On Doing Your Best

**Quick reminder: We are giving away a copy of The Familiars from now until next Thursday**

When it comes to critiquing work for a partner/friend, we all have our strengths. Kristi had an excellent post about why it's great to have more than one crit partner. In it, she mentions one person might be great at pointing out plot holes that everyone else misses. Another catches every spelling and grammatical error.

I've been thinking about critiquing lately, because I honestly don't think I'm that great at it. I'm that word girl, the one who spots the spelling errors. But I've noticed that I don't always have a lot of in-depth things to say. Then I realized, that's not entirely true. I have done a lot of critiquing, not just for my Sisters, but for personal friends, acquaintances etc. And I've given great (I hope) feedback. My problem is that I don't always apply myself. I don't do my best. And the biggest reason for that is self doubt.

I have been blessed with AH-MAY-ZING crit partners and on occasion I catch myself feeling like the weakest link and it shows in my feedback. Who am *I* to give her criticism on this incredible piece? I'm a reader. I'm a writer. And I honestly want her book to be the very best it can be. So even if you can't make sense of what doesn't work in your partner's piece, still tell her about it. Do your best. Try to pinpoint it but if you can't at least let her know "This part feels slow to me for some reason" or "That dialog stands out".

We all have self-doubt. Can we really write a novel? Can we get an agent? Will we ever be published? Honestly, not everyone will. Because not everyone will push through the self-doubt and keep on truckin'.

Self-doubt manifests its self in a lot of different ways. We all go through bouts of it--be it with our critique groups, or our own writing goals--but you can get through it. And it helps to talk about it with your partners. Sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up. An ego boost, if you will. So talk with your partners. Talk about writing, or talk about the strategy of your critiquing. What is working? What isn't? Are you doing your best? Why not? Lean on them. Use them. They can help.

But ultimately, it is up to you. You have to be willing to look at your writing or your critique style objectively and WANT to do better. Sure, you could sit back and say, "I suck anyway, so there's no point in really trying. This is as good as it gets."No, it's not. But it will be if you have that attitude. Writing and critiquing is work. But it's our passion! And what can be more rewarding than that?

Happy Thursday!

Why One Just Isn't Enough

I've sung from the rooftops (okay, not literally, but you don't want to hear me sing) about the pure awesome that are my critique groups. What I've learned is that each beta reader tends to focus on different elements when critiquing, and I need them ALL. Everyone thinks differently, so it's important to have more than one set of eyes on your work. Here are a few of the awesome roles my critique partners have played:

1) Plot Hole Locator. When I handed over my initial draft to one of my critiquers, I was pretty confident that I didn't have any plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. However, to my shock and dismay, this reader found several that would accommodate a mid-size sedan. Not to mention the multitude of pin-prick sized ones that had me smacking myself in the head like "Why didn't I see that?"

2) Word Girl. I'm not being sexist here--it's just that all my betas are female. Feel free to insert word guy if it applies to you. She highlights words that I've apparently used like five times within two paragraphs. My first time through, I took out so many 'justs' and 'thats' it was ridiculous. She's also great at dialogue and knows when it sounds real versus not. Last but not least, she catches overuse of certain things, like, I don't know, em dashes. *cough* *cough* Moving on...

3) Character Arc/Motivation 'Keeping it Real' girl. This is when someone notices that a scene (or entire chapter) isn't in line with the character or didn't fit with their overall motivation and move the story forward. This is more of a big-picture type reader and I can't tell you how valuable it is to have one of these peeps as a crit partner. She also notices when a scene is too passive versus active, and I've learned a ton from her.

4) Beta Who Pushes You Over the Edge. This one has pushed me to the edge of my writing sanity. She's not afraid to highlight an entire scene and say "you've already proven you can write well, redo this" or tell me that an entire subplot doesn't work and "redo it." Of course, she balances that with random comments about adding "mad space monkey sex" so I'm laughing through my tears. And when she tells me a chapter is awesome, I know it's pretty darn good. It's because of her that I re-wrote the entire second half of the book (because I knew in my gut she was right, not because I love re-writing books I thought I'd already finished). The task seemed so intimidating and daunting--sort of like Nemo and the ring of fire--but once I did it, I was really happy with the results.

Of course, my beta readers don't only fall into one of the above categories--they touch on all areas, but they each have strengths in specific areas that combine into an awesome group of critique peeps. I'm so lucky to have such smart, amazing women as part of my writing journey. And the one non-technical role I think we all fill for each other is: CHEERLEADER. We're always there to give each other support and encouragement, and at the end of the day, this is what I value most of all. Thank you ladies!

What about you? Any roles I missed that beta readers/critique partners play in your writing life?

How to critique your partner's work.

This won't be a how-to post, so much as a what-works-for-me post. And what works for me, may not work for you and your partner, but you never know until you try. The reason behind this post, or really the thought behind it, is that I've seen some pretty poor critiques--NOT FROM THE SISTERS, but on random writer websites--and it made me realize that there are a lot of aspiring writers out there, who mean well but don't know how to give honest feedback.

**insert random thought: this popcorn is ah-may-zing**

First things first, and this is a tough one for me, read through the entire manuscript you are given without making edits. Make notes to yourself if you need to, but leave the text alone until you know the outcome. When you know where you'll end up, you can better decide how to get there.

Next, keep in mind that every writer has a unique voice. You may have the desire to totally change the tone of every sentence to fit your vision. But it's not your vision. It's hers, and you need to respect her voice. That doesn't mean you can't help her reword something so it sounds better, or change the structure of a sentence to make it stronger. It just means that Lauren Kate's Luce, is not Lisa McMann's Janie.

Third, be respectful, but be honest. It does not help ANYONE to pussyfoot around sensitive comments. You might not want to tell a random writer that you think "this" sucks, but if she's your BFF, you'd be doing her a service. On that note, if you are the one receiving the crit, you have to be open to suggestions and not take it personally. So, be respectful, but be honest and also be sure to point out the things you like and what you'd like to see more of.

Finally, when doing a thorough critique, it is most helpful to your partner to work line by line, leaving comments on how you think it could be better, what isn't clear to you as a reader, where there is a loop-hole, if something is out of character, a misspelled word etc. When working in MS word, you should have a "Review" tab. Click that and select "track changes". This will show any edits you make in the text. There you will also see "add new comment". To use that feature, highlight the text you want to comment on and click "add a new comment" and type out your comment in the bubble.

In closure, write out an "over all" message. Tell the writer what you loved, what you hated, what you think she can add or leave out. And it's always nice to end on a positive note :)

Do you have any successful critiquing tips to add? We'd love to hear 'em!

Why Critique Groups Rock

So, you're an aspiring writer and have accomplished the amazing task of actually finishing a novel. Chances are you either patted yourself on the back or went shrieking through the streets proclaiming that you're a novelist (depending on your personality). However, then the moment comes that you sit back and think "Now what?" Well, here's what I think a fabulous next step should be - before spamming the entire publishing community with the genius that is your manuscript. Join a critique group. "Why?" you might ask as defensive thoughts flood your mind. "My book is brilliant, I don't want outside influences muting my 'voice', I don't want anyone stealing my never-been-thought of-in-the-history-of-time idea about space monkeys and their quest for the perfect banana..."

Here's why. If you find a GOOD critique group, be it online or in person (and there are pros and cons of each), they can do the following:

1) They are objective about your work. Well, at least more so than you. It can be extremely difficult to be objective about your own work. For instance, those of you with kids, how many of you think your child is not the cutest/most brilliant/talented example of small humanity out there. When you're attached to something - and after working on a novel for 6 months or 6 years, who isn't - it's difficult to step back and see where you might need help. Your critique group has that distance and can often point out problem areas much more easily.

2) They make you a better writer. Yes, really. No matter how great you think you are - and you might be great - you can get even better with the help of a good group. Writing in different POV's, characterization, story arc and use of dialogue are just a few examples of how the group can push you to do your best. They also can help point out your individual writing quirks - be it overuse of a certain word or the dreaded telling rather than showing. Also, critiquing the work of others in your group also makes you a better writer.

3) They encourage and support you. And not in a Paula Abdul, smoke up your ass kind of way. We share our ups and downs and have a "we're all in this together" mentality. Writing can be a tough and solitary experience, so it's nice having a built-in support group. When someone gets good news, it's so much fun to celebrate as a group and gives hope and motivation to the others. Plus, it's fun going to conferences where I actually know people there.

4) They serve as a collective barometer for your work. After getting a bunch of feedback from different personalities, part of your job is to decide which changes to incorporate and which don't serve your story. One of the best things about group feedback is you know there's a legitimate problem when more than one person points out the same issue with something in your story. For instance, I had multiple people tell me a line in my first chapter was funny but that the reference would be outdated by the time the book was published - so I changed it. On the flip side, when you have multiple people give you compliments on the same thing, you know it's well-earned and not the smoke up the ass thing.

5) They are a wealth of resources. I feel fortunate to be part of two wonderful critique groups and everyone has information that is shared with the group. Some of the published authors in my one group share information about publishing houses and editors that they like. Just this week, one woman in my group sent me a list of agents she thought would be a good fit for my book after reading my query. I've learned so much about the business end of things from my critique groups and it's been invaluable information.

As you can guess, I LOVE my critique groups. They consist of amazing, talented, persistent women who love writing as much as I do. So there you have my top 5 reasons to be in such a group. If you're in a group that doesn't have these 5 elements and feels more negative in nature, then maybe it's time to look for another group. NOTE: I found both of mine through SCBWI.

So, what have I missed? What are your favorite things about being in a critique group?