Here’s a fun story.
When my then-fiancé and now-husband got into design school in NYC, he had to find an apartment. He looked for a long time, desperate to find a living space that was larger than an oversized closet. His search brought him to Brooklyn, and he finally got in touch with someone looking for a roommate who had a promising apartment. Our conversation went something like this:
Him: I’m meeting with a guy today about becoming roommates.
Me: Awesome! Does he seem nice?
Him: Yeah. He’s an editor at [insert name of Big 5 Publisher].
Me: …
Him: But we’ll see. The rent’s a little over my budget, so I may—”
Me: TAKE THE APARTMENT.
Okay, I wasn’t that extra :)
But I was super excited to meet the editor. We’ll call him Fred. At that point, I had already written my first book, a YA dystopia that will never again see the light of day because it is terrible. Around the time my husband moved in with Fred, I’d started writing a new book. I planned to query it, and had begun researching the strange and wonderful world of traditional publishing. Meeting a children’s book editor? It was like meeting a celebrity! Feeling star-struck by publishing professionals is common for aspiring authors. But as these professionals like to say, and as I eventually learned, they really are just normal, down-to-earth people. Thankfully, I had enough social grace to know I shouldn’t shove my book at Fred and ask him to publish it (PS…don’t ever do that). But I was able to pick his brain about the writing industry. He was even kind enough to read a few pages of my new book and gave me encouraging notes about my voice. I’ll always be grateful for that, and for the advice he gave me on how to get traditionally published.
His number one suggestion?
Find a critique group and build a community of critique partners (CP’s). He said every author he worked with had one. I knew it was important to share my writing with other people, but I’d never heard of a critique group before. It seems silly to admit that now…but we all start somewhere, right?
What is a critique partner? A CP is someone, preferably another writer familiar with your genre, who reads your work and gives you feedback. If your writing is going to be the best it can be, you need feedback, period. And you need it from multiple people. You can ask someone to read your work without reading theirs, but that’s pretty rude. CP’s usually exchange their work. It’s a good way to develop a collegial relationship with someone and hone your skills as a writer. Good writers are good readers, as they say. You can request different levels of feedback, too.
Cheerleading Read: You can ask your CP to only point out the things they like. Some writers prefer this type of feedback with early drafts so they know what’s working. It’s also a great way to ease into the process if you’re feeling nervous about sharing work.
Don’t-Hold-Anything-Back Read: Conversely, you can ask your CP to point out all the problems in your draft. They can focus on what’s confusing, boring, or poorly written. If you’re going to ask for this type of feedback, it’s best to give your CP targeted questions so their criticism can be constructive vs. plain old mean.
Goldilocks Read: I call middle-of-the-road feedback a Goldilocks read. Not too harsh, but not too rosy either. Most CP’s I work with give this kind of feedback and it’s also my default. This type of feedback includes what’s amazing and what needs work. This is great for any stage in the writing process as you get boosts of encouragement with pointers on how to revise.
Regardless, most writers email their CP’s with questions they’d like them focus on i.e. “is my protagonist believable?” or “how’s the pacing in chapter 1?” Knowing what to ask about a draft means you’re taking a critical eye to your work, and that’s essential!
So, if you’re like me six years ago and need tips on how to find CP's, here are some reliable and easy ways to get started.
SCBWI local critique groups
One of the benefits of being a member of the * Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is you gain access to all the local chapter resources. That includes listings for critique groups! You can filter groups by genre, location, meeting times, and more. Reaching out to critique group organizers is easy, and it’s how I connected with a few local writers.
* SCBWI recently received criticism re: their interactions with a Palestinian writer. Their apology is linked here. I only share this so that writers, minority writers in particular, can have access to information they might otherwise be unaware of. As always, use your best judgement and do what’s best for you.Author Mentor Match, Pitch Wars, and The Write Team
Writing mentorship programs require applying and sending in material, but if you get into one, it’s an incredible way to find CP’s amongst fellow mentees.As a former mentee of Author Mentor Match, I can’t recommend this program enough. Run by author Alexa Donne, it matches agented or published authors with aspiring authors. You not only get matched with an incredible mentor who helps you perfect your book, but you also get access to current and former mentees with whom you can exchange work. I met my best writing friends through AMM.
Pitch Wars is a similar (and extremely competitive) program that matches aspiring authors with industry professionals. I’ve never participated, but several of my writing friends have. I’ve only heard good things.
The Write Team, as described on their website, is “a sister program to The Write Cohort, [and] focuses on community and support. We strive to provide writers with a support system as they move forward in their writing journey.” This program is specifically designed to help writers build connections via Twitter. A good friend of mine Kalie Holford has mentored several writers.
Sub it Club on Facebook
If you’re still on Facebook, Sub it Club is a private group for writers to connect with each other, ask questions, and share stories about their writing and querying journey. I met my first writing friend and CP through their sub group, Sub it Club Critique Partner Matchup. Angie Thomas was also a member of Sub It Club early in her writing journey. You may have heard of her :)#CPMatch on Twitter
You can use this hashtag on Twitter to search for writers who also need CP’s. There’s no guarantee anyone will see or respond to your tweet, but writers regularly use the hashtag.Local Writing Workshops
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find more structured critique groups through local writing workshops. I completed two workshops through Lighthouse Denver, and it completely changed my life! I would never be the writer I am today without the encouragement and feedback I received in those workshops. Unfortunately, most workshops like this do cost money, but dig around to see if there are scholarships or discounts.Critique Match
I haven’t used this site, but after doing some digging, I’d feel comfortable signing up if I were starting from scratch and needed to find CP’s. This website also has a great list of ideas for where to find critique partners. Full disclosure: I haven’t vetted all of these organizations/events/etc. or used them, so make sure you do your due diligence and research!
Not every option outlined above will work for every writer, so take the time to do your research and figure out what’s best for you. Specific Twitter hashtags and events offer writers many amazing opportunities to connect with like-minded people: check out my previous blogpost on Twitter Etiquette for more info!
Bottom line: No matter where or how you find CP’s, the most important thing for you to do is get to know the person first before sharing work. The one caveat is if you’re sharing work through a professional workshop or mentorship program (see #2 and #5 above) you don’t really need to do that. I wouldn’t have walked into my first Lighthouse workshop and been like, “wait, before you read my chapter I need to know your favorite pizza toppings.” But if you’re meeting someone on Twitter or Facebook, it’s a good idea to get to know each other before diving in. The best CP’s are people you like and feel comfortable with, so make sure you vibe with each other and have the same expectations when it comes to delivering and receiving feedback.
Happy CP hunting!