My Take on Critique Groups by Beth Ford – Guest Post and Giveaway

As a writer, putting yourself out there by letting someone else read your work can feel scary, especially the first time you do it. It’s like revealing your heart’s deepest desire for critique. However, critique groups are an absolutely necessary part of the process.

I’ve participated in a number of critique groups over the years. Some have lasted only as long as a writing retreat, some have hung on locally for several months, and some have maintained themselves over Zoom for years. All are valuable.

Critiques are also incredibly useful not just for the feedback you get on your own work but for the process of crafting and listening to critiques of other people’s works. Like many things in life, it’s often easier to see the flaws in someone else’s work than your own. Often, you can also draw parallels between the other piece being critiqued and your own. If a group offers an insight to someone else’s work around dialog, for example, you might recall that the next time you’re writing a dialog heavy scene, or it might even prompt you to revise a scene you’ve been struggling with.

As is the case with other forms of critique from beta readers, editors, etc., part of the challenge is knowing how to respond. Of course, you should always try to accept critique with grace rather than be defensive, as difficult as that can feel. But some of the hardest work comes after the critique, when you have to make a plan for revisions.

When I receive feedback, I generally read through it all first. I might make some initial notes to myself, but I don’t act yet. I let it sit for a couple of weeks. During that time, while I might actively be working on another project, my brain is often spending its downtime working on the problem of how to address the critique so answers start to emerge.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to address everything. It’s your book and if a point of feedback doesn’t fit with your vision, then disregard it, though you should try to articulate the reason why to make sure it’s not just because you refuse to kill your darlings. If multiple people have provided similar feedback, though, you should think about it carefully. Sometimes, even if you don’t agree with the specific feedback or the solution they’ve proposed, the critique is highlighting an underlying problem. Make sure you understand the underlying problem before discarding the feedback.

I’ll give you an example. The very first book I wrote (which remains unpublished), had an opening line from the main character’s first-person point of view that mentioned him struggling with a duvet. Many people, including agents and editors, told me they assumed the character was a woman based on that first line. How ignorant, I thought! How sexist! Until I asked a non-writer friend what he thought about the line after reading the first few pages, and he said, “I know because it’s mentioned first it must be important so I should pay attention to it.” That was a thunderbolt moment. I realized that what everyone had actually been trying to tell me was that they were struggling to attach meaning to something that I didn’t think was terribly important. That revelation forced me to change the opening sentence so the duvet didn’t have such prominence.

Critique groups are essential part of a writer’s life. You may have to try out a few before you find one that works for you, but don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

Cassie Woods yearns to be a real journalist. But in 1880s New York City, her only assignments are women’s interest stories. Until, that is, a cookbook author she’s meant to interview goes missing and Cassie finds herself in the midst of a police investigation involving one of the city’s major crime families. Surly but handsome Detective O’Neill threatens repercussions to her career if she continues to interfere. Will Cassie get in over her head or will she save the day and solve the mystery?

This collection contains seven connected stories, each centered on an exciting new case for Cassie to solve while navigating the highs and lows of her relationship with Detective O’Neill.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“A lady reporter?” the policeman at the front desk asked her. “Are you serious?”

“Quite serious, I assure you.” She pointed at the card he held in his hand.

“Anyone could have these printed.”

“Are you going to let me talk to the detective who’s investigating her case or not?”

The man scowled, making his bushy blond eyebrows meet in the middle. Without a word, he walked through a door and out of sight. He returned a few minutes later followed by a fortyish man with strong cheekbones and striking green eyes. The first policeman returned to his duties at the front desk while his handsome superior continued into the lobby. Cassie turned her most charming smile on him.

“Are you the detective?”

“I can’t have reporters interfering in my case.” He spoke in a rough Irish brogue.

Her face fell. Clearly this man was not one to be charmed. “I’m merely asking for information.”

“What does the News Desk want with this story anyway? And why send you?”

“I’m the women’s editor—”

“Women are reading missing persons cases now, are they?”

“I’m simply trying to ascertain where the investigation currently stands. Mr. Walker’s lawyer—”

“What lawyer has he got?”

“Mr. Greene—”

The detective harrumphed. “No good swindler, that one.”

“I’m sure such a description applies to many lawyers you encounter, Mr.…”

The man glared at her. “O’Neill.”

About the Author: Beth Ford writes historical and time travel stories that transport you in time. She is the author of the novels In the Times of Spirits, Love Between Times, Love Across Time, and After the Spirits Come: A Continuation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. She also writes the Cassie Woods, Reporter historical mystery romance novella series. Her work has also appeared in a variety of literary journals. She lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Buy the book at Amazon.