Critique Groups & Feedback 101

Two of the many things we learned (or relearned) from the pandemic were life is short and the importance of reaching out to others. That, along with the boatload of new manuscripts penned by people suddenly home from the office, brought about a stronger longing for human interaction and/or feedback. What better way to quench that desire than by joining groups!

If you already have a perfect group, or maybe even two or more—YAY—you may pass GO and skip or skim through the next sections! But do let us know what works best for you in the comments. Although I’ve mostly focused on writing groups here, many of these tips can be used for any career or hobby: musicians, photographers, etc.

Finding a Critique Group

To find a group, first be sure to check organizations. For example SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) lists many in-person groups on their member website. There are also many large associations for adult writers, often organized by genre, such as fantasy, mystery, etc. Here are two: Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Speculative Fiction Writers Association. Search online for whatever fits your needs. Or, join one of the many smaller online groups open to new members.

But for those who crave an in-person group, I’d recommend checking bulletin boards, newsletters, and websites at the following places: libraries (doesn’t have to be in your own town), bookstores, vocational or community colleges, senior centers, and sites such as Meetup. Don’t be shy about asking questions of whoever is working when you drop by or any other creative friends you know. Most people in interesting fields really do love to help others!

Starting a Critique Group

If you live in a rural area and come up empty-handed, why not start your own group? An easy way to do so would be to talk with a local librarian. Public libraries often have meeting rooms for a variety of activities. All you’d have to do is schedule a recurring time for once or twice a month, two hours is often plenty. That way the room will be saved for your group and the library will list it as an ongoing event on their activities calendar. Specify clearly in the announcement what you’d like the group to be. Perhaps it will be for writers of all genres. Read on for help deciding whether your group should be a casual, friendly read-aloud, swapping of stories, or for more serious writers interested in publication. Next, you’ll just have to show up and hope someone else will, too. Sometimes it takes a little time to build up interest. You could make a poster or two and hang them up wherever it’s allowed, town hall, etc. Librarians often print their upcoming offerings in newspapers and bulletins, as well. Soon the word will get out about your new group.

Critique Group Size

Some people prefer small groups, others large. I enjoy both for different reasons. In small groups you often get to share your work at every meeting and knowing your turn is coming up can motivate you to get the work done in time. Small groups might also offer a faster opportunity for building up trust and lifelong friendships. I think five or six participants is good for a small group. Less can work wonderfully, but there’s always a chance that one or two people might stop attending (moved away, lost interest, didn’t click with others, etc.). If there’s only three people to begin with, then there won’t be much of a group leftover. Then again, it may be worth the risk and you could always advertise for more members.

In larger groups, it can feel overwhelming at first with so many voices sharing opinions, but there’s nothing like getting a stack of 12-20 critiques all at once from a variety of readers. Downside with groups this large is your turn for feedback may only come up every few months or so. Although, for those not writing as much as they’d like to, it’s a welcome respite! In my largest group, we critique five manuscripts (under a maximum word limit) per meeting for about twenty minutes each. All members have read each manuscript ahead of time.

Critique Group Style

Will your group be casual or business like? Will you meet at people’s homes or in a public meeting room? Will food be involved? Will work be read aloud? By the work’s author or by someone else? I find hearing someone else read my work is much more helpful. If I read it, it’s the way I think I wrote it, emphasizing certain words, etc. Smaller groups might include a meal or snacks during discussion, especially if they meet at a restaurant, which can be quite fun. However, large groups, like the one I’m grateful to attend, come prepared with completed critiques and a full stomach. We don’t spend time reading aloud, but stick to business to make the most of our meeting. We’ve also added a hybrid option to our group after having to meet virtually during the pandemic. This option has some joining through Zoom and appearing on a big screen while others meet in person at a local library. Most of us send our critiques by email, others choose to print them out. With hybrid, it’s a mixture of both.

One important thing to consider is whether group members should give feedback whenever they think of it, sometimes with a good segue of following up on what someone else has just said. Other groups take turns going around a circle or by raising hands. This can lead to repeating certain ideas already discussed during someone else’s turn, but it can also keep it more fair and easy to follow what someone is saying without interruption. I like a combination of the two styles. A lot of people nod when someone comes up with a new idea that’s not already in anyone’s written comments, but then I wonder if they’re showing support for the speaker or if they truly think it’s a spectacular idea. That’s when I might ask for a show of hands as to how many others agree with the suggestion. If quite a few do, I jot it down to consider later.

Some groups ask what kind of feedback an individual would like. Many authors relish a strict overly-picky style (my hand’s up!). The author has done all they can to improve their work on their own and if the slightest comma or phrase is out of place, it can be very helpful to know that. Other authors, especially those not looking to be traditionally published, may mostly want an audience, a group to pat them on the back for their hard work. Best case scenario is a group that has like-minded members, so everyone gets what they hoped for out of the group.

Giving Feedback

One popular method for giving feedback is called the Oreo or sandwich method. Whatever it’s called, I agree it’s nice to insert your comments about problems in between kind comments, such as letting the author know what’s working well in their story. Always have your comments include the parts you love most as well as suggestions for improvement. If the well-written areas aren’t marked (maybe with a star?), a confused author might delete the very best parts of their story. I like to leave comments during my first read through, so the creator will know what I’m thinking as I read—what I expect might happen and which lines make me pause. Waiting until I know what’s going on and what the ending is would clear up and erase some of those comments, but that’s all the more reason to leave them in. I figure, especially since acquisition editors are very tight on time, every line should be super clear from the start. Not a figure-out-later who’s speaking, or whether the characters are indoors or outdoors, etc.

A lack of careful notes and editing is why I’m personally not a fan of on-the-spot or over-the-phone critiques. My favorite method is using the Track Changes feature in WORD. Google Docs is okay, but sometimes it requires signing in with a Gmail account and not everyone has one. Typing this, I realize probably not everyone has WORD either, so whatever works for you is best.

Sometimes it’s easier said than done to remember other people might be more sensitive to critiques. Instead of saying “redundant!!” or “you are repeating yourself here!!” try “this line feels similar to a previous line” and of course we’d all do well to never say things like: “I can’t believe you wrote such and such on page three!” Note to authors: polish your draft ahead of time as much as you can so that your critique isn’t wasted on grammar, spacing, and punctuation. One last important point, do not share or discuss anyone’s unpublished work outside of the group.

Receiving Feedback

Especially in a large group, critiques are often timed, so it’s in the author’s best interest to remain silent until the end of the discussion. This way the author doesn’t use up valuable time talking about or defending why they wrote something. What matters in a critique is what’s written on the page not who wrote it. It’s important to listen to everyone, since critique partners have a variety of expertise. Some may be great at dialogue, point of view, or line edits, while others focus on plot, voice, and big picture items. Still others might have a knack for medical, math terms, geography, or various knowledge about specific subjects such as how it feels to run a marathon or how a plant really grows. You want to know what a variety of people think to make sure your words as written are coming across correctly. Feel free to take notes throughout, although hopefully everyone has written thorough notes right on your pages. Often there will be time at the end for the author to ask questions about anything that got missed during feedback.

Digesting Feedback

When you receive a bunch of feedback, whether it be praise or not, remember anything said is not about you as a person, it’s only whether the words on the page are as clear as they can be. Your idea for a plot might be amazing, but make sure every written detail matches what you’re visualizing in your head, and that the characters sound and act real. If the feedback seems wrong, harsh, or unhelpful, put it aside a week or so and then look at it again. Especially, ask yourself if several people have commented on the same issue and maybe even suggested ways to clear it up. If nobody laughed at what you thought was super funny, maybe you’re still right, the joke could be hilarious. However, the words and beats on the page might not have been the best choices or in the proper order. People like to be helpful, but don’t always know how to do so (especially if your manuscript is not like anything they’ve read before OR is already almost perfect as is!). So, even if what they say feels repetitive or overly picky, don’t worry about it. Perhaps one of your critique partners is used to reading/writing novels and is telling you to go into more description, but you know there’s not enough room in your picture book draft to do so. It’s up to you as the writer to pick and choose which comments are worthwhile. You can focus on any praise you get, but try to also consider anything that helps your story become even better. Besides, at least you’re working and putting it out there to share with others, yay you!

The manner in which critiques are received can differ a lot between recipients. I’ve realized I must be very tough-skinned, since comments never seem to bother me. I like to compare my various pages of feedback and I especially appreciate the extra-picky ones. I like to hear the same concern repeated several times, so I know for sure that a section might need to be adjusted. For example, if two or three people can’t stand the name of my character or think I’m telling too much, rather than showing, then I know it’s a real issue for me to consider. Most times, it’s an easy fix. Even if the disputed line is a true fact from your childhood, it might be worth adding something like: “in this particular town, a strange occurrence happened…” or “at our school we do it this way.” Whereas, if only one person out of twenty says: ‘this part stinks’, there’s a good chance they were just having a bad day.

Whatever your methods for receiving feedback are, keep in mind it’s only a bunch of words in one particular draft that are being analyzed, not you the creator. Give yourself some distance from your work if you’re able. Bottom line, none of us will ever please everyone with all our writing or with every plot detail. Thinking about this also reminds me of the importance of speaking carefully when critiquing someone else’s work, especially new writers who haven’t built up a tough layer yet. Critiquing can be a fine line between being nice and being helpful. Since everyone has a story to tell, we wouldn’t want to extinguish flames before a writer has found their groove.

Final Thoughts

Critique groups can be wonderful, especially for those who like deadlines and incentive to finish the next project. It can be useful to read work by others, even if they are beginners, because what’s keeping their piece from being as good as it could be is sometimes easier to discover, as well as a good reminder to watch out for those same issues in our own work. Good critiquing is an art, but one that can be learned with practice. Another fun benefit is being able to hang out with like-minded people. I’m sure it’s not always easy for some groups and I have to say my largest group would never function as well as it does if not for our fearless leader who keeps us focused and on a rotating schedule. Looking at you, Marianne, thank you!

So… what have I left out of these scribbled notes? I’d love to hear about your critique groups or your troubles in finding one. Have there been lightbulb moments, moments of fear or misunderstandings? Moments of joy and celebrations? Any comments or corrections are most welcome!

Note: Other than those I created myself, all pictures are free-to-use from Pixabay, Unsplash, or Clipart Library.