Critique Groups: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Part 2

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Wah WAH Wah

In my last blog entry, I talked about my good experiences with critique groups.

What do I consider a good critique group. One which

• Encourages
• Teaches
• Helps
• Generous
• Strives to do better (whatever that is)

I found all these things on my first try. What would happen on my next venture away from this kind group of Christian writers?

Well.

I submitted a chapter to another group and will not say which one for reasons you will see. I asked for a critique and got one back that took my breath away. It was harsh and there was plenty of it. After going back to my original group for moral support, which I received, I looked carefully at the comments.

They were right on and very helpful. I will call this the bad, even though it didn't turn out that way. I wound up staying with this group and have gotten equally harsh comments. However, I know the person. I can take what they give out because in the end it works. And it helps. Even though I am quite sure this person hates what I write (high fantasy, elves, dwarves, etc).

Which brings us to ugly.

Ugly critiques are

• Sarcastic
• Self serving (look how much better I am than you)
• Mean spirited (a put down rather than an actual critique)

I have only received a couple of these, thank God. But they hurt and they were given to me by other Christians. One sarcastic comment was "Oh, come on. What is this?" Unnecessary.

I wish that I could say that I was thick skinned and took it on the chin. I took it to heart and almost stopped writing altogether. I was humiliated. I quit a bunch of groups and bided my time, waiting for a good moment to quit all my groups altogether.

But God intervened. Wouldn't you know, about 2 weeks after this horrible critique I published a little article. One that a person had cut up in ribbons.

So what's the point?

My point is, Critique groups can be good, bad and ugly. Just remember:

• Be polite, even if people are not polite to you. (The Golden Rule--hello)
• Use the Sandwich method. Always. Period
• Put on some thick skin. My tolerance for criticism may higher than yours. Maybe. It's possible.
• Even if the critique is bad or harsh, take a deep breath. Or a day or two. Come back to it and learn.
• When (not if) you get an ugly critique, take it for what it's worth. Take what you can use and ignore the rest. If you cannot ignore the rest, then you cannot use it. Pitch it and MOVE ON.
• If you don't like sarcasm, don't use it yourself. (Again with the golden rule)

Then, my friend, get back up and get writing.

Here's a list of my good, bad and ugly critique groups for Speculative Fiction (you will note that these are Christian groups):

Christian Fiction WRE Crit Group
Christian Corner of Writers
Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers Assoc.
Christian Women of Fantasy/Romance/Mystery
FrogsnEagles
Genre Christian Writers
Writers for the King

Critique Groups: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Part 1 - The Good

I have been writing stories my entire life, now that I think about it. It started one summer when I was in 4th grade. My favorite book was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; I loved the fact that Beth had 3 other sisters.

I identified with Beth, the quiet, shy one, because I was most like her at the time. But something in me made me want to have that world all to myself. In a seventies type world. So at the tender age of 9, I wrote about 75 pages of a "book."

A woman named Mabel Guthat lived downstairs. She happened to be the editor for a little industrial magazine. She also had a typewriter.

Never underestimate your impact on a child.

She took the time to type out that entire summary of Little Women (well, that's what it was) and was touched that I dedicated the book to her. What a dear lady.

The one thing she did NOT do was critique this little manuscript. That was smart--it was intelligent and kind of her to keep her comments to herself. Her silence gave me the courage and the audacity to continue to write. However, my writing was my own and I dared not show anyone what my mind thought. What it could conjur up.

As I got older, my interests changed. I became interested in drama, theatre and music. However, always, in a notebook hidden under my bed, poems, journaling, thoughts. Maybe the beginning of a story never finished.

Years went by and eventually I joined a critique group called Christian Corner of Writers Group 1. It was not an accident that I joined this kind and generous group of people. When I showed them my work, they did not mock me or insult me. They also did not stay silent. They gave me a critique.

There are critiques and there are critiques. The critiques that I received from them were helpful, they were very thorough and they made me think. They--the members and their crits--made me learn and gave me a desire and encouragement to learn more.

They achieved this by using the sandwich method. Simply put, the sandwich method of critiquing is:

1 Say something nice

2 Say your peace - in other words, your critique

3 Say something nice at the end

I must have received 31 comments on the last chapter that I wrote; my infamous Chapter 11, where I stopped. Even with all the comments, I did not feel belittled. I did not feel sick to my stomach. I felt helped and encouraged, comment after comment after comment.

You would think that after all the good that came out of this group that I would just stay there and be loved. Well, I'm still loved there or at least I think I am (and that's what counts to me). I'm still treated with respect (one can only imagine why).

However, I gained courage. Boldness. So I ventured out into other groups. But that is for part 2--the Bad and the Ugly.

*Shortcut to the above picture by Doug Hyde.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the creation of this weblog. For the opportunity that You have given to us to be with each other from all parts of the world. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the friends we have made in this particular group.

We ask, Lord Jesus, that You would be honored and glorified here. We commit ourselves to do so. We commit our words here to reflect You. We commit ourselves to follow Your standard and no one elses. Please give us wisdom in choosing what to say and what to write about. And we commit our comments to reflect You as well, that others may see Your light.

Protect this site from the evil one; bind him in the name of Jesus and in the power of His shed blood. We claim this site for Jesus and Jesus alone. Amen

Welcome to the E.A.G.L.E.S. Guild - Writers of Faith (Fiction). This group is dedicated to Christian writers for sharing information, musings and thoughts in the writing world of fiction.

Members of this group need not be published writers. A love of writing, a respect for fellow writers and the willingness to share is all that is required.

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