Critique Partners

Critique Partners, a definition: Strangers whom you meet through a shared love of writing, that you trust with very vulnerable versions of yourself.

When I first decided that I was going to take writing seriously, I joined Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Writing Challenge and within a few days answered an open-call for a critique group. I was very selective because I wanted to be with people that had the same drive as me and wanted to make this their career. We exchange manuscripts once a month through a shared Google Folder and communicate through email. Recently, we have started meeting on Zoom once a month to share highs and lows, read our manuscripts aloud for the group to critique, and set goals for the next month. It has been pure magic. 

I love this group…but once a month is slow (for me). And I’m an impatient person. (Writing is the PERFECT career for me, right?! 😂)

So a few months after joining this group, I answered ANOTHER call for a critique group in the 12x12 Forum and BAM! Another group of besties was formed. This group has members that are just as impatient as me. It’s perfect. We have a WhatsApp text chain (since one of our members lives outside the US), chat daily, and Zoom or FaceTime when we can. We use a shared Google folder and we put manuscripts in as much as we want. We just let the others know there is something we need eyes on. This ebbs and flows as our lives change but having immediate feedback on something time-sensitive is invaluable. This group has seen the largest amount of my writing and the drastic improvements in my craft.

I also have another critique group that I’ve been with for a year. This group was formed by Justin Colón after the 2020 PBChat Mentorship Contest. I have never met any of these members in person or on Zoom but I feel like I know them just as I do my other groups. We have a shared Google folder in which we post monthly and we chat through DMs on Twitter (since one of our members lives outside the US). This group tends to write stories that tend to be on the humorous and wacky side; reading these manuscripts always makes me smile.

But that’s not all! I also have others that I’ve met through classes and study halls that I exchange manuscripts with occasionally. We communicate through Facebook or email and put manuscripts in a shared Google folder. 

I loooooooove my critique partners! I can’t emphasize that enough. They have been there for me during really tough times and they have celebrated with me during the good times. I have learned so much from them and I can’t wait to learn more.

We all come from different walks of life: some have full-time jobs, some have kids, and some live in different countries. We are all at different stages in our writing careers: some are agented, some are published, some are querying, and some are thinking about dipping a toe into the querying waters.

BUT it all works. Because we push, encourage, and value one another. 

Critique Partners, an UPDATED definition: Strangers whom you meet through a shared love of writing, that you trust with very vulnerable versions of yourself, and have become some of your best friends.