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riters

onnection

FlagstaffWritersConnection.com

Flagstaff

FlagstaffWritersConnection.com

Workshops & Presentations
Classes
Resources
Networking
Writing Group Creation and Referral

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FlagstaffWritersConnection.com

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On Our Website

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Flagstaff Writers Connection

presents

Creating Effective Critique Groups

with

Cherrie Smith

C@CAlexSmith.com

Barbara Shovers

Barbara@WisdomSeekersAZ.org

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Flagstaff Writers Connection

Introductions
How to Join a Group
How to Form your own Group
Critique Guidelines
Providing Helpful Critiques
Getting the Most out of a Critique
Q & A
Live Critique Group Creation

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Introductions

Name

Genre

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Why a Critique Group?

Distance
Focus Group
Writing Community
Continuity
Accountability

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What it Takes to Work in a Group

A Healthy Sense of Self
Interest in Other People’s Work
Open and Flexible
Willing to Work w/i the Groups Guidelines
Willing to Work through Conflicts
Able to Take Risks
Practice Skills that Enhance the Group
Able to Honor Your Commitments

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Joining a Critique Group

Contact your local Writing Organization

-FlagstaffWritersConnection.com

-ArizonaAuthors.org

Facebook/Meetup
Nearby College
Internet

-Speculative Fiction: critters.org

-All Genres: scribophile.com

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Types of Groups

Writing Together

Shut Up and Write
Prompts—Montoya Center, Exploring your Voice

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Types of Groups

Writing Together

Shut Up and Write
Prompts—Montoya Center, Exploring your Voice

Workshop Group

Elements of Craft (Dialogue, Characterization, Voice, Writing Book, etc.)
Project Group (Writer’s Room, Play, Anthology,)
Common Grounds (Gender, Abuse Survivor, HIV, Body Image)

C

2. Another type of group comes together around a certain goal.

For example, a common type of group examines a certain element of writing like Dialogue, Setting, or Characterization. Or they work on Voice. These groups sometimes work their way through a particular writing book like

**K. M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel
**Donald Maass’ The Fire in Fiction
**Rayne Hall’s Series of short, easy to understand writing books

Project Groups Write together to complete a writing project. You’ve likely heard of the **Writer’s Room for TV shows. People also collaborate to write plays, anthologies, and even books.
Some subjects are inherently difficult to write about. Whether it be **Gender, **Surviving Abuse, **HIV, or **Body Image, it can be easier to write about these topics, and more healing to write these topics in a Common Grounds Group of people who have a need to write about your topic or similar topics.

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Creating a Critique Group

Read & Critique

Open

FWC Critique Circle

Genre Specific

Memoir Groups

Author Specific

Women’s Group
Native American Group

C@CAlexSmith.com

Barbara@WisdomSeekersAZ.org

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Find Members

Places to find Members

Writing Friends

Local Writing Organizations
Writing Workshops

Writers Convention

NaNoWriMo

Social Media (Meetup, Facebook)

College with Creative Writing or MFA program

C

Once you know what kind of group you’re creating, time to find some members. Of course, you can **invite people you know. But when I started writing again I had just moved here and I didn’t know any writers. Where do you go then?

Your first stop should always be **your local Writing Group like Flagstaff Writers Connection. Or attend a Writing Workshop or Book Fest in your local area. Meet people at those local events or at bigger statewide **events like Conventions.

The two closest large writing events are the Tucson Festival of Books early in March and

Rocky Mtn Fiction Writers more traditional writers convention in Sept.

Every year an intrepid group of writers try to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of Nov. **NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, schedules multiple social events and write-ins locally every Nov.

If you’re somewhere that doesn’t have a Writing Group, like Flagstaff when I first moved here, then consider finding people using **the social media of your choice.

Finally, if you live near a center of higher learning, **you can approach the Creative Writing Dept. or MFA program

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Guidelines

Structure

In-person or Internet
Limit Membership or Open

Recommendation by a current member?
Submission of Writing?
Meeting with current members?
Compatibility Period?

Meeting place/time
Meeting length/agenda

Barbara

When you are seeking members, have a meeting time and place available so you can get all your potential members together to discuss what you want from this group. The first meeting should be about guidelines for the group. How will your group function? What will members get from the group?

You can dictate the rules, but people have an easier time following guidelines they helped to set.

Basic Guidelines to Discuss:

**Structure

In-person or Internet?
Limit Membership or Open?

Process for Bringing in New Members?

Recommendation from a current member?
Submission of a Writing Sample?
Meeting with current members?
Compatibility Period?

Meeting place/time
Meeting length
What will happen at those meetings? What will be the typical agenda? I recommend your include a slot of time for socialization.

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Guidelines

Participation

Attendance & Punctuality
Submission
How do members get Submissions for Critique?
Feedback

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Guidelines

Leadership

Is there a Facilitator? Or do the members share that responsibility equally?
Role of Facilitator
Process for changing the guidelines

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Providing Helpful Critique

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain and most fools do.”—Benjamin Franklin

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Providing Helpful Critique

“The difference between critique and criticism is like the difference between a crystal ball and a wrecking ball.”

—Judy Reeves in Writing Alone, Writing Together

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Providing Helpful Critique

1. Be wary of the thin line between constructive critique and just plain criticism.

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The Difference between Critique and Criticism

Criticism finds fault/Critique looks at structure
Criticism looks for what's lacking/Critique finds what's working
Criticism condemns what it doesn't understand/Critique asks for clarification
Criticism is spoken with a cruel wit and sarcastic tongue/Critique's voice is kind, honest, and objective
Criticism is negative/Critique is positive (even about what isn't working)
Criticism is vague and general/Critique is concrete and specific
Criticism has no sense of humor/Critique insists on laughter, too
Criticism looks for flaws in the writer as well as the writing/Critique addresses only what is on the page

Taken from Writing Alone, Writing Together; A Guide for Writers and Writing Groups by Judy Reeves

Providing Helpful Critique

B

Criticism is personal, destructive, vague, inexpert, ignorant, and selfish.

Critique is impersonal, constructive (actionable), specific, expert, informed and selfless.

Criticism finds fault/Critique looks at structure

Criticism looks for what's lacking/Critique finds what's working

Criticism condemns what it doesn't understand/Critique asks for clarification

Criticism is spoken with a cruel wit and sarcastic tongue/Critique's voice is kind, honest, and objective

Questions?

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Who Wants to be in a Critique Group?