By Christy Monson
Some may say
that writing is a solitary experience. That's true. I like being alone, and I
enjoy thinking my own thoughts and making my own stories. This part of writing
is absolutely my dream job. I can do it every day and not get tired.
But the
added bonus I've found in writing is connecting with other people in critique
groups. I love the friends I've made. They are so dear to me. Each meeting we
take a little time to discuss our lives outside writing, but mostly we enjoy
exploring our characters, moral dilemmas, tension, action, and so many other
things that go into a good manuscript.
As far as
writing is concerned, I always second-guess myself. Have I developed a strong
protagonist? Do I have a compelling plot? Is my premise well defined? Do I have
a sneaky, slithery, slimy opponent who has some redeeming qualities in the
story? Have I developed my three try-fails?
To answer
these questions, I have joined several critique groups. (I NEVER do anything
half way.)
The group I have belonged to the
longest has seven writers in it. Each week we meet to discuss everyone's five
pages that we have emailed (several days before), read and critiqued. Wonderful
synergistic dialogues ensue in this group. These people are dedicated to
learning their craft. When I joined several years ago, there were no published
authors in the group. Now almost everyone is published, and several have won writing
contests.
Another
group I belong to meets monthly to discuss an entire manuscript and render a
critical evaluation. There is something to be said for reading a whole book at
once. You pick up details and problems you don’t see with just a few pages each
week. These writers are dedicated also. Several of them have books in print,
and all of us are published in anthologies.
The last
group I belong to is a picture book group. (I LOVE writing picture books!) In
this group we email our monthly writing and discuss our critiques when we meet.
About half of us are published in that group.
The friendships
I've made in these meetings will last my life time. What a blessing to find
people you look up to and admire who love the same things you do and have
dedicated themselves to improving their talents.
Spend a few minutes today being thankful for your critique
group, and count the blessings each person brings into your life.
Thanks for posting this, Christy! I have been unable to make it to a critique session for months...and I haven't been motivated to write nearly as much. I know I shouldn't have to be held accountable by someone else in order to get stuff done...but it sure helps! hugs~
ReplyDeleteHugs back. It sure does help to be held accountable. Besides, I can get off in the green pastures so easily. I need those people to keep me on track.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have critiquing issues. Not sure why we can't seem to get people interested. I mean I can be brutal, but then most people don't seem to want brutal. I mean how specific do you get?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE someone telling me how it is. I value most those who find my thinking errors. There is a synergy in a good critique group because the discussion is always better than the individual comments.
DeleteI think online groups are hard because people aren't really connected with each other.