Launch Party - Agent in Old Lace

My amazing critique buddy, Tristi Pinkston, has a new book coming out. Please come celebrate with us at her launch party!

Date: Saturday, May 16th

Time: 3-5 p.m.

Place: Provident Book - 661 West State Street, Pleasant Grove

There will be refreshments, prizes, and lots of sales. Bring a friend!

If you're not able to come, and would still like to purchase a copy of the book, you can do so here.

Happily Ever After

I admit it. I'm a sucker for a good romance. I want the hero and heroine, boy and girl, frog and princess to get together. I knew I was in trouble last week at my critique group when Tristi prefaced her comments about my most recent chapter with something like, "Remember, I love whom I chasteneth." Then she went on to tell me that the romantic scenes I'd written were coming too fast and too soon in the story

I can honestly say I knew this when I was writing it. I'm working on a new book and it's been a struggle. I have a man and woman trapped in a remote mountain cabin for several weeks. I'm trying to come up with ideas of things they can do, or things that can happen during this time. There's only so much you can do in a two-room cabin. Any and all ideas are welcome? (As long as they are clean!) Please send them my way.

It's actually very motivating to receive feedback and suggestions on my writing. I come away from our critique group every week having learned something new and a better writer because of it. We have way too much fun discussing plot holes, scenes that won't quite work, points of view, doctrines of the gospel, and in my case just plain old trying to rush things. (Did that about sum up last week's meeting?) Thanks guys! I'd be lost without you.

Tristi, Heather, Danyelle, Keith, Me, and Nichole

And Tristi, thanks for reminding me that happily ever after doesn't come in the middle of the story!

10 Rules of Critiquing

Rules of Critiquing:

1) Critique the writing, never the writer. Never say, "You are..." or "You should..." Instead say, "The writing is..." or "The story should..."
2) Find what is right in each piece as well as what is wrong.
3) Don't say, "This is how I would write it;" how you would write it isn't the point.
4) Remember that subject matter is personal. You don't have to like a story to give it a fair critique.
5) Remember that real people wrote this stuff, and real people have real feelings.

Rules of Being Critiqued:

1) Listen. The person who is speaking has taken the time to listen to your work, and wants to help you find ways to make it better.
2) Take notes.
3) Explain only if necessary. Don't rebut just for the sake of arguing.
4) Realize that everything can be improved.
5) Be willing to make changes. Conversely, don't change anything you feel must remain in order to make the story yours.

Critique Group Etiquette

My favorite class at the LDStorymakers conference was the class on Critique groups. It was taught by Annette Lyon, Heather Moore, James Dashner, Jeff Savage, Luann Staheli, and Michelle Holmes. The content they taught was very helpful and informative, but the way they taught it was what gave class members great insight into how a critique group is really supposed to work.

You know the famous writing adage—show, don’t tell? Rather than standing at the front of the room and telling us how a critique group can be successful, they showed us. They sat around a table and took turns reading from their manuscripts, and then listening to critiques from the other members.

The instructors have been together in a critique group for several years, and you could tell. They had it down to a science. I’ve been trying to decipher my scribbled notes so I can share them with you. Here are the main points of their class:

1) Group size: 7-8 people. Ideally, writers on similar writing levels. Some variation is okay, but try to avoid a huge disparity.
2) Bring a scene 6-8 pages long. Bring enough copies so each person has their own.
3) Each writer is allowed six minutes to read the manuscript they brought.
4) Each participant is then given three minutes to critique. Rotate to the left around the room, starting with the person to the left of the reader. This is so each person can comment, but the quiet person in the group (that’s me) isn’t always last.
5) Write your name on the top of each manuscript you critique so the author can contact you with any questions they may have later.
6) Remember, critiquing is not only about pointing out the bad things. Put smiley faces by the things you like too and be sure to mention them.
7) Things to look for when critiquing: motivation, feel, dialogue, grammar, punctuation, voice, etc.

That’s a quick run-down of the process. It was amazing to watch the critique group and see how well they function.

I’ve recently started going to a critique group. We use some of the above suggestions and have implemented a few of our own. I’m the baby of our writing group. All the other writers have more experience than I do. I’m studying hard to learn as much as humanly possible, so I can offer valuable insights and help them as much as they are helping me.