I’ve worked solo, belonged to critique groups, attended workshops, and worked with critique partners. Some were good. Some were bad. And some are just downright awesome.
Over the years I’ve tried a number of critique groups and I’ve come to the conclusion they just don’t work for me. Just as too many cooks ruin the soup, too many critiques ruin a story. Plus, there’s some unwritten law of the universe that every single critique group (and/or workshop) must have at least one member who is a complete and total know-it-all jerk. This person either mistakenly believes that the point of a critique is to tear apart a manuscript, or, that their opinion is the “right” way of doing things. Bad feedback from someone like this can derail a writer’s motivation and damage their creative process.
Also, a lot of critique groups tend to do most of their work using the mathematical formula: for every negative remark you make, you should make two positive remarks. But here’s the thing: this leads to dishonest feedback if you think a manuscript has more wrong with it than right. What are you supposed to do? Lie? Say, “Your overall pace didn’t work for me, but hey, your characterization of character A, and the setting in the graveyard scene were great.” When really what you’re thinking is that the pace sucked, but at least the character and the setting didn’t make you want to gouge your eyeballs out.
For those reasons and the fact I find it hard to keep track of more than three or four stories (including my own) I’ve decided critique partners are the best choice for me.
I can tell you from experience that it can be a challenge to find a good critique partner. The first time you exchange work is like a first date. (We all know how some of them can turn out!) I’ve been through my share of not-so-great critique partners (which isn’t to say the fault was with them, but rather with “us”) but for the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to have two AWESOME partners.
Interestingly, I can share the same piece with both women and they rarely point out the same issues with my work (if they do, I KNOW I’ve got to fix it ASAP). They each have different strengths, which is why I learn so much from them. (Oh, and neither writes the same genre as I do, which I know some people consider to be a detriment, but I think it’s a huge advantage.)
Here’s why I think my relationship works with each:
1) We’re a GOOD FIT in terms of personalities. I like being able to laugh with my crit partners. Just last week when I voiced my frustration with the publishing field, one of these fantastic ladies said, “I know there’s an issue with the real world right now….” It’s had me chuckling ever since.
2) We’re reliable. We don’t leave each other waiting for feedback for weeks or months at a time.
3) We’re invested in helping each other improve, rather than trying to tear each other down.
4) We know what we want from each other. (It’s important to discuss this up front. Tell potential critters what you’re looking for: overall impression, help with typos/grammar, plot, characterization, structure.)
5) We don’t take offense if the other person doesn’t take our advice. (Well, okay, there’s one story I really, really, REALLY want one of my crit partners to finish (the synopsis and sample chapters ROCKED) and I’m kinda miffed I haven’t gotten to read the whole book yet, but for the most part I don’t mind that they ignore my advice.) After all, feedback is just an opinion.
6) We’re honest and encouraging. (If I say I like something, it’s not because I’m trying to jack up my ratio of positive comments. It means I actually like it.)
What about you? Do you prefer to work alone or do you rely on the feedback of others? Have you had rough experiences receiving critiques? Is there someone you can always rely on to give you outstanding feedback? What traits do you think a critique partner should possess?
And….do you believe in the two positive remarks for every negative equation?
12 comments:
My critique partners have been a huge help. But you're right, you have to find the right people and there has to be a mutual understanding of the purpose of the partnership. But, just as a critique group can be more counter productive than good in some situations, sometimes having too many critique partners can be detrimental as well. If they all find similar errors or have similar suggestions then it's great, but when everyone's thoughts are different it can cause confusion and stagnate the process for the writer (or at least this is what happened to me in the past).
I have very few critique partners, but I trust them entirely and truly appreciate their feedback. Like you pointed out, I think it's mostly about the "fit". Great post!
I've had crit partners and beta readers over the years, but never a crit group. (Unless you count that one online forum/chat room thing back in '04 where they set upon my newbie-ness like a pack of rabid gerbils.) I can't imagine. You're so right that the right people can give awesome feedback. And the wrong people can be like a date gone wrong.
I do try to find positives where I can in anything I'm asked to crit, but don't subscribe to the complement sandwich theory. If I can't find anything positive about a piece within the first chapter, I send it back with a polite note that maybe the writing isn't ready for anyone else's eyes. Of course, that has it's own hazards - like my own chapters bleeding from multiple crit attacks. Critting can be an ugly business sometimes.
Re: No. 5 - I just HATE when people don't finish their stories. That crit partner needs 50 lashes with a wet noodle. [walks away whistling]
I prefer critique partners rather than a critique group. The logistics of a group has never worked for me.
Oh, I don't think I could make it work even with just a partner. I need positive comments more than anything; I just crumble in the face of anything negative. That's why I only write short pieces: blog posts, grocery lists -- they're harder to tangle up.
Aw, all these wonderful experiences with critique partners. So cool! I'm definitely a go-it-alone type person while I'm writing. Hubby offers up his opinions after I hand a ms off, which is so appreciated. He pushes me to do better and I guess that's what a good critique partner should do. I don't believe in the sandwich thingie unless you're on a site like Nathan Bransford's (when he does his page critiques). I think in a public forum it's good to find something positive to say.
Our crit group in its current incarnation works pretty well, but we've had to do some shuffling of members to get here. And I have a good beta/crit partner, plus a few others where we keep up with each other's submissions experiences, since we don't want to air all that on our blogs. You do need someone understanding to vent with!
omg, I LURV my critters. And you're right, similar personalities and timely responses are tops on the list of important things. As is lots of sugar with the medicine... :D <3
Anita -- I've never experienced the "too many critique partners" issue, but I def. see how that could be a problem. At least you've learned one thing that doesn't work for you.
Lindsay -- Ack! I forgot to put "trust" on my list! SOOO important.
B.E. -- Critting is definitely walking on a tightrope sometimes, but it's pure magic when it works well.
Jennifer -- UH HUH
feefioto -- See last week's post about beta readers....sounds like they're who you need at this point.
Joann -- you're lucky to have your hubby
Angelica -- Yes! Having someone to vent to in private is priceless!
LTM -- I'm a nut about timeliness in general, so it's important to me (and it's the thing that drives me craziest about the whole publishing business). I guess someone who is more laid back might not consider it to be a priority...?
I just started working with some crit partners and I love it. They point out things I've never seen and give one-on-one feedback. Since I haven't been part of a group, I can't say whether it's better or worse, but I can see how there would be too many "cooks" in the kitchen.
My favorite way to get feedback is to be in a small group (no more than 4 or 5). I do like getting different opinions, from both people who read my genre and people who don't. I took a couple of workshops (16 people plus an instructor) and that was pretty overwhelming at times, so I prefer the small group format. I haven't done the group thing in a while though - we all seem to be on different writing paths right now, which is cool, but we all still check in with each other.
As for the 2 positive comments for every negative, we did something like that in workshops (you had start and end with something positive, but you could give as much constructive criticism as you wanted in between), and I actually did enjoy that. It's in my nature to look for the positive anyway, so it wasn't hard to pick out things to compliment the writer on. But I also do think it's just as important for a writer to know what they're good at, and not just what needs work. There was one person in my group who kicked ass at dialogue (she's written something like a dozen screenplays) but her narrative was stiff. Due to the compliments she got on her dialogue, she reworked her draft so it was much more dialogue heavy, and her book was so much better for it. (She's agented and on sub now.)
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