The Value of a Critique Partner

You have finished your latest epic novel. It's brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. Within a day you are published, within the week you are on the best seller list, in a month you have won every book award imaginable and by years end you have been honored with the Pulitzer Prize.


YEAH RIGHT! (Cue sad sack music here)

Your work was hailed as the latest piece of trash with an incoherent thought process, lackluster plotline and uninteresting characters that we wished would die immediately.

Your fabulous novel is now being used as lining under the cat litter

Every budding writer knows that getting your work completed, edited and hopefully published understands the value of having a Critique Partner.

What exactly is a Critique Partner? A Critique Partner takes your work, views your story with fresh eyes and gives constructive feedback on things such as plot, characterization, structure, character POV and generally anything that involves writing a story.

For a pre-published writer having a critique partner can be a lifesaver. As a new writer there are mistakes that you can make from the simplistic (redundant word usage) to critical (lack of story structure and characterization). These things can make a publisher take one look at your work and toss it in their permanently delete file (formerly known as a trashcan).

If you are beginner writer I suggest that you look for organizations under your genre (romance, fantasy, sci-fi etc.) and join said organization.

There will most likely be a fee attached to joining a group; however the price of admission is worth it if you are serious about honing your skill and applying your trade.

You will meet a wonderful community of writers (pre-published and published) that can give you advice, help with research, supply support and generally put you in the direction you wish to go when it comes time to getting yourself published.

I have posted some of these organizations below for your perusal. Happy hunting and hopefully I will see your name and mine on the best seller list some day.

http://www.rwanational.org/
http://www.sfwa.org/
http://www.mysterywriters.org/
http://www.romance-ffp.com/join.htm (RWA Paranormal)
http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org
http://www.asja.org/