Getting Critiques
May 2020 Gimme Five Article: Getting Critiques
By J.C. Moore
I’m not sure if I can claim the record for the most submissions to MWA Midwest critique programs, but between manuscript and short story submissions, I’ve made good use of them over the last five years.
I started writing on a whim, thinking I’d take six months to write a book, then move on with my life. After all, I liked to read and have always been a good business writer. How hard could it be?
Let’s just say ignorance was bliss. But five years later, I have an agent, a publisher, and am eagerly anticipating the launch of my first book in September, and I owe a huge debt to the MWA Midwest annual critique program. Here’s why every emerging writer should consider submitting to MWA Midwest's Murder Mentors program, open now.
1) You don’t know what you don’t know
We’re all readers, but until we sit down to write a book or short story, we have no idea how different reading is from writing. The feedback from a skilled writer is crucial in learning just how much you know, or don’t know, about the craft. When I sent off my 25-page submission the first time, I thought I had a masterpiece on my hands. Then I received my feedback. My critique walked me through the basics, like how I needed to have a main character the reader wanted to spend time with. That I needed to show, not tell. And that all of my adverb-ridden dialogue tags were distracting. I honestly had no idea. But it was all framed in such a kind, encouraging form that I knew I had to keep writing and make the story what I knew it could be. (Thank you, Jessie Chander!)
2) Experts can drill down to the problem
It’s tempting to have your mother or your husband be your first readers. But here’s the thing: they like you, and they don’t know what they’re talking about. If they’re honest, they’ll tell you if your work isn’t there yet. But unless they understand story structure, they’ll struggle to tell you much beyond “it seemed a little slow” or “I was confused.” Skilled writers can drill down to tell you what’s not working.
After my first round of feedback, I committed to making my story better. I took classes. I read craft books. And I paid attention to MWA programming. I rewrote the novel (several times) and submitted it again, three years after my first try. I’d figured out the basics at that point, and this round the notes were on higher level structure and pacing, feedback that was actionable and concrete, and much more useful than the type of feedback friends and family typically share. (Thank you, Andrew Shaffer!)
3) Put an end to the navel-gazing
Writers are never done. There’s always a sentence that could be polished or an alternate ending to explore. For emerging writers without an agent or editor waiting for a manuscript, it can be tempting to work for months without ever moving forward. When you make the decision to submit to the critique program, you’re setting a deadline for yourself to put your work out into the world. Will it be perfect? Heck no. But can you make it good enough for someone else to read? That’s the bar you need to set for yourself if you’re ever going to move forward in your writing.
4) Make connections with other writers
I’m most comfortable lurking in the back of the room at chapter meetings or events, so making personal connections in the writing community is hard for me. But when I got my email with feedback from the critique program, I felt like I’d made a new friend in the writing community. The people who offer up their time to participate are nice. They want to share their expertise and help new writers to succeed. And now one of them knows your work and is rooting for you? That’s huge.
5) Learn how to pay it forward
Having a writing group and critique partners have been an important part of my writing journey, and I’ve learned as much from giving feedback as I have from receiving it. And my first introduction on how to give effective feedback was the feedback I received from the MWA critique program. If you’re serious about writing, you’ll want to find other writers to swap work with. And knowing how to give quality feedback is key to that relationship, and there’s no better way to learn than to see what it looks like on your own work.
J.C. Moore is the author of the Maggie White Mysteries, debuting September 2020 with Murder in the Piazza from Level Best Books. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly, and she is the editor of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest newsletter.