(Dedicated to Neva and Kathy, the two fearless leaders who are responsible for my crit group–and to all my writing buddies who faithfully rip apart my work.)
I guess I’m finally learning the craft of writing because it is increasingly getting in the way of my reading enjoyment. I find myself frustrated when I find a POV slip in a novel–or when a secondary character takes too much attention from the main story line. And those first sentences–some of them don’t hook me at all! Maybe they bug me mostly because the author, whose craft could use some polishing, has his/her novel published, while mine, full of elbow grease, blood sweat and tears, still languishes on my hard drive. LOL
But it can bug me in the writing of those who know craft as well. I really don’t like knowing their tricks. Afterall, when you know the trick, it loses a bit of its magic. I mean who wants thoughts like, “Wow, they did a good job leaving me hanging at the end of that chapter” or “cool use of shorter sentences in this dramatic scene, the rythmn really works to build tension” interrupting the flow of a great book?
While many people are naturally gifted writers, for most of the writing world, it is the hard work of learning the craft and learning it well that sets some authors apart from the pack.
I love being a part of a critique group for this reason. It’s like we’re collective sponges, drinking in how to improve our craft, and when we meet to discuss each other’s work we each squeeze out a bit of our hard-earned knowledge and fling it out on everyone else. Which is cool, because since we’re all sponges we still go home full of the moisture of learning our craft, because each of us sucked up all the water someone else flung.
I’ve been a member of the same critique group for 3 or more years now. We really didn’t know that much when we started. But we stuck together. We read books. We attended conferences. And we dug into each other’s words. The level of our critiquing is far above where it was 3 years ago. We keep soaking in the learning and flinging it on each other. My critique group has perhaps been the most valuable asset I have as I’ve learned craft.
Besides providing a safe place to learn from other writers, my critique group helps me develop my craft by proding me along. I don’t like to show up with nothing to share, so I write. I don’t care if you’ve read all the best books on writing novels or finished your English degree in college. If you haven’t written a book, it’s all in the head, you know? To learn to write, you gotta write. And my critique group helps me do this by providing both a challenge and a good dose of encouragement. There’s nothing like seeing the gang weep or burst into laughter at just the right places to keep a writer goin’.
My critique group also helps me learn how to learn about the craft. We share with each other the conferences that have made a difference, the tapes we’ve bought, and the speakers who help us the most. We pass around books on craft and as I type, our fearless leader is preparing a blog just for us–so we can go through a writing book together and discuss it on line, learning from each other’s insights.
Even conferences are a lot more fun since I got into a critique group. I don’t think I’ve gone to conference without a buddy for my last five writing conferences! There’s something so sweet about returning to the room after a stressful interview with an editor or following a class that just blows your mind and debriefing with people who totally get it and know and love you.
Part of learning craft is a game of perseverance. And my critique group buddies help me do just that by offering me something very precious–their friendship. It’s way easier to keep on keepin’ on when you’re not by yourself. It’s your crit partners who hold your hand when you get that rejection slip. It’s your crit partners who understand that people talk inside your head but that doesn’t mean you need hospitalization. It’s your crit partners who do what mine did and bug you until you join American Christian Fiction Writers, which, of course turns out to be one of the best decisions of your writing career.
So, here’s my advice for all you burgeoning writers. Find a critique group–a good one–one where its members support you, but know when to baby you and when to bully you. One where the members are serious about learning the craft and publishing. Before commiting to a group find out if they are reading books, going to classes and conferences, and submitting their work. Hang around a few times just to see if the group is safe, yet productive. Are they kind in their critique? Do they offer praise as well as advise? Do they share freely, but also give you the freedom to disagree?
If you want to be better at crafting your words, put the commitment into a crit group. But let me warn you: reading your favorite novels will never be the same. You’ll learn the craft . . . and then you’ll see things you’ve never seen in everything you read. What a curse. But at least your readers will benefit from all the tricks you’ve learned.
