Jumping Into The Right Critique Group
“Ripples” by Tomasz Sroka on Unsplash
Building your writing community is like throwing a stone into a pond. You, your work, and the act of putting yourself out there is that stone. The outgoing ripples are the connections you make with the world.
Kerplunk.
To propel your writing forward it is crucial to find a safe space to present your work to others and receive constructive feedback. These special peeps, your critique group, are the important first ripples when your stone hits the water.
Often, finding a reliable critique group is more of a journey than a quick, one-stop transaction. Critique groups are not one-size-fits-all. To find the right group for you, you’ll need to look inward and ask yourself what you want to get out of the collaborative experience. You might need to try on a few groups for size before finding the one that fits you best.
As you connect with other writers, each and every one is a potential critique partner. Whether you’re answering a call for critique-group members online, connecting with other writers on social media, or meeting people in person at a writers’ event, it’s good to start slow and proceed with caution. Swap a couple pages and see if the writing and critique styles work for you.
I was lucky, I found my current critique group years ago at a New England SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference—or rather, they found me. I won a pitch contest where I had to introduce myself and pitch my current manuscript on the big stage. After the contest, a small group of writers based in my home state asked if I would join their freshly formed critique group. I dove right in and eventually became a group organizer.
Kerplunk.
Here are a few things I’ve learned about successful critique groups:
1 | Working with a critique group is different from working with a single critique partner.
I recommend partaking in both if you can. The experiences are different. Critique partners and beta readers are good one-on-one relationships. You can go deep and get the feedback you need to polish a manuscript, but there’s something about working with a group that changes the critique dynamic. Every member brings different things to the table, and by the group discussing your work, you can see what might work (and what doesn’t) with readers. It’s the real-time agreement and contrast of the group’s opinions that are an effective system of checks and balances.
“Cheers” by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
2 | Rules and efficiency foster creativity, not stifles it.
My critique group has set guardrails in place. It’s flexible yet structured. We have simple, straightforward guidelines: everyone submits up to 10 pages and gets 15–20 minutes of the group’s time. We take a fishbowl approach to individual critique sessions where the writer sits outside the group in a cone of silence, looking in while the others discuss the work. It’s like the author is a fly or disembodied spirit observing a conversation about their work. At the end of the session, the writer rejoins the group to ask questions and reply to the feedback. In days following the meeting, every participant sends their feedback in written form. There’s debate, new insights, and we find the critique becomes much richer.
3 | You become a better writer by reading, listening, and giving great critiques.
It’s not only about getting the feedback you need to execute edits. Talking writing craft and analyzing other people’s work improves your own writing. Writing is often a solitary practice, we all share challenges and observations as creators. I always learn something new from my fellow critique-group members. I always leave our meetings inspired, with fresh perspectives and I’m energized to further hone my manuscripts.
4 | Critique groups change over time.
These groups are like gardens; cultivate them and they will bloom differently as time moves forward. Every group has its seasons and unique dynamics that change as people come and go. The three people that recruited me to my group have since moved on. I’m still close to them, but their creative directions, commitments, and needs have shifted. We have an open-door policy. My critique group usually has 6–8 active members. New members are recruited if there is space to fill, and the group goes on. It’s important that a group is flexible and can adapt to the needs of its members.
5 | Everyone brings a different set of skills to the table.
Beyond receiving great feedback, you also glean expertise from the various members of your critique group and their experiences. My group is made up of both published and pre-published writers for kids and teens. Along with sharing writing resources and publishing stories from the trenches, the various members also offered key learnings from their professional spheres of influence. Over the years, the group has included librarians, editors, teachers, marketing specialists, artists, journalists, lawyers, and a child psychologist—all having insights that help build a writing career.
6 | Make sure you get what you need from your critique group.
Before you jump into the pond, you need to ask yourself what you want from a critique group. Skilled, honest, supportive critique-group members are valuable. It’s important to find a group that fluctuates between being gentle and tough when you need them to be. In a group where everyone only loves everything about your work, you won’t get the constructive feedback you need to strengthen your writing. On the flip side, if you charge into a group and say, “okay, let me have it” you may end up tarred and feathered and leave the group discouraged. Be clear about what you want.
In my group, you can tell the group exactly what you need when you submit your work. The requests range from ‘go deep on the dialogue and plot’ to ‘just encourage me and tell me if this story concept is good.’
“Laptop & Coffee” by Alejandro Escamill on Unsplash
Conclusion
Pre-COVID, my group would meet in person every second Saturday of the month at a coffee shop/bakery to catch up discuss our writings. Though I miss the delicious maple lattes, warm scones, and seeing their smiling faces across the table, the group has been meeting online since March of 2020—and we’re thriving.
Now’s a great time to join a group or form your own, because, with virtual options, members can come together from all over the country and world. During these quarantine times, I’ve met Twitter friends on Zoom—which might not have happened if we weren’t all stuck at home.
Writer friends have also formed other types of groups to support everything from writing query letters to developing book-marketing. Never underestimate the power of a strong group.
We’re all in this together, so don’t be afraid to jump in. Kerplunk.
