A Critique Group

Michael  Haskins

I was recently approached my magazine editor friend of mine and told of a small critique group on the island and, he said, they'd like me to join. People think of Key West as a literary town, and maybe it is, but I find few published writers here that commingle

with other writers on the island. Maybe they come here to write or unwind and

don't want to be bothered. Nothing wrong with that.

There is a group of writers that meets weekly (I think) but it is more of a circle of friends

and critiques are sometimes hard, especially if you are no in the clique. So, with that experience, I have stayed away from local organizations that tout being writers groups.

I have been working on my fourth in my Mick Murphy Key West Mystery series and really

wanted some honest feedback. I attended a session two weeks ago and observed how the four interacted with each other and how they critiqued each others work. Each writer is expected to bring copies of their writing for everyone to read over. But, the thing that interested me was that each writer read his or her piece and then it was critiqued.

No writer needs the praise of family and friends for he or she has done, what the writer needs is honest feedback. The next week I brought chapter one of Stairway to the

Bottom, the fourth in my series and read it.

I am a believer that you have to read what you write aloud and in doing so you catch words that confuse the reader or are tongue twisters. By attending the group I will come away with two advantages, 1) I get to hear what I write sounds like and 2) I get some honest feed back.

The feedback from my session was good. After I got home, I reread chapter one with the notes given me, and saw that most of the suggested changes made the story move along

better. I didn't find any tongue twister, but I am sure they are in there and I will find some.

I think I will also get something out of critiquing the others' writing and may see things I

do in their writing that doesn't work for any of us.

I am glad that I found this small group and hope it keeps me on my toes, or at least at my

keyboard each day and that reading aloud will be an early benefit since the story is only half way done.

Thank you Mike, Jessica, Elena, and Suzie.

 

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