Critique Partners/Groups Part 2

Part 2 – Critique Partners

A – Choose the Group that’s right for you – Face to Face Groups

When I first started out with my writing, I thought I could handle the face-to-face critique group where two or more people get together and hash out the ins and outs of a piece of work. Oh boy, was I ever wrong. It’s very tough to listen to someone tell you why certain aspects of your story didn’t work for them. Some people will have tact, while others won’t. To boil it down, I’m not the type of person who can handle this kind of criticism without tearing up. It took me three tries with this kind of group before I realized it was just not going to be productive for me or those who were critiquing my work.

Now, this process may be perfect for other people. If you are someone who is social and loves to get together with friends to talk, it might work for you. This can be beneficial because you get a chance to defend what you wrote. You can give a reason why you wrote it this way and hear feedback from several people on why your words may not have gotten this point across. So, if you think it might be a good option, try it.

I would love to hear your experiences with face-to-face critique groups. Did it work for you or was your experience similar to mine?

Also, check out Stephanie Bond’s website. She has some wonderful articles regarding this subject and she is currently addressing critique partners on her open book blog…

Come back tomorrow to hear my experience with Freelance editors.