Seeking (and Providing) Critiques About Writing Craftsmanship
Finding Quality Feedback: The Importance of Writers Groups
For writers seeking honest, constructive feedback, joining a writers group can be an invaluable resource. According to a seasoned author, the ideal duration for involvement in such a group ranges from six months to a couple of years.
The optimum length of a passage to critique is approximately 1000 words, but variations are allowed. It's essential to bring something to critique every week, and even if you have nothing, support your colleagues in their work.
Meeting frequency is another crucial factor. A writers group typically meets weekly for about three hours, and the recommendation is to maintain this schedule.
To ensure you receive quality feedback, engage with fellow writers or peers for peer reviews. Set clear guidelines and questions for reviewers, focusing on aspects such as clarity, pacing, and tone. Tools like Google Docs or writing communities can be used for asynchronous feedback.
Ask for feedback that includes examples and stories, not just vague opinions. Specific feedback like "In the third paragraph, your pacing felt rushed which made it confusing" is much more actionable than general comments like "I didn’t like it."
Encourage kindness and empathy in feedback. Good feedback providers come from a place of kindness, aiming to help you grow without triggering defensiveness.
Seek out participants who give perceptive feedback and with whom you feel comfortable to form a critique group. Schedule a time away from the original group to discuss logistics and agree on expectations.
If a writers group cannot provide enough time for all manuscripts to be read, it may break up into smaller segments. Bring a paper copy of your manuscript pages for each attendee in the critique group.
When reading your partners' work, go through it multiple times and catch the author's vision for the piece. Quality feedback involves correcting typos, marking unclear sections, suggesting solutions, crossing out unnecessary words, replacing passive words with active ones, suggesting reorganization, pointing out redundancies and inconsistencies, writing a word of encouragement, and identifying potential markets.
True growth in writing requires committing to putting in the time. The author belongs to a critique group that has been meeting weekly for 25 years. The author lives in a major metropolitan area and found a writers group through an internet search.
Writers groups can be found in various locations such as senior centers, book stores, coffee shops, libraries, and church basements. Some writers groups are made up of beginners with limited expertise.
In addition to critiques, writers groups offer a variety of services including how-to presentations, hands-on prompts, information about potential markets, and critiques of manuscripts. They can help writers learn how to offer encouragement and constructive criticism by observing others.
If you're interested in forming a critique group, consider asking 6-7 admired participants if they would be interested in joining you. The key is to find a group that provides specific, example-driven, and actionable advice within a supportive environment, leading to personal growth and improvement.
In the realm of a writer's creative process, incorporating a home-and-garden lifestyle, they might find a tranquil space conducive to fostering their work. This environment, filled with inspiring decor, might spark new ideas and provide the necessary peace for writing.
For continuous improvement in their writing lifestyle, seasoned authors suggest joining a writers group that not only offers constructive criticism but also shares valuable insights and techniques from a variety of experiences.
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