Day #3 and the letter C on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge...and my topic is:
Critique Partners
I have some truly amazing critique partners. Seriously.
Most have been around for a few years, while a couple are more recent - but regardless of our time together, they are all still amazing.
If you're a writer, then you already know the importance of a good critique partner - and even more so, how a good one is hard to find. And if you're just getting started on sharing your manuscript with others, here are my top 5 reasons why my CP's have been invaluable to me:
1. Each one of my CP's is an actual writer themselves (vs. a relative or friend), and we're all pretty close in the timeline of where we are with our writing and the road to publication.
2. While everyone has a full plate, they all give willingly of their time and expertise - but it's reciprocal, and I owe it to them to do the same for their stories. Lately, I could definitely take note of this point, as I've been slacking on my CP duties!
3. This one's a tough one - but each CP knows when I need the hard truth and when I need to hear encouragement, and they make the encouragement sound like honest praise. None of them comment, just to comment and nothing is said with a spiteful tongue.
4. They're great for brainstorming new ideas. Sometimes that brilliant idea you have in your head, isn't so brilliant when you flush it out with your CP's - and sometimes, it gets even better!
5. They are my friends - and while I've only met one of them in person - they all care about me and what challenges I face on the long journey of becoming published. I will have no issue calling each one of my CP's out by name, at the back of my book in my acknowledgement section - cause yes, they have been that helpful!
There are many great resources out there, on finding the right CP for you - but here's a post I wrote last year, on an amazing writerly group I belong to, The Write Brained Network. I also happen to spearhead their YA group - YAwesome Writers, where we have a pretty fantastic critique group set up for those writing in the YA / MG genre. Hop on over if you're interested - the more, the merrier!