Blogger: Mary Keeley
Location: Books & Such Midwest Office, Illinois
If you are in a well-functioning critique group, you are blessed indeed. You know what an asset your group is to growth in your writing craft, and you witness increasing results in your work. In fact, you may be thinking you couldn’t do this thing called writing without your partners. Today, let’s talk about the characteristics that create the perfect climate for a well-functioning group. Much of what is said about teams in the business realm can be applied to critique groups as well. In their book The Wisdom of Teams (HarperBusiness 2003), co-authors Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith list five qualities that distinguish a high performance team from ordinary teams. High performing teams have:
- a deeper sense of purpose
- relatively more ambitious performance goals compared to the average teams
- better work approaches or complete approaches
- mutual accountability; acknowledgment of their joint accountability toward a common purpose in addition to individual obligations to their specific roles
- complementary skill set and, at times, interchangeable skills
Let’s apply this information to critique groups. Would you say everyone in your group is at the same level of purpose? Have you set goals as a group, and is everyone on board with these goals? Are all members of your group equally accountable to each other, respond to each other in a timely manner, and genuinely care for each one’s best work? Are there complementary skills represented in your group?
If you aren’t in a critique group, I want to encourage you to search for one that is right for you. You will benefit in having multiple sets of eyes to catch problems you didn’t notice. And what you invest in time evaluating other members’ WIPs, you save in the cost of hiring a professional editor. Not to mention that critiquing other people’s work is instructive to you and informs what you’re writing. You’ll gain networking potential and build strong friendships within this tough industry. You might have to try out several groups until you find the one for you. Look for personality compatibility: Do you feel comfortable with most or all in the group? Do the members of the group possess a variety of skills and, in particular, those you need help with? What skills are missing in the group that you can provide?
Other qualities I consider essential to a successful writers group are:
- Group members must to be sincere believers in each other. In other words, there must be a high level of respect for each other, whether you are a published author or a first-time writer.
- Because rejections and lack of responses from editors and yes, agents too, are realities of the business, discouragement always lurks around the corner. You need to sense your group is a safe, affirming source of support.
- When these characteristics are functioning well, an atmosphere of trust is built. Trust is a beautiful thing. It undergirds the well-functioning group and creates the perfect climate to grow in your craft.
Are you in a critique group? Did you have to try more than one to find the right one for you? How did you know it was right for you?
I am in a wonderful critique group. I was lucky enough to be able to hand-pick the members. We met in a short story writing workshop. I sought broad diversity in perspective, with enthusiasm for writing and the ability to give constructive feedback as the common ground. It has been a great experience over the last year. I’ve gotten to read a lot of great writing, as well as receive really helpful feedback.
I’m in my second group now and both have been good, but not the perfect fit I’ve been looking for. For a while, I determined not to be in a group until I could find exactly what I wanted, but ultimately decided I was missing out on a valuable tool. The first group had several writers that were good matches, but it was set up in a way that didn’t really encourage close relationships. The second has that closeness, but is an eclectic mix of genres and goals that I think sometimes leaves us ill-equipped to give the best advice. Even so, I prefer group two over one. Love and support generally trumps technical advice and someone who doesn’t do your kind of writing can have some really great insights!
I’m in two critique groups, each one for a different genre. I not only benefit from what they say about my writing, but the members have become some of my closest friends. Writing is a solitary business, but writers are communicators, so when we get together we click.
My critique group has become one of my greatest sources of strength, encouragement, and joy. We now only span 2 countries (instead of 3 – one of us moved back to the US), but we span 4 states plus Australia. The five of us have each met some of the others in person, but we’ve never all been in the same room. This was my third group, but we formed it with the intention of all writing in the same genre. We’ve grown close over the year we’ve been together. I think the more we read each other, the better it gets, since we can begin to look at a larger body of work for each writer. A great crit group is so essential to writers, keep trying until you find the right one!
Bethany and Sarah, thanks for your experienced perspectives and suggestions: do some hand-picking for a productive, cohesive group, and look for genuine love and support. Janet, thanks for your example of what can happen in a well-functioning group.
Jennifer, I see two great takeaways from what you said. First, you have grown close over the year you’ve been together. That is a helpful indicator in determining if a writer may or may not be in the right group. And I love your comment: “I think the more we read each other, the better it gets.” That is confirmation you are in a group that is right for you.
I met for the first time with a critique group last week and was able to immediately experience their value. The only problem was that I had to drive an hour to get to it (and dealt with snowy roads on the return trip).
My hope is to find (or start one) closer to home.
Took a class and met with some great authors, but the class was over three hundred dollars, very expensive for me at this time to take consistently. The members did not desire to meet after the class on their own. I belong to an online group, one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 top blogs – Critique Circle – have received really helpful information for my MS. And I am looking to find other local authors for possible group. Thanks for this listing of elements of good critique groups. Heather