Many of my writer friends were found through Adrienne Young and Kristyn Dwyer's hashtag: #findmywritingcommunity on Instagram. When I say that this hashtag changed my life, I truly mean it.
Before finding my people, I didn't even really know that writing communities existed. Writing, as a career, is very solitary. But the truth is, it takes a village to get a book published. If you're a new writer who hasn't found you're community yet, I highly recommend you check out this hashtag and find some CPs.
The thing about good CPs is that they can only make your writing better. Getting feedback on changes can be hard (this is our life's work after all), but those notes help to improve your story. Ideally, this means trading pages back and forth as opposed to one-way reading. And that means that we need to know, not only how to accept constructive criticism, but also how to give it.
Tell them what you like.
When people ask me for advice when they start critiquing, my first suggestion is always to list the good along with the "bad." Reading through a manuscript with notes that only tell you things that need to change is hard--even if those notes are kind and well-meaning.
I make it a habit to note the things that make me laugh, emotions that hit me in the feels, beautiful prose, etc. Even if it's just a handful of things here and there, mentioning the details like that reminds your critique-ee that they know what they're doing.
When we read to make work better, we're purposely looking for things that can be improved. But the truth is, most readers probably wouldn't notice a lot of the things we comment on.
Be kind, but be honest.
When we avoid saying things we didn't like for fear of hurting a writer's feelings, we risk being unhelpful. If we honestly feel that something isn't working, or that a scene should change, it's our duty to say something.
This doesn't mean: "I hated this whole scene. It doesn't add to the story; you should remove it."
But more along the lines of: "I'm not sure that this scene connects with the overall story for these reasons...a, b, c."
The second method gives us a chance to explain our reasoning, but it also takes our own preferences out of the equation. Ultimately, we're not reading to edit a book we want to see on the shelves, we're reading to help our friends write their book.
Share your opinions, back them up, be honest. But don't read and critique to write the book you want to see.
Listen to the critique-ee.
This is probably the biggest thing to remember. Frequently, CPs will offer a list of feedback they're looking for: specific scene breakdowns, dialogue, plot development, world building. It's important that we know the story the writer is trying to tell, and what they want feedback on before we start making notes.
If we comment on every little thing when our partner only asked us for dialogue notes, this leads to two problems:
We're saying that we know the writer's story better than they do.
We're putting more work on ourselves.
These come with a bit of a caveat. Some CPs like comments on everything. They want to know exactly what we think. But some don't. So make sure you and your partner agree on your level of comments before you start. Because if you don't, you'll be spending hours nit-picking when it could have taken you less time.
Starting out, many writers do have the time to pour into partners. If that's you, that's great. But down the line, there can be issues with timing. If we're working on deadline and suddenly we're spending hours on someone else's work when we weren't even asked to, that's a problem.
Be specific.
Notes saying, "I didn't really like this part," aren't going to be nearly as helpful as saying, "I think that the MC needs consider this idea more to make this revelation believable. I didn't feel the shock with her as I read."
Now there's direction. The writer--should they choose to develop your note--can go back through the story and add in those thoughts where they're necessary. There is a specific reason why that part didn't land for you, and the writer can act on it if they choose.
Write an edit letter.
This doesn't have to be super professionally formatted, but I've found it helpful with my own CPs to have a single document with the main questions/concerns they had. It puts all the notes in one place instead of having to scroll back through a manuscript to find that one comment I remember liking.
This should include:
Favourite parts (characters, scenes, descriptions, etc.)
Recurring concerns (frequently used phrases, common grammatical errors, etc.)
Big issues (plot holes, character arc, confusions, etc.)
Any other notes to summarize
It's easiest to keep this document open as you read. That way, any time you make a larger note, you can pen it into the edit letter. But definitely go back when you're finished reading to summarize and add anything else.
Be available.
I've personally found it useful to have debriefings after a CP reads. That means a phone call/video chat (as face-to-face as possible) to discuss notes. Reading them is one thing, being able to talk them through and brainstorm ideas to solve some of those notes is super helpful.
Plus, it typically makes me feel a lot better about their suggestions. When you can hear tone and inflection, it softens the blow a bit.
Remember that our notes are simply suggestions.
The stories we read to critique on our not our books. It can be frustrating to make notes, and then read a later draft to see that very few were acted upon. But these are not our books.
The writer knows the story they're trying to tell, and ultimately it is up to them to decide if our notes benefit or hinder that path.
As CPs--and hopefully friends--we should be happy to be in a supporting role, and spurring on fellow writers to their greatest potential. If we can't do that, if we're making notes to have our voices heard, than we probably aren't in the right frame of mind to be in that position.
Make the right match.
This one is a closer to first finding CPs, but it's also so important to be notating on a story that we enjoy reading. Chances are, we'll be seeing a lot of it, and if we don't like the foundations, we probably won't give great notes.
One of the first people I connected with was a fabulous writer, such a lovely person, but she wrote more in the genre of Adult Thriller whereas I was writing in YA Fantasy. Our notating styles were not a good match, and neither were our stories.
We exchanged the first few pages (which I highly recommend with new partners) and realized early on that we should be looking for different CPs. But we parted on good terms, we're still friends, and I'm so rooting for her and her books.
It comes down to being willing to take a backseat. You and your partner should nail out the details before reading or exchanging any pages. Know what they're looking for, listen to the story that they want to tell, and make notes based on those things.
Critique Partners can take your writing to new heights, and it's so worth it to find the right one(s). It can take time--and it can be scary to put your work out there--but your books will be better for it.
Happy writing,
Erin
PS If you want to check out my daily writing musings, you can find me on Instagram @erinogilviefisher.
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