You’ve heard of them, you may have one, you may have tried to form one, or they may be eluding you. A solid, effective critique group is hard to find, and even harder to maintain. So, what’s the formula for one that lasts?
Spoiler: There is no formula!
What you really need is diverse experiences among members.
Your critique partner(s) must know something you don’t.
I’ve had literally dozens of critique partners over the last five years, and what I’ve found is that, in order to be effective, they need to know something you don’t, be better at a particular skill than you are, have experiences you haven’t had, and/or live a life you haven’t lived. At first, you might feel you’re receiving more help than you’re able to give, but I assure you, that’s not the case.
It can be helpful if you all write in the same genre, but not necessary, as long as you’re all familiar with each other’s genres. Good writing is good writing, and beta readers and editors for your genre can help make sure you’re including your genre’s nuances if they are missing.
You must offer something in return.
You also must have something to offer the other participants: a vision, connections, knowledge of character development or story structure, business skills, organization, the ability to encourage or inspire, perspective of a character that is your age, etc.
Beginning writers may not think their participation brings any value to the group, but that would be a mistruth. At the very least, the least-experienced writer provides the other writers with the opportunity to articulate their weaknesses and hone their own strengths through teaching. Add in life experience, education, job experience, family dynamics, street or book smarts, and the new writer suddenly has a lot to offer.
Case Study: My Multi-Genre Group
In one of my critique groups, we have members spanning the ages of 23-46.
You may think the 23-year-old is the least experienced, but you’d be wrong. She’s spent the last ten years learning and absorbing how to write and publish fiction every spare moment she’s had. She’s driven, knowledgeable, technologically gifted since she grew up with screens, and offers the Gen Z perspective on pieces that the Gen X’ers in the group would think are “normal.” She’s saved me several times from publishing sentences that include terms and phrases that would turn off her generation. Did you know a “nice guy” to the Gen Z’ers means the opposite?
From Urbandictionary.com:
“Nice Guy: Not to be confused with a nice guy (that is, a male that is nice). When used as a noun instead of an adjective, Nice Guy refers to people (men or women) who believe basic social expectations are currency for sex.
Nice Guy: I don’t understand, I’m a good listener, I help carry his/her groceries, and feed the cat while he/she is away, and he/she won’t even let me touch him/her!”
So, I did not use that term in Love on the Beach when Damon was asking what Shelby’s problem with him was. He was a great guy—nice, even—but not a nice guy.
The Gen Z’er also has a handle on ad-making, newsletter writing, social media management, and so many things I don’t even know that I don’t know. I often hire her to do those things for me because I don’t have a day (or longer) to waste learning them.
Our millennial in the group has written almost a million words since she started, and is a master of story structure. When I started writing my first book, she was able to tell me what was missing, and she broke down my main character’s internal arc to show me where my pacing was off. Her input was and is invaluable. She always finds things no one else does; little things that make a big impact. She’s also the first to remind me of my why. Why am I doing this? Why am I rushing to get this published or trying to please so-and-so? Why am I willing to compromise my x for y? Who am I doing this for, and will it matter? She grounds me, and reminds me to look inward when I’m feeling off. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her expertise, love, and challenges.
The Gen X’er closest in age to me is our mediator, empathizing and finding common ground when two strong opinions are at odds. I wonder if she learned the skill managing her three younger brothers! Regardless, she’s the optimist of the group and quick to provide encouragement and a fresh perspective. One of her skills is asking leading questions, making you think about things in new ways and noting where elaboration is needed. Plus, we’ve been good friends since long before we were writers, so I know that even the worst disagreement will not break our friendship.
The other Gen X’er is a master planner, plotter, and strategist. She takes the lead and makes decisions when the rest of us are indecisive and prompts us to stay on task and doggedly pursue our goals (especially me—I tend to get way of track with shiny ideas and anecdotes). She’s our data analyst, our realist, and reminds us that this is a career and a business, and that numbers count. Her sense of humor smooths over her tough love and gets us to raise our bars.
Our Mix of Talents and Backgrounds
Of the five of us, I’m in the middle age-wise, and I like to think I bring glue that ties us all together. At first, that was the case. I listened to what my friends were struggling with and one day, I had the idea to connect us! We all write some form of love stories. Two write urban fantasy/paranormal. Three write fairytale supernatural. Three write traditional romance. Two write historical. Two write supernatural paranormal.
Two are techy, but in different ways. One’s a designer that can market, one’s a marketer who can design. These two are also the youngest and oldest, so we in the group benefit from a variety of mediums, perspectives, and presentations.
Our backgrounds also enrich our contributions. We span three states and have lived in several more. Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. We have lived and worked in diverse and non-diverse areas and with people who both share and despise our beliefs. We’ve traveled extensively. Our careers have included education (elementary to higher ed), service industry, defense, and scientific research. We also have a variety of faiths in the group, and we help each other remember our values when faced with opportunities to stray for the sake of money, design, or readership.
How does a group this diverse work together?
The answer is respect, common goals, commitment to each other and each other’s work, and the skill to agree to disagree when we come to an impasse.
We’ve recently decided to work together to write a series. Our individual strengths are shining through, and though our differences have come to head a few times, we always work it out. It’s a beautiful thing!
The pandemic and Zoom have made it possible for us to meet weekly. We know that will change eventually, and we’ll adapt. We have too much to lose if we don’t.
Where can you find a group like this?
So how can you find a critique group that works? You have to network. Join groups like the Writer’s Atelier Online Community, local and national Facebook groups specific to and not specific to your genre, NaNoWriMo forums, local chapters of national organizations, etc. Get to know other authors at virtual events and invite them to an online write-in. Offer to trade excerpts and see who you can work with. Link up with anyone who you genuinely want to spend more time with and learn from.
I’m also part of another romance critique group that meets monthly. That group has similar dynamics to the one I mentioned, but we focus on honing our genre skills. Every genre has its nuances and trends, and it’s important to know them inside and out. I’m still learning, and though I’ve published the most content, it doesn’t mean I’m a better writer. My romance group reminds me to slow down and smell the roses, and not settle for “good enough” when a piece can be great.
You may not need a group!
You also don’t need a group. Oftentimes, one-on-one feedback is just what I require. Two such critique partners—neither of whom are in either group—specialize in tightening wordy prose and adding and checking historical details. They offer insight and perspective from a literary background, and their advice always enriches my work.
The important thing to keep in mind is that you are looking for someone who can help make your writing stronger who also respects your vision. That may be someone different for each piece if you write a variety of genres, and that’s okay.
Do you have a critique group? If so, what works and what doesn’t? If not, what qualities are you looking for in critique partners?
Kerry Evelyn is an author and instructor in the Orlando literary community. She mentors students and teaches classes for Writer’s Atelier, libraries, and professional organizations. Kerry’s upcoming workbook, How to Binge Write Your Novel, pulls together decades of experience and empowers writers to make the most of their time. Her sweet romance novels feature small towns, a touch of the supernatural, and charming characters pursuing happily-ever-afters. You can find her on Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Visit KerryEvelyn.com to subscribe to her newsletter and learn more!
