At this month’s AAG meeting at Shoney’s in Abingdon, we tried something a little different that I think most of our members would find beneficial. Member Jason Houghton recommended that we dedicate some time to our own work at these meetings. A few brave members volunteered their work for discussion, critique, and suggestion. Those volunteers were kept anonymous from the group on hand and we took turns reading from the submissions.
The results of this meeting were more than we could have hoped for. After each reading, we spent time discussing the sample, sharing both positive and negative comments. Those comments were noted and left with our guild leader to pass along to those brave enough to submit. It was a great exercise in noting what our strong points are and what we need to work on. To be fair, this kind of meeting requires some thick skin. It’s probably not meant for the writer with a brittle spirit. However, the amount of feedback and perspective can be incredibly valuable if you’re willing to share your work for a group critique.
There are some obvious benefits to being a part of a critique circle. For starters, you need this kind of feedback long before you get to the publishing process. The last thing you want to do is put out work that you will regret later. It’s best to catch any problems your work may have with style, pace, and plot before you put it out there for the world to judge. It’s important to note that if you are a part of a group like this, it is important to remember you are devouring the food, not the chef. In other words, critique the writing, not the writer. There is a difference and sometimes that line can get blurred. It’s important to lay down some ground rules before holding a meeting for critical review of a fellow writer. Our AAG group was incredibly thorough in their reviews, but also very sensitive and professional. We’ve all been there and in some ways we were all passing along our reviews the way we would hope to receive honest feedback about our own work.
Be on the lookout for future meetings like this. I encourage everyone to join in sometime. If you can’t make the meetings, it might benefit you to connect with a few fellow writers in your area and do the same. It may very well help everyone improve their work. After all, isn’t that our ultimate goal?
The results of this meeting were more than we could have hoped for. After each reading, we spent time discussing the sample, sharing both positive and negative comments. Those comments were noted and left with our guild leader to pass along to those brave enough to submit. It was a great exercise in noting what our strong points are and what we need to work on. To be fair, this kind of meeting requires some thick skin. It’s probably not meant for the writer with a brittle spirit. However, the amount of feedback and perspective can be incredibly valuable if you’re willing to share your work for a group critique.
There are some obvious benefits to being a part of a critique circle. For starters, you need this kind of feedback long before you get to the publishing process. The last thing you want to do is put out work that you will regret later. It’s best to catch any problems your work may have with style, pace, and plot before you put it out there for the world to judge. It’s important to note that if you are a part of a group like this, it is important to remember you are devouring the food, not the chef. In other words, critique the writing, not the writer. There is a difference and sometimes that line can get blurred. It’s important to lay down some ground rules before holding a meeting for critical review of a fellow writer. Our AAG group was incredibly thorough in their reviews, but also very sensitive and professional. We’ve all been there and in some ways we were all passing along our reviews the way we would hope to receive honest feedback about our own work.
Be on the lookout for future meetings like this. I encourage everyone to join in sometime. If you can’t make the meetings, it might benefit you to connect with a few fellow writers in your area and do the same. It may very well help everyone improve their work. After all, isn’t that our ultimate goal?
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