Comments on: 3 Things To Look For In a Critique Community

By: Robin McCormack

Robin McCormack — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 23:14:45 +0000

Excellent post and Jon and Ross make excellent points. Just finished a critiquing class on Savvy Authors and learned much from it. I have a tendency to proof read, plus tell folks how to fix something since spent 25 some odd years as a administrative assistant. So I learned how to critique as well as receive critiques.

I look for positive energy, folks who are willing to learn like me and willing to accept honest feedback. I need feedback, not just “oh it looks great.” That doesn’t do me any good. I think we all need to hear what works as well as what doesn’t work.

By: Great Stuff on the Writers’ Blogs, June 26 & 27 « cochisewriters

Great Stuff on the Writers’ Blogs, June 26 & 27 « cochisewriters — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:38:04 +0000

[…] Pereira (@DIYMFA) follows with two posts on critique groups on DIY MFA: 3 Things I Look for in a Critique Community and Critique vs. Discussion: What Kind of Feedback Do You Need? I fully agree with her three […]

By: Gabriela

Gabriela — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:57:35 +0000

Great point! I’ve actually done workshops of both styles that you mentioned and I find that you get different styles of feedback too. The first one where you read aloud, I find that the feedback is more immediate and that people giving critique don’t have time to over-think their comments. On the other hand, taking the work home and having time to read it in depth often provides deeper insights and more meaty discussion. Ultimately, it depends on the dynamic of the group. Excellent point.

By: Ross Lampert

Ross Lampert — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:52:36 +0000

Right on target, Gabriela. I’d add one other thing: a group that works the way I need it to. What do I mean by that? Example: I left a group in which the members just brought work in and read it out loud. The rest of the group tried to read, listen, and analyze all at once, then provide flash critique. I couldn’t work that way. I didn’t feel I was giving the best I could, or that the feedback I was getting was all that useful, so a founded a new group. We pass out our work electronically between meetings, take the time to read it at home, then come to the meeting ready to discuss it, using the three principles you describe above. MUCH better. And the long-time members aren’t just better writers for it, we’ve become friends, too.

By: Gabriela

Gabriela — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:32:24 +0000

So true! The IRL (in real life) test is a great way to evaluate a community. Personally, I want colleagues and writing partners in my life, not creative-energy vampires. And that goes for online and offline relationships.

Your comment about leadership is right on! I was in this one workshop where the teacher did nothing to curb the competitive negative energy of a few writers in the group. I ended up so discouraged by whole experience that at the end of the term that I stopped writing fiction. It was several years before I got up the nerve to try again. An encouraging and collaborative tone is so important in any community but I think it’s especially critical whenever creativity is involved.

By: Jon Bard

Jon Bard — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:37:18 +0000

For me, it’s about attitude. If a community is infused with positive energy from members who have the right perspective on perseverance, learning their craft and embracing changes in publishing, rather than running from them, it will be a tremendous resource for all involved.

OTOH, just a handful of members who are concerned mostly with airing grievances, complaining about the state of the world and generally being miserable can quickly poison the well.

So it’s vital that there be a leader to keep things moving in a positive direction and keep the lid on negativity.

The bottom line is this — would you hang around these people in real life? I, for one, run far away from negative people, gossips and complainers. They simply sap my creative will. And I have as little tolerance for them online as I do in the physical world.

Good luck with your Facebook community — can’t wait to see how it develops!