During a writing session, have you ever had a slip of the keys, resulting in a spelling faux pas? What about getting so carried away with a favorite word you accidentally used it forty-three times within a span of ten pages? Have you ever written a passage that made complete sense to you, but baffled the reader?
Typos happen, over-zealous word use happens, complicated passages happen. If you’re the only one proofing your work, you might miss those problems. Thankfully, there is a way to catch them: Get thee to a critiquing group.
About thirteen years ago, thanks to the Brandywine Valley Writers Group (BVWG) and their semi-annual, “Member Critique Night,” I’ve been a member of two critiquing groups. The first one disbanded, but thankfully, in 2012 I was invited to a long-running group, also from BVWG. We’re doing more than just going strong, we’re thriving and this year, two of our members, Stan Gale and Gemma Brook have been published.
It’s not just exciting to have published members in your group, it’s also encouraging. I sat down with Stan and Gemma to talk about their publications and to get their take on critiquing groups.
Stan Gale and Gemma Brook with their books
Audblog: Tell me a little about your publishing success.
Stan: I just came out with a book called The Christian’s Creed: Embracing the Apostolic Faith. It’s basically a study of the Apostles’ Creed and its biblical underpinnings. I don’t get into history so much as the story the Creed tells.
Audblog: The exciting part for me, Stan, was that I got to see your book unfold each month in our group. I also want to mention two other manuscripts that you brought to our critiquing group that had been published in the past: A Vine-Ripened Life and Why Must We Forgive, published by Reformation Heritage Books
Gemma: It was very neat to read Stan’s books over time. I have two short stories in Running Wild Press Anthology of Stories Volume 2: “The Guest” and “Last Memory.” They’re kind of hard to categorize, but they’re both something other than realistic fiction.
Audblog: In our group, Gemma, you’ve been sharing a fantasy novel, but you also belong to a second critiquing group. Did you share these published stories with them?
Gemma: Yes, I did. Their feedback actually helped me choose which ones to submit, and then helped me to finesse them.
Audblog: Following up on that, since you belong to two critiquing groups, I wondered if the two groups had anything in common.
Gemma: In both groups we read each other’s pieces ahead of time – often more than once – and offer honest but compassionate feedback about what works for us and what doesn’t. There’s also a conversation between critiquers and the writer of an individual piece (just to be clear, we’re all writers in both groups). And both groups impress me with the quality of the writing.
Audblog: Any differences between the two?
Gemma: In one, each reader gets a chance to give their critique one at a time, uninterrupted, and then the writer gets to respond to them all at the end. The other is more free-flowing with discussion going on between members as each piece is discussed.
Audblog: And I’ll just jump in and say our group is the free-flowing one! Would you recommend two groups to other writers?
Gemma: With caveats! First, I am incredibly lucky to have found two excellent groups and each one is pretty small, four or five members. Too many critiquers could spoil the creative broth. Or as someone else once put it: beware of getting too much input, or your piece may come out reading like it was written by a committee. The key in any critique situation is to be open to constructive feedback, but also to know when to stick to your vision. That can be an interesting balancing act.
Audblog: Back to a question for the both of you: What are you working on now?
Stan: I’m working on a workbook that will serve as a study guide to my book and an interaction with tenets of the Apostles’ Creed itself. Like most authors, I’ve got a folder with piles of ideas at various degrees of development, most of which will not see the light of day.
Gemma: I’m working on a fantasy novel for teens and adults, concerning a princess who confronts the fate that makes her a danger to her people.
Audblog: What do you like about being in a critiquing group?
Stan: I love the camaraderie and the way we sharpen each other. While my field is Christian creative nonfiction, I enjoy reading fiction and delving into the worlds my friends create. My writing is improved by their input, both technically and the content itself. They will often see inconsistencies in logic or inadequacies in explanation. For my genre, they are my field test.
Gemma: I’m honored to be part of that field test! I second what Stan says about sharpening each other, and the camaraderie. The critiquers give me outside perspective, seeing things I don’t see myself, from typos to major character or plot problems, and sometimes they even reveal cool things I hadn’t ever thought of. Most of all, they make my writing better.
Audblog: Thanks guys! I feel blessed to be a part of your group!
Editor’s Note: Stan will be signing his book, The Christian’s Creed: Embracing the Apostolic Faith at the West Chester Public Library from 10 A.M. to noon on Saturday, October 20th, and at Creative Light Factory in Phoenixville on Saturday, December 1st.
I love you guys! How blessed we all are to have each other. Thanks for all you’ve given me and for all you’ve shared here.
🙂 Agreed!