The Power of the Critique

In the last few weeks, I've been editing my longer piece and short stories and submitting to various competitions and publications. No results yet, but hopefully, I'll hear back from some of them over the next few weeks. 

For now, it's time to focus on the editing process. I love getting feedback on my work, and I'm part of an online critiquing site and an in-person group. 

Online Critiques

I use Scribophile for online critiquing. Anyone can join the site, so you get a good mix of professional writers and those just starting out. Before you can post your work, you have to critique other people's work and accumulate points. This keeps the site fair and allows everyone the same access to feedback. 

The other authors come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so you sometimes get conflicting advice. Therefore, you have to learn to discern between comments that are helpful and those that don't fit your writing or your style. A great skill to have! 

Scribophile has been great for polishing my line-level writing, and I still submit most of my works before I send them out to publications. 

In-Person Critiques

In September, I've started attending an in-person critique group. It's a wonderful experience because all the other authors are advanced and have years of experience publishing books, screenplays, short stories, and poems. 

During the session, which takes place every two weeks, each participant reads a short extract of their work, and the others comment on it. Reading out loud is very helpful, especially when you can hear the reactions of engaged readers. What's more, getting direct and immediate feedback is interesting because it mimics how editors read and evaluate your work. There's also snacks and drinks, so it's a very enjoyable evening. 

If you're an author or artist, do you enjoy getting critiques? Where do you get feedback from, and what do you look for in critique partners?