Critique partners and groups are a wonderful thing. I owe a lot of my advances in writing, much of what I've learned over the years to the people who've shared with me and not been afraid to criticize my work. I've had some amazing CPs.
I've also had some horrible ones. I'm sure we all have.
When I first joined a critique group, I was a willing sponge — I would take on pretty much everything and anything anyone wanted to share with me. Now, if you consider the sponginess of a sponge and the lack of brain attached to it, you can see the potential for problems here. I took everything that I was told. Good and bad. Helpful and oooooh so ugly. It got to the point where my work in progress was the work in progress of 10 different people with different styles…and none of them mine.
Yes, my first lesson with a critique group: How to lose your voice in your work.
What I didn't get then is that every writer has strengths and weaknesses. No matter where we were on the learning curve or in our careers, we all had something to contribute. While I had things to learn from them, they also could learn from me.
Truthfully, a lot of what I learned about writing I learned by critiquing other work. It's amazing when you force that "editor" hat and look at someone else's work with the proverbial red pen in hand. I imagine it's a teeny bit like being an agent or editor who is looking at a piece of requested material for the first time — you're really looking for the flaws. In their job, it's to dismiss the work. As a CP, it's because that's where you can help.
Just this week, I received critiques from CPs that gave me a fresh zest for my current WIP. Receiving their suggestions and thoughts helped me get excited again. To me, that's the sign of a good critique. How it makes you feel as the writer.
And this isn't to say that a critique must be filled with warm fuzzies and smiley faces. In fact, that sort of critique rarely makes me feel warm or fuzzy. I'm not opposed to the smileys here and there, but I know it can be improved. I want to make it better.
In fact, one of the critiques I got had at suggestions or comments on every page…and I loved it. Another one had less, but the suggestions/issues she caught were really important. So for me, it's not so much about the quantity in the critique — it's about giving me something that helps me learn, that helps me make it better. Because that I can get excited about.
What about you? What's the best critique you ever received? Or the worst? How do you measure a good one?
Jeannie Ruesch
http://www.jeannieruesch.com
SOMETHING ABOUT HER
Available April 10, 2009 by The Wild Rose Press
~ "A wonderful debut!" ~NYTimes bestselling author Gaelen Foley
~ "A wonderful, romantic story, with engaging characters and an enjoyable storyline. I look forward to her next book." ~Audrey, co-owner of BookLovers Bookstore, Sacramento, CA
4 comments
Great post! Your crit partners sound so cool! *wink*
The worst I ever got was when the person not only tore it to shreds and told me I sucked, but replaced everything in her own words–totally rewrote the entier thing. No joke. There were so many track changes and comments, there wasn’t enough room on the paper, and the document reverted to footnotes on each…
I don’t mind being torn up, I expect it, but I ask for a crit partner to show how it could be improved, offer advice, suggestions, not redo my work. Then its no longer mine. And I have gotten some like this before, and they are the best!!! I have one crit partner, who makes me laugh so hard. Here’s an example of a crit she did for me:
As soon as he’d left, (Tessa had some thoughts here about what she’d just done and why she’d asked him to dinner. Then ) she penned a note and then gave it to a footman to have it delivered.
I just love how she does that! She opens my eyes about things I’m missing.
Wow, Eliza, that would be a horrible experience. I guess I’ve been extremely fortunate and never realized it. For one thing I’ve never been a member of a critique group. My first critique partner was my sister-in-law who was in exactly the same place as I was with writing. We were just getting started. We laughed and had so much fun we even thought about writing a book together. My second critique partner was a fellow chapter member and we pretty much knew we were compatable before starting.
Right now I have a friend I made from an online class. We’ve been working together going on 3 years and she is pure gold. Just recently I’ve formed a partnership with another chapter member and again it’s working so well that it makes critiquing fun.
I guess the only bad ones are from editors but after I get through gasping and wondering why I’m doing this and why in the world they contracted for the book when they obviously hate it. …. they’re input, I realize strengtens the story.
As always your posts make me pause and take note Jeannie. Thanks for another good one.
Lavada
@Eliza : Yes, don’t my critique partners sound fabulous? What an awful experience you had!! Wow, I only thank my stars that I didn’t get something like that when I was starting out — it might have stopped me writing. LOL
But I love your CP’s way of suggesting there could be more to a specific area. That’s a great way to do it. 🙂 One of my most memorable critiques was from that early group, and someone who was trying to help me understand the difference between passive and active writing. I was having a bit of a difficult time grasping it, so she asked if she could provide me a visual. I said sure, and then a few days later, I received a chapter that was so pretty with highlighted sections, I couldn’t see white. LOL But it actually helped me “get” it finally. 🙂
@Lavada — I think you made a good point as to the difference between critique groups and partners. Partners are generally chosen. In groups, you really get what you get. I’ve been in three groups and in each one, there were people I meshed with well and others I didn’t. But that’s usually the nice thing about groups, if you don’t mesh with one, you will learn that and focus your attention and crit responses on the ones you do connect with.
Thanks for commenting!