Maybe we were looking for a bit of critique on our critique group, but by some miracle all five members of our group were able to break away from home and work to attend The Gift of Good Advice: Critique Groups, Editors, and Everything-in-Between, featuring Charlotte Crystal, Jennifer Elvgren, Deborah Prum, and Andy Straka, all members of the Moseley Writers Group.
They talked a bit about the membership and organization of their own group. Surprisingly to me, the authors in the group have published in a wide range of genres, from nonfiction to children’s literature to crime novels. I would not have the first clue how to critique a book for children, but I bet I would learn something useful from trying. Their group meets every other week from January through May, and their meetings are very organized: they critique around three pieces at each meeting and keep strictly to business. I believe they said their group had been going for about 10 years and ranges in size from 4 to 9 people, something like that.
From my notes:
Good places to meet other writers:
- Classes and workshops
- Writers’ clubs, or club presentations (e.g., readings at local bookstores)
- Conferences and seminars sponsored by professional groups (e.g., SCBWI)
- Not recommended: classified ads!
Who makes a good group member?
- Motivation — are they serious about improving their craft?
- Guidelines — are they willing to follow the rules of the group?
- Criticism — do they know how to workshop? Will they give constructive criticism?
- Writing level — is their skill level similar to that of the rest of the group?
So how did our group measure up? Pretty well, I think. We meet year round and try to meet every week. We mix fun and work — nothing wrong with that. And I think in terms of compatibility, we score an A. It would be an A+, but I’m awfully hard to get along with.
Filed under: charlottesville, virginia, workshops & classes, writing
That’s cool–I’ve read Straka’s detective books.