The Critique Group And The Writer

I'm rather behind on getting more book reviews up and I have several in line to read, but the post office and I are not very...in sync lately. I either smack into the glass doors with the "closed" sign firmly in place, or I beg the postmaster that even though I don't have my collection slip, I know there are packages back there waiting for me. He tries to look, then with an arched eyebrow suggests I return with the collection slip that makes his life a lot easier. Oh well. But I have something that has been brewing in my mind lately, and I'd like to share it with you this week.

Its about the power of the critique group and how it effects the writer. Now, if you're not a writer...if you don't throw abbreviations like "CBA" and "WIP" around in general conversation, you might think this does not apply to you. Even if you're not a writer, there may be a lesson you will glean from this, so stick with me. But if you get bored, you could hop over to another blog, pull up a really good brownie recipe and bring it back here. I'd be very grateful. I have a pot luck coming up.

So back to the critique group. What is that exactly? A critique group is a place where writers get together, pass around a few pages of what they've been working on, and the other folks in the group whip out their pens and mark it up. Its intimidating. Even after attending a group for years, my heart rate quickens as the room silences, heads bowed over my chapter. Nail biting to the max.

But when fellow writers point out the areas in a story they really like and begin to offer suggestions, the writer who listens, can walk away with the realization that even though they thought their work was perfect, many of the suggestions will only make it that much better.

That's the power of a well given critique.

For a novel to find itself in the hands of readers, it must be looked at by someone other than the author. Someone who doesn't have the characters prancing around in their head or know the storyline by heart. Because then, the fresh set of eyes can spot issues that the writer themselves would never see.

But the truth hurts. Of course it hurts--but there is an art to delivery. A person might say. "You have something in your teeth," Loser. Or. "You have something in your teeth. Hey I like your skirt." Who would you rather be friends with?

Like the spinach in the teeth, a good critiquer not only points out issues, they go the extra step--they leave the writer feeling encouraged.

This might seem trivial, and believe me, I know there is a time and place to leave the fluff behind and get to the nitty gritty, but for the everyday, the coffee shops, the living rooms, and the e-mail box, its crucial to offer some congratulatory praise. Even if its hard, find something good in what you see.

There's a reason behind my rambling. If a person's critique is the packet of seeds and the writer's heart is the soil, then the positive comments and praise are what till the soil. Otherwise, the seeds will land on a heart that has not been softened. And if there is anything that I firmly stand by, it is that we as Christians have the calling to be kind in all that we do. Business is not the time to throw that out the window. Be business-like. But be kind.

Christ was and he reached many, many hearts. That is an example worth living by.