I cannot express my appreciation enough to the members of my current group. They have given me suggestions for improving the story flow, corrected errors, and asked questions that make me stop and think about how better to word something. One author, in particular keeps me mindful that taste, touch, hear, and smell are just as important as seeing. The senses play an vital role in “showing” a reader your novel So put the reader in the character’s shoes even if the story takes place next to a water treatment plant. *smile*
There is one thing you should do before you join a critique group. Develop a thick skin.
If you plan to submit your chapters for dissection, then expect they will be. Critique groups aren’t in place to hold you hand, tell you lies about your work, or hurt your feelings. Honestly can sometimes be painful, and you may just discover that your manuscript needs more honing than you expected. It falls to the author to determine which suggestions to follow and which to ignore. Believe me, you often get conflicting critiques, so if the “tip” works use it, if it doesn’t, ignore it.
Not everyone critiques in the same manner. I, for one, do a line-by-line because that’s the only way I know to share what I’ve learned in the writing process. Some skim the chapter, looking for missing commas and misspellings, and others just comment that your story is lovely. They obviously don’t want to rock anyone’s world with a negative comment. But that’s okay…these types are helpful, too.
Critiquing takes a lot of time, and of course, the newer authors require even more. If, after doing a few chapters, I notice the person is not taking note of my suggestions, then I cease offering my help. I don’t mean to infer that I know more than anyone else, but experiences have taught me much more than I knew before. A good rule of thumb…if more than one person zeroes in on something, then you’d best listen. Of course it seems like new rules crop up weekly. Some are house-preferences and don’t apply across the board, but if the requirements make sense, I’ll share them.
My pet peeves are word echoes, redundancy, and chapters that do nothing to propel the story forward and are filled with wasted information. And nothing is more annoying than unneeded tags to identify two people in a room having a dialogue. Continued use of “he said, John said, Mary said, she said,” drives me nuts. Readers are pretty smart. They can easily keep track of the speaker with a minimal of hints. Still feel the need for a tag? Use action…a phrase that identifies the speaker by something they’re doing. “It’s rather cold out today,” John said. OR better, “It’s rather cold out today.” John moved to the fireplace and warmed his hands over the crackling flames.
The hardest question is how do you relay those peevish habits to an author without making an enemy? There is never a need to be cold and cruel, but sometimes even a hint of negativity will send a newbie fleeing from the site. You have to be prepared to get as good as you give, and that’s the truth. I’ve never be Add a Comment