A Q&A about the FWA St. Pete Critique Groups

After two very successful Critique Group Interest Meetings, one fiction critique group filled up and one non-fiction critique group filled up.

Q: What does this mean for those who are still interested in joining a critique group but couldn't make those meetings?

A: We need more groups!

Q: How do more groups form?

A: We need people willing to lead!

Q: What does leading a critique group involve?

A: More than anything, a willingness to facilitate, which involves making sure things stay on track at meetings and keeping the people in the group updated on group procedure. A critique group leader must be an FWA member. The first responsibilities are to arrange a meeting time, place, and duration. Other decisions must be made as well, such as how critiques will be done (electronically or printouts) and how much writing will be critiqued at a time (word count limits, page count limits, etc.).

Q: If I've never led a critique group before, how can I possibly be qualified?

A: If you're an FWA members who is willing to volunteer in this capacity, you are qualified.

Q: I feel inadequate to lead a critique group, but I want to be in one. What do I do?

A: There are other critique groups in the St. Pete area (Pinellas Writers, St. Pete Writers Club) so be sure to check those out. But also, think about volunteering to start a new group because maybe there are many people wanting a critique group who are too afraid to lead, but if you're willing to lead, they'll step up and join your group!

Q: I might be willing to lead a new critique group. Is it scary?

A: Not at all! Most writers who want to be in a critique group are serious about improving their writing skills just like you. The hardest part is just figuring out all those initial details (meeting time/place/etc) and once that's established, it's all about the writing and the critiquing.

Q: That's the part that scares me: the critiquing. What if people get upset about critiques that are sent, and I'm stuck in the middle as the leader?

A: I have a lot of experience leading a critique group, including problem-solving, so I'd be happy to share my insights with you. The first rule I recommend for every critique group is to make sure the group participants make positive comments, not just critical ones. Positive comments go a long way to making a person feel like the critique is not a personal attack. That said, it's not the purpose of a critique group to make people feel good about their writing. The purpose is to help writers improve their craft with feedback from fellow writers. Comments should always be constructive, not harsh or demeaning. When these rules for the group are stated up front, it's usually enough to prevent the scenario mentioned in the question.

Q: I have more questions. Who can I ask?

A: Contact me (Bria) by emailing fwastpete@gmail.com

New Critique Group in Palm Harbor

Molli Nickell is starting a new critique group in Palm Harbor. Here are the details from her:

"Critique group begins on Wednesday, June 17. After that, we'll meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. Any alterations to the schedule will be posted on the library calendar page.

Although this is a FWA (Florida Writers Association) group, non-members are welcome. The group is limited to 10 active participants. Auditors are welcome to attend and "listen only." (The number of active participants might change if an 11th person danced in the door carrying a plate of really good cookies!)

Handouts, when available, will be shared with everyone. 

The group is filling up. The following writers have expressed interest in participating: John T, Anne, Larry, Vickie, Kim H, and Alan. We gather at 5:30 PM for meet 'n greet, critique begins at 6 and ends at 7:45.  

Focus will be on manuscript development/refinement and marketing (how to create the query submission packet).

   

If you'd like to reserve a spot, send me an email at getpublishednow.biz@gmail.com. Write CRITIQUE in the subject line.

Location: East Lake Community Library, 4125 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor, FL 34685 727-773-2665."

Thank you, Molli, for opening up this new group! If you're interested in joining her critique group, be sure to email her ASAP.

Ask Sam: Adding line numbers for easy critiquing

When a critique group discusses a manuscript, it can be difficult for everyone to find the same passage and follow along. When someone says paragraph two, does she mean the second complete paragraph, or is she counting the widowed lines from the previous page as a paragraph? Which sentence is she talking about? You can make it easy for everyone to zero in on a specific line by having Word number the lines in each manuscript. Open the story you want to work with and perform the steps for your version of Word.

Word 2003

1. Click File and Page Setup.
2. Click the Layout tab.
3. Click the Line Numbers button.
4. Check the Add line numbering checkbox.
5. Click OK to accept the default selection.
6. Click OK to close the Page Layout dialog.

To turn line numbering off when you're done with it, perform the same steps but in step four, clear the Add line numbering checkbox.

Word 2007
This is one of the rare instances where doing something in Word 2007 is easier than Word 2003. There are only three steps:

1. Click the Page Layout Tab.
2. Click Line Numbers.
3. Select Restart Each Page.

To turn line numbering off when you're done with it, perform the same steps but select "None" in the last step.

"Ask Sam" is a weekly feature. I have several topics lined up but I can use suggestions. If you have questions about using Windows (XP, Vista, or Windows 7) or Word (2003 or 2007), send e-mail to stfalco AT yahoo.com and I'll try to answer your questions here.