Do you ever feel like writing happens in a vaacum? Your friends either won’t find time to read your work or don’t have anything helpful to say except the supportive, “I liked it,” or, “You have such a great imagination!” It is nice to hear those things but that doesn’t help improve your craft, and because they are your friends, you wonder if their opinion is a bit biased. As writers, we always need to know if we are doing the job we set out to do. Is this character giving the reader the impression I intended? Are the words on the page communicating the picture I am trying to paint? Does the ending make sense? Did I miss any typos that I just can’t see because I have been working on this draft so long that I’ve become blind to them?

Obviously, there are more options out there for writers than there ever were in terms of finding a community to critique your work. The internet is full of such forums. Many of these, however, are open to the public, which can leave your content at risk, but more importantly leave you vulnerable to feedback that may not be helpful. The latter is going to happen in any critique group, but some of that is mitigated by being in a group that meets in person. What looks hostile in black and white text on a forum might be more helpful when aided by tone of voice and facial expression that are still such a huge part of effective communication. And a real time discussion about your work among trusted peers can sometimes reveal unexpected insights about the work that might not happen otherwise. There is a pleasant social element to the critique group that meets in person. Writing is a solitary practice, there is no way around it, but it is not until we connect with other writers that we get a larger sense of what it is that we are doing, how we contribute, through our art, to the conversation about humanity. It helps to keep us going to get live feedback from our peers.

So, how do you connect with the right group? Most groups will have a set of ground rules. One of the standard rules is “What happens in critique group stays in critique group,” which is just a cute way of saying that no one is to share the work outside of the group. This is to promote trust and protect everyone’s work. Aside from that, anything goes. Some live groups will have a private online forum where you can view each others work and then meet at a specified time and place for discussion. Some groups may meet weekly, or monthly on a set schedule, or as availability permits. It all depends on your needs. I prefer a group that meets at a set time and place once a week. It helps to maintain writing goals and keeps you thinking about the work.

Some groups will have a structured method of discussion, allowing everyone to take their turn at critiqueing your work and then allowing the author, at the end to ask questions or for clarification. Others will allow more of a free for all. Choosing the right group will have a lot to do with what does and does not work for you as a writer. The important thing to keep in mind is that the goal is, as always, to improve upon craft. One thing I frequently tell people who have never been involved in a critique group is not to be afraid to shop around, and if you can’t find a group that fits your needs, you can always start your own.