a focus on one member’s work. One at a time, critiquers offer feedback and respond to questions. The process repeats itself until we’ve discussed every submission. (Set time limits if meetings run over. Don’t skip someone’s work.)
Receiving Feedback
Rarely do two people provide the same advice, and sometimes what one person loves, another would “suggest tweaking.” Sally may be great at tracking emotional themes; Margo is the queen of punctuation. Larry gives a man’s perspective of … well, everything. Jenny adores lurid descriptions, and Katie is the verb-police. Everyone brings something to the table and the author uses what’s helpful and dumps the rest.
Some writers submit first drafts, others a final product, and most something in between. What a writer turns in for critiquing will flavor what comes back. A critique of an early draft may point at awkward dialog, holes in the story, and believability of action and emotion. Often an early draft will benefit from a second look after the writer has smoothed the rough edges. For a later draft, the critique may focus on word choice, phrasing, grammar, and/or punctuation. Remember, a critique group does not eliminate the need for careful editing prior to submission or publication.
Giving Feedback
A critique group is different from a support group, though they overlap. My mother is a one-woman support group; she loves everything I’ve written since I was six. Critique groups, on the other hand, should offer a balance of support and criticism. Writing is personal, and when a writer shares his work and asks for feedback, it’s an act of trust, worthy of respect.
An effective critique starts by emphasizing the strengths of the work. An initial focus on the writer’s successes makes hearing suggestions easier on the ears and heart. There’s always something positive to comment on – story, scene, character, section of dialog, a description, humor, rapport, tension, punctuation, word choice, grammar, pace. A critique is successful if a writer feels good about his or her work and eager to tackle the hurdles.
As much as possible provide suggestions so that the writer gets the gist of your comments. If you identify a weak verb, give a couple suggestions for stronger ones. If a sentence is awkward, suggest a possible rewrite. If you think a section of dialog sounds stilted, explain why. If you feel the character’s emotion is inappropriate, offer your reasons.
You may end up critiquing the equivalent of a chapter or two every two weeks. Remember that this isn’t a typical pace for pleasure reading. A book may seem as though it’s dragging, but that may be more a result of the group’s schedule than the book’s pace.
When we critique another’s writing we are commenting on the work, not the person. We are cognizant of our personal preferences and writing style and separate these from our critiques. The most helpful criticism is specific to the piece. It points to a word, scene, or paragraph and explains what isn’t working for the reader. Then the writer can see exactly where the challenge lies, learn about another’s perspective, and make a choice. Broad negative statements aren’t only signs of a poorly-crafted critique, they’re unhelpful and demoralizing. Broad positive statements are fine, but grounding positive feedback with examples shows the writer the strengths she can build on.
A note of encouragement: When I joined my critique group, none of us were published. Four years later, we all are! Happy Writing!
D. Wallace Peach in her own words
I didn’t care for reading as a child – I preferred Bonanza and Beverly Hillbillies reruns, Saturday morning cartoons and the Ed Sullivan show. Then one day, I opened a book titled The Hobbit. Tolkien … literally changed my life.
I love writing, and have the privilege to pursue my passion full time. I’m still exploring the fantasy genre, trying out new points of view, playing with tense, creating optimistic works with light-hearted endings, and delving into the grim and gritty what-ifs of a post-apocalyptic world. Forgive me if I seem schizophrenic in my offering of reads. Perhaps one day, I’ll settle into something more reliable. For now, it’s simply an uncharted journey, and I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I.
For book descriptions and excerpts, please visit Myths of the Mirror.
Connect with D. Wallace Peach
Buy her books
Don’t forget to check out her “ask and ye shall receive” giveaway! Just leave a comment on her website saying which book you’d like to receive.
Thank you Nicholas for posting and to everyone who commented. I’ve found through the years that the writing community is nothing but generous and supportive. I’m convinced that we are each other’s greatest supports and teachers. Happy Writing.
That is so true!
As you can see, your post was very popular. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
Great points on a critique group and the structure involved. I was part of a critique group but it phased out. Time to find a new one!
I’m using certain online friends as a critique group, as living in Greece makes it somewhat harder. Still, that’s the beauty of the Internet, right? 🙂
Very much so. I had thought of joining an online critique group but my commitments prevent me from participating. In time I hope to join one again 😀
I know what you mean. I live a pretty unstructured life, in the sense that I don’t have a work schedule. Basically, I work as long as it takes to finish each project. That makes it really hard to have prearranged meetings etc, which explains why email (instead of live events) works so well for me.
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This is interesting. Most of my writing was critique when I was in college and luckily now and then someone will provide feedback on an article I posted – typically in the software testing field. Though it would be nice to get more feedback on your writing! I always admire writers for the ability to take us away to another world!
Thanks! 🙂
I think I’ve found a critique group but after two meetings we haven’t pulled out our pages yet. Hopefully this month.
Sometimes I think that finding the right group is like winning the lottery! 🙂
That’s the feeling I have at present. 😮
Interesting how she mentions that it’s tough being the lone member of a genre inside a group. I’ve bounced around a few groups in the past and I’m always the solitary fantasy author. This leads to different opinions on me and my work because most people seem to not want to give solid suggestions on it. There’s always the ‘I would speak, but I don’t understand your genre’, ‘you know better than me’, and other lines that seem to be an escape. Then others just try to turn you into Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Guess this is why I don’t really play in groups any more. It’s hard to find people who are open to genres that they don’t write in and still try to help at least from a foundation point of view.
I know what you mean. Yes, it is.
Having said that, one of my favourite beta-readers, George Giaglis, is a reader (not an author), although he does enjoy scifi. Another, MMJaye, is a romance author. She always helps me create a third dimension with my characters, adding depth to an otherwise potentially dry characterization.
I think it’s not a case of not playing well with groups; it’s more to do with finding the right group for you.
Definitely. Some people can take a lifetime to find the right group. I think I’m working with a bunch of great authors with excellent insight. Though I think we all have that urge to give advice that leads another author to write in our style. At least there always seems to be that person who goes ‘if it was me . . .’ 🙂
I, for one, am guilty of that. It only seems natural, though. After all, when someone asks for our opinion, surely they realize that all we can offer is how we’d do things?
I try my best to give neutral opinions or fully admit that I don’t understand part of their genre. Started doing this after getting into a debate with a nonfiction author about the landscape of Windemere. They kept telling me how Medieval Europe looked when I kept arguing that this is a fictional world.
Lol – I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s just so funny… 😀 Poor Charles!
It was rather odd. I seem to have a habit of bringing out the argumentative nature of people even when I’m not talking.
Frankly, I find that hard to believe! You’ve been nothing but a gentleman and a sweetheart on my blog 🙂
It’s more of a face-to-face thing. I’m soft of voice and tend to stay to the corners, so more aggressive people think they can ‘shove’ me into their opinion. When I suddenly push back and defend my ideas, they don’t always react politely.
It is really hard to discuss ideas too. You feel like you have to give enough without giving them everything, so there are gaps in knowledge. This can cause some more butting of heads when working with other authors. I have wondered if it’s ‘easier’ to bounce ideas off non-authors more often than others because of the mindsets.
I’ve always had that problem. Back when I was an awkward teenager, girls I went out with mistook my calm demeanor to think I was a pushover. They never failed to be shocked when I left.
Growing up, I’ve had the same problem in the workplace. Some people think that not shouting or acting like a jerk is a sign of weakness.
Step ahead of me because I never dated in my teen years. Always fell into the trusted friend arena or never appeared on girl’s radar. Eh, gave me time to work more on my early writing projects.
Good point about the workplace. There’s always at least one person who thinks aggression and scrambling to the next level is the sign of a a powerful personality. So anyone who is passive is seen as weak or a tool to be used.
Yes, great and informative ( and encouraging) post. I wish I did not live in the sticks!
Lol – it can’t be worse than where I live! As I was just telling Melissa, I’m counting on the feedback of my blog readers and my beta-readers more than anything. In effect, my critique group is a handful of trusted authors and friends to whom I send my work for their comments – and they do the same. It’s one of the beauties of the Internet that we don’t need to meet face-to-face in order to help each other 🙂
I read Sunwielder on Bookvetter too, and loved it! I havent been part of a writers group since my early 20s. There is a group in my area, but they meet on a night I cant make… my life revolves around my kids schedules and I’m last on my list of priorities! I think its a great idea though; we all benefit from feedback.
Yes, we do, but it doesn’t have to be in person. As I was just telling Melissa and Philippa, I have no writers’ group where I live, so I’m counting on the feedback of my blog readers and my beta-readers more than anything. In effect, my critique group is a handful of trusted authors and friends to whom I send my work for their comments – and they do the same. It’s one of the beauties of the Internet that we don’t need to meet face-to-face in order to help each other 🙂
Yes, I do the same thing. In a way, it works better, as you can build a relationshio of trust with these fellow writers. The drawback though, is that once someone becomes a ‘friend’, it may be harder to stay objective. Thats where the trust comes in. Still, theres a lot to be said for getting involved with a community of local writers. My old group was a very diverse one, from an 80 year old woman writing her memoir to me, the youngest at 22, whose over exuberant imagination needed constant reining in, lol! I loved it, but was constantly frustrated by the ‘dull’ projects the leader constantly set me.Now I understand what she was trying to do. I didnt at the time, though.
Lol – as you were obviously not the 80-year-old, were you perhaps the 22-year-old with the exuberant imagination? 😀
Lol that was me!
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It’s obvious to me, I need to set up a critique group as soon as possible! This guest post on Nicholas’ site is definitely worth a read 🙂
Great post. I need to find a critique group as soon as possible!
Lol – fair enough. I have no writers’ group where I live, so I’m counting on the feedback of my blog readers and my beta-readers more than anything. In effect, my critique group is a handful of trusted authors and friends to whom I send my work for their comments – and they do the same. It’s one of the beauties of the Internet that we don’t need to meet face-to-face in order to help each other 🙂
I completely agree 🙂 I don’t have a writers’ group either and, like you, have people online who offer their support and encouragement. I would like something more formal though – a group who could meet online to offer more focused support. I do have Betas, but they tend to change and I’d like a little more consistency. I’ll have to think on that one – see how I would structure it 🙂
I found this so helpful I reblogged it on Musings On Life & Experience, tweeted it, and added it to Pinterest. Thank you. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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This is helpful information on critique groups.