tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post2168148838013417836..comments2024-03-29T03:30:18.368-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: How Not to Burn Your Critique Group to the GroundDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-59678184400866389082014-09-07T12:33:33.256-06:002014-09-07T12:33:33.256-06:00Thanks for the great post, Jim, and welcome to BRP...Thanks for the great post, Jim, and welcome to BRP. I do hope you will be a guest again. I have belonged to several critique groups through the years and they have been of tremendous help. It is crucial that we leave our egos at home, and remember it's the work, not us that is getting shredded. LOLMaryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-47302738961213775982014-09-07T07:58:10.376-06:002014-09-07T07:58:10.376-06:00There is a lot of lively debate in my crit group. ...There is a lot of lively debate in my crit group. There will be passage half of us love and half of us loathe, but when we all notice the same thing, it gets changed. I could not do it without them. They pick up on so much I miss. Plus we have different personality types and I think it is important to have a mix of feelers versus thinkers.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-33018035290463782712014-09-05T21:32:13.716-06:002014-09-05T21:32:13.716-06:00Thanks Susan! We have a rule in my critique group ...Thanks Susan! We have a rule in my critique group that the author must remain silent until after all the critiques have been said around the table. Helps with those knee-jerk defensive reactions.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-40610670456958398812014-09-05T21:30:19.712-06:002014-09-05T21:30:19.712-06:00just like Stephen King said, “Write with the door ...just like Stephen King said, “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” .https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-74548001272911199092014-09-05T14:44:19.483-06:002014-09-05T14:44:19.483-06:00I try not to react initially and let the critics s...I try not to react initially and let the critics sink in. Then when I'm not feeling attacked, that's a silly reaction, I can better judge good from bad criticisms. Great post.Susan Gourley/Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669793865290876168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-66804822200896093502014-09-05T14:01:52.437-06:002014-09-05T14:01:52.437-06:00Come visit us again!Come visit us again!Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7738029825100025232014-09-05T11:58:30.973-06:002014-09-05T11:58:30.973-06:00I find both group time and alone-time valuable in ...I find both group time and alone-time valuable in different phases. I worked with critique groups for support in the initial stages of my novel. Then I needed to fly solo for a bit and learn self-reliance. Next I'll show it to beta readers to get a bird's eye view. I treat feedback like a 12-step group: take what I like and leave the rest. Not that I exactly "like" it, but just as you say: if several people have the same reaction and it resonates with me, I have to pay attention. I love the Neil Gaiman quote. Thanks for the reminder that others may help point us in a direction, but only we can walk it.Cara Lopez Leehttp://www.caralopezlee.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-791168575517615752014-09-05T10:15:16.196-06:002014-09-05T10:15:16.196-06:00Thanks for having me!Thanks for having me!.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-44822733180894852852014-09-05T10:14:56.849-06:002014-09-05T10:14:56.849-06:00Nothing prepares you for rejection like rejection,...Nothing prepares you for rejection like rejection, eh?.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4139186553059922782014-09-05T10:14:03.027-06:002014-09-05T10:14:03.027-06:00Thanks Linda! Beta readers and critique goups help...Thanks Linda! Beta readers and critique goups helped propell my writing to a new level.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-27663685486702738442014-09-05T10:11:52.699-06:002014-09-05T10:11:52.699-06:00Thanks Betsy! The trick is not to get caught :)Thanks Betsy! The trick is not to get caught :).https://www.blogger.com/profile/10657110423294617020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9238090328780256482014-09-05T09:54:55.252-06:002014-09-05T09:54:55.252-06:00Thanks for visiting us, Jim! Thanks for visiting us, Jim! Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-14052314930511781182014-09-05T08:35:44.613-06:002014-09-05T08:35:44.613-06:00I've often mentioned here that writing in the ...I've often mentioned here that writing in the corporate world thickened my skin ... after you've heard a client say, "What's that smell? Oh, it coming from this script" you learn not to get too attached to your stuff ... you just shut up and change it.<br />Speaking of unwarranted critiques ... my spam collector started sweeping up missives from BRP ... which is why I've been absent lo these many days. Well, I straightened that out ... I hope.Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9005545920425743272014-09-05T07:56:09.516-06:002014-09-05T07:56:09.516-06:00While not currently belonging to a critique group,...While not currently belonging to a critique group, I see the potential value of again joining one. And while turning the back on ego to face the value (or lack thereof) of suggested changes might make a better finished product, I recoil at any hint that my "baby" is less than perfect. (How'd that ego sneak back in here?) The keynote speaker at a writing seminar I attended several years ago stated emphatically that our stories are NOT our babies. This is not necessarily so. Our creativity gave birth to our words; this qualifies as "baby" in my book (no pun intended). Since I've migrated (at least temporarily) from family dramas to soft thrillers, murder can enter the picture here. Lots of ways to end the critical lives of picky beta readers or critique group members lurk within a fertile imagination and can find a fitting home on the written page. Biggest perk: I don't go to jail for this literary crime. :-)<br /><br />On the other hand, your suggesting of allowing a criticism a few days to incubate in your mind makes great sense. Distance can indeed promote at least a degree of objectivity, as well as needed "fixes." Love this post, Jim. Thanks for sharing it, Elle.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-1222311706695191462014-09-05T07:25:41.762-06:002014-09-05T07:25:41.762-06:00I've targeted a couple of members of my critiq...I've targeted a couple of members of my critique group for death. In writing a book about a serial killer, I need lots of bodies. So I tortured and killed them on the page. Seriously, a critique is both your best friend and worst enemy. I agree with you, Jim, that having a sentence or character castigated by people you trust is more than difficult. But, as you say, if you check your egos at the door, you can get more out of the group than you expected when you joined. Excellent post.Betsy Ashtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06871010122475160477noreply@blogger.com