Give it to Me Straight... by Megan

Today is a busy day for me. Work as usual, then I'm meeting with the manager of the hotel where my RWA chapter is holding a workshop this month (Margie Lawson comes to St. Louis!), which I'm coordinating. Then my favorite part of the day: MORWA's critique group meeting.

When other writers say they don't like the concept of critique groups or partners, I'm baffled. No feedback? I shudder to think about it. How do you know if you're getting the story to the reader with emotion but not melodrama, or if the humor works, or if what's so clear in your head is clear on the page?

I love feedback, and no, what I receive isn't usually glowing. But because my group cares enough about good writing to help me improve my writing, they point out where they think I've gone wrong and possibly what to do about it.

My first ms written for publication (aka, my learning book, which will never see the light of day again) was set in Atlanta. Not knowing whether it sounded like the South, I sent it to a writing contest in Atlanta, the Maggies, a very prestigious contest I was in no way ready to enter. I lucked in to finding a great contest and the most honest and helpful feedback ever! The judges very politely hated the book--and rightly so. :) It was an angst novel (full of whiners). I entered the Maggies every year when I started a new story.

My critique group is terrific (and I only use the possessive because I belong to it, not because being the moderator means I own it). I love seeing the fledgling writers leap from the nest and try their wings. Some crash to the ground, but they're gently helped up by the critiquers and sent back to their nests to try again. I especially love when a person's critiques get better because her/his writing gets better too. I call it osmosis--the knowledge used to critique seeps into the writing, improving the work.

I'm not reading tonight, but I look forward to my next turn. My writing is so much better because of the input of my critique partners and this group. Every new book goes before them. My first published book, Marrying the Boss, had quite a few presentations in different forms before the one that captured the feel I wanted. I changed the beginning and the characters and the entire dynamics of the relationship before I was happy.

Some writers say they don't want others messing with their Voice. Or changing their story. Or giving them doubts about their writing. All plausible concerns. I guess I'm too, um, strong-minded as my mother calls it (since I got it from her) or stubborn as my husband labels it (since he has to deal with it daily) to let anyone change my story in ways I don't want. They can suggest, but that doesn't mean I have to accept their suggestions. My Voice is just me, and I doubt anyone else could change that. Give me insecurities about my writing? I have so many already, a few more would hardly register on my radar. But those insecurities don't extend to feedback. Give it to me straight--so I can make my writing better! My skin is thick enough.

So, which personality type are you? Do you want to hear about your flaws so you can improve them, in writing or other aspects of life? Or would you rather not have anyone messing with you, and just figure it out on your own?

BONUS: There's no wrong answer!

Megan Kelly
megankellybooks.com

Critiques: Love 'em, Hate 'em

Good morning, everyone. I'm up exceptionally early for me (not a morning person!) because I'm going to my "other" RWA chapter near Fort Worth, Texas. Just like our new member Pam Stone, I'm a member of Dallas Area Romance Authors (DARA) and North Texas Romance Authors (NTRWA) which meets much farther away from my house.

NTRWA has an annual event called the Roundtable Meeting, in which participants submit ten pages of their manuscript to be critiqued one-on-one by a published author. It's a great program because it allows everyone to have some very valuable face time to explain their opinions and expertise. This year I had a sweet contemporary romance and a western historical to read.

The process of critiquing and being critiqued made me wonder how many of you who are aspiring authors have put your work out there for other writers (published or not) to review? It can be traumatic! At the same time, if you have helpful critique partners, it can also be the difference between selling and not selling.

Let me give you an example. Way back when I first started writing, which I don't even want to think about because then I feel older than my grandchildren make me feel, a group of us who met at a local conference formed a critique group. We all wrote different types of fiction. I was concentrating on historical romance, my friend Becky wrote short contemporary romance, and others wrote literary fiction, mainstream and suspense. Needless to say, we weren't always that helpful to all members of the group! While I enjoyed getting together, I'm not sure their remarks made my historical romance any stronger.

Then, I did what lots of industry-wise people tell us not to do; I paid an agent for a critique. I only paid $35 and only on the recommendation of someone who read my work in a contest, but still . . . I probably wouldn't recommend that anyone else do the same now that I know more about publishing. Despite this warning, I must confess that was the best $35 I ever spent. The agent told me that I was writing plot-driven rather than character-driven fiction, and went on to explain the difference. I was imposing my will on my characters, making them do what I wanted them to do, rather than setting up characters who could move the story along with motivated goals and conflict. Wow! This was a revelation to me. I fixed the problem and sold the book about a month later on proposal.

Last week, my current critique partners pointed out that perhaps I needed more conflict in the proposal I was working on for my last Brody's Crossing book. I had such a strong story for the heroine that I'd kind of forgotten to focus on the conflict between the hero and heroine. Oops!

So, my question for anyone, published or unpublished, is what was the best advice you ever received in a critique?

Have a great day. I'm going to critique, get a free lunch, spend time with my home-away-from-home chapter, and perhaps stop by some stores on the way back to Richardson, TX to see if my books are on the shelf.