Do you know what effect your words have on others? Certainly, you hope to move readers, inspire them, make them think, cause them to smile, give them hope, teach them something new, give them a different perspective—touch them in some way. But how do you know that your attempts are successful?
One way is to test your writing before it goes live. How? Join a critique group.
Sure, there are good ones and bad ones. You’ll come across individuals in some of these critique groups who don’t have much tact or taste. You’ll meet people who are way too opinionated to be useful critics. There are, of course, all kinds out there.
But for the most part, if you go into a critique group with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you’ll grow as a writer. What will you learn?
• How your words affect other people.
• Whether your favorite scene actually works.
• If your message is getting across or is it falling flat.
• Are your characters believable?
• Is your dialog working?
• Does your story flow or are there things that stop the reader?
• Can you write or do you need help?
You’ll also learn how to critique the works of others. A critique group is a give and take proposition, you know. You’ll discover that some people are more sensitive than others about their stories. Some have chips on their shoulders and resist most ideas if it means change. And some welcome any and all suggestions as if they don’t have a mind of their own in the matter of their manuscripts.
Writers of all experiences and skill come to me for help. While some present me with a well-written, well-organized manuscript to edit, others want to know how to go about writing a book. I can usually identify the stage or level of the hopeful author by their email. If they write a coherent, grammatically correct email, they generally have a well-written or fairly well-written manuscript. Those who approach me with an email full of errors or a writing sample that needs a lot of work, I suggest the following:
• Join a writers’ group.
• Participate in a critique group.
• For some, a basic English class is in order.
• I also recommend creative writing courses for some would be writers.
Do you belong to a critique group? I’d like to hear how it has helped you to be critiqued and to critique the works of others. Has it been a good learning experience for you? Has it made you a better writer? Leave your comment here.
I love this idea and have been desperately bugging my friends and family to do just this!! Do you have any recommendations on how to find a critique group in the area you live?
Hi Simone,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I do have recommendations for finding a critique group. Basically, you’re going to check at your local libraries, arts councils, colleges, in the calendar section of your newspaper, etc. to find writers’ groups. Many of them have critique groups going on outside of the regular group meetings.
I’ve posted additional information on this topic in my March 1, 17 and 18 2011 posts. Check them out.
Good luck,
Patricia