The Pitch Wars writing competition got cranked up on December 2 (if you don't know what that is go check it out here). This year, I'd decided I wouldn't join the stress-inducing activities, because I wasn't sure it would be worth—well—the stress. The more I said I wasn't going to jump into the fray, the more my critique partners encouraged me to enter my newest novel SECRETS I KEEP. It wasn't until the illustrious Fiona McLaren reminded me the most important part of Pitch Wars happens OUTSIDE of the actual contest that I reconsidered and decided to take the plunge.
"What's that?", you must be asking yourself with bated breath. ;) It really has nothing to do with the amazing Brenda Drake, all those awesome mentors, or even the killer manuscripts. The best thing to come out of Pitch Wars for many writers are the new friends they make while stalking the Twitter feed. This year, there's an added feature, the PimpMyBio blog hop, yet another way to get to know your fellow warriors. I've met several really lovely writers, who I'm excited about getting to know better even after Pitch Wars is over. Some of my best friends I've made on Twitter.
I highly recommend critique partners, as you can tell if you've read almost any of my posts on this blog. I’ve learned more about writing from critiquing others' work than having my own shredded (not to say I haven’t learned from that too, because I have—truckloads). The reciprocal nature of a CP group is very helpful.
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| Yes, that's me, well, my face |
My critique group is The Off Beats. We've been together for over a year now and have become a close, cohesive group, even though we have everything from MG to Erotica writers. I'd be completely lost without them. Before I explain how our group operates, I want to make it clear this is what works for us. Meaning, each group must figure out what works best for them.This post is just meant to be informational—a jumping-off place, so to speak.
1. Communication
The Off Beats are scattered across the world, literally.
One of our members lives in Cyprus, the rest of us are dotted on the map from
Pennsylvania to Texas. We communicate primarily by Facebook Messenger, like
chat sessions. We’ve also used Google Chat, but we like the way FB is formatted
better. Facebook shows profile pictures, and when there are several people on
at once it really helps keep everyone straight (and there are ‘stickers’ we can
play with too, which are fun.) We also
email and Tweet to and about one another, all the CPLOVE tweets, not negative
stuff. One thing to note about emails, if a group is more than three or four
people, email strings can get cumbersome and fill up an inbox pretty quickly.
2. To critique or not to critique
Not everyone writes or reads the same genres. My group’s policy
is, if someone doesn't have the inclination to CP a particular project, it's
fine to bow out. Or perhaps it’s an issue of time. Sometimes we’re just too
busy with our own writing and/or everyday lives to be able to critique. When
this happens, we cheer-lead the rest of The Off Beats from the sidelines.
3. Giving notes: be
constructive
Honestly, I have a hard time
remembering to say the good things. When a manuscript is reading well, I'm too
busy just reading. It isn't until I run into a snag that I remember to make a
note. Though I do always try to say things in such a way as to not tear down,
but to build up and encourage—try being
the operative word. Remember, no one communicates their feelings perfectly all
the time. I’m sure there are times when my CPs read my notes and then have to
remind themselves I’m not a horrible, mean person who just wants to stomp on
their manuscript as well as their souls. I usually preface my notes with an
email reminding my CPs everything is said because I want to help them make
their book the best it can possibly be. Sometimes, I have to say "O_o,
this didn't work for me and this is why..." THE WHY is very important—if you can give it. Constructive
criticism isn’t actually constructive, if you don’t at least try to give a
suggestion. Then again, suggestions should be framed as such. It’s never a good
idea to go into someone’s work and mark something, saying, “That sucks. THIS is
how it should go.”
4. Asking for critiques
There are different levels of
critiques. Our group usually makes it clear to the critique what they are
looking for. After all, you don’t want to use up someone’s time as they give
you in-depth line-edits if really all you wanted was an overall idea of how
they like your project. In that same vein, if you aren’t clear that you’re
ready for serious line-by-line edits, you may end up with only plot notes. Be
specific, this helps everyone.
5. CP from the NON-SMOKING section
Meaning: DON'T BLOW SMOKE UP
THEIRS, and ask the same of them. Taking criticism isn't for the faint of
heart, but neither is the publishing business. So if you hear something you
don't like, take it for what it is, just a personal thought of one person, it
could be helpful to listen or to ignore. But the CP relationship does no one
any good if you just tell each other how great your works are. That’s not to imply
it shouldn't be said when someone LOVEs something. Then again, don't hold back
if something’s not working.6. Grow a thick skin
It's sometimes difficult to
hear bad things about one’s work, but what good will it do to get fluffed-up,
positive feedback only to receive all the negative remarks—in the form of
rejections—from agents? Better to have an honest CP tell the unvarnished truth
so the bugs can be worked out BEFORE the manuscript is sent to those dream agents,
than waste that ONE chance with said agent for that MS.
7. Take it, or leave it
Always feel free to IGNORE
any or all comments by a CP—it’s YOUR book after all. If something feels wrong
for your MS, DON'T DO IT. In that same vein, realize if you CP for others, they
may choose to ignore your comments too—and that's perfectly fine. The
one thing you must learn as an author is how to take criticism for what it is:
a help to you whether you choose to make the suggested changes or not. Because
sometimes you just have to go with your gut. Then again, if more than one CP
makes a suggestion, you would be wise to seriously consider it, because, chances
are other readers [read as agents/editors] will also have these same thoughts
about your work. There’s no point in having a critique, if the writer on the
receiving end NEVER listens.
8. Give your CPs your tightest possible manuscript
This one is huge! It’s great to get overall feedback on
unedited chapters or even a completed first draft, sometimes we just need to
know we’re headed in the right direction. However, before anyone asks a CP to
give them line-by-line edits, they really should do everything they can to
tighten up their prose as much as they possibly can. There are tons of blog
posts out there giving tips on how to do this. *queue shameless plug* As a
matter of fact, I’ve got a blog series covering this very topic. The Ten
Writing Tighteners Series is a perfect place to start. Handing off your baby
before it’s been burped and had its dirty diaper changed is just rude, no less
so for your book baby.
9. How to find CPs
There are some websites geared for this. CPseek is one I think of off
the top of my head. Or you can just put the word out, via Twitter/Facebook,
that you’re looking for CPs and you might like to form a group. My experience
has been the writing community is very helpful. If you ask, you will most
likely be rewarded with people passing on the tweets and FB posts until you’re
able to get enough people together. Plus, there are always writers looking for
people to help them hone their craft. So offer to critique someone’s book for
them, they might just return the offer. Though, I would suggest you not just go
asking others to critique your book, without being willing to return the favor.
What I’ve done in the past is simply tweeted something like, “I have a [genre]
book that needs a critique, willing to trade MSs. Anyone interested?”
10. There is no “cheating” on your CP group
I’ve done a lot of critiquing for authors outside of The Off
Beats, as well as having my MSs critiqued by them. Even
though I have this awesome assembly of friends/CPs, I still stretch further to seek
and offer assistance to and from others. It never hurts to have fresh eyes, especially
when the entire CP group has gone through your MS. By the time you've done
three rewrites, they may be getting weary, so reach out to get fresh feedback,
and in doing so, give back to those outside your circle as well.
11. You’re just dating your CPs, not marrying them
When a person joins a CP
group, it’s important to have an open-door policy. If for any reason the person
doesn’t mesh with the group, they can leave without any hard feelings on anyone’s
part. Also, within the group, if one or more writers find they just don’t work
well with another member, it’s okay to agree to just be each other’s
cheerleaders, confidants, and so forth. You might still want to have or give
feedback on a query or synopsis, without the necessity of the actual manuscript
critique. Also, when you are just getting to know someone as a potential CP,
you don't have to stick with them forever. It’s perfectly fine to do a one book
exchange CP, then see if you like each other’s CP styles. After that, decide if
you want to stick together for future projects. There is one author in our
group who doesn't care for my style of critiquing, so I don't do hers—and it's
okay, because I still encourage her in other areas, as she does for me. There
is so much more to being a CP than just the actual manuscript critique.
There are a million writers who have even more great suggestions to add to this list. Are you one of them? Please add a comment below. Thanks for visiting and I hope you found this post helpful. If you did, please consider sharing it on Facebook or tweeting about it. Also, I'd love for you to follow this blog via email and join this site through Google (check upper right side bar).
