I have blogged about belonging to this fantabulous group called "The Sassy Scribes" which comprised me and two other engaging, funny, intelligent women who would drive to the middle of nowhere, where some excellent pie was served--and we'd discuss writing.
This was, by and by, the best critique group I've ever belonged to. Anything that has eating as a central subplot definitely helps with the feedback I get back on my chapters.
In September 2007, The Sassy Scribes disbanded, because one of our central members (the PUBLISHED critiquer--full of brilliant Mary Poppins ideas and a kind word) had to move to Chicago. We tried to talk her out of it. We tried to convince her to take us with her. We cried.
By September, I had brought a fourth member to The Sassy Scribes, a new hot writer who I knew as Sin and who knew me as Hellion. After the disbandment, we decided to press on. We met in our main home town (so about an hour closer) and held our important meetings at the local El Maguey's. Over the excellent cheese sauce, we'd discuss important issues like: the cheese dip stain I'd immediately get on my shirt, whether anyone noticed I'd tried to lick it off, and if the waiter looked like Ranger from the Stephanie Plum books. About two hours later, we'd eventually discuss our chapters, the fact our Muses were on vacation with no forwarding address, and how we wouldn't have this problem if Kris--the missing member--would come down her and flick the whip a few times.
Today though, I think we did a little better than usual. Sin bought dipping cheese from Walmart; we discussed her erotica; we discussed her series (both sets); and we discussed GMC. We ate more cheese. We plotted goals for 2008. We discussed the online critique group and what we needed to arrange as the rules so we'd be moderately successful at it. We discussed how to get cheese dip stains out of my shirt--and luckily no one cared that I licked it off.
Dynamics change. Sometimes you're forced to be more leaderish than you're used to. Sometimes you have to find more like-minded folks--they're out there--and start over again. You just keep plugging...and eating cheese dip. Eventually you'll win.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Ahh...Hellion, cheese dip taste better after landing on clothes.
But you MUST, you MUST come to Chicago. You won't regret it.
I.G.
Yay, I smell a published novel.
I guess licking your shirt is better than you trying to lick your pants. I'd have to pretend I didn't know you.
I need to find friends that don't live half way across the country so I can have *meetings* like this one. Dang it.
I hope Dr. Howdy's cheese sauce doesn't drip down on me here. Like Terri, I think it would be fun to do "in-person" stuff. My local chap is 2 hours away and I haven't even joined that---just too far. So I just talk to myself.
I too am alone out here in the middle of nowhere. My local chapter is a ways a way.
How does one go about finding good critique partners? I've tried The Critique Circle(I think that is the name). I also belong to an online crit group, but the ones I really clicked with found their own tight places and left.
I even went so far as to put an advertisement on my blog.:) I know, but what can I say?
I have found a few great cp's. But if it doesn't work the way I'd like it too then how do you suggest going about finding that 'perfect' group?
I swear I fell into my best CP by pure accident. This is how it happened. I was at a chapter meeting, my hero: Betina Krahn was speaking. The published author next to me had Tourette's (or otherwise she was a rude obnoxious git--I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt). At break, my table of four were talking about WIPs and I never want to discuss mine because both of them feature heroes no one likes. Ever. So I evade this questioning.
It steers to the Tourette's woman saying she's writing a story about a heroine according to her Star Sign. "Which one?" I ask, interested, because despite I don't believe my daily horoscope, I do think they do have some interesting general assumptions about each sign that are kinda freaky. (Like Libras on the whole can't make a decision. They deliberate forever.)
"The heroine is a *Star Sign*, blah, blah, blah"
"Oh," I said, and immediately started asking if the heroine would do thus and so according to the things I knew about that sign.
"I don't know. It's all crap. I'm just doing it for the contract."
OKAY.
Well, by this time, the lady across from me had already interrupted Tourette's Woman and said, "She" (referring to me) "sounds like a valuable source of the information for your book..."
Tourette's Woman laughed and the topic was changed.
So at a later meeting, I was sitting to the NON-Tourette's Woman, and we were talking about critique partners. And how we needed one. And we both jumped at the idea of being each other's partner. She absolutely ROCKED.
She had to move to Chicago, so we don't get to meet anymore...and in our group I had introduced my friend who also writes...and we keep up this group with like Kris (our missing CP) as a ghost in the room. *LOL*
I'm not sure there's a way to find a GOOD one. They're like miracles that arrive. BUT all this said, try to find a local writing group in your town. If there isn't one, see if you can find a nice local bookstore where you can advertise for a writing group...and make your own group that way. That way you can meet face to face. Usually those types of critiques work out better.
This is not to say Sin, my current CP, isn't a kick-ass awesome CP. Whatever it is Kris had...she just made everyone who worked with her BETTER CPs. She's just that sort of person.
Post a Comment