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When I "attended" WriteOn Con, and one of the biggest things I took away from it was my precious need to be "ready" before I tried to find a critique partner. I don't mean ready in the terms of my manuscript being in good enough shape, but I mean reading it over fifty times and checking for every typo before I let anyone else read it.
I responded to a couple of posts looking for critique partners in the forums, and I ended up hooking up with Kelly. Trying out a new critique partner is kind of like dating. You're a little guarded, as you talk about your work, but hope for the best. After discussing our work, we exchanged pages, and thankfully, we both liked each other's work. Now we exchange pages every week and chat about our writing every Monday.
It's working really well! I figured I might have to go through a couple CP's before I found one that worked for me, but :knocks wood: things are working well. Her strengths are my weaknesses, and vice versa. We come from different backgrounds, so I'm able to expose her to books that she might not have read, and she's able to tell me when she thinks my MS might be a little too risque.
Do I take her advice in every instance? No. But it's nice to have someone very different from me read my book, since obviously a lot of my potential readers will be too.
I've also found that I'm a pretty good editor. I really enjoy reading her manuscript and pointing out how to make it better.
I'm so glad I just took the jump and sought out a critique partner. She's already helped me grow as a writer, and she's said I've done the same for her.
How'd you find your critique partner(s)?
I don't currently have one, but that's due to two things: 1) I'm such a chicken about somebody reading my stuff at this point (because it might suck and the irrational fear that someone might steal my idea), and 2) I'm not exactly sure how to go about getting one.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found a partner you're compatible with! What a relief, I'm sure :)
Well, to be honest, your work probably does suck a little at this point, and that's completely okay. Just about everyone's does. I'm not going to lie, the first time I got my notes from my CP and saw all that strike-through text, I felt like crap. It does get easier with each week, though. I think facing her criticism has made it easier to take, so when I query I won't crumble at the rejections. She's helped make my book so much better!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I wouldn't worry about a CP stealing your idea. Every idea has pretty much been done already in some variation, and even if you did run across a CP out to steal ideas, the odds of them writing a book just like yours and publishing it are slim. Most CPs are too busy with their own work to contemplate stealing anyone else's idea.
Places to find a CP:
absolutewrite.com
yalitchat.ning.com
http://www.ladieswhocritique.com/
You can reply to someone's post, chat them up and exchange the first few pages of your work to see if it's a fit. I contacted a couple of people before hooking up with my CP, so be prepared that you might not click or even hear back from the first people you contact.
Good luck finding a CP when you're ready to take the leap! :)
Yay! Glad to hear you found a good one.
ReplyDeleteI have a critique group of three other people that meets once a week. I LOVE them! I found them through Twitter, and it's so helpful to have more than one opinion-- and to talk about our stories in person.
ReplyDeleteI also have two critique partners through email that are also very helpful. Maybe it's a bit overkill, but all of my partners have different strengths that help with my story. (And hopefully, I'm helpful with theirs.) :)
@ Liz: I'm glad too!
ReplyDelete@ Shallee: Wow, I'm really impressed that you have so many CPs! I don't think I could devote as much time to so many CPs as you do. Your time management skills must rock. :) I hope to take on another CP at some point, but for now I'm good with just one.