The third best thing you can do to improve as a writer, after writing more and reading more, is joining a writing critique group. Here I share my top tips on forming an effective and lasting critique group.
The third best thing you can do for your writing (besides writing more and reading more) is join a critique group. This is easier said than done.
I found my first writing group through Writers & Books in Rochester, NY and when I moved to New Mexico I found another group through meetup.com, but I wouldn’t rule out reaching out to strangers on social media. However, writers, like cats, are notoriously difficult to herd. There are many considerations when forming a writing group, logistical and otherwise.
Who is in charge of scheduling and hosting?
When will you meet and how often?
Will you meet in person or online?
Is your group going to be open to all genres? Non-fiction as well as fiction? Memoirs? Recipe books? Graphic novels? You might be surprised at what people want to bring to the group.
Are you open to all lengths? Short stories? novellas? novels? epic fantasy series?
How long can submitted works be?
Will the submitted works be read ahead of time or during the meeting?
How polished are submissions expected to be? Are typos a no-no, or are they expected?
How exclusive is the group? Are there requirements for joining or even requirements for being invited back? What’s the maximum number of people your group wants to support?
It’s a lot to consider, but having been in loosy-goosy groups, some of which have suffered from their own success, swelling to the point of bursting and disbanding, many of these questions are, in my opinion, worth addressing ahead of time.
I’m not going to tell you how best to structure your group, but I’m going to share my top recommendations for a successful critique group.
Number 1: Equal voices and limited time
How much time does everyone get to talk? My Rochester group came out of people I met in a class and that class was regimented, having a cap on the total number of attendees with each person allotted a strict five minutes to give feedback. This was necessary in order to give everyone an equal opportunity to speak and not run over time. I highly recommend a system with a designated time-keeper, preferably the group’s strictest, sternest, and most intimidating member.
You can always invite group members to hang out afterwards to socialize.
Number 2: Instruct members on how to deliver feedback with the explicit promise that violators will not be invited back
The vast majority of writers I’ve encountered are lovely people, but I think, rules like this one help to encourage a safe and trusting environment.
In the Rochester group everyone was REQUIRED to say things they liked about the story under discussion as well as things they thought could be improved.
You don’t have to use the sandwich method of putting criticism meat between compliment bread, but I agree with the basic philosophy that there are always good things to say AND room for improvement. So, I like the approach of providing genuine compliments encouragement as well as criticism for each and every piece discussed.
Critical feedback is best presented using “I” statements: “I felt bored by the pacing.” or “I was confused about who was speaking”. Rather than “You should.”
In fact, I’d say advice regarding what to change and how should not be given unless the author explicitly requests it.
Number 3: Clearly establish group goals
What do you want out of a writing group?
Some groups are all about encouragement and accountability: Here are people who are expecting me to follow through with writing the next chapter and they believe in me. They don’t care if I submit work riddled with typos and exposition. We are here to support each other and keep the words flowing.
Other groups are all about improving with an end goal of publication. Here are people who are going to give me straight talk on what’s not good enough in my story, what’s clunky, confusing, and just plain broken.
Most groups are a mixture.
Regardless of the type of group you’re in, all participants should understand the type of feedback that is appropriate and should share the goals of their writing peers in the group.
I recommend that each author explicitly state what feedback they are and are not looking for each time they submit to the group.
For instance: I’m submitting a polished, late revision draft. I want to know what parts are confusing, clunky, where words are clumsily repeated, or the scene suffers “white room syndrome”.
As opposed to: this is my first draft, please ignore typos and let me know if the characters and plot are engaging.
Bottom line, group members should understand the expectations to ensure a smooth and productive conversation. Some readers get very frustrated and even feel disrespected by submissions littered with typos.
Is that the type of group you want, or would you rather it be more casual and welcoming? That part is up to you.
That’s all I’ve got. I would love to hear about your thoughts or experiences on what has or hasn’t worked in your critique groups in the comments below. Or let me know if there are issues I’ve not addressed that you’re interested in hearing my opinion about.
Until next time, good luck and good writing.
Haste Writing 
These observations as always are very good. One question you did forget to mention is, “what do you want out of a group like this?” Everyone is going to want something different. Some want specific commentary to improve their work. I Hope I fall into this category. They have specific goals in mind and want feedback on their work. Others frankly join a writing group for affirmation. They are horribly afraid of exposing their work to the public and want some reassurance that they don’t suck. Others say they want a writing group but really want a circle of friends. Some want an audience. A few want to criticize and abuse the work of others because they know their own efforts are terrible. I can say for myself that I fit into several of these categories, and not all of them in a good way.
Any group like this is going to be hard to hold together, especially since the basic goal is to say “constructive” bad things about someone’s personal work and not to be personal. It’s almost impossible.
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Thank you for pointing this out and admitting to being a real true including-the-imperfections human. There are a variety of things to want out of a group and all of us want more than one of these things, including a few things we’d rather not admit out loud. In hindsight, my video/post is simplistic in some ways. I wish I had acknowledged the inevitable ego bruising, though I partly avoided it because I’m not sure what to say about it, just another difficulty in being a writer. Let me know if you got anything recent you want some feedback on!
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