Writers Writing – Critique Group Workshop

Bring three pages or two poems to share with a group for critique.

This is an in-person program. Masks are recommended at all in-person library events.

Participants will be broken up into small groups to read and discuss their work.

Guidelines for the Critique Group:

– Share what you liked and what you thought worked well in the piece.
– Identify areas that you don’t understand or where communication with the reader breaks down.
– Identify craft-related areas of concern (point of view, verb tense, clarity, filtering, redundancy, cliché, sensory details, metaphor, dialogue, narration, pacing, drama, back story, action, intent, scene, structure, etc.).
– Identify craft-related areas of possibility (same list).
– Do not micromanage or try to rewrite for the author; focus on the piece in front of you, not what you would have written.
– Be nice. Be honest. Be of service.

For the Author During Workshop:

– Be quiet and listen actively.
– If you need to explain the piece during workshop, it means the information isn’t on the page.
– Make notes of what you hear and want to say, so that you can include it in your revision.
– After feedback is offered, thank everyone for their time, and ask and answer questions.
– You may hear a lot of different opinions, but always remember this is your work and you get to decide how it is written.
– Bear in mind that if you get the same feedback from a lot of people, it’s certainly worth taking note.