Creative Writing Critique Groups
Recently, I was interviewed by a writer doing an article about the effectiveness of creative writing critique groups–which are a lot like formal workshops, except, perhaps, they are not attached to university based writing programs.
The interviewer asked if I recommended critique groups for new or established writers, and if so, what kind or quality of critique group would I suggest to a writer seeking guidance and support.
Here is the gist of what I said:
1) Workshops in university writing programs usually have a professor or facilitator to keep the commentary moving and to make certain that the more vocal members of the group don’t filibuster. So that is the first suggestion. Don’t join a critique group unless there’s a strong organized leader, someone who is able to exert control on members.
2) The leader should not be a member of the group (someone who shares work). Rather, he/she should be an objective overseer. Preferably, the group will pay the facilitator so that he/she remains loyal to the regularity and the good health of the group and has an interest in seeing that continues onward.
3) The facilitator or leader should also be an active gatekeeper–making certain that workshop participants, more or less, are on the same basic level of achievement. This is important. You, as a member of an informal critique group, should be learning from the participants you are sharing your time and work with. It may be an ego trip to be the most accomplished or “expert” in the room, but it rarely does your work any good.
Those are some of the basic considerations when choosing your critique group, that is, if you feel you must be a part of a group–not that I am discouraging writers to join or form critique groups. The reason I am a full-time writer today is because I was motivated at the right time and by the right facilitator in an informal critique group. But I was fortunate.
It would be interesting to learn about your critique groups. Write and share your experiences with my readers—for better or worse.
Came upon your site the long way, via a FB post on CNF’s call for blog entries. Now I’m wondering: what universe was I in that I didn’t know about you? I’m a Pittsburgh girl, born and bred, and did my BA at Pitt with a minor in creative writing (back in the Monte Culver days). I’ve done just about every job there is in nonfiction writing (including teaching), and now I’m the founder and editor of MidLifeBloggers. I’m about to start a MidLifeBloggers Writer’s Workshop,so I was particularly interested in the points you make in this post about workshops. Thank you–and now that I’ve found you, I’ll be back.
Lee, I came to your blog via the CNF Web site while preparing for Robin Hemley’s class last night at UI. Thank you for taking time to talk with our class, by the way. As an older student who returned to college with 15 years as a freelance writer in the “populist” and Christian press, I truly appreciated your advice to the class: to experience life, to get outside academia, because we become better writers for it. (Amen!)
In your blog post you asked for comments on critique groups. I have been active in several and co-founded three, one in CompuServe’s original writers’ roundtable, and two in-person groups. I formed my current group here in Iowa when my family and I moved from Seattle and I couldn’t find one that met my needs; one group at a large bookstore chain attracted too many people so our work would be read in rotation only once every quarter, another group specialized in romance-only writing, and another group turned out to be more social and less critique, not a working writers’ group. So, I started my own.
I appreciate and need the “fresh eyes” of other working writers. And our group not only critiques each others’ work, but I bring market news each month to our members and I encourage them to do the same. We also share publishing successes at the beginning of our meeting and it’s gratifying to see something in print that we helped a fellow writer polish. The group has been active since 2002, with members who have come and gone, growing to as many as 12 (too many, actually, for same-night critiquing), to our now comfortable and stable group of 6.
I also co-founded a Seattle-area group during the 1990s with friend and fellow writer Shannon Woodward, and it, too, ended up with six members. That one operated differently, in that we emailed or brought pieces to be critiqued a month in advance (a policy I tend to prefer because of the depth of attention and resultant feedback I can give someone’s writing). My group here in Iowa prefers bringing work to the meeting the same night, so I’ve adapted. We take an hour to read followed by an hour to discuss feedback. It works for us.
As for meeting places, the Seattle group rotated between members’ homes, while my Iowa group meets at a local Panera’s cafe, making use of the free conference room. We used to meet in the public library until last year’s massive Iowa flood destroyed the main library, pushing groups who needed conference rooms to the other two smaller libraries in our area–scheduling became impossible, so we moved to the cafe.
In addition, I have been subject to the “Iowa workshop” experience, having participated in two semesters offered to undergrad students, the “Creative Writing Workshop” and the recently revived “Writers’ Workshop, Fiction for Undergraduates” (my submitted story won me a spot during my final semester as an undergrad). The biggest adjustment I found I had to make was that many of my classmates critiqued from personal preference or idiosyncrasies, rather than trying to make the pieces the “best” they could be, to realize their full potential. There was also some showing off going on, or writing for shock value rather than writing something of value. I’m still grateful for the experience and the challenge to produce some interesting new projects generated from those classes, but I also value the feedback from my writing friends who may not have an MFA, but who successfully write for publication, or who bring insight from their life experience in their feedback to bear on my own projects.
Thanks again for sharing your time and expertise with us writers in the graduate class as well as online, Lee. It’s a pleasure to meet you and benefit from your experience.
Lee,
I read this a while back, then came looking for it tonight after our informal writers group session. Two members had brought up the idea that we ought to have a leader, a facilitator, and I’d mentioned I’d read they should be paid and a non-submitter of work.
Although no one was willing to relinquish their rights to be workshopped, and no one was willing/able to pay such a person, we did decide on a leader, and there was a definite positive effect on the evening as a result.
My experience with this group, while young, is rather positive. We’re limiting the group to about 10, 5 who come steadily. I wonder what you think about off and on attendees and ideal group sizes?