The Value of Critique Groups
By Judith Marshall
When I’d finished the first draft of my novel, Husbands May Come and Go But Friends are Forever, I knew I needed feedback. I also knew it was too early to hire a professional editor; so instead, I joined the California Writers Club in search for a critique group. As luck would have it, at the first meeting a woman stood up and announced the formation of such a group. I immediately raised my hand. Over the next five years, three other women writers and myself met every two weeks to critique each other’s work. As a result of this collaboration, my novel was published in September of 2009 and has received seventeen 5-star reviews on Amazon so far.
Here are the elements that made our group successful:
- Compatibility – It’s important that members of the group have the same goal. In our case, that goal was to be published.
- Commitment – At our first meeting, we came to agreement on how often we would meet, what notification procedures would be used if one of us couldn’t make it, and when cancellation would be warranted. We took out our calendars and filled in the dates of our meetings for the next three months to illustrate our commitment to the process.
- Structure - We decided that each person would bring a maximum of fifteen pages to each meeting, to be read and critiqued for the following meeting. Each person would have thirty minutes to receive feedback. We also agreed to how feedback would be presented; i.e. start with an overall positive comment, followed by opportunities for revision and/or questions, and ending with reassurance and support.
As a result of my positive experience, I am an advocate of in-person critique groups whenever possible. However, there are a number of virtual critique groups also available. Whatever option you choose, receiving feedback from fellow writers can be invaluable.
Keep Writing,
Judith Marshall