Baby Evil Writers 101::Critiques

Baby Writers 101: Critiques

Julie Butcher

You can write until the cows come home but you won’t get professionally published without critique partners. There I said it. Lately it has come to my attention that there are a lot of people who claim to want to be professional and yet will not put their writing out there for comments. You guys have a lot of excuses not to have critique partners and editors and I’m going to debunk them one by one.

1.      I’m afraid that someone will steal my idea.

Seriously? You can give thirty writers the same premise and they’ll come up with thirty different stories. Not one of them will be your story. If this doesn’t give you peace of mind, the fact that your work has a copyright the very second you put your words on a document should settle you down. (Okay it does not have a copyright because it is in your head so there’s another reason to put your butt in the chair and write.)

There are no new stories. Every bit and piece has been written somewhere in time. You really need to chillax and get some constructive criticism of your work or you might as well quit right now and keep your secret storyline in your head. It will never be good enough because fresh eyes can see what you cannot. Your mind tricks you into believing that what is in your head is also on the page and that is a lie.

2.      This story is my baby and it will break my heart if people don’t love it. (whine-whine)

They won’t. At least not until you have the critiques and fix all of the plot holes and purple prose. Even then only a small percentage will love your work. Even New York Times bestselling authors have a limited supply of fans. Award winning doesn’t mean that every single person on the planet loves their stuff. Go and look. Even the huge names have horrible reviews. Get used to it because if you want to be a professional, you’ll have to suck it up and smile. The only people who are important are the ones who do love and support you.

Also unless you pulled that manuscript out of a private area of your body IT IS NOT A BABY. It is a manuscript, a story, a book. Get a grip people the pages are not sentient. Also the next time I hear someone say this I am going to smack them in the head because they are on my last nerve.

3.      Even if I get a critique I don’t trust that person. I can’t get rid of Character X, I just can’t!

Sometimes critiques are stupid. Sometimes they are downright mean. Sometimes they are worthless. But even a broken clock is right twice a day. If you have four beta readers and three of them hit a certain spot and go, “Oh, heck no!” then you should listen. Never limit yourself to one critique from other writers.  

Eventually you’ll find a group of other writers that get you, and you get their work, too. You might go through a hundred people to find four. Do not give up. There are knowledgeable people out there. You’ll find that although some writers are at a newer level than you, they still can point out plot holes and make valid points. In return, when you return the favor and critique for them, you get reminded not to make those newbie mistakes. I’ve learned more from critiquing for others than I ever would have on my own.

You absolutely must put yourself out there. Even if it feels like people are hating on you. When you get a critique back, and want to scream or yell or lash out via email, stop. Wait a day or two or three and think about it. Whoever read for you gave you their valuable time and experience. They gave up having dinner with their family or their favorite television shows. They gave up hugging their children to help you so don’t be a butthead.

Then thank them for helping you and go and fix your story.

Baby Evil Writers 101: When to Query

Baby Evil Writers 101: When to Query

Julie Butcher

We’ve talked about a lot of things here my evil darlings but, we haven’t covered when to query your  evil manuscript of doom. I made the mistake of querying too soon and suffered (and rightly so) the hordes of rejection letters and pangs of baby evil writer growth spurts.

I don’t want that for you, my malevolent dears. So I have  a baby evil check list for you before you send your firstborn into the world.

1.       You have a completed manuscript. It can’t be part, it can’t be almost. You must have finished the entire thing. There isn’t an exception for this rule unless you write non-fiction. Not ever and not past ever.  So that would be NEVER.

2.       You have already started another story. Not the sequel to the first thing you wrote—a new story. I know you want to immediately go to the next book in your series. I know this and I did this. But sweet heathens, the market changes . What sells today won’t necessarily get you a book deal next week. I’m not trying to burst your lovely bubble but this is an industry fact. Start something different. The submission process takes months and even years. You need something new to keep you going when the rejections come in.

3.       You have sent this manuscript to a critique group, or to a professional editor with a good reputation, and you have made sweeping changes in the story and to the characters. If you haven’t done this. Stop thinking about submitting your manuscript to Agents and Editors. Stop right this minute! No one can write without a reader’s opinion. Even big name authors have beta-readers. You cannot count your family or your close non-writer friends in this tally.

4.       You have read your manuscript out loud at least three times. This is an important step for all true minions of evil. You catch mistakes like crazy-town and you will improve your work, guaranteed. Evil is as Evil does. Unless your friends, family, and the people at the coffee shop think you are insane, you’re not finished.

5.       You have put this manuscript aside for at least three months and worked on something else. Time may heal all puss-filled wounds but in addition, it gives you clearer eyes for your own work. Our minds are funny things, my dears, and absence makes them clearer and able to see the giant infested plot holes of doom.

6.       You have line-edited your work for punctuation errors or sent your work to a line editor to be corrected. Some editors and agents can see past where the comma fairy pooped all over your work. Others run screaming into the dark to nurse the migraine your manuscript caused. Probably blinding pain will not get you representation or a book deal.

7.       You have mentally prepared yourself for rejection and have physically stocked your lair with chocolate, liquor, or whatever items help you to conquer despair.

8.       You have researched agents and editors to make sure they not only represent the genre you write, but are open to and accepting unsolicited queries. Personally, I tend to remember the names of people who defy my wishes right to my virtual face. Don’t be that person.

9.       You have spent more than a week perfecting your query letter and have gotten awesome reviews on it from your beta readers.

10.   You have scourged the idea of self-publishing if you haven’t sold within a few months from your psyche. I will take my ball and go home or find someone else to play with doesn’t cut it in this industry. True evil lasts forever. You have to be ready for the long haul. Sure, lightning can strike. But how many times have you personally been hit?

That’s what I thought.

The Write Group

I'm posting a segment today from a class I made up on critique called, Dishing AsWell As You Take, or, how to give and receive diplomatic critique. This section came to mind because I was raving about my writer's group to an interviewer last week, and realized just how amazing they are and how lucky I am to have them. I wish every author could have the kind of support and feedback that comes from a good writer's circle, and I know that the biggest factor in making that a reality is finding the right group...

  Writing groups, the best and worst tool you’ll ever have.

 Most authors will tell you all about the necessity of having good “beta readers,” about the importance of getting “fresh eyes” to examine your writing, and about exactly how much they owe to their “group” or “critique circle.” They will also, invariably have a horror story or two to tell about the ones that weren’t quite so helpful.

 The success of any writer’s group depends on the dove-tailing of its members needs with the needs of the group as a whole. Some groups may or may not serve the form and function that appeal to you, others may have the format you’re looking for, but for whatever reason, still not make a very good fit.

 When shopping for a critique circle, there are many factors to consider, not the least of being: do I really want one? Whatever your needs and preferences are, getting the right group can be vital in ensuring that your experience is positive instead of devastating.

#1 Writer’s group or beta readers. A writer’s group is a collection of authors all of whom have needs that the group should address. The format provides a diverse pool of skills and opinions, but also requires a give and take and will not allow (or should not allow) one person to dominate with their needs at the expense of other members. If you are willing to give as well as receive, the rewards here can be enormous.
 Beta readers are not necessarily other writers. Certainly, they can be, but this situation often involves readers who exchange free or early access to an author’s works for feedback. While some writer’s groups exchange beta reads, often a beta reader situation is a one way street with the author focusing on writing and not an exchange of criticism.

 #2 Writing Workshop vs. Critique Group A writer’s group can be strictly an exercise, seminar and workshop scenario, where authors come to learn and practice their skills with little or no feedback. It can also be a heavily formatted critique circle and/or any combination of the two. If what you want is practice and exercises, a critique group where there are strict set schedules and only one author at a time, formal critique is not going to meet your needs. The same is true of the author who really only wants a critique source…the writing seminar style group is likely to prove disappointing.

 #3 Compatibility Even if you find a group that follows the format that you seek, compatibility can be an issue on many levels. A group that focuses on poetry will have little to offer the fiction writer, and a group that stresses literary fiction can be next to useless to the commercial genre author. With beta readers, an author must find readers who enjoy and understand their particular genre, as well as their writing style. Having a reader continually disparage your work because they simply don’t like the way or what your write is not beneficial as a tool for growth. On the same note, working in a beta or group situation with someone who has a strong personality conflict can cause more problems than it provides benefits.

 #4 Help not Ego A group that leans too far in either direction, be it too gentle or too harsh, will be of little use to anyone. A critique circle that provides nothing but praise and positive feedback may make its members feel good, but it will do little to advance their art or careers. Conversely, a group that sets out to trash one another’s work only serves to feed some twisted sense of ego and superiority. Brutality will only make an author gun-shy and defensive and far less likely to hear anything legitimate inside the feedback barrage.

An author's group is just one more tool that the writer can choose to take or leave, but if you happen to discover one that really suits you, I don't think anything else can compare to it. They can also be a lot of fun, and a source of some amazing friendships.