Five Characteristics of a Great Writing Group

If you were here on Monday, February 28, you know that I didn’t get this post out on time. Thanks for coming back; I appreciate the second chance to give you something worth reading.

Like it or not, you will never be all you can be as a writer until you open yourself up to outside feedback. Every writer needs an editor, every editor needs a reader, and every reader needs a writer. A critique group is a wonderful way to begin widening the circle of people who see and respond to your work, but I don’t recommend just thoughtlessly messaging people in hopes of finding a group. So this week, I want to discuss some things to look for in a critique group.

Look for a group that’s writing what you are writing

If you’re focusing on a post-apocalyptic, young-adult, sci-fi love triangle, you may not get great feedback from a group of writers who are mostly working on children’s picture books. Obviously, there are some writers who produce work in many different genres and for many different audiences, but it’s important to make sure you are submitting your work to a group that is focused on the kind of work you are submitting. 

This is especially true if you and others in your group are actively querying agents. As each of you collects those first few rejection letters, you can help one another learn from the feedback you are getting. If your main critique group isn’t trying to break into the same market as you, there will be less helpful overlap in the lessons learned through the querying process. 

Look for a group that gives feedback well

When joining a critique group, it’s vital that you and the other members of the group have an understanding of what good feedback is. If you aren’t sure what good feedback looks like, I’d love for you to check out my post on the topic. 

A critique partner that consistently responds to your work with lackluster effort isn’t helping anyone. It’s difficult and frustrating to spend time and effort thinking through the strengths and weaknesses of a member’s work only to realize the feedback provided to your work requires no time or effort from that member.

If you run with a group, you should be willing to say hard, true things to help someone improve. Don’t sugarcoat negative feedback to protect the feelings of another member. Be tactful, yes, but also be real and brace yourself to have the group be real with you in return. Being a part of a group requires a bit of trust, and everyone should be benefitting from the process. 

Look for a group that receives feedback well

The trust has to go both ways though, and in addition to giving feedback well, you need a group that receives feedback well. Again, this is a topic that I’ve addressed before, so feel free to read that post if you aren’t sure what I mean here.

You and the other members of your group should be ready and willing to receive feedback and prepared to incorporate the comments into future drafts. If your suggestions are always met with pushback or they are flat-out ignored, it’s a good sign that the member in question isn’t looking to improve, they just want someone to affirm what they already believe is true about their writing.

Look for a group that matches your level of commitment and availability

It’s OK if you are super busy and struggle to find margin to give an in-depth review of someone else’s work. It’s also OK if you have nothing but time and want to throw yourself into a critique group by reviewing multiple projects each week. In either case, you owe it to yourself and any group you may join to be upfront about your situation. Try to jump in with a group that has similar expectations and free-time to you, so that you will be neither the member who reviews way less than everyone else, nor the member who sends way too much for review. 

This means you will need to take time at the outset to communicate expectations, but this is a good skill to practice for all relationships, so lean into it. Ideally, you are going to be interacting with and sharing your work with the same few people for a long time, so you need to get in the habit of letting them know what’s up. Even so, if the group is only intended to last for a month or two, that’s OK as long as it’s clear to everyone involved.

Look for a group that will stretch you

The internet has expanded our possible spheres of influence far beyond what we can really handle. Ironically, at the same time advertising and social media algorithms have contracted the true reach of our bubbles. You may reach millions of people with a post without anyone ever seeing it who doesn’t already think and act like you. An echo-chamber will never sharpen you the way confronting diverse viewpoints will. 

The end goal of literacy is to share, hone, experience, and understand as many ideas as possible. You don’t have to agree with every idea you encounter. In fact, if you do it’s a red flag suggesting you aren’t casting a wide enough net. Ultimately, what you believe about the world will come out in your writing. If the only people who find your worldview compelling are those who agree with you anyway, what have you really accomplished? Opening yourself to feedback from others who may not agree with you is the surest way to sharpen your ability to influence and persuade.