February 13, 2009

Yesterday my critique group met for its weekly meeting. While we do include food and fun, it doesn’t take us long to get down to business. Manuscripts come out, the timer is set, and we’re off.

My critique group grew out of a Jane Yolen workshop fifteen months ago. Our weekly critique group has proved remarkably helpful to me in my desire to write more. I’ve tried critique groups before, and they’ve always fizzled out. This time, however, the group is made up of four serious writers. At the meetings we each read a chapter to critique, and the meetings last between three and four hours. It has been very helpful for a couple reasons.

a) Accountability: We are each expected to take our critique time seriously and show up each week with work to critique. Knowing this–and knowing that the other three women will be there with their chapters–has kept me writing on three projects this year. I’m making steady progress, and the critique group’s advice has been invaluable. Each writer raises different questions and makes different suggestions for change and improvement.

b) Time invested: All of us are busy, and to give up one whole afternoon per week to critique forces us to work hard during the week on our projects. None of us wants to show up with less than our best work. It would be wasting our time–and everyone else’s.

I think one key to a successful group is finding other writers equally committed to working and improving and growing. If you’d like to find such a group, “Writer’s Critique Groups: where to find them” on Harold Underdown’s Purple Crayon site gives valuable advice. A good place for children’s writers to find partners for manuscript exchanges is SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).

If you want to join or form such a group, but you’re not sure how to critique, see the five articles on the process of critiquing at Writing-World.com

Yesterday morning, I wrote almost four hours in order to have my chapter ready for critiquing in the afternoon. Would I have worked that hard yesterday otherwise? No. So if you’re having trouble setting personal deadlines and keeping to a writing schedule, consider joining a critique group–or forming one of your own. It will help you write more–and you’ll have fun doing it!

2 Comments »

1. 

   Thanks! This was very helpful, Kristi. I’m very thankful for the committed writers in our little group. They’re great!

   Comment by Beth Mac — February 17, 2009 @ 12:35 pm

2. 

   I love my group too, Beth. When you find a committed group–and they can be HARD to find–you’ve found a real treasure.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — February 17, 2009 @ 2:16 pm

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