Welcome to the Year of Fearless Writing!
You write. I mean, that's why you're here. But how often do you say "I'm a writer?" And what's the difference between "I write" and "I'm a writer" anyway?
Over the last five years, YeahWrite--besides being a great place to develop and playtest your writing, build community, and enter one of the best and friendliest competitions on the web--has devoted a lot of time and space to teaching writing. This year, we want to focus on learning what it is to be a writer. So if one of your new year's resolutions for 2019 was to take your writing to the next level, you're in the right place. Our Year of Fearless Writing is focused on the craft of being a writer. We'll take you through subjects like how to submit, developing a professional presence, finding and working with professionals, and what it takes to get your story, essay, or novel in the right place at the right time, so that by this time next year you'll be able to say "I'm a writer" with confidence.
January's topic: tracking your submissions. By this point you've probably got a backlog of stories or essays and some idea of where you'd love to get them published, but how does that work? There's a little more to it than just hitting the "submit" button, and we're about to walk you through what that is- and why you should do it.
February’s topic: how to find a home for your writing. Sure, everyone says “submit” or “keep an eye out for calls for submissions” but what does that process actually look like, from your side of the keyboard? Let’s find out.
March's topic: finding and working with an editor. You may have the greatest idea in the world, but you're not the best person to make sure it all got onto the page in a form that can be understood. And you can't see your own blind spots. That's where finding the right editor comes in.
April's topic: all about critique groups. How can you tell if your idea is good? Are you stuck on a plot point? A critique group can help you sort out in-progress writing that isn't ready for an edit, or figure out what's missing in a piece that's racking up rejections.
May's topic: your bio and website. If a writer writes, and nobody reads it, did the words happen? Your professional bio and website are two related—and important—tools to market yourself as an author.
June's topic: networking on- and offline. Like it or not, getting published is—at least in part—about who you know. But who do you need to know, and how do you meet them?
July's topic: summarizing your work. We’re helping you answer the dreaded question "so… what do you write?” Learn how to talk about your work quickly and concisely while keeping your listener (or potential agent) excited to hear more.
August's topic: pitches and queries. Now that you know how to talk about yourself and your writing, and who you should be talking to, how do you put those pieces together and finally see your work in print? Learn more about taking your writing from concept to page.
September's topic: back to school. Is an MFA right for you? Or do the cons outweigh the pros? We can't make the decision for you, but we're discussing what you should consider and evaluate not just for an MFA, but for that workshop or conference you have your eye on, and what alternatives are out there for you.
October's topic: don't quit your day job. Or should you? Here's another tough decision we can't make for you, but we can - and do - talk about what a job in writing looks like, for levels from hobbyist through fulltime novelist, and the adjacent career options in between.
November's topic: taping together your time confetti. We all have a few seconds in the day here and there. But how productive can you be in five minute chunks? The answer is, very productive for some things, but not at all for others.
December's topic: so you're a writer; now what? Being a writer isn't a static thing. You'll need to keep working on each and every skill you've developed, and then some, for your whole career. While we structured this year in terms of things you must have in place before you can move on to the next thing, in December we'll take a look back through a different lens.
What’s a critique group? (And what isn’t it?)
A critique group is a group of writers who gather to exchange their in-progress work with the goal of giving and receiving constructive feedback. It’s a bit like a workshop, but ongoing and with the same group of (hopefully) friends each week (month, whatever).
It’s important to go into a critique group knowing what you want to get out of it. Are you looking for help with character development? Do you need someone to identify plot holes? Do you consistently struggle with inclusive language or using tropes that don’t represent your best self? Know your strengths and weaknesses, and be ready to lay them out for your group members. Likewise, know what you bring to the group: your life experience and familiarity with the mechanics of writing are both important contributions.
What a crit croup isn’t is an editor. Your crit group will give you multiple points of view on in-progress material, not clean up your finished work. For that you still need an editor, as well as probably beta readers and maybe even a sensitivity reader, depending on the complexity and content of the work.
Finding or creating a critique group
There’s no one way to run – or participate in – a critique group, but there are a few things you’ll want to think about ahead of time to set yourself up for a successful experience. A good start, especially if you’re creating a group from scratch, is to write out a statement of your purpose and focus. If you only want to exchange rough drafts of completed stories, say so. If you’re excited about having people to discuss your in-progress novel with as you work out plotting problems, say so. It sounds a little hokey to have a mission statement, but it will help set expectations.
Expectations and group norms
Probably the most important aspect to making a critique group successful is making sure everyone is on the same page (ha!) regarding expectations and norms. This can range from broad guidelines to the nitty-gritty.
Here are some questions we recommend discussing and agreeing on before forming or joining a group:
- How do we respect the dignity and values of group members?
- Are we comfortable with mature topics?
- How many pages will we exchange at a time?
- What platform will we use? (MS Word via email, Google Docs, etc.)
- How quickly should feedback be provided, and in what form?
- Will we meet in person or online?
- What should we do if we can’t meet a deadline?
- How do we handle disputes?
Group size
Ideally, your group should be big enough that there are enough people to provide diverse feedback on your work and avoid an echo chamber, but small enough that the individual members can develop a high level of trust in each other and, over time, begin to see patterns in each other’s writing. That’s not super specific, but think of it this way: how many different stories can you hold in your head at once? The general consensus is that a good group size is somewhere between four and eight people.
Genre
Sometimes it makes sense to find a group of people who write similar material: epic fantasy, memoir, hardboiled detective stories. You’ll get great feedback on the tropes of your chosen genre, from readers familiar with what makes that type of story tick. But if you are less concerned with whether you fit your genre of choice and more with, for example, character development or dialogue, you might want to consider a group that crosses genres. People who don’t typically read work in your genre can offer valuable insight into your writing and can point out places where you’ve left gaps that a typical reader of the genre might fill in unconsciously.
A quick note: if you’re reading outside your favorite genre, don’t denigrate yourself. That is, it’s fine to say “I don’t usually read horror, but here’s a couple things I’ve noticed.” Don’t say “I don’t usually read horror so I can’t give you any meaningful feedback.” Trust me: you’ll notice something. My favorite reader is someone who used to write technical manuals. She has incredible insight into what I need to add to my speculative fiction worldbuilding to make my universe make sense.
Timeline/schedule
We’ve all got lives to lead, and your critique group is only one part of your life. Make sure you know what kind of timeline and workload you’re able to commit to. If you find a group that matches all your other requirements, but meets weekly when you really only have one weekend a month to dedicate to reading, move along. (Or if you’re already involved, talk to the group about adjusting the schedule.) If you’re forming a group, be up front about your life challenges, and encourage everyone else to be as well. It’s fine to miss a session or two as long as you let people know ahead of time instead of pretending to yourself that you’re somehow going to read 200 pages in half an hour Friday night for your Saturday morning video chat.
Format
As with everything else, format is largely a matter of preference. What is most comfortable and convenient for you? I participated in one group that worked entirely online, via a private WordPress site. We exchanged stories, provided feedback, revised on our own, and moved on. Other groups might meet up face to face or via chat (video or text). You might share a single Google Doc and have each reader add their own comments, or you might send a separate document to each reader and compile the comments later. You might share further revisions, or you might stop after the first round. Some groups don’t even exchange work before they meet – each member brings a project and reads from it, then receives oral feedback.
Your job as a member of a critique group
Or, writer, know thyself.
The whole point of a critique group is that everyone brings something different to the table. If you have particular strengths, use them. Maybe you’re great at recognizing patterns; focus on that. Maybe you have a knack for dialogue, or a particular expertise in fourteenth century Hungarian fashion. Chances are, somebody needs help in these areas. (Okay, fourteenth century Hungarian fashion is kind of niche, but you never know.)
Each time you bring work to your group, state your desired outcomes and/or needs: “I’m having trouble getting my main character out of the movie theater with the corpse, I need ideas” or, “I’d like to submit this story to Uncanny but I’m not sure it’s got the right feel,” or “I’m writing a child character but I don’t have kids and I need help making sure the voice is set at an appropriate level of maturity.” That will help the group respond meaningfully with feedback on the issue you’re actually having, rather than guessing. That said, group members should also feel free to identify additional issues in your work like “while you’ve got a good mix of characters of different races, did you notice that all your good guys are white and all your bad guys are POC?”
Remember that every member should pull their own weight. Don’t be that person who requests feedback and never reciprocates, or who refuses to accept any criticism on their work. If you genuinely think that everyone in your critique group is too stupid to read your work correctly, do everyone a favor and bow out to find people whose opinions and effort you can respect. And even if you don’t have work to share for a given meeting of the group, you still need to participate and provide feedback for those who do.
You are also responsible for giving useful feedback. Your fellow writers need to understand how to fix their problems, which means you need to be at least ok at describing those problems. Need a refresher on how to give—and receive—critiques? We’ve got a whole guide to constructive criticism!
Imposter syndrome
Okay, we’re just gonna throw this out there: everybody feels like a poser sometimes. Imposter syndrome is real. Everyone hears this little voice in their head from time to time:
- There are “actual editors” in my group.
- I’m just starting out.
- I’ve been writing for years but have never been published.
- Everyone else knows more about my genre than I do.
- What do I have to contribute?
The thing is, everyone from absolute beginners to authors with distinguished careers doubts their talent and skill. And regardless of doubt or confidence, all of them need help with every piece of writing. Everybody in a critique group is there because they feel like they have something to learn and hope that they have something to contribute. Remember that you, too have something unique and valuable: your perspective and your experience. Even if you don’t know your en dash from your em dash (guilty!) [2 vs 3 hyphens, yeesh -ed.], nobody will read a story the same way you do, and each additional perspective makes a difference to the story.
A Very Important Note On Group Dynamics
Y’all, before starting or joining a group in person or online, consider the idea that your group may contain someone that you don’t like. That’s fine! You don’t have to like everyone! But what do you do when “I don’t like this person” is “I think this person is a creep” or “this person doesn’t contribute to the group?”
When people with less-than-mainstream hobbies form affinity groups, the “geek social fallacies” are often in play. We know what it’s like to be bullied or insulted, and we don’t want to bully or insult anyone else. But that shouldn’t mean allowing people to hurt others in the name of inclusivity. (For even more geek social fallacies, check this link.)
Make a plan for what you’re going to do if someone in your group turns out to be a bad fit. This could be as mild as “we just don’t actually like this person” (surprise! you don’t have to hang out with people you don’t like!) or as big as “this person constantly gives creepy sexual feedback on work” or “we found out this person has committed assault.” (For more on group dynamics when one member is a problem see the Missing Stair Problem.)
While some problems only manifest in person, others can be evident online. Be prepared to ask someone to leave – or to leave a group yourself if you’re not a good fit for the style of the group. That doesn’t mean groups are a bad idea, it means that group, or that person, was a bad idea for you. Don’t be afraid to shop around.
April’s YFW assignment is:
Be specific: “I write short stories and I want a group that meets in person every week and that focuses on romance writing.” “I write memoir and I want a group that communicates mainly online and with people from various genres.” Include any details that are important to you, such as your timeline and/or deadlines, how you like to receive constructive criticism, or your past experience working with critique group. Bonus points if you join or create a critique group in the process!
About the authors:
Rowan submitted exactly one piece of microfiction to YeahWrite before being consumed by the editorial darkside. She spent some time working hard as our Submissions Editor before becoming YeahWrite’s Managing Editor in 2016. In real life she’s been at various times an attorney, aerialist, professional knitter, artist, graphic designer (yes, they’re different things), editor, secretary, tailor, and martial artist. It bothers her vaguely that the preceding list isn’t alphabetized, but the Oxford comma makes up for it. She lives in Portlandia with a menagerie which includes at least one other human. She blogs at textwall and CrossKnit.
After a long stint as a Russian scholar and composer, Christine rediscovered her passion for writing in 2006. She joined the YeahWrite team in 2014 as the microstory editor. A lover of beautiful stories in small packages, her primary focus has been microfiction; she also writes flash fiction, short stories, and the occasional personal essay, much of which has been posted to her blog, Trudging Through Fog. Christine was a 2015 BlogHer Voices of the Year award recipient and Community Keynote speaker. Her short fiction has been published by MidnightSun Publishing, and she is currently editing her first full-length novel.
