Monday, April 04, 2016

C is for Critique Partner



C is definitely for Critique Partner. How many writers have one or more critique partners? Show of hands!

A critique partner is another writer whose skills you respect. You go over each other's work, showing where corrections are needed and giving suggestions to make things work better. This means you'll be getting and giving suggestions for everything from misspelled words or faulty punctuation, to plot holes or point of view lapses.

The right critique partner can be invaluable. It should be someone you can trust, someone you can be comfortably honest with. You and your partner need to complement each other, not rub each other the wrong way. A writer may be brilliant at written prose, but if s/he is rude or dictatorial, or if s/he rejects all your suggestions outright, it's not the right partner for you.

I'm interested to see what the tarot will say about the ideal critique partner. Today's deck is the Robin Wood tarot. Here are a couple of sample cards from the deck:

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Images courtesy of Aeclectic Tarot 


The card I drew is The Hanged Man. It shows a young blond man hanging from a tree limb by one leg/knee. Yes, that means he's hanging upside down, but he is not BEING hanged. It's more of a gym-class position. ;-)

This card indicates the ideal critique partner is someone who will drop everything when you need help. S/he is willing to change viewpoints on your work or theirs if given enough proof. They shouldn't be afraid to change positions when appropriate. Wisdom is indicated, someone who seeks out the truth of any situation.Willingness to change, to take constructive suggestions gracefully, is vital. 

I hope this helps you find YOUR ideal critique partner!

2 comments:

Liz A. said...

Or better yet, find a group where you can get several viewpoints. It's tough to find someone who works, but there are plenty of writers out there for that sort of help.

Liz A. from
Laws of Gravity

Elizabeth Delisi said...

Yes, definitely, have more than one critique partner if possible. When I started out writing, I worked with three partners. Do a Google search for "critique partners" and you'll come up with lots of options to check out.