Spare the Pen...

Writing groups come in all shapes, sizes, colors and capacities. Some are designed to inspire, motivate and focus. Others get down to the letter level with members critiquing, editing and giving feedback on writing projects. 

Both kinds of groups have their place. Today we will look at the pros and cons on including critique in your MasterMind Writing Group.

Pro:

An External Gauge. It is easy to get caught up in your own story - writing, revising and obsessing over details that others might not see while missing the black hole in the center of the plot. Having someone else read your piece and give objective feedback can help you see the work with new eyes. Is there something that doesn't make sense? Does the dialogue sound natural? Are the characters developed? Does it need more research?

Motivation. Knowing that someone will be reading your piece is a great motivator to get it done and polished. Writers need deadlines - and coffee.

Con:

Time and space. Reading your fellow writers' masterpieces can be a joy and a time eater. If you are going to be reading each other's works, limit the number of people in the group, the number of pages submitted for feedback and allow enough time between submitting and meeting to let everyone do their homework.

Expertise. Feedback is great, but quality feedback requires finding a group of people with similar expertise in your genre who understand the writing style, the market and how to overcome common challenges. That can make forming the group more difficult.

Once you consider the pros and cons, create a group that fits your needs. That may mean having more than  one group, a larger one to talk about the business of writing and a smaller, more intimate one where a couple of other people who are at about the same level and style of writing help you iron out the details of your work. 

The most important thing is that you get out there, meet people with the same goals and help each other find publishing success. 

Have you hugged your MasterMind Group today?

Yours in publishing

Promptmasters

Jennifer Sander

JT Long