How to Use a Critique Group
The first piece of advice I give writers who have completed the first draft of a novel, who are struggling to get past the first chapter, or who run out of interest midway through a project is to find a critique group. There are so many benefits to joining a critique group! Getting feedback is invaluable, of course, but the benefits of joining a critique group don’t stop there.
You can participate in a critique group in person or online.
Why do I need a Critique Group?
The most valuable experience to be found in a critique group is not getting feedback. It’s giving feedback. Closely examining other writers’ projects to see whether their dialogue is fresh, their structure makes sense, their opening is gripping, their characters are interesting, and their beats are appropriate for the genre will open your eyes when they turn to your own work. The best way to hone your skills as an editor and reviser of your own work is to gain some experience. You’ll be shocked when you see the payoff from these skills.
You’ll also make friends. Not with everyone, of course. Some members of a critique group will rub you the wrong way, but guess what? You can still learn from them. One member of my critique group once asked if I had personal experience with what I was writing about. When I said no, she said, “It really shows.” And she had some specific things to say that were hard for me to hear. But her feedback was invaluable in revising that project, even though she never liked it.
When I began writing, it was just me and my computer. I didn’t mention my new endeavor to anyone, and I had no idea how to find other writers. Joining a critique group and making friends with other people who loved to dissect books, analyze plots, and create their own compelling stories was so delightful!
The Internet has opened up many virtual ways to keep meeting. Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger, and other free online platforms work well. One of my critique groups is comprised of writers who live all over the country, so we meet online anyway. In this group, we bring a chapter and read it out loud, so there’s a lot of energy as we all discuss fresh material we haven’t read before.
options for running a critique group
Another critique group I’m in has deadlines throughout the month for submitting a chapter, giving written feedback, and then meeting online one evening a month to discuss them as a group. This model works well because it gives writers a chance to reflect on the feedback from others and bring follow-up questions to the group. Since everyone’s had some time to mull these chapters over, we often have lively discussions and time to talk about larger-scale manuscript issues.
Transitioning a local, in-person critique group to online right now is another way to carry on writing. My local group is only three writers. None of us writes the same genre. We are each at different stages in our careers. We often communicate through email and text between meetings, and changing our usual meetings at the library to an online hangout worked great!
Even exchanging chapters or manuscripts through email with a critique partner, with no face-to-face meeting, can be a welcome respite right now. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on someone else’s work than our own. And remember what I said earlier—the greatest benefit critique groups offer is what we learn from critiquing others’ work, not what we learn from their feedback.
Social distancing and quarantining are supposed to isolate us physically. But there’s no reason to abandon the encouragement, energy, and enthusiasm that a critique group generates—nor the learning! Text or message the members of your critique group to come up with a plan to carry on online—or head over to Good Story Learning to find some new friends for this stage in your writing journey.
I teach a writing intensive for picture book writers with Mary Kole at Story Mastermind. Achieve a robust outline or draft, or a portfolio of picture books, in a rigorous but supportive environment. Imagine how much closer you can be to your writing goals after participating in Story Mastermind. Join us to get submission ready in just five months!
