Writing Groups and Criticism

[Quoth]

Do any of you belong to any sort of a writer's group? The premise of the writers' group I attend is that there are three "prompts", and we write for a select amount of time, and then take turns going around the table to read. For two hours each Thursday, anywhere between three and twenty of us set a page before us and open a vein.

However, the group I attend has a pretty strict policy against critique. There are often positive whims of "Good job!" or "I liked that", but beyond passing commentary, the group is strictly recreational--not constructive. Nevertheless, I enjoy it because, quite frankly, some of the would-be critics in that group are--how to put this gently--not very good.

I am certainly not a very good writer. I do not even consider myself to be competent enough for publishing, yet. However, I do enjoy much of the material I write, but rarely will I pour it out to the masses for their pleasure. Reading the material of many others, however, is not something I seek out for fun.

Critique is very important to me. When asked, I will gladly critique someone else's work, because I would like folks to produce worthy material. I am brutal in the sense that I leave no stone unturned, but I turn over those stones gently, with a soft hand and a gentle word. Invariably, I always have one person out of approximately every five who acts as if I've killed their firstborn child. I have even been threatened with physical harm because of my critiques.

What are your experiences with critique?

 

[elephunky]

I have used writingforums.com and they can be extremely critical, which is good if thats the kind of feedback you want.

 

[lilyamongthorns98]

I often have difficulty finding good critique. The people that usually read my stuff are all positive compliments, even from my writer friends. I have one, my best friend though she lives across the country, who actually provides the best feedback. She doesn't just catch the typos but the things that don't really add to the story, that should be taken out or reworded.
There is a writer's group in my area, but I haven't been able to attend yet do to my schedule and church activities.

 

[Tariel]

The best critiques of my writing come from a couple of friends I made my freshman year of college. We're all writing majors and we all write similar kinds of fiction, and we're all comfortable enough with each other to be able to be honest in our criticism. Something else I like about these friends is that they don't just point out what needs to be fixed; when one of us has a plot problem, we'll have brainstorming sessions sometimes lasting long into the night to work through the issue.

 

[writergirl4god]

Hi Skellington. Criticism is an inevitable part of being a writer - we've got to learn to take the good with the bad, without taking offense. 'Protecting' writers from constructive criticism seems counterproductive.

I don't participate in the kind of writing group you've described - but I do believe that critique partners and 'beta readers' are essential, and greatly appreciate the feedback I've gotten from mine. I'm also a member of the Writer's Digest forum, and have privately traded critiques with other members there.

Best of luck with your writing - I commend you for evaluating where you are as a writer and striving to improve your craft.

 

[Janet842]

What are your experiences with critique?

Nothing useful.

I've been working on a book for several years, but I haven't had it successfully critiqued yet. (By successfully, I mean to receive well thought out comments that might help me redirect or redefine what I'm trying to express.) Some of my friends have read drafts of my book, but they haven't offered anything meaningful in the way of any kind of critique. That has been disappointing, but they aren't writers (except for one of them). I'm not looking to be pampered by anyone's comments and I'm certainly not looking for warm fuzzy praises.

The one friend that is a writer doesn't write to the level that I wish to achieve and, unfortunately, has offered only slightly more help than my non-writer friends. Does it takes an excellent writer to offer excellent criticism? (That may be open to debate.) My personal desire is to find expert, professional advice that will help me take my writing to the level of excellence where I could make the New York Times best seller list. Of course, there is always the risk that professional critiquing will backfire and the only advice I receive is to scrap the whole project!

Since I haven't found the advice I'm looking for through friends, I'm thinking of using the for-hire Critique Service offered through Christianwritersguild.com There's a limit to the number of pages/word count a writer can submit, but this might be the best I'll be able to find in constructive criticism prior to signing my book with an agent.

I would also like to take some classes and workshops at the Christian Writer's Guild conference next year. Skellington, if you haven't been to any kind of writing conference yet, I would recommend that you attend one – or more. Did you make it to the Colorado Christian Writer's Conference last week in Estes Park? If not, the next local conference will be put on by the Christian Writer's Guild and it will be in Denver in February 2011. You can check out their conference online.

Janet

 

[billymissouri]

I have been in a critque group for over two years. I've never had a problem with any comments/suggestions from others.