The Importance Critique Partners
As the adage goes, “It takes a village.” This is true to a lot of things in life and writing is one of them. After countless hours of researching, pre-writing, planning, drafting and self-editing, it becomes nearly impossible to look at it objectively. That’s not to mention all the passion and drive behind telling the story you want to tell. This is why getting other eyes on your work is an essential part of the process.
Why do you need outside feedback?
The short answer is objectivity. The less someone knows about your work going into it, the better. These people don’t have all the added backstory and worldbuilding that didn’t even make it to the page on their mind. They only have what you’ve written and will only judge a work in progress for what’s there. If there are any plot holes, cliches, confusing wording or bad pacing, they’ll be more likely to detect it and let you know.
This kind of information can help you push your story to the next level and allow other people to get a closer glimpse into its world as you imagine it. Writing a story is like an iceberg. Only a small, curated portion is visible in the work in progress and a vast amount of info never makes it in but helps inform what’s there.
Maybe to readers, you need to use more info from the “unseen part of the iceberg” to flesh out a character’s backstory to make their actions more comprehensive and/or sympathetic. Conversely, your story could be too overwrought with unnecessary details that are better left unsaid. The best way to figure out how to strike this delicate balance is to get some outside opinions.
What makes the ideal critique partner?
The more honest and detailed the critique, the more help the writer receives. Getting nothing but praise or very nondescript feedback (i.e. “it sucked” or “it was awesome”) is not helpful. That’s not to say that praise itself is not a useful feedback. It’s equally important for a writer to know what IS working as it is to fix mistakes. However, ideally each critique should be quantified as much as possible.
A good critique partner doesn’t have to be an English major, published author, or literary enthusiast. As long as they can clearly communicate their honest thoughts in a constructive way, there is a lot of value there. Finding a mix of people who are in the ideal demographic for your book and people who aren’t can also bring some valuable perspectives to your work.
Where do you find critique partners?
So, where does one find this mythical critique partner? There are quite a few routes you can go to when looking for outside feedback. The internet makes it easier than ever too!
Friends and Family
Many advise against getting feedback from friends and family. Yes, this can be a very biased source of feedback, however people in your circles are still capable of being honest. People who know you have a unique insight that other readers wouldn’t and can potentially see which inspirations from your life you’re drawing from.
If you know people who are fellow writers, English majors, or people who read a lot of books, then that’s even better! Your current network can be a great place to start. This also helps you make your manuscript as good as possible before looking for completely unbiased sources.
Now, it is true that you shouldn’t SOLELY rely on family and friends for feedback. Getting completely unbiased critiques is essential since this will ideally comprise the majority of your future readership. Furthermore, friends and family can provide a certain degree of encouragement with a side of tough love (or the other way around depending on the state of the work itself).
CritiqueMatch
This is a site I’ve used when looking for critique partners. It’s great for finding writers who are looking for fellow writers to exchange feedback. Usually, you make an agreement with someone to read one chapter of your work for a chapter of theirs. You can continue trading feedback if you want, or look for someone more aligned to what you’re looking for.
Looking for other aspiring writers is free, but there are also paid options for professional critiques. Personally, I’ve never used these paid services and found working with other writers perfectly sufficient.
Here’s a breakdown with how the site works:
You make an account and a profile. Here you share info about yourself as a writer, your work in progress and what kind of feedback you’re looking for.
You also share the types of genres you’d like to work with (both in terms of writing and critiquing) and list some of your favorite authors.
Then you share some of your work by copying and pasting a portion (usually a chapter) into the system. The formatting is done automatically and the work can’t be copied from these pages to protect against potential plagiarism.
Then you look for critique partners who could be a good match and let them know if you’d like to work with them. Likewise, you can wait until someone writes you.
Give other writers the same kind of feedback you’d like to receive and try to find a group of writers that you trust and work well with!
Other ways to find Critique Partners
Other places you can find critique partners include writer groups on Facebook or Goodreads forums. These are also online communities where writers gather to talk about their work and other people’s writing. Usually there are segments where people are looking to get an honest opinion and plenty of people who are happy to help!
Worries and Concerns
Finally letting other people look at your work is a huge step. It can be an extremely nerve wracking one at that. But if you want to get your writing out to the public, it’s an important first step. Better get a harsh critique about typos, inconsistencies, or plot holes from a writing partner than a reader once it’s out there!
However, don’t feel the need to implement EVERY piece of advice you receive. Like any other art, writing is super subjective. What works for one person might make another recoil. However, if you get the same note from about five or six other people, then it might be worth addressing.
At the end of the day, getting to the point where you even have a manuscript to share is a HUGE accomplishment. So, take a deep breath, hand off the steering wheel to someone else for a bit, and take the feedback in stride. It’s all about bringing your creative vision to the best possible version it deserves.
