Previous Posts: The Use Of Critiques&More
August 25th 2009 17:50
In excitement for my Critique Circle offer of a trial premium membership, I want to talk about Critiques. And on my editorial calendar that I'm experimenting with for the 31 Days To A Better Blog workshop, the post for today is supposed to be highlighting an old post in my blog.
Over the last two years I've written a couple posts here and there about critiquing. I even got a volunteer who let me critique their first chapter and post the first few hundred words of their story, and the first portion of my critique, on my blog, which was great for showing a good critique and where they can be useful.
Here are two good posts posts about critiquing:
The Use Of Critiques
A Critique-my critique of someone's first few hundred words
Over the last 2 years I've critiqued a fair bit of work. I've had somewhat less of my own work critiqued, because I don't like the free queues at Critique Circle too much, being the impatient person that I am. I do use it sometimes, and I get amazing critiques, but I just don't have the patience to put an entire novel through the system because it would take at least a year. I'm excited about the premium membership trial offer, because this will allow me to, however briefly, have my own private queue which means no waiting.
I love Critique Circle (critiquecircle.com) for many reasons. The layout of the site is great; the forums, while not as active as some that I participate in, are useful. And I get to read some amazing stories, and help some amazing authors, that I would otherwise never hear of.
Critiquing others' work allows me to read their work and enjoy it, and it also allows me to help another writer get better. When I critique other people's work, especially when it is also within my genre, I see flaws in their work that I may well find in my own. This allows me to fix them and become myself a better writer.
Critiquing is fun and educational for the critiquer and its receiver. There are many ways to receive critiques, and here are three ideas:
1. Critique Circle Obviously this is one of my most recommended websites for writers. Ever. It's a great website to submit short stories to, although again with novels I don't have the patience. If you have the money to invest in a premium account, it is totally worth it. The ability to access premium forums and to start your own Queue is worth the money they ask for. It allows you to, as long as you have the credits (which you earn from critiquing), publish your stories on your own queue at any time you want.
I like CC because it's got a good layout, great writers and a strong sense of community, and it has a Tit for Tat system, which means you have to critique others' work for credits in order to earn credits yourself.
2. Short story Group This is a group devoted entirely to short stories and poetry with a critique part of it. I don't know how well it works, but it looks like a great site and the rules for the critique group make complete sense. Sadly, with the private queues I critique for, I do not have the time to devote myself properly to another critique group.
3. Beta Readers A beta reader is someone that you probably have known for a while online, who reads through and critiques all of the writing you send them, usually with a deal that you read their work and crit in response. Depending on what they're working on for you, there are different systems for this. If it's a short story, maybe you and your beta work out a deadline for you to send it to her, forcing you to write, especially if there is also a contest deadline because you are writing it for a contest and/or anthology.
If you are working on a novel, there may be a minimum of chapters to send your beta each week and a maximum. I am sure there are as many variations on this idea as there are beta reader&writer pairings. On CC, a private queue is kind of like having a few beta readers, because they all work with you over a period of time and get to know you, another advantage to premium membership.
How do you prefer to get your critiques?
Over the last two years I've written a couple posts here and there about critiquing. I even got a volunteer who let me critique their first chapter and post the first few hundred words of their story, and the first portion of my critique, on my blog, which was great for showing a good critique and where they can be useful.
Here are two good posts posts about critiquing:
The Use Of Critiques
A Critique-my critique of someone's first few hundred words
Over the last 2 years I've critiqued a fair bit of work. I've had somewhat less of my own work critiqued, because I don't like the free queues at Critique Circle too much, being the impatient person that I am. I do use it sometimes, and I get amazing critiques, but I just don't have the patience to put an entire novel through the system because it would take at least a year. I'm excited about the premium membership trial offer, because this will allow me to, however briefly, have my own private queue which means no waiting.
I love Critique Circle (critiquecircle.com) for many reasons. The layout of the site is great; the forums, while not as active as some that I participate in, are useful. And I get to read some amazing stories, and help some amazing authors, that I would otherwise never hear of.
Critiquing others' work allows me to read their work and enjoy it, and it also allows me to help another writer get better. When I critique other people's work, especially when it is also within my genre, I see flaws in their work that I may well find in my own. This allows me to fix them and become myself a better writer.
Critiquing is fun and educational for the critiquer and its receiver. There are many ways to receive critiques, and here are three ideas:
1. Critique Circle Obviously this is one of my most recommended websites for writers. Ever. It's a great website to submit short stories to, although again with novels I don't have the patience. If you have the money to invest in a premium account, it is totally worth it. The ability to access premium forums and to start your own Queue is worth the money they ask for. It allows you to, as long as you have the credits (which you earn from critiquing), publish your stories on your own queue at any time you want.
I like CC because it's got a good layout, great writers and a strong sense of community, and it has a Tit for Tat system, which means you have to critique others' work for credits in order to earn credits yourself.
2. Short story Group This is a group devoted entirely to short stories and poetry with a critique part of it. I don't know how well it works, but it looks like a great site and the rules for the critique group make complete sense. Sadly, with the private queues I critique for, I do not have the time to devote myself properly to another critique group.
3. Beta Readers A beta reader is someone that you probably have known for a while online, who reads through and critiques all of the writing you send them, usually with a deal that you read their work and crit in response. Depending on what they're working on for you, there are different systems for this. If it's a short story, maybe you and your beta work out a deadline for you to send it to her, forcing you to write, especially if there is also a contest deadline because you are writing it for a contest and/or anthology.
If you are working on a novel, there may be a minimum of chapters to send your beta each week and a maximum. I am sure there are as many variations on this idea as there are beta reader&writer pairings. On CC, a private queue is kind of like having a few beta readers, because they all work with you over a period of time and get to know you, another advantage to premium membership.
How do you prefer to get your critiques?
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