I’m very lucky to have found critique partners (CPs) who help to make me a better writer. But that wasn’t always the case. Let me take you way back to when I was completely ignorant of the idea that someone else could be in my corner.
I was a college student, pursuing the dream I always wanted to chase. I had written two novels: a sports romance and a Maeve Binchy-esque behemoth (seriously, it was about 600 pages and way too long for a debut) about a young woman studying abroad in England.
Mistake # 1: I edited them entirely myself
Mistake # 2: I submitted them
Yes, my friends, I assumed that’s how it worked: you wrote a book and sent it off to publishers (I won’t divulge my age here, but there was a time when some of the bigger houses had open submission policies). If they liked it, they published your book baby. Royalties poured in. You toured your favorite bookish haunts, signing your creation for your adoring public. Then you retreated to your writing cave to start the process all over again.
After all, aren't writers solitary creatures by nature? Don't we shun social functions?
Boy did I have no idea! Present-me cringes.
Flash forward a few (or more) years to the present, when I had the opportunity and time (I don’t know how teachers write and work. And actually produce. When I was doing that grind, I was pulling 90-hour weeks. Writing took a backseat. I worked on a still unfinished historical novel over about ten years!) to get back to writing. A spark of inspiration led me to craft a middle grade time travel novel (I had to use all that experience I gained teaching after all!)
But I was still working in a vacuum and I was still getting nowhere.
Only now there’s a lot more out there on “the Google.”
Here’s where it gets better
I don’t remember exactly what I punched into the search bar, but what came up was a trove of information that let me know I didn’t have to be alone on this journey.
I do remember the first thing that caught my eye: Pitmad. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s a Twitter party where you can pitch your book to agents. If they “like” your pitch, it’s an open invitation to send your query to them.
But that meant I had to join Twitter. And I had, at that point, no interest in social media.
But it really has changed my writing life.
I didn’t get a contract out of Pitmad (and don’t be discouraged if you don’t either—these poor agents have to scour through tens of thousands of pitches), but I did meet other writers, which is just as valuable.
From there I found other programs: Pitch Wars, AuthorMentorMatch (where I eventually found a home), and WriteMentor (I’ll talk about these opportunities in another post). I connected with even more writers and I worked up the courage to not just engage with them, but exchange my work with theirs.
Luckily, two of them live close to me and we formed a little writing group that meets every so often. They’ve become not only writing partners, but good friends.
Ok, but do I really need a CP?
Quite simply, most of us are too close to our own words. A critique partner doesn't have that same emotional attachment. She'll be able to point out inconsistencies--with plot, character, setting--you might have missed. She can tell you where pacing lagged or how to beef up a scene you're completely stuck on. But beyond that, she's your cheerleader. She'll raise a toast when you get a request and console you if it turns into a rejection.
The best part: you'll be privy to some really awesome books before they get published.
So never be afraid to ask a writer you’ve connected with if he or she is interested in becoming a CP. It might not work out immediately (I was pretty lucky to click with mine right away, but not everyone finds this to be the case), but it will get you out of that vacuum, if you’re in one too. There’s also a #CPMatch that runs every so often on Twitter as well and Facebook can be a place to link up with writers looking to swap pages.
And don't fret: unless your CP is also your spouse, partner, roommate, or otherwise sharing your personal living space, you can still have your solitary writing cave when you need it.
Bonus Recommendation!
What to do now that you’ve swapped pages?
Stuck figuring out how to critique their amazing work?
Don’t know how to process the feedback you got?
Becky Levine’s The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide is an invaluable resource. It’s chock full of information: sample critiques, worksheets and how-to’s for just about every genre. It also demonstrates how to run effective critique meetings and offers advice on how to process and apply your own feedback. It’s just under 300 pages and has become one of my most loved writing/editing resources.
Where to find it:
Barnes and Noble: Survival Guide
Amazon: Survival Guide
Want a sample? Writer’s Digest provides a few of the worksheets you can find in the book here: Worksheets
Finally, here are a couple of video posts from trusted writers about the CP search process (and some etiquette advice as well):
Meg LaTorre, iWriterly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej-ZGUmnICI
Alexa Donne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYY2vDKdwkU