The Importance of Being Honest - Critique Groups

One way to bring grounded "earth" energy into a creative practice is to join a critique group. A good critique group will give you valuable feedback on your own work, allow you to learn from others by critiquing their work, and provide support in a form you can actually use. I've belonged to a critique group for about ten years. During that time I've learned more about the art & craft of writing fiction from this group than in any class I've taken or book I've read. I wouldn't dream of submitting a piece to a publication without running it past the Main Street Writers at least once.

I was fortunate to find a good group, one that gives honest criticism but in a friendly, helpful spirit. I've heard nasty stories about dysfunctional groups where members rip each others' work to shreds. I've also visited groups where members merely stroke each other, providing plenty of warm fuzzy feelings but notspecific information that would have helped me improve my writing. When you're first starting out in any art form, you'll mainly need simple encouragement and appreciation. If, however, you want to advance beyond basic skills, you'll have to seek out constructive feedback.

Here are some things to look for if you're in the market for a critique group:

• Do the members genuinely like each other even if they differ on certain issues? Is there an atmosphere of mutual respect? Is criticism presented with the intent to help? If so, good. If people seem catty or deliver critiques laced with thinly disguised barbs (I've sat in on a few of these), you'll probably end up as unhappy as they are.
  
• Are participants glad when one of their members scores big - signs on with an agent, receives an offer, etc? If so, it's a good sign. However, if the group is composed of hyper-competitive one-uppers, run far far away.
• Is there a reasonably good mix of personalities and temperaments? In my group, several of us are "forest" people who read for overall impressions and several are "tree" people with a sharp eye for detail. It helps immensely to have both types represented. It's also good to have both introverts and extroverts, both quick thinkers and ruminators, both taskmasters and gently encouraging types.
  
• Of course schedules vary and life's events can get in the way of meeting, but is there a core group of members that meet consistently and reliably? It's almost impossible for a group to be effective if it doesn't have a group commitment to meet & work regularly.
• Does the group take care of work first, saving the socializing for afterward? It's great to catch up - I consider my fellow critique group members to be friends as well as colleagues - but it's easy to get sidetracked unless there's a strong sense of purpose.

Here are a few steps that make up a healthy critique process:

• First, positive feedback: what's right with the work?
• Second, criticism framed in a positive light: what improvements could be made?
• Third, specific suggestions: how could those improvements be made?
• Finally, offers of help if appropriate: how can I help my colleague make those improvements?

Artists, writers and performers who aspire to "go live" with their work can't afford to skip the critique process, especially if they hope to eventually sell or make a living at it. But critiques don't have to be painful - it all comes down to finding the right people.