I have been part of a critique group, the Snail Society, for a long long time.
Different writers have drifted in and out over the years but four of us (Carolyn, Janice, Virginia and myself) have been working together fairly consistently for quite some time. Janice and I have been in some form of a group together for 10 years! This is remarkable to me – there are very few things that I have done for 10 years.
We know each other well. We know each others’ writing even better.
2009 was not kind to the Snail Society. There was a lot of LIFE getting in the way.
But 2010 is looking good so far! The snails are back on fire.
A few things I’ve learned about critiquing from the Snails:
- Start positive
- Be brutally honest
- Laugh together
- Have faith in your fellow writer’s skills to tackle tough problems with plot, logic, character, etc. They WILL surprise you
- Celebrate the little victories along the way
- Fuddruckers will let you eat as much produce off the toppings bar as your digestive system can possibly handle
- Do NOT have candles in the middle of the table
- When all else fails, force shirkers and offenders to throw in a dollar to support a new “author” with a name that rhymes with failin’
Sarah Wones Tomp
WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK
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[...] in fact I knew something wasn’t quite right – I looked forward to the brilliant Snail Society “fixing” it for [...]