http://shelfstealers.com/watchellenherbertwrite/
Give Ellen some feedback on critique groups. What’s your experience with critique groups?
http://shelfstealers.com/watchellenherbertwrite/
Give Ellen some feedback on critique groups. What’s your experience with critique groups?
4 Comments on “Ellen Herbert’s post on critique groups”
I think the value of a critique group decreases as you grow as a writer, unless you’re fortunate enough to have a group that is highly skilled (and honest and supportive, too, of course.)
But at the beginning of your writing career, a critique group can be invaluable. Finding the right one is a challenge, however.
I was the only unpublished writer in my first critique group because I was lucky enough to start with one person only, and then she invited me into her ‘other’ critique group. I had to prove I could write first, by providing a sample. They must have seen something in that sample, because when I look back at it, I think it’s awful!
Later on, when I moved, I had trouble finding the right critique group partners, and realized that at my stage, finding an accomplished project editor (as opposed to a copy editor) was the better route for me.
If you need external deadlines to keep you writing, a critique group, no matter their actual input, is a great thing.
Thanks Sheryl. It’s important to know the writers you invite into a group. The eye of a beginning writer can behave like the average reader which is beneficial, but a beginner most often does not have the skills to critique a piece of writing in depth. Know your invitees before you start a group and be picky. Then again, the egos of advanced writers can wax immovable and argumentative. A fine balance works well. k.
I was in a critique group early on that had originiated in a workshop at the Writer’s Center taught by a wonderful woman and writer named Joyce Renwick. This group went astray and off topic too often. I found myself missing Joyce’s strong guidance.
I chime in with my critique group so they don’t get off topic. We have three hours and six people and a half hour for each. If we get off topic, someone loses out. It’s important to have a facilitator. Kaye