10 Dos and Don’t of An Effective Writing Critique Group

Every writer needs a critique group. Make sure yours works for you.

I’ve been in and out of critique groups my entire writing life. Correction: I flew solo when I wrote my first book, but found a writing group when I took my first fiction class around 1980. These days, I wouldn’t leave home without one.

What is a writing/critique group?

A gaggle of like-minded writers who share their work and support the writing or publishing goals of the members. They meet in person or on-line.

How do you find and join a writing group?

Some communities have long-standing, organized groups through libraries and other civic organizations.You find search online in chat groups for writers and sites like Meetup.org. Hang out in a writer’s habitat and beg for an invite. Writing classes, book signings, workshops, or coffee shops are fertile grounds for writers in or looking to start a writing group. Strike up a conversation and bring up the topic of a writing group and see where it goes. Don’t be shy. Writing groups often need new blood.

If that fails, start your own. Grab the nearest writer and set up a date to share your writing. Ask her to bring a friend. That often gets the ball rolling.

What are the rules of a writing group?

Each group makes up its own rules as to the genre, writing background of members (published or unpublished), how often they meet, how many pages each person reads each meeting, and how many members read each meeting. The goals rarely vary: to help each person advance in their craft and offer support and TLC for the difficult path we’ve all chosen.

Dos and don’ts of a successful writing/critique group:

I could write a book on my experiences in various writing groups. Hmm, that’s a good idea. In the meantime, here are some basic tip to help you navigate your first writing group, also known as a critique group.

DON’T join a group without an audition.

You can’t anticipate whether the chemistry of a group of people will work for you without interacting with them. You want to commit to spending time with people who inspire you, not grate on your nerves week after week. So, your first meeting should always be conditional, on both sides of the story. Be wary of a group so eager for members they don’t ask you to submit pages to see if your work is a fit. Not because you need to be “good enough” for them. You just don’t want to join a group dedicated to science fiction if you only write literary memoir. You might like each other as people, but they won’t be able to help you with your first-person non-fiction.

A new member can be jarring to an existing group, whose members have come to know and trust each other. They need a chance to decide if the chemistry a new member brings is right for them. So recognize that this “audition” is not to put you on the spot. You don’t want personality issues to pop up later because one of you doesn’t like someone else’s laugh.

DON’T join a group of writers who don’t write.

Every writer hits a rough patch where the words just won’t flow. However, some writers make a career of complaining about writer’s block. Yes, maybe they need lots of TLC to get them unstuck. But if you volunteer for that job, do it in a coffee shop off the clock, not when you’re trying to get help with the sagging middle of your novel.

Complaining about writing, how hard it is, how there’s never enough time, inspiration, appreciation, etc., etc., etc., is contagious. We all want an excuse to chuck our manuscript at times. But if you’re in a group where that’s the MO, you’ll find it hard to resist facing the blank page and soldiering through when you have a cadre of writers with a lazy work ethic willing to give you a pass.

DON’T join a writing group that’s all about ego.

Humility is a virtue, especially in a writing group. Pay attention to the leader. Is she someone who takes care of scheduling, timekeeping, and making sure there’s enough coffee and cookies? Or, is the leader a writer interested in collecting fans and followers in a clique who hang on her every word.

You don’t want a leader who promotes his work at the expense of others, reading long pieces meeting after meeting or using up discussion time so others don’t have time to read. You don’t want to participate in a group that’s about power plays or where you continually leave a meeting feeling discouraged or deflated by the negativity in the group.

Beware of a group that allows members to show up only when they need help but won’t attend without their own pages to read just to give guidance to others. That’s a selfish attitude, also self-defeating. You never know when you’ll hear something in another’s piece that can inspire you. Attendance matters.

DON’T stay in a writing group that doesn’t serve you just because it’s the only game in town.

Problem areas in a group may take a while to show up. Personality conflicts. Too many members who only attend when they have writing to share but don’t show up to help other members with their work. Toxic negativity–of course, we all need a good rant now and then. But it shouldn’t be the group’s reason for being. If and when you decide a group isn’t helping you progress in your work, and worse, if you feel it’s holding you back, thank everyone for their contribution to your writing and make a hasty exit.

You may also find you’ve outgrown your group and need to find a writing collective that offers more challenge. Whatever the reason, you must always put your work first and move on when you see the signs. Often, you will have formed valuable friendships you’ll want to continue outside of the group, but don’t hang around a writing group for the sake of camaraderie if the feedback isn’t helping. Don’t convince yourself you have no place else to go if you cut off your incentive to look by sticking with a situation that doesn’t work for you.

DO join a group with a critical mass.

While it’s good to have a few close friends read your work, you want to have a diverse membership with enough voices to offer different perspectives. What is the ideal number? The one that works for you. A group has been meeting at the San Francisco Library for years that fills the room. I’ve been in excellent groups with 4 and 5 members. Quality over quantity.

DO join a group that knows how to give good critque.

Giving helpful critiques to a manuscript is a learned skill. Groups must have standards for offering encouragement while also giving an honest assessment of your work. Comments such as, “I really liked it;” “This is good,” may give your ego a boost, but you don’t learn from them. Likewise, a group should never tolerate comments that attack the writer, such as, ”Where did you learn to write?” “You’ll never get published if you write garbage like that.” I’ve been in groups that allowed those direct quotes and I made a fast exit. Our negative thought processes can do an excellent job of tearing us down. We don’t need our writing group to join in on the chorus.

DO join a group with writers who get your work.

The members do not have to like everything you write. But enough of them must understand your genre, your goals, and your ideas for your stories to offer helpful comments. I recall attending a workshop with a writer who wrote only experimental fiction. Many participants loved it, but it left me scratching my head. It’s fine to have some people dislike a project or not understand your poetry. But you need a critical mass of people who understand your aims and can help move your projects along.

DO join a group that can benefit from your input.

You can make lifelong friends in a writing group, but if you only show up for what others say about your work, or you don’t have the experience to comment on the other writers’ stories, they won’t regard you as a useful contributor. Stay in your lane is not exactly the right advice, but at least try to offer support and help to the others.

DO join a group with writers who are better than you are.

I always think of writing groups like a tennis game. You want to play with people who are better than you are and can up your game. Get over any sense of intimidation you may feel at members who have published more than you have, or have written longer and just flat out know more. You will learn from them, from their work and from their critiques of your work. Sticking with a group at or below your level may boost your social life, but it will do little to help you grow as writer.

DO ask for what you need.

Learn the difference between needing unconditional love and an honest critique of your story. And then ask for it. In my experience, it’s tough for a writer not to comment on a reading. However, if you’ve had a rough week or disappointing news and a harsh judgment on piece you’ve slaved over will push you over the edge, let the group know. Just say, I’m reading this to hear my own thoughts, but please, I can’t take any comments tonight. A good group will respect that. Hearing negative comments when you’re not in the right frame of mind to take them in can do unnecessary harm to a fragile writer’s psyche. Ask me how I know.

No doubt you’ll add your own rules for a successful writing group, where there is a meeting of minds and hearts about supporting everyone’s dreams and goals. In time, this bond can go beyond writing and become a lynchpin in your life. It has in mine.

Here are a few other writing-related articles of mine.

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