Oops!

Oh no! You found my old blog! Google really loves to send people here. Come see what’s going on at my newer and less entertaining blog, That’s what Liz said.

Post Critique Rewrites

Post Critique Rewrites.

Just posted a new entry at my new blog location. I am asking for advice on post critique rewrites.

I hope you will stop  by.

Liz

My Advice…

My Advice….

It’s my “Writer’s Twitter” post (every writer should have one). To see what I have to say on the topic please visit my blog at its new location here: http://lizhellebuyck.wordpress.com/

And please don’t forget to subscribe to my blog at its new location. I will eventually stop posting at this URL and will lose anyone who hasn’t “followed” me there. (I would miss you.)

Ten Reasons Why I’m Moving

Rather than copy and pasting the whole blog I thought I would just leave a link to my new post on my new blog:  Ten Reasons Why I’m Moving.

I’m changing my URL (still WordPress) I hope to see you over there!

-Liz Hellebuyck

http://lizhellebuyck.wordpress.com/

I’m Moving

Hello all. Just a quick note. I am moving my blog to http://lizhellebuyck.wordpress.com/. And yes, I did also update my photo.

More later.

Finding a Critique Group

I thought I would do a post about different ways to find critique groups or critique partners. Just a few things before I put out this list though:

1. Unless you know a member of the group already, please only go to a first face to face meeting in a public place.
2. Not all critique groups are the same. Some groups have strict rules, others are more laid back. They can differ on the way they critique work and what they critique (my group only does novels).

Here’s the list (from all over the place and not in any specific order):

• There is a great list of online places to find critiques on Brian Baker’s blog here.
• http://www.critters.org/
• WritonCon has a forum for finding critique partners. You need to be a member, but that is free.
• Forward Motion for writers:  http://www.fmwriters.com/
• You can check www.meetup.com to see if there are any people setting up local writing groups in your area.
• Check your local library to see if they have a writing group.
• Some cities have local writing organizations. In Minneapolis we have The Loft Literary Center. Their website has a a page listing groups who are taking new members.
• There is a blog here that’s been up a while. People looking for critique partners can leave a comment with their genre and other info, or read through the comments left to see if they find someone they would like to partner with.
• I’ve heard people say that they found fellow writers during NaNoWriMo “write-ins” and started groups with them.
• Create your own group online via bloggers you know, or at your library.

If anyone has more suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Being Critiqued: Three Things to Remember

I survived my first novel critique!

Ever since I started doing research on how to get published I’ve known I would need to have other writers read and critique my novel. I blogged about it in March here.  In the blog I asked when to join a writing group. I got a lot of great advice, but it was Meredith Mansfield whose comment gave me the kick in the pants I needed. She said, “You’re ready to join a critique group as soon as you decide to take writing seriously.”

Thank you Meredith!

So I did join a critique group several months ago and my first critique was Wednesday. There are three main things I see as very important while going through the critique process, so I thought I would share them.

#1 While being critiqued, keep your mouth shut

Remember that the critique is for you to get suggestions on how to improve your work, and the more you shut your mouth, the more time other people will have to give you feedback. Also, it’s tempting to try to defend your work, but remember, if they are good at critiquing, they are only trying to help you. Interrupting them and getting defensive won’t help them get their points across to you.

I have a really hard time shutting up sometimes, but I managed it (mostly) at my critique, and it was really cool! They all just blew my mind!  It’s wild to sit and listen to a group of people discuss my novel. They talked about voice and genre, and plot ideas. I loved watching them fight over what each character would or wouldn’t do.  So awesome!

#2 Remember that the story is still your own

The writers who critique your novel are giving you suggestions on how they would make your novel better. Keeping that in mind after receiving all of that feedback is important, because at the end of the day, they are just suggestions. The story is still yours, and you can do what you want to make it better.

Note: Keep in mind that any time the whole group agrees on something without even needing to discuss it, this is advice you are better off taking.

After the critique I had tons of notes and my head was spinning. I didn’t sleep at all that night because I was pondering all of the possibilities. The next day I received an email from a friend asking me if I survived my critique. She reminded me that, “they were all just suggestions from creative people who like to make up story lines.”  Even though I really liked all the feedback I got, I really needed to hear that. It was good to have someone remind me that the critique is full of suggestions. The story is still mine.

#3 Give the story a break before starting a rewrite

While full of all these new great suggestions, it is tempting to jump right back in and hack away at your novel until there is nothing left. Please don’t! The reason being that you might be tempted to take all of that wonderful critique advice without thinking it through. You need to put it down and have time to sort out what advice will work for you, and in order to do that rationally, you need to make sure you have taken good notes, and then just leave it alone for a while. When you come back you may find yourself a bit more rational, and a lot more picky when you decide which suggestions to take.

I’m sort of glad I get to put this story on the shelf for a while and not think about it. I love it, but I need time off, and distance. So I’m going to let the dust settle and see what I have in a month or so.

Question: What is helpful for you when you’re getting critiqued?