Author Interview: Leigh Bale (part five) The Importance of a Critique Group

I’ve had a lot of critique partners throughout my writing career. Some have been absolutely horrid with regards to damaging my self-esteem and not giving me constructive or helpful feedback. Others have been newer writers who couldn’t help me much, but I was able to help them. I could see the light of understanding come on in their eyes when I explained a specific technique they could apply to a troublesome portion of their book. Critiquing is reciprocal. You have to be willing to give as well as receive. At some point, many authors are good enough to critique their own work without a partner. I don’t feel I’ve reached that point. Yet.

Writing is such a solitary profession. It’s something you do alone in your office by yourself. (Okay, if you’ve got children and pets, you’re never alone.) Then, you take your work and show it to someone else and wait for the bomb to hit. And it hits hard. Nuclear hard! So, get tough skinned. Don’t let someone else’s remarks determine whether you quit on yourself. And learn to take constructive criticism gracefully. Constructive criticism is not the same as cruel criticism. You will need to learn the difference. (I think it is perfectly acceptable to tell someone who is rude and nasty that they are being rude and nasty.)

Sometimes you get a critique partner that does more damage than good. If this happens to you, move on and don’t let them critique for you again. And remember not to be that kind of critique partner for other people. Give and take is the name of the critiquing game.

Sometimes you get a critique partner who cannot help you because you are more advanced in your writing skill. If this happens to you, then help them all you can. Remember that you were there once, and another skilled writer probably helped you out. In this profession, it is very difficult to pay another writer back for their help because they’re always ahead or equal with you in skill. (I would love to surpass Nora Roberts’ skill level, believe me.) So, I believe you pay other generous writers back by paying their generosity forward to someone else, to help a newbie writer learn how to show instead of tell, or to learn not to “head hop” in their point of view, etc. As long as you can help a newer writer, then pay it forward and bless their life the way someone else blessed your life.

Sometimes you get a critique partner who tells you every bit of your book is marvelous and they wouldn’t change a thing. I would run from such a partner! This kind of talk will certainly make you feel warm and fuzzy, but it won’t strengthen your book. Now, granted, there may be strong points in your book that just sing. But if your critique partner is not pulling out the hard junk that needs to leave your book, they are not going to help you.

As yourself what is your goal? To feel warm and fuzzy, or to sell a book? You need to look hard at your work, with a mercenary eye, or you’re not going to sell. Period. Because editors want to make money. They’re looking at your book with a mercenary eye, believe me. They don’t want a book that can’t cut the mustard in the commercial industry because they would lose their job or end up out of business. Neither do they have time to tell you what you’re doing wrong. It’s YOUR job to find out what you’re doing wrong and fix it BEFORE you send your book to an editor. And don’t send a follow up letter asking the editor why they didn’t like your book. That just makes you look foolish and unprofessional and like you just don’t “get it.” Take your book to your critique partners and have this conversation with them instead.

Sometimes you get a critique partner who tells you when you’ve done something great in your book, but they also rip it to shreds and get down to the hard work of editing. You don’t want a critique partner who is rude or mean and gets personal. We all know when someone is being nasty or cruel. But you want someone who will honestly point out problems in your book. When they do, it’s okay to feel bad, embarrassed, like you can never write another word again, or whatever you need to feel … for two days only. Anything more than sulking or crying for two days is a luxury you cannot afford if you’re serious about selling a book. Then, you dump that slumpy feeling and get to work. You get tough. You get firm with yourself. You get disciplined. You take those suggestions your critique partner has given to you and you look at them objectively. Are they telling you the truth? Or are you being lazy and don’t want to change your poor writing? Yes, look hard at yourself and what you’re doing with your books.

Growth is hard. It takes lots of work. It takes change. But pushing yourself can force you to grow and become a better writer. It can get you published, folks!!! I would much rather deal with a good critique partner who doesn’t let me get away with anything than I would an editor who flings my book back at my head like a missile and doesn’t even tell me why she didn’t like the book.