Writers in the Storm

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July 12, 2019

6 Tips for Finding a Great Critique Partner

Photo Credit: ©hsfelix, depositphotos

When I talk to other writers about the fabulous relationship I have with my primary critique partner, the question always arises:

How did you find her?!!!

Recognizing the importance of quality feedback, writers often search for trusted critique partners or groups like a romance novel protagonist searching for true love.

Where is The One?
How will I know when I find them?
Will they love me back?

My "Love Story"

I found my primary critique partner (CP) through an immersion hosted by Margie Lawson, who often guest posts here. As a true introvert, it took a lot of gumption back then for me to attend a four-day retreat at a stranger's house, but I'd reached that point in my writing where I realized how much I didn't know and needed to learn. So I bit the proverbial bullet, signed up, and drove from Houston to Dallas.

Meanwhile, my CP had driven most of the same route. We got to know each other somewhat during immersion, and that would have been that—making another lovely writer friend—except that she suggested swapping pages for feedback. After all, we lived in the same metro area, had been writing about the same length of time, had gone through Margie's courses, and both wrote young adult. Why not give it a shot?

We started slowly with tentative comments reminding each other what we'd learned and what a reader might see (or not see) in what we'd written, then moved to more direct feedback once we'd gotten to know each other's writing styles and personalities better. These days, I trust my CP so much with my writing that if she reads a passage of mine, turns to me, and lifts an eyebrow? I know I've got work to do.

But we had to earn that respect from one another, and—just like any close relationship—we sometimes call each other out if a suggestion is too vague or a comment too abrasive. It wasn't love at first sight, but rather a relationship that developed over time and required adapting ourselves to what the other needed and wanted. And it continues to require nurturing.

Tips for Finding The One

While our "meet cute" can't be replicated, my experience has taught me six tips for finding good critique for your writing.

1. Know where you are in the journey.

Writers need different kinds of critique at different stages. Early on, you need more encouragement than criticism and more story structure and character tips than prose specifics. Further along, you've developed a better voice and learned some basics, so you need more honing and critical feedback.

You want to work with someone who pushes you without making you feel like an idiot. It's like how in college I preferred playing tennis with my friend, who also saw the game as recreation, to playing with my roommate who'd won tennis tournaments. I wanted my roomie to coach me, but after losing 6-0 and 6-1, I wasn't very motivated to retake the court with her on the other side of the net.

One reason my CP and I worked well from the get-go is that we were at about the same spot along the writing journey—having written for the same length of time, taken courses, attended Margie's immersion. We were at a close enough level to push each other toward better writing.

Figure out where you are on the journey, and that will help you identify what kind of critique you need and want.

2. Determine your critique style.

Do you like being in a group or working one-on-one?
Do you prefer blunt feedback or need more sensitive commentary?
Do you want suggestions in the margins or direct editing on the page?
Do you want overall story and character critique or line editing?
Do you prefer to submit chapter by chapter or after the whole book is finished?

There's no one way to critique a book. I've worked with other CPs who do things very differently from my primary partner. What's important is that you agree on a critique style. To some extent, you can direct your CP to give what you need, but if they and you work very differently, the relationship isn't going to gel.

Think about what you want and pursue a partner who is willing to give what will work best for you, and vice versa.

3. Go where good CPs are.

If you're sitting at home, wishing you had a great critique partner, and wondering where to find one, ask how involved you are in the writing community. That is, have you taken classes where you might meet others? Are you in a writing chapter? Do you attend conferences or retreats? If you want to find someone who knows their stuff, you have to go where those writers go.

I found my main CP at an immersion course, but I've shared pages and gotten critique from others I've met at my RWA chapter, through a regional writers conference I attended, from my fellow Golden Heart nominees, and in an online class.

Be willing to attend writer events, even virtually, to put yourself in the company of those who might need, want, and make a great critique partner or group.

4. Do a trial run.

Once you've found someone, don't slice your palms, slap your hands together, and swear a blood bond just yet. Do a trial run to see how well you work together.

It was probably months before I really felt like my CP was my CP. For a while, she was simply a writer I was exchanging pages with, and no hard feelings if it didn't work out. That open-ended experiment allowed us to really try each other out without undue pressure.

Trade some pages and see how it goes. Give feedback about their feedback so they can adapt to what you need and want. Be open to their editing suggestions but consider whether their critique is helpful where you are in your journey. If your styles are too different, thank them for their time and move on.

5. Periodically review how it's going.

The development of a CP relationship may mimic a love story, but at the end of the day, this is a business decision. Because getting good feedback is about improving your product—the book.

I've witnessed too many writers stay in a relationship with a critique partner or group long after they knew it wasn't working anymore. They worried about their friendship, about being judged poorly for backing out, about possible discomfort when they announce their decision, about not being able to find another critique relationship. But if you are not getting what you need from the partnership, don't string that CP along. Say goodbye.

It might be worth saying that directly to your critique partner or group—that you fully appreciate the relationship you currently have, but everyone needs to ultimately do what's right for their writing.

6. Tend to the care and feeding of a good CP.

Finally, when you find that special someone, don't take them for granted! A good critique partnership or group isn't easy to come by, and a huge boost to your writing when you find one.

Look, I wouldn't be the writer I am today without the great critique I've gotten. All that wonderful feedback has pushed me to improve my craft and write better stories. And if I fail my own standards, I'll see my partner's YCDB (you can do better) in my manuscript margin. For which I'm grateful.

So when you get great feedback, say thank you...a lot. Meet your own deadlines for critiquing their work and, if you can't, explain why and when you'll get it back. Adapt your feedback to what they need (while not letting them publish garbage). Celebrate their successes. Include them in the acknowledgments of your book. Thank them. Did I already say that? Well, thank them again!

For myself, here's a big thank you to Christina, Catie, Diana, Donna, Melinda, Edwina, Jenn (and other people I'm leaving out because my middle-aged memory sucks).

What suggestions do you have for finding a great critique partner?

About Julie

Julie Glover writes cozy mysteries, young adult fiction, and supernatural suspense (under the pen name Jules Lynn). Her YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®, and her primary critique partner became her co-author this year with the release of the Muse Island Series, which begins with book one, Mark of the Gods.

When not writing, Julie collects boots, practices rampant sarcasm, and advocates for good grammar and the addition of the interrobang as a much-needed punctuation mark. You can visit her website here.

22 comments on “6 Tips for Finding a Great Critique Partner”

  1. Oh Julie, I think you hit all the points on this one! The best crit group I was ever in was the one that started this blog so long ago! The only thing I'd add is, don't be afraid to try a critter who doesn't write what you do. As you pointed out, it's more about where you are in your craft and ability to tell a story.

    I mean, a sci-fi or fantasy writer can teach you about world-building - a romance author can teach you about emotion, etc.

    Good luck to everyone seeking a critter - they're gold when you find them, and just about as hard to find!

    1. Great point! In fact, my main CP and I no longer write in the same genre, but we still get a lot from each other. And the other CPs didn't all write in my genre—they still had plenty of great feedback. Thanks, Laura! So glad you found the wonderful critters. 🙂

    2. That's the best critique group I ever found too. And I actually thought it worked better for the fact that we all wrote different things. Good story is good story.

  2. Well said! I would add another point or two (if I may) about clarity and boundaries. Give your partner specific questions that you'd like feedback on (aspects that concern you) to make her job easier, BUT be open to other concerns that she raises, too. And if you don't want to receive feedback on too many elements at once, set a limit on the number of concerns raised in a given exchange. I agree that partnership works if both have similarly thick or thin skins, as well as having clear and frank communication. It's a special—and sensitive—relationship!

    1. Very true! Communicating what you need/want is so important, and a willingness to adapt to what your partner needs is essential to keep that relationship going. Thanks, Barbara!

  3. I'm in a small online group. We submit a chapter at a time using an IO group. Working online lets us keep to our own schedules.
    We don't all write the same genre, but in our case, we agree that it works because we tend to see different aspects of the work. One, a sci-fi/fantay author lives in London and is a computer programmer. His feedback runs to the very detailed, and he will look at every possible interpretation (at least it seems so!) of the chapter, down to words and up to overall story. We get so locked into knowing what we mean to be writing that seeing other interpretations makes us stop and think. Likewise, we will point out when his work is getting too "computer programmish"
    Another member writes romance with paranormal elements, and her feedback tends to be more "big picture" oriented. Three of us have been together for years and years, book after book. We've reached the point where we point out problems; we don't need warm fuzzies. We want to know what's NOT working.
    On a side note, I'll be taking a trip to the UK in the fall and hope to meet my London crit partner in person after all these years.

    1. Sounds great! I like how your own experience shows that you can have virtual critique partners these days. In fact, most writers I know with CPs don't live in the same town as their partners; they do it all through email, online meetups, messaging, etc. And enjoy that meeting with your London crit partner! That will be really special. 🙂 (London is also awesome. Enjoy.)

  4. This is the great! Thank you! I feel like I really need a crit partner now. I have one YA Contemporary novel out and I want that feedback in really developing characters and story structure like you pointed out. I do belong to RWA, but I haven't found anyone yet. I think I will start hunting out some other groups as well. Love the tips Thank You!

  5. I was just lucky. When I decided to find my first critique partners, they appeared. We were all at the same place in our writing journeys, but we each wrote in a different genre and we each had different strengths. I thought of one as "the wordsmith," another as "real people don't do or think that," and the third as "but what are they thinking and feeling?" And those were just the things I needed pointed out at the time. (I still need the feeling one...) When that group organically broke up through two households moving and a death, I looked for another group and found WITS! Lucky indeed.

    1. I like the idea that there are different strengths within a group. Very important to get different perspectives on your work. Thanks, Fae!

  6. I think there needs to be a "Tinder" or "Match" for critique partners. Or a matchmaker for writers. That would make my life easier. Maybe I'll start that in the future.

    1. Ok -- probably not a Tinder. That is too flippant. But, a matchmaker service that pairs or groups complimentary writers. Oh what possibilities that would bring.

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