Network News: There are critique groups and there are critique groups

By Gill James
And they’re all valid as they address different needs. It all depends on what exactly is your cup of tea.

This week I’ve done a round-up of some of the type of groups offered by the networks. If you see something that appeals, check with your Network Coordinator to see whether that sort of group exists in your area. If you’re really keen to join a group like this, why not start one?

Remember, you need to be a member of SCBWI to join a critique group. Perhaps this is a good reason to join?


The mish-mosh

Work is normally e-mailed in advance. All genres and any age-groups are accepted. There tends to be a lot of submissions to this type of group and about ten to twelve attendees. Feedback can be less focussed here but the fact that you deal with several genres gives considerable objectivity and can be useful to writers who are still uncertain about where their work should be pitched. You maybe thought you were writing a picture book but actually your text is more for an emergent reader.

The genre-specific group

This tends to work well for groups of about half a dozen, all writing for a similar genre and age-group.  Usually work is emailed in advance. The members know each other and each other’s work very well and give focussed feed-back. One does have to guard against developing a house-style, however. This type of group may well work together for several months or even years then split apart as members become published or move on to other projects.        

The pre-beta group

This is a very small group - maybe just three or four – where the writers become writing buddies.  They’re not quite beta, though they could provide beta services to other groups. True beta readers must come cold to a project in order to give objective feedback.  People in this group know the members and their work very well and may often offer emotional support as well as constructive criticism.

The tea-party

Members bring polished work and read it out. This is a celebration of what succeeds. It can include extracts of members’ published work also. You will receive feed-back but normally only positive. This will be a larger group – maybe twelve to twenty and there may be some rota of who is to read. You’ll probably drink lots of tea and coffee and eat cake. Or you might even have a glass of wine.

The sandwich

This is really a type of feedback method than can be applied to any group. You say what works. You say what is working less well. You say something else positive, perhaps making a constructive suggestion about how the work can be improved.


Over to You...

  • What category does your SCBWI critique group fall into?
  • If not critique, what does your SCBWI group do?
  • If you're not in a group yet, what type of groups would you like to see operating near you?

If you’d like to find a group near you, contact your British Isles network coordinators here. 
  

To join SCBWI and take advantage of the many opportunities to raise your profile: market your work, meet fellow writers, artists, the gatekeepers to publication, while being supported in the development and pursuit of your craft, visit scbwi.org.





Gill James writes mainly for young adults. She is your Network News editor and is interested in news stories about your network. Contact her at networknews at britishscbwi dot org.


18 comments:

  1. I'm in a genre-specific group that mainly focuses on picture books though we do look at some older fiction and graphic novels occasionally. It definitely involves tea and cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cake is very important at many SCBWI events.

      Delete
  2. We do a sandwich mish-mosh in Central North and typically critique 3 pieces of work each month on a (flexible) rota basis. As well as critique we also have occasional genre-specific workshops. We're sustained by tea, coffee and cake and the wine comes out at Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The genre specific workshops sound fab Liz - brilliant there's enough of you to have them even occasionally:)

      Delete
  3. We have three genre-specific groups that meet in Central West (Birmingham) - a picture book group, a YA and a MG that all meet up on the same day. While we are always open to enquiries, those three groups are at their maximum capacity, so Clare and I are now looking at 'matchmaking' new members and helping them to set up their own group (facilitated by me until they are up and running.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds great - what's maximum capacity for Central West?

      Delete
  4. Maybe we need to run a "dating" service for writers in search of a critique group!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our Oxford group is fairly genre-specific, focusing on MG and YA. I think our writing styles are all so different that the chances of us developing a house style are very low, and we've more or less stayed together as a group even as our members have achieved success. The main thing is that we're all there to support each other.

    I have also been in a broader critique group that handled all types of books and that could be fascinating, although I often found that I didn't have that much to say about picture books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you about broader groups - very interesting and always enjoyable but I wonder how useful some of my feedback is because I tend to critique as if the writing's intended for younger readers,

      Delete
  6. In Southampton we've just had the second of our goal setting suppers. We're a writer/ illustrator mix of PB, MG, and YA. Goal setting seems to be working really well for us as a diverse group. We meet for a meal in a pub on the edge of Southampton Common and it goes like this: chat, drink, order food, how did we did with last month's goals. eat, set goals for next month.
    It's working really well. New goal setters welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm an SCBWI member, but I'm not in an SCBWI critique group yet (although I hope I will be soon). I do, however, help run my local Swindon writing group, which is mainly fiction for all ages and genres. We have a pretty strict format:

    11am-12pm for quiet writing in company
    12-1pm for critique of work sent in during the month (this is allowed to over-run)
    1pm-3pm writing discussion and activities, sometimes also including a plot-clinic.

    We're more 'mish-mosh' than anything, although some people are quite 'pre-beta' in terms of sending in bits and pieces of first drafts, and there's certainly a lot of support. Critique tends to be harsh but honest, and since we all write for different audiences, the ability to differentiate good crit from bad is essential.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your schedule is interesting. Do people find that the writing in company for the first hour is more productive together than at home alone say?

      Delete
  8. We do have a SCBWI matchmaker - I think it's Chitra!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do! A** volunteer, Chitra, runs the online critique dating!

      Delete
  9. My crit group is the best crit group I could possibly hope for. We meet every week and talk about 2 members work. The chapters are sent out before hand and we mark up the ms and talk about it as well.
    My crit group are my greatest fans and my fiercest critics and I love them all as fantastic friends.
    The single most important criteria for membership is total commitment to the group, followed by good standard of critiquing (giving and receiving), then good standard of writing. We are all writing MG or YA.
    They keep me sane, even though we are often discussing insane things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jo, your group sounds great and how wonderful to be able to meet weekly:)

      Delete
  10. We have three now int he north east. The group at Seven Stories is a monthly critique group focusing on members work.
    The York group is a mish mash of stuff. The focus is on developing writing and illustrating skills through workshops, scrawlcrawls and socials with the occasional critique session.
    And we have a new tiny critique group based in Saltburn with three members who all illustrate as well as write for different ages. We'll probably be meeting fortnightly.
    Being part of these groups keeps me going especially when yet another rejection lands in the inbox. Their support is invaluable in so many ways and it's a privilege to know so many talented and determined people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. int he north east? This is not Geordie speak, I have dyslexic fingers.

      Delete

We love comments and really appreciate the time it takes to leave one.
Interesting and pithy reactions to a post are brilliant but we also LOVE it when people just say they've read and enjoyed.
We've made it easy to comment by losing the 'are you human?' test, which means we get a lot of spam. Fortunately, Blogger recognises these, so most, if not all, anonymous comments are deleted without reading.

Words & Pictures is the Online Magazine of SCBWI British Isles. Powered by Blogger.