Advice for starting a critique group or workshop

Recently, an acquaintance asked me¹ for advice on a writing workshop she’s starting. Here’s what I said, tidied up a bit:

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

I have only limited experience with writing workshops, but I do have a lot of experience with giving and receiving critique.

Figure out what’s working

One thing I've put into practice when reading books I'm not into: I don't DNF until I know why the book worked for someone else -- why an editor or agent picked it, why it's popular on BookTok or why it's on the NYT list.² If I’m not into it, I make myself figure out what is working for others before allowing myself to put it down. It's usually easy to figure out why I don't like something; it takes a lot more effort to figure out why other people do. 

So I'd suggest something like that for the workshop: don't just figure out what isn't working and what the author can do better. Figure out why they wanted to write it. Figure out what is the cool spark that carried them through the story. Respect that and help them bring that out. 

Personal preference comes second

One of the more difficult tasks in giving criticism is learning to tell the difference between personal preference and actual quality. "I don't like that the character made this decision" is valid, but it's an opinion and preference. "The character doesn't have strong enough motivations to make this decision" is something the author can actually do something about and will (hopefully!) bring up the quality of the story. 

Learning to tell the difference between the two will help a reader give better feedback to the writer. The first goal should always be to help the author tell the best version of the story that they intended to write.

It’s okay to ask for specific feedback

When I'm asking for feedback, I tell critique buddies what I'm looking for.

On early drafts, I'll ask for large-scale feedback -- does the story make sense, does the plot work, are the characters making choices that affect the story? That's the point when I'm looking to make major changes to the story, where I'm willing to rewrite chapters or fix entire plotlines that weave throughout the book.

In later drafts I'll ask for mid-level stuff, like whether individual scenes and chapters are working, whether they flow together or anything needs to be smoothed out.

And at the end of a lot of revision, I'm looking for line-level feedback -- clarity of sentences, stronger phrasing, cutting anything that doesn't need to be there. 

That's generally the process for getting a book edited by a professional editor, too: start big and drill down to the details. 

But what if they don’t say what they’re looking for?

When I'm giving critiques to people I don't know (so I don't know how tough I can really be with them), and they haven't necessarily told me what kind of feedback they're looking for, I try to focus my edit notes on one or two larger problems (like their characters need more backstory or the worldbuilding doesn't really work for whatever reason) and really try to help them get those issues worked out in the story.

Then I'll choose a few mid-level issues to talk about (like maybe they have a lot of repeated moments in the story), and a handful of smaller things.

And I always offer feedback on what I liked. Knowing what is working can be just as important as knowing what isn’t!

My goal is to not overwhelm them with a lot of major issues. Writers need to see changes to the story as possible and positive. I want them to focus on fixing one or two things that will make a huge difference in the quality and readability of their manuscript, rather than make them eat an entire tub of ice cream and quit. 

What about getting feedback?

It can be scary and exciting to hear what other people think about your story! So first: be kind to yourself! Get a good night’s rest if you know feedback is coming. Drink some water. And, of course, go in with an open mind.

Don't respond to criticism right away. Think about it. Sit on it for a day or two. A lot of writers will be defensive at first, and that's okay. It's natural. So just think through it for a little while and then decide if any proposed changes serve the story you want to tell. And keep in mind that when someone is pointing out something, they may not be pinpointing the actual problem, but they've noticed . . . something. And it's worth taking a look at. 

If the person giving feedback is open to discussion, then it’s time to explain what effect you were hoping to accomplish in the story and brainstorm solutions. (And if they are willing to do that with you, it’s polite to return the favor!)

If I were starting a workshop/critique circle . . .

I’d have people write up “edit letters” for the work they are reading that week. That way, the authors can have something to look back on later. It can be overwhelming to get a lot of verbal feedback! And it will also help the people offering critique to articulate what they're thinking. 

To make it simple, I'd say ask everyone to touch on these things: Plot/Structure, Characters, World/Setting, Theme, and Prose. They can write at least a paragraph about each of those. Or more if they have more to say.

And, of course, they should write about they liked and thought the author did especially well.

In conclusion . . .

Giving critiques is, I'd say, even more valuable than getting them, which is why I've focused on it so much. Often, writers are able to see any issues more easily in one another's work, but the goal is to eventually be able to identify those things in their own work. 

I hope this helps.

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1. You, too, can ask me questions that I will answer (to the best of my ability!) in this newsletter. Either leave them in the comments or send me an email letting me know you have a question for my newsletter.

2. Sometimes I borrow books from the library that I’m pretty sure I’m not interested — but they’re so popular I want to know why. There’s always something to learn!