1. You do not talk about write club.
Oh,
but you do. You have to. There are several things to consider when
forming a critique group. It needs at
least three members; otherwise, what you have is a critique partner. Right? A good group size is
about six; any more members and adjustments to the work load have to be made.
A
good critique group should be divided into genres – fiction, non-fiction, short
stories, novel-length work, poetry, children’s books, etc. Each genre has its
own focus, rules, and expectations, and the members cannot be expected to be
experts in each.
The
group must decide when, where, and how often to meet. Some critique groups work online only and
others meet in person. The best place for
in-person critique groups is to meet in neutral zones, places without
distractions, like a library meeting room or an office. Restaurants and private
homes compromise the owners into hosting the event.
Also
talk about how often the group will meet.
Once a week, once a month, twice a month? And how long will the meeting last? Time of day? In order to limit the focus and
stick to the business a critique group, allot one or two hours per meeting and
stick to the work at hand.
2. You DO
NOT talk about write clubs.
We
have to. Let’s talk about the task itself. Depending on the size of the group
and the genre to be discussed, the group must agree on the number of pages each
member is allowed to submit to be critiqued per meeting. It makes sense that the number of pages a
poetry group submits per session will differ than the number of pages a group
reading each other’s novels will submit.
Decide
how to share the pages to be critiqued so the group members have time to read
and discuss them? Will these pages be posted online and critiqued on-line, or posted
on line and discussed in person? Will
the author bring printed copies for everyone in the group and will it be read
at the meeting or sent home to be read and returned at the following
meeting?
All
work should be submitted according to the rules of traditional publishing: printed
in 12-point font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, one-sided, with the author’s
last name and title in the header, and pages numbered in the footer.
3. Someone yell’s stop, goes limp, taps
out, the fight is over. The focus of critiquing is easy: listen
to what input the author wants from the group (edits, revisions, help with
problems encountered) and stick to that objective, remembering that in the end,
any changes to the manuscript belong to the author.
4. Only two guys to a fight.
Respect and share the time allotted so everyone
gets to share and get input in the discussion of the group. Always keep to the
rules and expectations set by the group.
5. One fight at a time, fellas.
Learn the rules. Follow the rules. No exceptions. If the group starts to stray from its
objective, take a break and revisit the rules and objectives. Remember a
critique offers structural suggestions and a criticism looks for flaws and
faults.
6. No shirts; no shoes.
Pages submitted for critiquing should stand alone without lengthy explanations
from the author. No long oral prologues
and epilogues. It it’s not on the page,
it is not on the page.
7. Fights will go on as long as they
have to. Go about it
like professionals and come prepared. It is a two-way partnership. Both sides invest
time and effort into the experience and should learn from each other. Stop
repeating the same mistakes and the writing should improve from it
8. If this is the first time at Fight
Club, you have to fight. This probably should be #1. Everyone
in the critique group should bring pages to be critiqued, regardless of the writer’s
level of expertise or need. A group member might be in a writing lull, and joins
the group to get inspired or keep up with the group’s progress, but sooner than
later, everyone has to submit pages to be critiqued.
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