How to find yourself some CPs

Last Monday I talked all about alpha readers, critique partners, and beta readers. I also promised that I'd tell you guys how to find people to fulfill those roles in your life . . . and today is that day.

Now, the answer is quite simple: just make some friends. These are the people who are going to be honest about your writing, who are going to cheer you up and cheer you on, who are going to help you the most. Maybe you just want an acquaintance, but I definitely suggest a friend.

But let's get down to business:

Where to go

1. If you're determined to know your editing partners in person, try a local writing group. You can meet people via NaNoWriMo or in writing classes too.
2. There's also the standard online methods to meet people. Check out writing blogs and there is an impressive writing community just waiting to chat with you on Twitter.
3. Go to reputable writing forums like Verla Kay's Blue Boards and Nathan Bransford's forums
4. There are a ton of social writing websites that are great places to meet other serious writers. Some good examples are Inkpop, Book Country, Figment, and FictionPress. Goodreads is mostly for readers, but you're likely to find some writers prowling about.
5. There is also the super specialized Ladies Who Critique. It's essentially a dating website for finding critique partners, and despite the name, people of both genders are welcome.

What to look for

1. The kind of person who can be what you need. Different writers need help with different things, so make sure to find CPs that you're compatible with. The best way to test this is to trade pages with someone (say, 50 pages) and see if you like each other's critiquing style.
2. Someone who can separate personal and professional. Critiquing isn't about hurting each other, or reacting poorly to fair criticism.
3. A friend. It helps to know someone and respect someone. Like I said earlier, this isn't super necessary . . . or maybe even what you want . . . but it's definitely a perk. I mean, you'll get to read their awesome writing too!

So how does that sound? Have you used any of these methods to find an alpha reader, a critique partner, or a beta reader? Better yet, do you have any further recommendations for those of us who have been on the hunt? If so, tell me in the comments! 

Alphas, CPs, and betas

So, the last time I got to go to a writing meeting with my Idaho Falls peeps, I got to do a presentation of different types of editing partners. It was thrilling. But since I typed up all that information anyway, I figured I might as well share it with you guys too.

Now, before we get into the meat of the post, you just need to remember that, unfortunately, this terminology is a little interchangeable (particularly CPs and beta readers). I'm just giving you my interpretation. Okay?

Alpha Readers

• What are they?
  Alpha readers are the people you give chapters to while you're in the middle of writing your manuscript. They're all about mid-draft idea bouncing and morale boosting.
• Why do you need them?
  Alpha readers are kinda rare, but that's because many people don't need one. They're the cheerleaders of the writing world--the people who give you a push to keep writing or offer you a second opinion early on.
• Who should you look for?
  An alpha reader can be anyone, though spouses are pretty good. The general idea is that your alpha reader isn't going to critique you on anything, so don't expect your hardcore critique partners to be alpha readers.
• So who are your alpha readers?
  Boyfriend and Kirstin. Boyfriend has some magical brainstorming powers and Kirstin is very good at not letting me fall into a vortex of despair and self-loathing.

Critique Partners

• What are they?
  Critique partners are the hard-hitters. They read your finished drafts, make all sort of edits, and help you determine what needs to be changed. These are the people who know your story as well as you do, love your characters to death, and will help you succeed.
• Why do you need them?
  You are biased towards your story. Critique partners are not. They are the voice of reason and can help you make objective editing decisions.
• Who should you look for?
  A writer who is a) not afraid to tell you when something sucks OR rocks, b) who is capable of separating professional and personal, and c) will not let you get away with anything subpar. Past that, everyone wants something different in a critique partner. Maybe you need a male CP to help you tweak your male POV, or someone who can understand your characters' motivations better than you can. Every writer has different strengths and weaknesses, so you and your CPs should compliment each other.
• So who are your critique partners?
  Well, the lovely Brenna for one. And Daniel and I have been talking about trading pages. However, past that, no one yet. :) I'm definitely interesting in chatting with any interested parties . . . though be warned, I'm a super slow editor and am nowhere near ready for, well, anything.

Beta Readers

• What are they?
  Beta readers are the final step of the editing process. After you've edited your manuscript into the grave, it's good to let some fresh eyes take a look. These are the people who will check your manuscript for readability and consistency.
• Why do you need them?
  They haven't read your manuscript before, so they don't have outside knowledge and they aren't attached to any previous versions of it. Thus, they're representative of an actual reader, which is important.
• Who should you look for?
  You want someone that likes to read. That's all that's really needed, though fellow writers are always good at paying careful attention to story elements.
• So who are your beta readers?
  Uhh, good question. I don't really have any now. I might hit up my NaNoWriMo group or do a call-out on Twitter. *shrug* We'll see when I get that far.

So there you go! Next week I'll talk about where you can find a fabulous alpha reader, critique partner, or a beta reader to help you with your manuscript. Look forward to it. *thumbs up*

But until then, what do you think about all of the different types of editing partners? Have you heard about all three of these roles before, or are any of them new to you? And do you have alpha readers, critique partners, and beta readers? Tell me in the comments!

Be gracious about getting critiqued

Since I talked about my CP hunt on Monday (which is going well, BTW), I figured I might as well keep with the theme.

So let me tell you a bit about creative writing workshops in college. The basic setup goes something like this: 1) you write a short story, 2) you share copies with everyone in your class, 3) you undergo a group critique session, and then, 4) you revise the story for your professor. We're going to focus on Step 3.

During that group critique session, your classmates surround you from every angle and they're cruel. Because they don't know you you or care about your feelings, so they're 100% willing to say that your characters are flat and that your plot is cliché--in those words too. And you're not allowed to say a word in your defense.

For good reason.

Because any writer's first instinct is to scream, "No. That's not true. I wrote it that way for a reason. You're just being picky. You just don't understand." And, of course, you're wrong. You're terribly, terribly wrong. Because they do understand.

I know it feels like your CPs don't know how much effort you put into your story, and that it's unfair how easily they can rip apart that effort. But there's nothing more beneficial to you than a critique partner.

Because they aren't crazy and they aren't attacking you. They're trying to make things better.

If a CP thinks there's a problem with your writing, there probably is. These are people that know about writing and stories, and you shouldn't disregard their opinion so quickly. Maybe you don't like or even agree with their critique, but you should at least think about the reasons behind what they've said. Because there is value there.

That being said, I've found that a good critique partner often tells you the things that you already know deep down in your secret heart. They nitpick at the messy little details you tried to slip under the rug. The parts where you tried to be lazy. They tell you the things that you don't want to tell yourself. The big, nasty things, like how you really should to toss out 10,000 words or re-write the entire second half of the story in a different POV. And these, really, are the kind of things that all writers need to hear.

So have you guys had any major experiences with critique partners? Are you good at taking rough criticism, or do you struggle with finding the value in it? What qualities do you think make up a particularly good critique? Tell me in the comments.

The great CP hunt

ETA (09/20/16): Sorry friends, my hunt is officially over. While we may not have gotten the chance to be CPs, I wish you all the best of luck in finding your special someone!

I'm looking for a critique partner.

Or two.

Or something.

See, the thing is, right now, I only have one CP. Brenna's awesome, but I've always liked having more than one outside opinion to work with. So I've been dinking around on Ladies Who Critique for the last two weeks, and I figured it was about time to announce it here. Just in case some of you lovely people are, you know, mildly interested.

If so, feel free to contact me via email (squidinksarah (ât) gmail (døt) com) or through the LWC website.

And here, because I won't force you to look at my LWC profile, a quick rundown:

What I'm Writing
An untitled YA fantasy and first of a planned trilogy. Currently under revision, aka first pass revision hell. The plot can be summarized as follows: Kai is a street rat in the desert city of Gardenia and he's cursed with the ability to See glimpses of the future. Too bad there's never anything good to be Seen there--his dead brother is enough proof of that--and ever since Ivan's death, Kai has just wanted to be alone. But when he's tackled by a girl covered in blood, he has no choice but to help her escape her pursuers. *dun dun dun*

My Critique Style
I’m not afraid of being honest, so my critique style has always been a bit, uh, brutal. But I do my best to be fair and I’ve been told that I make valid (and helpful) observations, so it probably evens out. It’s all about the tough love, you know? And I really like fixing up stories, even if they aren't my own. But if you want the real dirt, I'm sure Brenna would love to give you some sordid details.

What I'm Looking For
I want a critique partner who is serious about writing and getting published. Who loves YA. Who puts honesty first--who is happy to tell me when something sucks and why it sucks. Who is willing to put up with my whining and who is willing to whine back at me. Who is writing the story they love and who really wants to find a CP or two.

An Addendum

My WIP is not 100% ready for a critique pass right now. Yours doesn't need to be either. I figured it'd be nice to chat each other up before trading pages--see if we might be compatible. If we're not, well that's not a big deal. We can still be friends, right?

So there you go. Now what do you guys think about CPs? Do you have any CPs or do you like to work on your own? I'm curious, so tell me in the comments.

Are writing classes worth it?

ETA (06/13/11): So I realized there is a fatal flaw to this post. Feel free to read on, but once you're done, check out the continuation in part two.

A couple weeks ago I promised I'd talk about creative writing classes, so here we go.

To start with, there are two camps when it comes to writing workshops: those who've taken them and those who think they're a waste of time. Sure, there's can be some overlap there, but that's the basic gist. Being that I took creative writing classes in college, we can obviously see where I fall.

However, I do think that creative writing classes can be waste of time. They're set up as workshop, so everyone has to participate and it's basically a giant critique group with some learning thrown in. What you need to understand though, is that workshops are only as good as the people that are in them.

The first writing workshop I ever took was a low-level class that many non-majors took to fill their writing requirement. This meant that I got to read a lot of terribly written short stories. They all involved murder, sex, or pot. No lie. Even though my professor was awesome, it wasn't a helpful class because my fellow students didn't offer the kind of writing or critique that I could learn from.

The next few workshops I took were much better because a selection process was involved. For higher level classes, the program I took required you to submit work and pray that you were accepted. The only problem with these classes was the people. I don't want to say that "they just didn't get my work," but I actually had an experience where that kinda happened. My professor actually told me to not listen to the critique that my fellow classmates had given because it would stifle my writing.

Now, the best writing workshop I took was also the last one I took. It was a limited opportunity because it was taught by a visting professor, so I felt pretty awesome when I got accepted. Then my professor was absolutely amazing. Better yet, my peers were amazing too. They offered critique and opinions that got me thinking about what I wrote and what it meant to be writing. Maybe I didn't agree with everyone all of the time, but I respected what they thought.

Like I said before, a writing workshop is like a giant critique group. And unfortunately, it's hard to find a perfect critique group. If you don't mesh with the people, then you won't get anything out the class, and the odds are against you finding the right group. The wrong professor, one jerk who talks louder than everyone else, people that can't or won't take you seriously--none of that is worth it.

Maybe people can teach themselves how to write without taking writing classes. Maybe they really are a waste of time and money. But I can't agree with that 100%. If you can find that one perfect workshop group, then you can learn so much more than you could by yourself. You'll be able to look at good writing in its early phases and discuss what makes published writing so great. Finding that opportunity is worth taking writing classes.

So what do you think? Agree or disagree? Have you ever taken a writing workshop? Was it part of a college course or maybe part of community education? Did you have a good time, or could you not wait until it was over? Tell me in the comments.

Guest Post: What's in a critique partner?

Haha, so you don't know this about me, but I live super close to Yellowstone National Park. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed when I went on a day trip last Thursday because I was spamming you all with river otters, grizzly bears, and Old Faithful.

Well, then I found out on pretty short notice that I'm going back for a week. Yay! I also sent out this desperate plea for guest bloggers. Amazingly, someone answered. Yay again! So we're gonna start this week out with a guest post and then I'll follow it up with some posts I scheduled in advance. Unfortunately I'm going to be on an internet down low, so don't look out for too much activity on my part.

I'll see you guys next week though, when I may or may not be throwing pictures of wildlife and thermal hotspot goodness at you. Until then, enjoy Brenna's hot guest post on critique partners.

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Hello again, people of Sarah’s blog. I hope you don’t mind me barging in again. Especially because I’m going to be talking about Sarah today. (Don’t worry, she totally read this before posting, so it’s nothing bad.)

Actually, we’re talking about critique partners. I know Sarah has dabbled a little about this post about editing and this post about talking to other writers. But I’m here to talk a little bit about what specifically Sarah does for me that no one else can. So, á la Sarah, five things I love and adore about her.

1. Trust: She is interested in the same genres as me (primarily YA sci-fi and fantasy, with a few contemporaries thrown in there for good measure). So when we talk about books, we talk about what we liked and didn’t like. I appreciate her opinions on my reading material because I trust her judgment. When she says something about my story, I listen and don’t automatically dismiss it. (Not that I ever do that with anyone else… *coughcough*)


2. An Opinion: Just because we’re similar in those ways doesn’t mean we don’t have different opinions. She’s not into pithy romance like I am. I don’t share her obsession for The Lord of the Rings. We like and notice different things in stories as well, which makes us fantastic critique partners. We push each other to do better in our different ways. She has a better usable vocabulary than I do. We plot differently, and look at things differently. She gives me a varied opinion that I don’t have myself.


3. Needed Competition: Yeah, we compete. Kind of. Sarah, as you well know, is in editing land with a finished manuscript. I’m currently reading it. Knowing that makes me want to finish my own draft sooner to catch up to her. Maybe she doesn’t know that we’re in a race, but we totally are. It’s the who-can-get-what-done-first race--or at least in my mind. She’s won the first round by finishing her manuscript, but there are many more to come. Having her in the lead pushes me to go farther. Having me closing the distance between us is (maybe subconsciously) giving her a kick in the butt to stay ahead of me.


4. A Spaghetti Wall: You know that saying, throw something at a wall and see what sticks? That’s her (no actual objects are thrown--usually--though I do admit slamming her with a wallet once in college). When I’m having problems and come up with a possible solution (I’m world building right now, and coming up with character back-stories; i.e.--I’m in hell) I call her immediately and give her my idea. She tells me if it’s good or not. She'll rework it or offer suggestions to make it better. She indulges me when I’m calling everyday about some new plot point.


5. A Rock: Not a rock like something to beat me with, although I’m sure sometimes she considers it. A rock like, “She’s my rock.” She’s my support. She’s there when I need her to be and can never be replaced. I get excited when she likes an idea of mine. I feel proud when she says I’ve done good (like when I started drafting again). She’s there to be a champion when I need one, a drill sergeant when I need a kick in the butt, and an ear when I need to talk. She’s what I need her to be when I need her to be it, and I couldn’t do this without her.

So, those are my reasons for loving my critique partner. They are more important than you’d think. They don’t just read your manuscript, edit, and go. They’re in it for the long haul, the ups and the downs, and Sarah has always been there for me. I return the favor by trying to be there for her. We both want the other to succeed, and believe that we can.

Today, for me, if you have a critique partner, or even just a friend who does these kinds of things for you, do something for them. Give them a hug or a phone call. Take them to lunch. I don’t care how big or small it is, just say thank you (hey Sarah: thank you).

So what are your CPs like? What’s the best thing they’ve done for you? Let me know in the comments!

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BRENNA BRAATEN

Brenna has been a story maker-upper since she was very little and a writer since she was twelve. She is currently the city reporter for the Cody Enterprise in Cody, WY and trying to break into the publishing industry. You can stalk her at her blog, Brenna's Bookish Blog, or on Twitter as @brennabraaten.

30 Sarah-steps to editing

So, I've been doing a bunch of editing lately. It's had it's own, unique ups and downs, but I've settled into a relatively stable schedule . . . which I thought I'd share. Yay! So here we go, how I go about editing a chapter of my manuscript:

1. Sit down at desk to start paper edits. This is a very serious process.
2. Check email, Twitter, and RSS aggregator.
3. Turn on appropriate music. Loudly.
4. Doodle flowers in red pen on scrap paper.
5. Make notes on manuscript in same red pen.
6. Write out extended bits of dialogue on a post-it note.
7. Highlight passive verbs because they suck.
8. Chew on red pen while reading.
9. Laugh hysterically and exclaim, "Now you're a horrible sentence!"
10. Repeat steps 3-9 until paper edits are completed.
11. Cheer.
12. Move computer to bed because it's comfy.
13. Look at email, Twitter, and RSS aggregator.
14. Work through chapter and start implementing paper edit notes.
15. Re-write some sentences.
16. Delete giant chunks of unnecessary wordage.
17. Glare at cranky paragraphs.
18. Eat some Lifesavers.
19. Re-work cranky paragraphs. Pages worth of cranky paragraphs.
20. Exclaim to manuscript, "I hate you!"
21. Look at Twitter.
22. Look at manuscript for two minutes.
23. Look at Twitter again. No one has said anything.
24. Look at sleeping cat and exclaim, "You're so adorable!"
25. Manhandle cat for several minutes.
26. Sigh.
27. Option 1: Have a meltdown and call critique partner for help.
28. Option 2: Break for food or something mindless.
29. Option 3: Suck it up and repeat steps 14-20 until chapter is done.
30. Cheer.

And that's it! A lot of procrastination, yes, I know. But I still get stuff done in the end, which is totally all that matters. But now I'm curious about the rest of you. What is your editing process? Do you lock yourself away in a study, or are you at the kitchen table with everyone else in the family? Do you need silence? Can you edit and watch TV at the same time? Tell me in the comments.

Why writing friends are so necessary

Writers need to talk to other writers about writing.

I realize this sounds like stupid advice. No, really I do. But it's important and I tend to forget it a lot.

Now, I know I'm not the most active person on the net (it's my inner lurker qualities rearing their ugly heads), but it's not like I'm silent. I make small talk with people on twitter and I comment on blogs. But I'm still pretty new to the online writing community, so it's not like I have too many friends. Also, blogs and twitter are not the same as a private convo on messenger or a phone call with a critique partner.

More intimate conversations with other writers are awesome. You can commiserate. You can be a cheerleader. You can compare word counts. You can snap someone out of a funk.

On the other hand, trying to talk to people in your life who aren't writers about writing is kind of frustrating at times. Mostly because there's no common experience to draw from. Without realizing it, I've been trying to do this recently. It hasn't been going well.

But last night I had the joy of chatting with my one critique partner and it was wonderous. So let me tell you everyone, that talking to writers about writing is amazing. Here are five reasons why:

1. Writers get that locking yourself up in your room and staring at a computer screen for hours sucks.
2. Writers understand the "I SUCK" emotion and don't attribute it to the idea that you're looking for attention.
3. Writers are a bit more justified in telling you to suck it up and write 4000 words tomorrow when you really, really don't want to.
4. Writers would point out that you've used the word "suck" in the last three points and that it doesn't mean you're a horrible writer. Really. It doesn't
5. Writers also understand that sitting down and typing is easy, but sitting down and typing something good (aka: not using "suck" in evert sentence) is hard.

Have you ever tried to talk up writing to someone that isn't a writer? Did they care? Did they understand your trauma? What about your critique partners? Or is there really no difference at all for you? Tell me in the comments.