OR: When Good Intentions Pave the CP Road to Hell
Okay, let’s talk critique partners. Indispensable? Time wasting? Necessary evil? Strategic advantage? As with everything else in life, the answer is quite often: it depends.
If your rough drafts are salable as-is, you may or may not want someone critiquing your work line by line, giving you her opinion of the flow and characterization and word choice. On the other hand, if even you can’t locate all the missing plot threads or figure out why the heroine runs away from the nice, safe castle when she knows the hero’s the only guy protecting her from certain death, then yeah, maybe another pair of eyes wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Most of us are somewhere in the middle and all of us have different needs. So let’s clarify what a CP is and is not.
First, a CP relationship is what you make of it, and may not even include editing-style feedback. Crazy, I know, since we’re calling this person a “critique partner”, but there are other critiquable things besides prose.
Many writers bounce story ideas off CPs. Is this premise believable? Is my heroine too wimpy/catty/stupid in the opening pages? Would a reader forgive my hero’s heinous non-heroic act during the inciting incident long enough to learn to love him along with my heroine? Does this sub plot work? Do I even need a sub plot?
Other writers use CPs as beta readers, only turning to them once the manuscript has been written, revised, and polished. Still others use CPs as checkpoints when crafting their queries, synopses, and proposals.
All that sounds great, right? What could go wrong?
Well, everything. Line-editing has the potential to catch the most errors–and the potential to edit out the author’s voice. I’ll give a quick example of each.
One of my CPs noted that I’d used the word “couch” when I’d meant “house”. I’m so glad she caught that, because the heroine walking into her parent’s couch would’ve made her look clumsy (and random, if she wasn’t already indoors!)
On the other hand, I recently received a first chapter critique from a published author who edited the contractions and slang my hero used in dialogue. Now, I’m a firm believer that everyone speaks differently and uses slang and speech patterns in unique ways. Unless whatever the character is saying makes absolutely no sense, I hesitate to mark up a CP’s dialogue for this very reason. Maybe the character would say “I’d've” and maybe they wouldn’t.
That’s character voice, however, and the biggest danger is editing out author voice. Sometimes I use sentence fragments. Short. Choppy. Single-word. (BTW, that was a conscious example. *g)
Microsoft Word goes crazy with the green squiggly underlines. Should your CPs? Maybe. Again, in my opinion it depends on whether or not the usage makes sense. Clarity is key. The reader has to understand the story. (Unless you’re writing something purposefully incomprehensible.)
Let’s say the excerpt is: “Look at those wheels. Shiny rims, fuzzy dice, hula girl… Yowza.” (For the record, I just made that up and it’s not part of any of my stories. *g) IMO, that sort of fragment is just fine. The bad sort of fragment is when the reader has no idea what the sentence even means.
But let’s look at voice from a “big picture” standpoint and see where it can go wrong there. Let’s say the author has a story idea that grips her by the throat and forces her to the keyboard. She bangs out the first chapter or so and sends it off to her CP, who is less than thrilled about the premise/story/characters and suggests changes. (If this is a responsible CP, the recommendations come with good, solid reasoning behind them.)
I have two writer friends who recently found themselves in this boat. One clung tenaciously to her idea and chose to agree to disagree with her CPs. The other invariably takes all advice that’s offered to her and has begun her twelfth or so iteration of chapter one.
Neither of these women are necessarily right or necessarily wrong. It boils down to this. If the suggestions made by your CPs will improve the book, it may behoove you to take their advice. If their recommendations will destroy either your story or your enthusiasm to write the story, you’re better off smiling, nodding, and sticking to your original idea.
Your CP really does mean well. She has your best interests at heart. She isn’t trying to hurt your feelings or stifle your creativity when she says that your opening scene with your stripper heroine boinking your android hero might not be the wisest choice.
All she can give you is her opinion, however, and it’s up to you to decide if she’s right. I, for one, would never be able to pull off a stripper/android erotic romance. Other authors can and do publish such tales to rave reviews.
If you are going to critique someone else’s work yourself, you should keep this in mind. All your ideas are just that–your ideas. Maybe the character/plot twist you brainstormed would make the novel 100% better in your opinion and you can’t understand why your CP isn’t taking your advice. The answer is: because she’s the author and her opinions may or may not coincide with yours. The best thing to do in this situation is to explain your case clearly and concisely, but only once. After that, let it go, unless your CP asks for you to resurrect the issue.
So we agree: no harping on a CP to conform to our ideas. The converse is also true: learn to stand up for yourself! Just because someone’s ideas are different or exciting, doesn’t mean they’re better.
My friend who restarts chapter one at least once a month? I worry if she’ll ever finish. And it’s not because she isn’t a dedicated writer! She is a driven, focused individual who makes writing a priority in her life and schedules time into every day. However, all that time gets sucked away when she takes every piece of advice offered. And many of these suggestions require not only a re-write, but a re-plot. Aargh! I want to buy her earplugs!
The flipside is that critique partners can positively affect your enthusiasm, motivation, craft, self-confidence, and story-telling abilities. My stories wouldn’t be half as good–my writing wouldn’t be half as good–if I didn’t have critique partners.
They point out plot holes before I get 100,000 words into a story, they remind me to add emotion when my pages start to resemble screen plays, and they support my efforts of being published by giving my synopses and query letters a critical eye. They’re my critique partners and they’re my friends.
Your Turn: Have you ever critiqued a manuscript or had yours critiqued? How was that experience? Do you have one or more critique partners or plotting buddies? Why or why not? Please share any tips you may have for getting the most out of a critique relationship.
I’m so glad she caught that, because the heroine to walk into her parent’s couch would’ve made her look clumsy (and random, if she wasn’t already indoors!)
because the heroine what?
OK, so I love being part of a crit group. I’m nowhere near ready to go off maverick-style. That said, lately I’ve been hording my feeble attempts to finish chapter 10. Why? Because I’m afraid I’ll never finish if I don’t. Because I’d like to use my cps as ‘beta’ readers for my new idea. Because I’m wandering off in my historical voice and I’m afraid it will get squashed before I grow into it. Because receiving feedback takes time out of my writing day.
Because I know it’s not perfect and I’m going to have to play that game again.
I’d like to be sort of in the middle and take just the advice I firmly believe in. OTOH, it can be hard when you’re having a DOH moment and you think you’re too stupid to ever catch all the errors. My advice? Keep trying. And, as you said, if you lose interest in writing then back off the cp-ing. The fervor is the most important part!
For a moment, I was afraid I was the CP who is constantly rewriting, but since I don’t do it monthly, you aren’t talking about me. Like Lacey, I’m kind of hording the rewrites of novel one. I did send some, but no one read them (which is fine). I know this story enough to not send it in bits and would rather my CPs read it in one sitting. The biggest job on this revision is going to be making certain it holds together as a cohesive piece since it’s been revised several times (draft 6 people!) over the past 18 months.
I love crit groups. Sometimes I’m not sure I’m as helpful as others, sometimes I think I’m too helpful, LOL.
The best part of my CP group are the women themselves. Excellent friends. Thanks ladies!
Darcy
Lacey:
I love it, too! I love the camaraderie and the helpfulness and the encouragement. (Also, sometimes my harebrained ideas really do turn out to be harebrained and I need that “Uh, seriously?” tap on the shoulder. *g)
Darcy:
I hear you: once in a while I get on a tangent and have to remind myself not to be that bossy CP who’s convinced she’s “right”. Other times I keep my thoughts to myself and then I angst over whether or not that was the right decision. Quality feedback is often a fine line!
I did send some, but no one read them.
*cringes and blushes*
I’m reading! I swear it! =)
Good points. I get caught between the two worlds myself. Sometimes I want to scream and say YOU’RE WRONG! JUST ADMIT IT! And other times I think well, it’s her book. Whatever!
I love my CPs, even when they tell me things I don’t want to hear. Maybe especially then.
Last week was not my favorite from a CP perspective, as you and Darcy and Lacey well know, but NOT because I didn’t want/need/benefit from your input. Quite the reverse!
I’d rather hear now that my story won’t work than after I’ve put 85,000 words and my heart and soul into it.
Lacey: Er… You wouldn’t be referring to all that hassle I gave you over my hero’s motivation/abilities, would you? *g
Jacq: Glad we didn’t crush you into the ground. I was so nervous about speaking up… I didn’t want to discourage you about your story, but I also didn’t want to sit idly by if I thought I saw a potential problem area. This CPing thing can be hard!
I think CPing can be really hard! You both have to really go into it knowing that you only want whats best and that you’re give the tough advice/observations/etc so that it can be revised before an agent or editor says the same things.
Of course, I don’t have a lot of experience with CPs
With my recent WIP I’ve only sent it to a few people to see if the idea was viable or just dumb. Once I’m done and polished, though, I’ll totally be looking for more beta readers – people to catch the flaws before agents and editors do.
I’m learning as I go. Very good topic, Erica.
Umm, at this time the CP relationship is sorta stuck at the brainstorming stage. We share ideas, play what ifs, but only of us (not me, sadly) is the one that has something to share almost every week. I’ve been doing a combo of dragging my feet, re-working my story ’til the point I’m losing sleep over it it, and just plain procrastination. Now that I’m wanting to write this story and send it out to contests I realize the value of CP relationship. Thanks for all your advice, ladies.
Isabel
I recently ventured into the CP thing, and I immediately found two – after the first chapter of reading each other’s work I had one who clicked right away and one who didn’t. The click I kept, and the non-click… Well, we parted ways amicably. Since I found a CP, we bounce ideas off one another, and we commiserate over rejections, and we help each other tweak queries. It’s really wonderful, and I value the heck out of her. If I could find another one like her, I’d be rolling in clover.
But I can certainly see how the whole thing could go horribly wrong… And that’s a subject for a whole other time. ;o)
Hi B.E.! That’s awesome that you found a CP you click with. I value mine more than words can say. It’s kind of like a marriage in a way. As long as both parties work together, it not only works out–it’s fabulous! =)
I’ve had the same crit partner for ten years and she can spot when I go off track and/or knows when I’m not writing as well as I could in a given story (paragraph, chapter)…
I cannot say the same of the last group I was in (four of us) everyone had their own input and I wasted hours trying to put it all together…
Wow, same CP for 10 years! That’s great! I had some similar bad experiences before I finally found a good group of people. Ya gotta kiss the frogs before you get to marry the prince! =)
My ‘critique partner’ and I are still trying each other out. I’ve never had one before, but I’m really liking it so far. Just having someone to bounce ideas off of or read a few pages makes a BIG difference.
I’m REALLY hoping things work out…
Oh, I so hope things work out! Having someone to bounce ideas off of makes a world of difference. Glad you found someone!
Well, Erica, you know how you met I and my sisters. The one thing we don’t do in the Mentoring Group is tell you how to write – we show you where you’ve gone wrong.
Even if it is that case, we have to allow for your vision in the story. If you can see where you are going and it makes sense – who are we? After all, the story has to be yours in the end.
Maybe it is the thirty-some years I’ve been writing, but I look to my CP’s for basic grammar, to see if the transition between the Romance Sequence and the Fantasy Sequence isn’t abrupt (or that the fantasy hasn’t taken over the story),and a few other things. By the time they see it, it is basically ready to shop.
As to what people get out of a crit, that is up to them. I’ll never say that someone is all knowing, all righteous with a crit. Some people take the ‘writing rules of the road’ to an extreme, which may hinder your voice. Others give you more leeway which isn’t what you are looking for. It depends on what you need.
I’ve mentored every where from novices to almost there writers and often find each is looking for something different. I’m the one who has to respect each writer is different.
T.J.
I love the input and am sincerely happy to receive constructive criticism but I’m a take what I think is pertinent and leave the rest when I don’t agree kind of girl. The one thing that I try to really make sure when I critique and when I get critiqued is not to take the author’s voice from the novel and not let anyone try to strip mine from me. I rarely touch dialogue unless I just WAY OFF. I will comment though if I think the dialogue is stilted or doesn’t sound natural.
Usually with a CP I’m more interested in if my plot works, if the characters within the context of the story is believable and if their motivations are sound.
Hi TJ! You’re lucky because you were *born* with 2 awesome CPs. =)
Beverley: That’s true. Usually, the plot/motivation aspect is what I look for when dealing with a rough draft. Line edits can be a waste of everyone’s time at that point (including the CP) since the manuscript might end up gaining/losing/changing whole scenes/chapters during the course of revision.
I hate you!
You revealed my stripper / android plotline before I was ready to unveil it to the world.
*runs away crying*
LOL. Sorry! Maybe you could spice it up with some stripper amnesia, or an android secret baby…