Thursday, March 4, 2010

Manuscript Critique Group

If you are too busy to be apart of a writers group, or you haven't been able to find one you like, we have a solution for you. Here on "Dialogue" we are hoping to start an online manuscript critique group. We would form small circles, so no one would be overwhelmed by the amount of reading/critiquing, and send off a chapter or short section to each person in the group.

For you budding writers who are starting out and haven't been able to show your work to anyone outside of family and friends, a group like this can really help, not only to boost your own confidence in your work, but to learn from the mistakes others have made. Often I would hear writing professionals comment on amateur writing or certain rough techniques that glare from the page, but I wasn't sure what they meant until I joined a writers group and began to see my writing through other eyes. Things I was sure were clear to understand, sometimes weren't.

Even if you are a seasoned writer, it's good to have a place where you can bounce off new ideas and experiment with different writing styles. For myself, I am always inspired by my contact with other writers. There is an energy from meeting people who love the same things you do.

If you would like to be apart of our online manuscript critique group you can comment to this post or e-mail Patricia at the address in About Me. We would also love to hear any experience you may have had with writers groups before. Was is a good or bad experience? What do you look for in a writers group?

1 comment:

Patricia said...

I've been in a couple of informal online groups and I loved the experience. I got great feedback from writers whose opinions I repect. We had a few rules and there was no pressure.

Just knowing that I the exchange date was coming up inspired me to pay attention to my novel.

The months I didn't have a manuscript to share I still did my part.

Great post, Christine.