Month: November 2020

One of the best tools we’ve found for both first time and seasoned authors with dozens of books is a Critique Group. We’ve mentioned them a few times but haven’t really gone into what they are or how to run one. We’ll correct that oversight right now.

First, a definition: A Critique Group is an assembly of folks willing to read and comment on the writings of others. They do not have to be writers in their own right, in fact bringing in a few folks who enjoy just reading can give insight into final audience reactions. It’s good if you can find someone who has been through the writing, editing, publishing, marketing process…but it’s not necessary. A Critique Group is intended to help smooth out the rough spots in your story…editing should take place after you have all the story details done. (Don’t hire an editor until your story is ready! It’ll just be a waste of time for them and money for you.)

Next, do you really need a Critique Group? Not necessarily, but if you write, you do. If you want to improve your writing, you do. If you want to work with others, helping them improve…and avoiding the mistakes you see…you do. If you want to publish your work, you do. In other words unless you hire a Developmental Editor to do the same job, you really do need a Critique Group.

Then again, if you want a group to tell you what a wonderful job you’ve done…and how much they love your story…you may not be ready for honest feedback. Also, are you ready to give honest feedback to others? Can you give that feedback? Critique Groups work both ways, so if you’re not ready, you might seek out some Beta Readers instead.

Types of Critique Groups

Critique Groups work in many different ways, but they mostly fall into two main types: Read Cold or Read Ahead. In a Read Cold group, the Readers (Listeners) sit around a table (physical or virtual), possibly with a copy of the ms to mark up, listening as the Author reads the work aloud. An advantage to this type of group is that you get to hear how the author intends to work to sound, where he places the emphases, those minor intonations that are lost in print, and the tone of the characters. The problem is that you do get to hear how the author intends the work to sound…an opportunity the final readers won’t have. You also have the chance to quiz the author about his intentions…again not a possibility for the intended audience.

On the other hand, in a Read Ahead group, the Author sends his work out to the Readers, and they read it at their leisure, when, where, and how they prefer…just as would all the folks who pick up the book later. This type of group can better identify where the author hasn’t quite said what he meant. If the flow isn’t quite right, the word choice a bit off, the details not there, the Readers will notice and mark where they had problems. Running a group this way is better for the Author but requires more work for the Readers, so you’ll have to decide where to set the balance.

We are going to assume you have a Read Ahead group as we continue our discussion. If you’ve opted for a Read Cold group, some of the following recommendations may not apply.

Critique Group Organisation

Some groups have written rules, others just verbal or understood rules. Many groups discuss multiple genres, others focus on just one. Some want to read a WIP, others have prompts, so authors can work on writing skills in general, applying those skills to a larger project later. There are advantages and disadvantages to any decision you make about your group, so again, consider how you will maintain an appropriate workload on everyone involved.

Some decisions that should be considered before getting too far are:

• How many members?
  too few, not enough feedback
  too many, too much to read
• Where and when to meet?
  someone’s home, a coffee shop, virtually
  once a week, once a month, when you’re ready
• Types of submissions?
  WIP, finished product, prompt based
• Size of submissions?
  too big, no time to read properly
  too small, not enough to critique

Although there shouldn’t be a boss or president, a facilitator or host certainly can help things run more smoothly. The responsibility of hosting can rotate through the group, depending on where the meetings are held.

Running a Critique Group

Each member has different tasks at different times. Here are some quick bullets that the members can keep in mind.

Before the Meeting

• The Author (submitter)
  • Select the text to be critiqued
  • Format it for critiquing, not for publication
  • Distribute it to the Readers (in plenty of time)
• The Readers (critiquers)
  • Read as you normally do and comment
  • Mark confusing spots or things that threw you out
  • Use margins and spaces between lines to give details
  • Show up to the meeting on time and ready
• The Host
  • Provide appropriate environment
  • Offer pens, pencils, and paper for notetaking
  • Have reference materials available

During the Meeting

• The Readers (critiquers)
  • Point out places for improvement,
    giving examples of possible changes
  • Don’t waste time discussing minor points,
    just mark them and move on
  • Listen to comments of other Readers,
    speak up only when you have something useful to add
  • Be encouraging and point out where the story works well,
    sandwich your negatives between positives
• The Author (submitter)
  • Listen carefully to comments
  • Take notes of discussions
  • Ask for clarification,
    but don’t explain what you meant
    (If it isn’t clear to the Reader, consider fixing it.)
• The Host
  • Keep the group focused
  • Don’t be bossy
  • If the group gets out of control,
    offer drinks, snacks, or a quick break
  • Schedule the next meeting,
    time and place

After the Meeting

• The Host
  • Check on absent members
  • Motivate non-submitting members
  • Send out a reminder of the next meeting
• The Readers (critiquers)
  • Support fellow writers
  • Brag about how much better the book is now
  • Attend book launches, signings, or promotions
• The Author (submitter)
  • Put marked submissions aside,
    have a drink, put your feet up, relax
  • Later, carefully review suggestions offered,
    remember they are intended to improve your work
  • Accept or Reject each idea,
    you have the final word
  • Edit your ms, then read it over
  • Acknowledge assistance of the group,
    include them in your Front Matter

How to Do the Critique

Consider the needs of the members…what kind or level of feedback does each author want? This could change from submission to submission, so be clear. Does the author want fixes or just problems pointed out? Pay attention to the basics of writing: characters, conflict, dialogue, pacing, plot, setting, structure. Don’t address things that won’t change, such as genre or subject matter. Focus on improving the work, not “fixing” the author.

When pointing out problems, explain why it doesn’t work, then offer some kind of fix…your suggestion may not be used, but it may spark an idea that the author can use to rectify the issue. Keep your comments as objective as possible. Yes, your feelings about the readings will be subjective, but step back and see if you can explain why you feel that way. Position your comments from a personal view, not “Your characters are flat,” rather “I have trouble creating real, rounded characters as well.”

In the end, all you want to do is help others improve their work as they help you improve yours. You get early reviews from sensible but impartial people—the best kind.

As an extension to Scene and Sequel, we are going to look at a classic experiment done by Ivan Pavlov. Most folks will quickly associate Pavlov with dogs, as that is how he is best known…training dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell, in anticipation of being fed. We’re going to look at how that same connection of a Stimulus eliciting a Response can be used in writing.

Both Scenes and Sequels can be portrayed as combinations of Stimulus and Response pairs. In creating an action Scene (or even a relaxing Sequel), the Hero (or POV character) does something because of some kind of provocation. The combination of these two can reveal the Hero’s motivations as well as drive the story action along, letting your readers experience the story as if it were real.

Differences

There are fundamental differences between the Stimulus and the Response, so we’ll cover those specifics first.

• Stimulus (S)

Always outside your Hero, and noticeable to any observer, the Stimulus has to be something that he can see, or hear, or taste, or feel, or smell. Properly done, the reader can experience it as well. Usually presented from a Third Person POV…think of a camera filming the scene. What can be seen from an outsider’s view? No need to be complicated or involved…a simple description will usually suffice.

• Response

This happens inside the Hero and is personal, so now is your chance to be in his POV, to know what he knows, to feel what he feels. Presented in a separate paragraph from the Stimulus, it is more involved because inner actions take place on three different levels, but the parts have to always occur in the correct order because of biological limitations.

• • Almost instantaneously—Emotional Response (ER)
  • A fraction of a second later—Instinctual Response (IR)
  • A quick moment after that—Rational Response (RR)

If you mix up the chain of events, it won’t feel real, ruining the experience for your reader. You can speed up the pace of the story by leaving out one or two of the steps, but be certain to keep the remaining ones in the right order.

Example

Now let’s see these parts in action. Here’s a possible happening in a typical story:

The biggest, ugliest soldier Patrick had ever seen charged out of the crowd right at him. (S)

Patrick froze (ER) and stared (IR). In the slow motion that seemed to envelop everything, he scanned the soldier up and down (RR), from his immense, misshapen face, to his armour made of bones strung together as a shirt, down to his madly pistoning legs. Patrick watched small rocks bounce as each deformed foot hit the ground. The grotesque chest expanded and contracted with every breath. Bulging biceps tensed and relaxed as the disfigured arms swung back and forth. Massive jowls vibrated on the monster’s face in rhythm with the pounding feet.

The Stimulus is obvious to any observer and is followed almost immediately by an Emotional Response, then quickly followed by an Instinctual Response. We then have a more involved Rational Response. By slowing down time in Patrick’s POV, we can get specifics that might be otherwise missed, heightening the tension.

This Response is then followed by another Stimulus-Response pair:

As he scanned higher, Patrick finally saw the sword. (S)

Patrick gasped at its size, (IR) well over six feet long and obviously so heavy that Patrick was amazed at how Ugly was brandishing it. Patrick watched the wind up and knew that his head was the target. (RR)

In this last Response, we are missing the Emotional phase, but the rest are there…in the right order.

Example Continued

Now we continue with another pair, but this time with a more detailed Stimulus:

As he stared, Patrick saw an arrow pierce Ugly’s arm, then another. Two more penetrated his other arm, three landed in his chest, more in each leg. (S)

None of them slowed him down. (RR)

A longer Stimulus is followed by a truncated Response, then back to another Stimulus:

Ugly kept coming, sword raised high. (S)

Unmoving, (ER) Patrick stared in curiosity at the glint of the sun on the edge of the sword. With it coming down straight at his head, he considered what it would feel like to have his head split in two. (RR)

Using time dilation, we can really get into Patrick’s thoughts and feelings, making him a more complete character.

Not wanting to leave Patrick in such a situation, let’s conclude the encounter:

With the sword in mid down-stroke, a rock, no, more of a boulder, came flying over Patrick’s shoulder. It hit Ugly’s forearm, splintering the armour, then the arm itself, shattering the bone, sending the sword into a spin. With no force behind it, the sword just barely tapped Patrick on the side of the head—enough to knock him to all fours as it landed beside him. (S)

Patrick finally breathed again (IR), sat back on his heels, and just stared at the body twitching in front of him, almost a dozen arrow wounds pulsing with each heartbeat. (RR)

Ugly’s legs were still trying to run, in spite of the fact that he was lying there bleeding to death. (S)

The hatred in Ugly’s eyes burned into Patrick’s memory (ER) as the massive body quivered one last time, then went still as the eyes glazed over, the monster no longer moving. Patrick shivered. (IR)

Clean Up Previous Writings

As you can see, Stimuli followed by varied Responses can draw the reader into and through a scene. Continue alternating until you get to the end of the scene. Keep it going for a while, but not too long. Don’t let it be tedious.

After you’ve written up a good stretch of your story, go back and analyse your writing to find the Stimulus and Response pairs. Break down the Responses to make certain they are in the correct order…then share it with your Critique Group and see what they have to say.