Critique Groups
Today’s post is a little short. I have a big afternoon ahead, meeting with fourteen writers at varying levels of experience, fiction and non-fiction, all eager to join a critique group. My job is to organize and train, then after a few meetings, I leave the group. At that point, the members take over and make whatever scheduling and procedural changes they choose.
With a total of fourteen interested attendees, we’ll form at least two and maybe three groups. This is one of the services provided by Northern Colorado Writers and many other excellent writing organizations around the country.
If you write (or want to), I definitely recommend a good critique group to help you fine tune your skills.
Monday’s Special Guest
Linda Osmundson, author of How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie’s Art will be here to talk about publication and promotion. If you have any kids in your life and like to buy them books that educate as well as entertain, you’ll want to know more about the How the West Was Drawn series.
Northern Colorado Writers on Facebook
Every Friday I’ll be posting a new fun question of the week on the Northern Colorado Writers Facebook page. I hope you’ll stop by and post your answer. And while you’re there, could you “Like” us, pretty please?
The 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge
If you didn’t read Arlee Bird’s guest post yesterday, check it out. This blog challenge is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for ways to increase your blog followers, this is your chance.
Very cool – have fun with the crit folks! 🙂
Just wanted to say, you do very well on organizing critique groups. I’ll also second or tenth the opinion that critique groups are worth their weight in gold … when they’re helpful.
What a great way to get a critique group off the ground!
Donna V.
http://donnasbookpub.blogspot.com
Patricia, I’ll be seeing you in the A to Z Challenge! I’ve signed up, and I’m wondering what I’ve gotten myself into! lol!
Arlee, about 20 years ago, I read an article in the local paper saying that the Southern Indiana Writers Group was going to have an open meeting for people to check it out and see if they wanted to join. The people who showed up were told, by the two people who put the piece in the paper, that there WAS no Southern Indiana Writers Group, and did we want to form one! As I said, that was about 20 years ago, and the group is still going strong, and includes some of those original members. So there’s one idea of how to do it!
Marian Allen
I enjoyed Arlee Bird yesterday and am looking forward to his A to Z challenge.
Have a good week-end.
Yvonne.
Patricia, I’d love to have a copy of that handout. Do you have it as a doc on your computer that you can e-mail as an attachment? Or would you have to snail mail it?
Lee
Tossing It Out and the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011
Hi Margot — It’s always fun bringing a new group together.
Nancy — RMFW does have a lot of critique groups available around the state, but I don’t know if they’re open to new members. Good question.
Alex — my own critique group has been so helpful to me that I feel I’m paying it forward to get others started. I’ll feel like a proud mom every time one of these authors get published.
Arlee — I also like face-to-face groups better than online, although online can be helpful if you live pretty far from others. You might try posting notes at the public library or even a coffee shop to see if you can drum up a little interest. I’d be happy to send you the handout I use when I start a new group so you can see the process I prefer. ….And yes, I added four new followers just from your post yesterday. Maybe I can reach 300+ during the challenge.
Hey, Marvin — Whatever works! I use a cousin who reads but doesn’t write to be my first reader (after my critique group has been through the whole manuscript). It helps to have both points of view.
Hi Melissa — I’m not sure I ever would have been published without a critique group, so I’m a believer.
I love my crit group because I would not be the writer I am without them. You are awesome for helping these groups get started.
Busy gal! I’ve never joined a formal critique group, but I have a close circle of writer/reader HONEST (brutaly, sometimes, lol) friends who I bounce my ms’s off of, and I do the same for them. Sort of an informal version of a CG, I suppose, and it helps, for sure.
I’d love to become a part of a critique group but I don’t know where to look in my area. I prefer a group that physically meets to an online group, but the latter might be an okay alternative. I don’t know how to go about looking for something like this. Any suggestions?
Speaking of increasing blog followers I see that you are about to hit 200! With A to Z I’m sure you will be passing that mark very soon.
Lee
Tossing It Out and the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011
That’s great you get the groups started and then let them go.
I’m the moderator of a critique group here and I so agree with you. I hadn’t heard of setting them up that way. Maybe RMFW should consider doing that.
I’m on my way over to like you now.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Pat – It sounds as though you have a busy afternoon, indeed! I hope your orientation with the critque groups goes well :-). I look forward to “meeting” Linda Osmundson, too.