Celebrating the Successful Critique Group: I Couldn’t Have Done it Without You! by Julie Phend

 

No matter where you are in your writing journey, the COVID-19 pandemic has put roadblocks in your path. Maybe it’s hard to find time to write with kids at home or you’re distracted by concern for loved ones. Perhaps you have a new book that has to be promoted entirely online. These are added challenges to an already difficult job. But writers are a resilient group. We may stumble on the stones thrown in our path, but we pick ourselves up and keep on traveling.

We need not travel alone. The support of others is crucial to our journey. And one of the best ways to find support is through a good critique group. I belong to two groups, one that used to meet in person and another that has always critiqued online. Now, due to the pandemic, both groups meet on Zoom. Through these tough months, we have encouraged and pushed each other. We’ve continued to be productive because we know others are counting on us. The pandemic has actually brought us closer, and I believe both groups are stronger than ever. 

So I want to give a shout-out to critique groups everywhere and explore what makes them work.

What is a Critique Group?

A critique group is a group of writers who share their work on a regular basis for the purpose of exchanging feedback and improving craft.

 

Why are critique groups important for a writer?

I posed this question to Terry Jennings, who facilitates critique groups for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) MidAtlantic chapter. 

She said, “A critique group serves as a sounding board for your writing. Critique groups can tell you what you’re doing well, as well as what is confusing about your piece. You can use the group to talk through a problem and get ideas about how to solve it. A critique group also provides validation of your work. It pushes you to write and teaches you to meet deadlines. And by critiquing others, you learn what works. You grow as a writer.”

What are the important elements of a successful critique group?

I asked this question of number of writers involved in critique groups. The answers were surprisingly consistent.

• Respect: It is crucial to respect each member’s work, their personality, and their process. Remember, they are entrusting you with their creative baby—treat that gift with care.

• Generosity: Members genuinely want to help each other find the best path for telling their stories. They applaud what works and make suggestions for improvement.

• Honesty: Critique partners must be honest about what is confusing or doesn’t work. Oftentimes, discussion leads to insight, and insight leads to the best fix.

• Commitment: When you join a critique group, you are making a commitment to yourself as well as fellow members. Giving thoughtful feedback takes time. Meet deadlines. Carve out the time needed.

How Do Critique Groups Work?

This varies from one group to another. Both of my groups exchange manuscripts for written feedback prior to meeting. However, one group sends comments before the meeting while the other sends them afterward. Some groups read a submission aloud during the meeting, organize their responses, and then discuss. Still other groups exchange feedback entirely through written comments without ever actually meeting.  

Groups vary in size, the most workable being 4-6 members. Meetings vary from weekly to monthly and last about two hours. What’s important is to meet regularly, set guidelines for number of pages and rules for discussion, and follow them. Every writer should get equal time. A timer is crucial for this purpose.

What are my responsibilities in critiquing others?

Meet deadlines. Take time to read your partners’ work carefully and give thoughtful comments both on what works and what doesn’t. When possible, suggest a fix. Be specific, but don’t rewrite it yourself. Always remember, it’s the author’s story. Confidentiality is important, too. Don’t talk about your critique partners’ work to others. It’s their decision when and how much they want to share about their projects.

What are my responsibilities when my work is critiqued?

Listen openly and attentively. Take notes and ask questions if you don’t understand something, without interrupting or becoming defensive. Don’t dismiss what others are saying—upon reflection, you will often see the wisdom of their comments. At the same time, remember it’s your story. Know your story so you aren’t unduly influenced.

 

Other Insights from the Writers I Interviewed:

• Go into it with a spirit of collaboration, not competition. Celebrate each other’s successes, large and small. Be cheerleaders for each other! Since writing is such a solitary endeavor, camaraderie and support can be as important as the actual critique.

• A good group needs to concentrate on both the big picture and the nitty-gritty. It’s more than proofreading.

• A good fit is crucial. Look for a group that writes for the same audience or genre as you. Join on a trial basis and see if you feel comfortable. Do you like the members’ work? Does their feedback meet your needs? “It’s like a relationship,” says critique member Joyana McMahon. “You’re not only choosing each other; you’re choosing to commit and foster each other’s growth over time.”

Joyana McMahon, Julie Phend, JoAnn Sanchez Kenyon, Amy Thernstrom on Zoom

 

Like any good relationship, your group will have its ups and downs. The make-up of your group may change over time, but your commitment will stand. There is no better feeling than having one of your group members publish a new book and knowing you helped it on its journey.

This sounds wonderful! How can I find a group?

There are many resources online. SCBWI offers resources. A local chapter can put you in touch with people who live near you. (SCBWI MidAtlantic maintains a list of writers looking for critique groups in its member pages.) Other writers’ organizations offer similar services. Put out a request on their Facebook pages and on your own. Check out the writing community on Twitter. Talk to other writers at conferences. 

Let people know you’re looking for a group, and you will find one. Then give it your best, and you will reap the rewards!

 

Fab Five Critique Group: Eileen Meyer, Carmela Martino, Dana Easley, Natalie Rompella, Julie Phend

Resources:

For more insight on critique groups, check out the following related Grog blog posts:

https://groggorg.blogspot.com/2017/12/critique-groups-critique-partners-we.html?fbclid=IwAR2mvpDyvY4uPGvLrgyaTJoBBY_qeEWLd_f2X8oTVKb0KbNPETkxlmfFVOc

 

https://groggorg.blogspot.com/2015/08/rx-for-your-critique-group-by-patricia.html?fbclid=IwAR3vqRbTz_HUIPMgIEkQtxVmao6aL9_3HxuJLe52-PiNfo8yk_MJITo2-sU

 

https://groggorg.blogspot.com/2018/01/critique-groups-part-2-by-kathy-halsey.html?fbclid=IwAR3MfQ9fs11oY-GAi-UWYJhkV8TIJl5gOHx9Lr6sBe2kuqwsPapLVTA_jt4

Another helpful resource is THE WRITING GROUP BOOK: CREATING AND SUSTAINING A SUCCESSFUL WRITING GROUP Edited by Lisa Rosenthall

 

 

Premise Palooza! Generating Great Story Ideas

by Julie Phend

What’s a Premise Palooza?

Premise Palooza is a fun idea for creating unique story concepts invented by my critique group: authors Kara Laughlin, Joyana McMahon, Amy Thernstrom, and myself, Julie Phend.  

Last December, we were all completing long-term projects. This can be a discouraging time for a writer—after years of commitment to a novel-in-progress, your heart can sink if you’re not sure what to tackle next. So we decided to skip traditional critiques that month and concentrate on creating memorable story premises. Our quest became Premise Palooza.

How Does Premise Palooza Work?

In fiction, a premise is defined as a one-sentence story concept that includes a protagonist, a goal, and a situation. For our challenge, we agreed to do the following:

• Spend 15 minutes each day brainstorming premises. 
• Not censor any ideas.
• At the end of the month, choose our 10 most promising ideas and write a pitch paragraph for each.

To keep ourselves accountable and bolster morale, we emailed weekly to report our progress. We had some good laughs as we shared a few of our zanier ideas.

Each week, we took turns being in charge of prompts to stimulate creative thinking. We found three techniques to be particularly useful. Here’s how they worked:

Daily Prompts: 

Each night, the prompter sent three random prompts, which could be used together, separately, or not at all.

Examples:

• A gummy advent calendar, A cross-country train car, Mardi Gras
•  A secret underwater laboratory, Enemies forced to work together,    National Pun-off
•  New Year’s Eve, An abandoned mine shaft, A secret

Prompts became especially helpful as the month went on and our personal idea wells began to dry up. We discovered that a prompt generated by someone else often sends you in a direction you would never have gone on your own.

A Page from Julie's Notebook

Borrowed Premises: 

Here, the challenge was to take classic premises from books or movies and retell or update them. This strategy yielded some great story ideas.   

Examples:

• An update of the Scarlet Letter where a kid is forced to wear a C for cheating

• A Christmas picture book based on Elf in which the family dog (instead of the baby) climbs into Santa’s sack. 
  

 

Chain Premises:  

This technique involved taking an existing premise—either our own or someone else’s—and changing one element at a time, resulting in a long list of permutations.

 We all liked this exercise and were often surprised at where we ended up. We felt it really pushed us to be creative—and it was fun because it produced new ideas quickly.

Amy shared a chain sequence that began with a borrowed premise. She said, “My 11-year-old son helped me brainstorm. We wrote down absolutely anything that came to our heads, no matter how silly, as you can see by the examples below.”  

(The premises marked with an asterisk * were generated by Amy’s son.) The original idea comes from “Robbie,” a short story by Isaac Asimov.

1.     Asimov’s premise: Busy parents hire a robot babysitter—but worry when the child gets too attached.

2.     Busy parents hire a robot bodyguard, but worry when the bodyguard turns out to be a coward.

3.     Busy parents hire a robot bodyguard, but worry when the child destroys him during a temper tantrum.*

4.     Busy parents hire a dragon babysitter, but worry when the child gets scared.*

5.     Busy parents hire a dragon babysitter, but worry when the child starts breathing fire.

6.     Busy parents hire an alien babysitter, but worry when the child starts growing a third eye.*

7.     Busy parents hire an alien cook, but worry about the ingredients of the food.

8.     Busy parents hire a dragon cook, but worry when the food is charred.

9.     A kid and his parents are kidnapped by a dragon and forced to babysit a dragonet.*

10.  A kid and his parents are hired by Santa Claus to babysit the elves.*

Testing our Ideas:

At the end of the month, we each wrote pitches for our most promising ideas and gave each other feedback. We also shared them with the children in our lives and asked which stories they’d most like to read. It was fascinating to learn which premises children of different ages liked and why.

Was it Successful?

Amy Thernstrom

I asked the group to comment on their Premise Palooza experience.

Amy: There was something magical about putting all other writing aside and focusing exclusively on generating premises for a solid month. I wrote more than I ever thought possible. 

Kara Laughlin

Kara: It kept me writing during a time of year that typically sees me away from my desk.

Joyana: It was fun to focus on exercising the idea-generating part of my brain without inhibitions. No idea was a bad one during the process.

Joyana Peters McMahon

Julie: I’ve always been a writer who grabbed the first idea that came into my head. This challenge pushed me to stretch my thinking and become more creative.   

Brainstorming premises is clearly a lot of fun. But does it yield valid story ideas?

We all felt that it did. Two of us are currently writing stories based on the challenge, and we’re all excited to have to have a well of story ideas to draw from when we need them.

Julie Phend

Overall, Premise Palooza was great fun, freed our creativity, bonded our group, and generated a ton of ideas—all during the usually less-productive month of December.

Try It!  

So, if you’re looking for a way to spark your creativity, grab a group of friendly writers and organize your own Premise Palooza. Maybe a Pandemic Premise Palooza is in your future.