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How To Run a Successful Critique Group

First off, to all the writing newbies out there who feel lost in a sea of ambivalence, you will probably want to join a critique group at some point. Why? Because there’s only so far you can go on your own. Eventually you’ll want feedback on what you’ve written…if you want to become a published writer, that is. Why? Because you’ve probably at some point lost the reader, been too vague, been too specific, made no sense, forgotten about a character, or messed up in grammar, spelling , or punctuation. And that’s just a small example of what might be wrong in your manuscript.

Friends and family do not count as good critiquers. For one thing, they’ll read your work out of obligation (or not read it and pretend they did), then not be completely honest for fear of hurting your feelings. Or they might be too blunt, thereby leaving you frustrated and too angry to write again. Not to mention, if they aren’t writers, they don’t understand the craft enough to care to help you make your work better. You need other writers–people you’ve never met before. Although acquaintances will do in a pinch.

Finding a critique group isn’t easy. They’re often “underground” ventures. Sometimes they’re offshoots from writers conventions, or a one-time posting at the local library.

Check with local bookstores. Some of them host writing groups. But if you can’t find one it’s  time to take matters into your own hands and start one.

See if your local coffee shop, library, or book store will allow you to use their facility to have a writers group. Most will be thrilled for the extra business, and you can see if they’ll even fork over the money for an ad in the paper specifying where and when your group will meet and what your group is all about. Once or twice a month is good for busy people. Very dedicated writers may want to meet every week on the same night.

At the first meeting, decide with the other members how everyone wants the group to work. It’s best to get feedback at this stage because when other members weigh in, you end up with a tighter group that tends to stay together.  Ask if they want to split off into smaller groups for critiquing based on genre. Or have everyone take turns critiquing all members work each week. (This works better in small groups.) Should people bring copies of the work they want critiqued so everyone can read it on their own? Or would they rather read it aloud to the group? Or should people send their work via email first? How many pages should people critique at a time? 5? 15? (Critiquing by page works better than by chapter because some people write very long chapters while others write short chapters, and it won’t be fair for everyone.)

Then you must lay ground rules:

1) No one is allowed to be cruel-everything must be put in a kind way.

2) If you have a problem with something in the story, you must be able to explain why you feel that way. “I don’t like it,” is not good feedback. “I feel the character isn’t sympathetic enough because she shrugs his problem off,” is good feedback.

3) The recipient of the feedback should remain silent and listen, even if if they don’t agree. Arguing wastes time. If you don’t believe someone is right in their feedback, then don’t make the change. But disagreeing is often counterproductive. The only time a recipient should explain themselves is when they need clarification on a point, or want to see how they can make their point more clear to the reader. Have this be agreed upon by other members, or you’ll find arguing will chew up precious minutes of time.

4) If someone does not care for someone’s choice of writing style or genre, they are allowed to be silent and not participate. Forcing people to share feedback never works.

And most important:

5) Everyone who critiques the work must share what they feel has been done well  in the story. Writers need to know what is working as well as what’s not working.

That’s it in a nutshell. Good luck, and have fun with your group!

This entry was posted on 21. May 2010 at 20:24 and is filed under Blog Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “How To Run a Successful Critique Group”

  1. Dave says:
    5. September 2010 at 06:42

    Hi Kim,
    Do you know any groups that function like this? One thing I am personally trying is attending another writing group for the first time on Wednesday night. I think that an interesting bit of truth in what you’ve written in the 2nd paragraph. The problem is that eventually, even when you start out as strangers, the more times you meet with people, the more familiar you are with them, and they with you. Obviously, trust is going to be a big issue if this familiarity is encountered. If you have read my short story “The Cafe for Lacklustre Writers”, (There are some people who have totally misunderstood the meaning of the story. That perhaps, is what is missing from my story, and that is my fault as an author. I wrote that story twenty years ago however, and if the meaning of that story is still not clear, than obviously I have failed for a long time as an author. And that was the first story I presented in my writing group I participate in now.)The story was inspired by thinking of an article I read about Samuel Beckett a long time ago in Esquire magazine. Beckett was described in many negative terms by the members of writing critique group that formed in a Paris cafe (They were all established and famous writers). Despite his abrasiveness, his criticism was validated by his honesty. It’s not that I wanted to a jerk, but I wanted, want, to find a place where we place writing principles above author’s personality. I wanted then, as I do now, to find a way to belong to such a group. I wanted to find a group that would want me to be a part of it. I was a lacklustre writer, I wanted to find a place to belong. Anyways, here is a brief description of Beckett’s opinions: “Beckett debunks modernism’s epistemological concerns and depicts the mind’s autonomy as hopelessly vulnerable to the extramental and excremental contingencies of the body as the object of pleasure, pain, social power, and death.”(Alexander McKee
    Breaking the Habit: Samuel Beckett’s Critique of Irish-Ireland
    New Hibernia Review - Volume 14, Number 1, Earrach/Spring 2010, pp. 42-58)

    You see, even Beckett could be respected by what he added to the group, even though it was unlikely that there would be a lot of subjective bonding which, as you point out, can inhibit good critiquing from people who are afraid of “hurting your feelings”.

    As authors, though, we should be striving to rise above the mediocre and the cliche and really be the best we can be.

  2. Gore Wehner says:
    6. September 2010 at 21:16

    Very interesting comment you’ve made, Dave. Certainly if one wishes to receive harsh, honest feedback for one’s work, a writer needs to be very receptive to criticism. As a fellow writer, I find this a difficult feat. No one wants to be told what they’ve just spent six months writing has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Nor do biased opinions aid in the creative process. So what to do? As I mentioned in tip #3, you need to decide whether or not the person critiquing has any basis in what they are recommending. Someone who reads only crime novels may not be the perfect fit for a romance novel, for example. There are many overlaps within genres, such as character development and sentence structure. But a romance novel may have elements a crime writer might find irrelevant or even hackneyed.

    I happen to know your work is more of a psychological, literary bent. If you have written a story that others do not seem to understand, ask yourself these questions: Do these writers understand deep human psychology? Do they have valid points in their misunderstanding? Did they enjoy the story and get something out of it, even if they did not understand exactly what I was trying to say? Did they find reading this a waste of their time?

    You may wish to form your own group, seeking writers who write the type of stories you do. On-line critique groups are perfect for this. You can advertise your group on college campuses, say, where you are more likely to find literary writers. Many literary magazines are published through colleges. Seek these out. They may know of critique groups you can join.

    A great place to look into are the Yahoo on-line groups. I run one on there, and it’s very easy to set up if you would like to start one. Or, if you prefer, there are many established writing groups you can search for through Yahoo Groups.

    In all, don’t be discouraged. Remember, you are your best critic. Go with your gut. Even the most famous writers have had people reject or ridicule their work. Writing is very subjective. Not everyone will understand or like what you write every time.

    Good luck!

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