|
Critique Group Guidelines |
Sharing your written work can feel like standing naked
in front of a crowd. Yet it is vital to becoming a better writer and
an incentive to produce more material. Therefore, the Menomonie
Writers Guild critique group aspires to create a safe and comfortable
environment for writers to share their work and give and receive
feedback.
Any writer may attend the group, whether they choose to
share a piece of their work or not. You may prefer just to listen for
now.
The Process
-
Bring a piece of your creative writing to share with the group. It should be no more
than 6 double-spaced pages and it should include your name, a title
and page numbers. Make copies of your manuscript for each group
member. Usually writers read a maximum of 3 pages at a session to
ensure everyone has a chance to share their work.
-
At the group, each member reads their piece and receives
feedback from the rest of the group following the "Guidelines for
Respecting Your Fellow Writer" below.
-
When it is your turn to listen to others' manuscripts, pay close
attention to the parts that work for you and those that don't. Write
your name at the top of your copy of their manuscript and make line
edits on the paper as needed.
-
After the reader is finished, take a turn giving a few minutes
of verbal feedback to the author. pass your copy of the manuscript,
complete with line edits, back to the author.
-
When it is your turn to read your piece, pass out copies, give a
very brief background if necessary and dive right in. Readings will
run about 3 to 5 pages depending on the number of people with work
to share that evening. Be courteous about not monopolizing the
group's time.
-
When receiving feedback on your
manuscript, make note of the comments that are helpful to you,
collect the line edited copies, and go home and rework the piece.
You are encouraged to bring reworked material back to the group!
Longer Pieces
Writers may bring pieces longer than 6 double-spaced pages to the
group and ask other members to take them home to read, comment on, and
return at the next meeting. Guidelines for
Respecting Your Fellow Writer
-
Be courteous of your fellow writer and
critiquer. Don't interrupt authors as they read their manuscripts.
And, as much as possible, avoid interrupting memers while they are
giving their feedback.
-
When critiquing others' work, always point
out what you liked about the piece, and explain gently, yet honestly
what didn't work. Our goal is to help each other improve while
maintaining a healthy enough self-esteem to keep writing!
-
Before reading your piece, give a brief
background only if necessary. Don't dilute your work with too much
verbal explanation and don't apologize in advance for your
work!
-
When giving feedback, be specific about
what needs work. Wherever possible make suggestions for changes, and
again, be specific. Otherwise the author won't know what the problem
is and how to fix it.
-
When receiving feedback, avoid explaining
or defending your writing. You decide which criticism is helpful and
which is not. You may decide to make changes based on some
suggestions and you may just reply with "thank you, I appreciate
your feedback," to others. Again, always be courteous whether you
are giving or receiving feedback.
-
Write your comments on grammar, spelling,
and word choice on the manuscript. In general, don't bother
mentioning them in your verbal feedback to the author.
-
Resist the urge to be intimidated.
|
