Critique Groups - How to Find the Perfect One for You

Groups that meet together socially enjoy the friendships.

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Writers search for the best ways to receive helpful feedback for their manuscripts. We all desire to develop new skills by learning from those who know the craft. Face to face meetings offer an opportunity for the writer to reach professional goals. Meeting with a select group of writers who share the same joys and challenges inspires us to continue toward our goals.

Critique partners can help us define our manuscripts. But finding the personality and expertise with other writers is like searching for a new doctor. Not everyone is a good fit. A writer seeks those special people who have the same or advanced skills. To some writers, a critique group who writes in the same genre is helpful.

Critique partners who meet in person develop trust and share social time. Online critiquing help battle the time crunch. I’ve done both and understand the advantages and —the disadvantages.

Positive feedback makes us better writers!

If a situation no longer works for whatever reason, graciously resign from your commitment. A sense of responsibility is not a reason to continue in a relationship that no longer has value.


Establish a few ground rules with a potential critique group or partner so writers understand the expectations. Each member must be committed to the group and willing to give back.


Here are a few considerations:

• Will you and your partner(s) meet online or in a physical place?
• How many pages will be exchanged?
• How many writers will be in the group?
• Will the critiques be a line edit or a content edit?
• What will be the turnaround time?
• How will you handle a critique partner who fails to submit her work on a consistent basis?

These guidelines will help ensure success for any critique groups. Merely tweak for the format that best suits the writers’ needs.

1.  Determine how many writers in the group.
2.  Establish a meeting place.
3.  Establish manuscript format.

• 1 inch margins
• Double Spacing
• 12 point - Times New Roman or New Courier Font
• Header with automatic page numbering

4.  Establish length of submitted manuscript.
5.  Automatically format the manuscript to number lines.
6.  Members understand the manuscript’s contents and genre.
7.  Submit polished writing as though each member is an editor.
8.  Writer brings copies of manuscript for each participant.
9.  Someone other than the writer reads the work aloud.
10. Writer is permitted two minute lead-in before work is read.
11. Writer does not speak during the reading.
12. Each writer is given 15 minutes of critique time.
13. It is inappropriate to interrupt.
14. Always thank the person who has given the critique.
15. Don’t take suggestions personally.
16. Ground rules for constructive criticism. Use the Oreo method. Begin with a       compliment, make appropriate suggestions, close the critique with encouragement. Honesty is critical, but unkind remarks are forbidden. Harshness does not make a better writer.
17. Make specific suggestions. General comments do not help the writer.
18. Address punctuation, flow, content, and credibility.
19. Critique according to writer’s ability/level of expertise.
20. Each member of the group is responsible for adhering to guidelines.
21. If a writer doesn’t submit her own writing, she shouldn’t critique other’s work.
22. Enjoy the experience! This is a time to admire and respect your peers.

I treasure the friendship of my critique partners. We pray and play together, which ensures our friendships are mentally and spiritually rewarding. 

What tips can you offer for a successful critique group?


DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

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Ten Laws of Critique Groups

by Chip MacGregor

Chip MacGregor

Chip MacGregor is the president of MacGregor Literary, a full-service literary agency on the Oregon Coast. A former publisher with Time Warner, he has worked with authors as a literary agent for more than a dozen years, and was previously a senior editor at two publishing houses. An Oregon native, Chip lives in a small town on the Oregon coast. Chip is also the author of a couple dozen books and a popular teacher on the craft of writing and marketing.

I recently had someone write to me and say, “I’m going to a big writing conference that encourages us to join a critique group. You’ve talked before about the benefit of being in a critique group, but I was in a critique group that didn’t work. What I’m wondering is how to make a critique group actually WORK. Can you help?”

I’m a huge fan of critique groups, and have participated in several until I moved or they wised up and threw me out. The experience has taught me a few principles for getting the most out of the group. 

Here are my Ten Laws of Critique Groups:

Why do you want a critique group?

1.  Ask yourself why you want a critique group. What do you hope to get out of it? You ought to have clear expectations going in, so that you’ve got something to evaluate the benefits later. Some people basically want to hang out with other writers — more or less the same reason they attend writers conferences. There’s nothing wrong with that, and if that’s your reason for joining, you should easily find a group that fits your needs. Others really want a dedicated group of professional writers to take a careful and thoughtful look at their material. If that’s what you’re after, you’re going to need to put a lot more thought into your group.

2.  The value of a critique group is based almost entirely on the membership. So look for people who are AT YOUR LEVEL or maybe just a bit better than you (if your ego can take it) and talk to them about the group. Basically, people want to know what the commitment will be (a weekly or maybe twice a month meeting that lasts a couple hours), what the expectations are (that members will actually READ the other member’s writings before coming to the meeting), and what the benefit is to them (you’ll hear advice for improving your writing).

3.  Personally invite people to participate. Don’t put an announcement in the neighborhood bulletin or the local paper. One of the maxims of organization is that people perform at the level at which they are recruited. If you tell them “this is an open time for everybody,” you’re going to get the bad poets, the unteachable storytellers, and the “I’m-in-pain-let-me-share-my-angst-with-you” types.

4.  At one of your first meetings, set some guidelines. These can be simple: You have to come as often as you’re in town. You have to submit your writing to others at least once a month (or every other month). You have to read the work of others before the meeting. You have to offer constructive advice, not just negative criticism. You have to be willing to listen to everyone, even if you disagree with their opinion. (And this is a perfect time to quote Jim Bishop: “A good writer is not, per se, a good book critic. No more than a good drunk is automatically a good bartender.”)

 5.  Make sure the group has a leader. Without a ramrod, a critique group turns into a therapy session for the most needy in the bunch.

Creative types need a regular meeting time & place.

 6.  I think creative, artsy writer types need a regular meeting time and place. It offers discipline to the group. Of course, you all disagree with that, being creative, artsy types. So sue me. You probably also like William Faulkner, even though he is boring and pretentious, but your college writing professor insisted he was deep, and since you want to appear deep too, you tell people at parties that you “loved ‘Soldier Pay’ but thought ‘As I Lay Dying’ lacked focus,” or some such rot. Your group will meet at Starbucks once, at your house once, then you’ll skip a couple months, meet for dinner somewhere, and fade away. So put some regularity and discipline into the meeting schedule.

7.  Above all, listen to criticism. Scottish people have a saying: “Learn to unpack a rebuke.” There’s no point in joining a critique group if you spend all your time defending your writing. So have a rule that you have to listen to people’s ideas, even if you’re going to ignore their insipid, Neanderthal advice. Jarrell once wrote, “It’s always hard for poets to believe that one says their poems are bad not because one is a friend, but because their poems are bad.”

8.  The membership in the group dictates how much you’ll listen. There’s nothing worse than being in a group with one guy you really don’t like, and you don’t respect his lousy writing, but he always wants to talk for a half hour about that terrible state of writing in publishing today. If you find people who are at your level, both in terms of quality and experience, you’ll find yourself much more open to hear what they have to say.

Feedback is easier if you trust the person offering advice.

9.  Find a writing partner who you really trust. One person, maybe two, that you’ll listen to. When he or she says to you, “Farnsworth, I know you love medical mysteries, but I question your use of including each character’s dental records in your story,” you’ll know that they aren’t criticizing just to build themselves up. This your friend. He (or she) LOVES you. He’s only saying it because he wants you to improve your story. That one person will make you better, and you’ll find yourself becoming a much better critiquer of others and member of a group. Really.

10.  Insist people write. I was once in a critique group where people argued about the merits of “Left Behind” and debated which trends were hot in bookstores, but we never really got around to writing anything or examining each other’s work. Write something each time, insist others do the same, and submit that work ahead of the meeting so that everyone can read it and tell you how awful it is. (Or how wonderful it is, depending on how you’re feeling today.)

In closing, a note from Lillian Hellman: “They’re fancy talkers about themselves, writers. If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don’t listen to writers talk about writing. Or themselves.”

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Clues Your Critique Group is Going TOXIC

by Edie Melson

I’m a big fan of having a writing support team. I know I’m a much better writer because I have a small group of writers I exchange critiques with. I believe there are very few writers who produce high quality work in a vacuum. These groups may be set up formally, with specific meeting dates and times. Or they may be less structured.

But occasionally the dynamics change, and today I want to share some clues your critique group is going toxic. These are warning signs that not addressed, may destroy valuable relationships forever.

One caveat before I begin, although I have been in situations where these have happened, they haven’t all happened to me personally. And, I’m ashamed to say, I’ve unintentionally been the perpetrator of a couple of these. We need to be as vigilant about our own motives and actions as we are of others.

Symptoms of a Toxic Critique

1. The critique becomes personal. If someone is attacking you, with comments that cross the line, beware. Comments may include, “You really don’t know how to write, do you?”

2. The volume level gets loud. This one gets me occasionally. I’m passionate about writing, and although I try, sometimes I make people uncomfortable with how loud I get. I don’t mind this one (probably because I tend to be confrontational at times) but I’ve learned to respect how it comes across to others.

3. The person who argues with every suggestion. I’m the first person to stand up for an author’s rights. I believe you are the master of your story. But none of us is right one hundred percent of the time. I’m perfectly happy if you decide not to accept my suggestions, but if you’re going to argue with every single one then we’re both wasting valuable time.

4. There’s nothing positive shared. I’m a big fan of the sandwich critique. In this method, I share something positive about the manuscript, then something that may need work, followed by something else positive. Let’s face it, critiques are difficult enough without it always being all about what someone is doing poorly. And this one leads me to number 4.

5. Frequent use of the word WRONG. In the publishing industry there are lots of gray areas, and very few hard and fast rules. Grammar is where you find most of the rules, but even those may be broken, if there’s a compelling reason. When someone tells you something is wrong, it’s a clue that there are deeper issues involved.

6. More talk ABOUT writing than actual words produced. If you find yourself in a group where all you do is encourage each other to overcome life and sit down and write, you’re not in a critique group, you’ve morphed into a support group. There’s nothing wrong with support, we all hit times when life gets the better of us. But be careful if it’s happening every week.

7. The person I like to call the, FOOD CRITIC. This is the one member who has all the answers, but almost never brings anything to be evaluated.

8. A lack of respect. This can show up in 3 main ways.

• Those who are habitually late and/or don’t let the group know when they can’t make a scheduled meeting (online or off).

• It can also be seen when the one giving the critique tries to force the writer to make changes. No matter how good I think my advice is, ultimately the manuscript belongs to the one who's writing it. I have to learn to respect that and move on.

• The final one is a variation of the argumentative person seen in number 3 above. But this disrespectful person has a superior attitude about every suggestion made. The attitude is one of, “I hear you, but I’d never take advice from the likes of you.” Their demeanor drips with the resolve to be nice, but with obvious undertones of I’m better and we both know it.

Our industry is a living and growing entity. It’s changing almost daily, especially with the advent of ebooks and digital publishing. What used to be a rule, now is a viewed as a quaint tradition. To stay relevant, we NEED to band together. It’s a huge advantage to connect with others who are seeking to grow and put out the best possible product we can at a given moment in time. 

So if you've seen some of these symptoms, don't hesitate to address them. A little diligence now can save a valuable relationship. Now, I’m curious. What symptoms would you add to this list of toxic symptoms? 

Edie Melson is the author of four books, as well as a freelance editor with years of experience in the publishing industry. Her popular blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month, and she’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been updated and re-released as Connections: Social Media & Networking Techniques for Writers. She’s the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy and the social media director for Southern Writers Magazine. You can connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

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