Critique Partners - the how
Originally published at K.T. Hanna. You can comment here or there.
So a few weeks ago, I wrote about why you should have a critique partner. And frankly, I think they’re invaluable. Both my critique partners and my beta readers.
The how to go about finding them is a little more difficult.
If you write YA, MG, or PB, you can look up your local SCBWI chapter. Most of them will have regular meetings of some sort, or else smaller sized writing workshops and conferences.
There’s also the online writing workshop for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They charge a monthly fee, however there is a free month’s trial. It’s a critique site that’s point based on how many critiques you contribute, and request. It’s another potential way to find people who are serious about writing and growing as writers.
If you’ve ever even contemplated NaNoWriMo - keep up that train of thought and go to the NaNo forums. This is another potential place to find critique partners. A furthering of this is to visit your local area NaNo board and see if they have regular meetups - as well as attend some in the NaNo period. It’s a great way to meet fellow writers and have some great writing talk. The bonus is that maybe you’ll be able to form a face to face critique group.
CP Loveseek is another option. It’s a registered forum with the explicit purpose of finding critique partners and matching them up.
Of course - I already mentioned the Maggie Stievater option. But it’s worth bringing up again, and definitely worth looking through those posts. You might just find the perfect partner or two.
And then there’s good old google. Most cities will have a writer’s group meeting of some sort. Most states should have a small writing association. Look them up - go to meetings, or see if they have online forums, and just reach out.
Regardless of how you go about finding a critique partner or beta reader, make sure you test things out. See how you mesh when critiquing each other’s work. Give a chapter or two. Check writing levels, critique style, personality, genre etc.
Finding the right crit parters can be an amazing feeling.
Good luck!