As I talk to people around the industry, I know there are many other types
of critique groups formed, each filling a certain need for a certain season.
At the time, I also took classes in flash, presented writing workshops on the form, and participated in several online
critique groups for flash writers.
We
join critique groups full of strangers, send chapters to beta readers we've never met in person, etc..
I too agree that there's nothing wrong with asking for editorial help from colleagues or
critique group members as it is a must.
For more on that, see my post on why to ignore advice
from critique groups, but they can help you anyway.
Just would like to find a
good critique group in my area that I could join for the tougher advice which I know my writing needs.
Find a writers group near you (there are over fifty around the state) and attend monthly presentations and
critique group meetings.
Currently, searching for a new
critique group because my second novel is not ready for the beta group I joined.
This is why I always tell new writers to
use critique groups and beta readers before paying for an edit.
Find a mentor or
critique group who will provide honest (painful) feedback, then be willing to listen and learn from them.
Whether or not the members are actual poets, some groups turn out to be less
like critique groups and more like competitive poetry readings.
, how to find one in general, whether or not you
need critique groups, and how to give effective feedback.
My writing and critique skills didn't grow much with this group, however, I was motivated to form my
own critique group after I graduated.
He'd evidently not done a good job with the description,
critique group told him it was boring and to get rid of it, so he took it out.
Many writers associations
offer critique groups and if you've never participated in such a group, consider doing so.
When she began to write short science fiction, she had a
monthly critique group that expected a story from her every meeting.
I had to review a fantasy book for a writer, and I could tell right away that he'd let his mixed
genre critique group have too much control.
A good
critique group also provides a community that «gets you» and will help accelerate your path to publication.
I've sat through so
many critique group readings where the only tension is finding out what the % & * @ the author is talking about.
I always wondered
why critique groups wanted me to write always about average people, never about extraordinary ones.
Yesterday, when my local
critique group talked about my latest picture book manuscript, three emotions held sway.
Second is my
current critique group, which has been going strong for over two years and has helped us all grow as authors.
If we've ever let beta readers or
critique groups give feedback on our stories, we've probably run into the issue of receiving conflicting advice.
An
active critique group for a course like this is absolutely essential... and, for me, can make or break a course.