Friday, February 6, 2009

On Critique Groups

I'll shout this from the highest mountain: I LOVE MY CRITIQUE GROUP! Okay, for those of you who are toying with joining or starting a group, you probably already know that it's a good idea to share your work with fellow writers before you send it out into the world. You could wake up, thinking your manuscript is lookin' good and ready to go. When you actually hold it up to a mirror (your fellow loving writers), you scream in horror! Not only is your manuscript having a bad hair day, but there's a rip in a very conspicuous place, a stain from something it sat in without you knowing about it, and a long thread not connected to anything in particular. They will, lovingly, help you figure out how to style the hair, sew the rip, remove the stain, and pull the thread. They will help you get your work lookin' good and ready to go.

Here are just a few of the things I love about my group:

We forge some amazing friendships
We put our work up for scrutiny so it can become what it's meant to be at its highest and best
We laugh
We cry
We remember why we are writers
We remember why we are readers
We become better writers
We become better people
We are humbled
We are re-ignited

For those of you living in the S. California area, check our SCBWI tri-region website for ways to find or start a group and other ways to meet fellow writers and/or get your work critiqued. www.scbwisocal.org

3 comments:

Sarah Laurenson said...

Not only is your manuscript having a bad hair day, but there's a rip in a very conspicuous place, a stain from something it sat in without you knowing about it, and a long thread not connected to anything in particular.

Ah yes. All too true.

Suzanne Casamento said...

I totally noticed the same quote Sarah did! Hilarious! I burst out laughing when I read it.

You guys have definitely sewn up tears and removed stains from my work. Thank you!

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

This was lovely!
Namaste,
Lee