#critique partners

[mjjune]

How to be a Good Beta Reader (or: the difference between critique and beta)

This post is a follow-up to my ORIGINAL POST HERE "How to Have a Good Beta Reading Experience" [link embedded] so I recommend reading that one first for more info.

But I wanted to follow up because I've gotten some questions about it and I figured there was enough to make another post.

WARNING: this is SUPER LONG LOL

DISCLAIMER: Again, I want to clarify that this is based on my own experiences and what I personally look for in alpha/beta reading. Other writers/readers may disagree or have different tastes!

Topics Covered Below:

Critique vs. (Alpha &) Beta Reading

The Purpose of Beta Reading: Mindset

What Comments Should Look Like

How Much Should You Talk to the Writer About It? (Spoiler: it depends)

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Critique vs. Alpha/Beta Reading

I want to start with this because so many times (as a writer) I have asked for beta readers, and basically gotten a critique (or "crit" as it will be called from here on). A crit can look a lot like many different things depending on the reader, but in general, here's the difference:

Critique: grammar, style, clarity, often line-by-line

Alpha/Beta: story structure, character arcs/development, plot, and overarching themes and ideas

And I say this because some writers might want both. Some want all these separately, and some want them all at once.

Generally, crits are harsher, and can resemble "tearing apart" a manuscript. They can certainly offer great feedback, but it depends on the writer and their needs.

Some writers, especially for those who have had critique partners in the past and this isn't their first story, may not want these comments at all. I generally prefer not to have them (unless it's something stark that draws you out of the immersive reading experience) because when it comes to grammar, style, and flow, these are things I can edit myself. I have had enough good critique partners in the past that I can handle that and don't need betas to do it for me.

However, some writers might not feel that way! But I definitely know I'm not alone here. Especially when manuscripts have already been critiqued and you specifically ask for a beta, it can be disheartening to receive this style of feedback (especially in large quantities).

Examples of critique-style comments:

Word choice and/or grammar edits

Line- or scene-specific comments like breaking down or giving advice on dialogue, action sequences, worldbuilding, and the writing itself

E.g. "this needs more visual description" or "this description is too long/drawn out" or "action sequences require faster pacing" etc.

Examples of alpha/beta style comments:

Character arcs/dev: "I liked this character's journey, but I didn't feel connected to them during XYZ parts of the book." or "I don't understand why this character chose to do this."

Plot: "This scene is what I consider to be the part where the plot really begins" or "I don't understand how ABC scene connects to XYZ scene."

So what's wrong with that? Nothing!

But you can see where if someone asked for an alpha/beta but the reader's comments are 90% crit-style, the writer might feel like the reader didn't like or connect with their work. If a reader is crit-style commenting x5+ per page, then they likely weren't engaged with the story so much as analyzing the writing style. And for alpha/betas, you want to be as immersed in the story as possible and analyzing the story.

Particularly if the manuscript has already been critted in depth, and is a polished draft (which, is certainly debatable, but that's a topic for another day) ready for betas, it can be frustrating to receive crit comments when that's not what you asked for. A lot of the times, for well-edited and mostly-polished drafts, these crit-style comments come down to personal preference with the reader editing your work to fit their personal taste. Which is not making the story better, just different.

But, to emphasize: if you were unclear in your expectations and the reader doesn't know that manuscript is already critted/polished going in, they might think you want these comments!

Also, some readers might be awesome critique partners, but terrible betas—and vice versa.

This is why I'm going to drive home my Big Takeaway from my first post: communication is key! Both writers and readers need to be clear on the type of feedback that's desired.

Of course, most readers probably do a mixture of both of these styles of comments, and this is fine! The important thing is to keep what the writer wants in the back on your mind. If you know the writer asked for a beta, then try to keep crit-style to <50% (or maybe even <25%) of your total comments. And vice versa, etc. etc.

TL;DR: A critique analyzes the writing. An alpha/beta analyzes the story. Many readers will look at BOTH, so it's important to discuss this beforehand and provide the feedback desired!

The Purpose of Alphas & Betas: MINDSET

So this piggybacks off of what I just discussed: if someone has asked for an alpha/beta, you should keep the GOAL of being an alpha/beta in the back of your mind. Especially if you're prone to crit-style comments, this will help you.

The goal of BOTH alpha and beta readers is to SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE the writer. I know that's obvious, but so many times I have gotten comments or questions about why some readers' comments seem rude/inconsiderate or not constructive. And, at least in my experience, it's because the readers went in with the wrong mindset—a mindset more appropriate for crit, rather than alpha/beta.

So what is the goal? To me, the goal should be to figure out what the story is the writer is trying to tell. Maybe in some cases the writer is upfront about that, or maybe you're going in blind. But when I go into a book as alpha/beta, this is the question I try to remind myself throughout the journey:

What is this story trying to tell me, and how could it be stronger?

But MJ, what does that mean??

Because no, I don't mean the genre, or the plot, or even the character arcs or writing style. I mean:

What theme is this writer exploring / what is the message they're sending to readers?

And from there: what about the narrative/writing/plot/etc. interfered with my connection with this message?

Side story: let me use avof as an example. This is an urban fantasy with vampires and werewolves and shifters (oh my!). I had some shitty "betas" for this book years ago which really threw off my groove as I was editing because I didn't know they were bad betas. But the truth is they weren't betas at all. They were critiquing it, and from the mindset of "this is vampire romance book." They went in critiquing my book for something that it wasn't. They completely disregarded that it more aligned with adventure, not romance, and the themes explored were self-discovery, self-acceptance, the impact of immortality on psyche, and gender & sexuality & identity - and because of that, they critiqued the book without engaging with the book. If they had asked themselves "what themes are being explored?" they (hopefully) would've seen it wasn't romance, and likely would've engaged better.

So, to continue on with this main goal, there are other things to consider—what kinds of mindsets you should avoid!

Whenever I have gotten insensitive (and sometimes, full-on offensive) comments, these were contributing factors. Regardless of critique, alpha, or beta, these are true:

You are not the only reader. There are going to be multiple people giving comments, and your comments are all of equal weight. You may be the only person who can't visualize that fight scene. You might be the only one who thought a plot point was too predictable. In most cases you will never know if other readers agree/disagreed with you, which is why it is the writer's decision whether to take action on your comments are not.

You are not an expert. I don't care how long you've been reading, writing, or beta reading. I don't care if you've read 100 published books in this genre before. You are not the expert on this book. The writer is. You do not know what is better for the story than the writer does.

You are not here to decide whether the writer is a good writer or not. You should not be making statements that imply that the writer is inexperienced or new to writing. You should not go into reading a manuscript with the mindset of "I have more experience than this writer and I should share my knowledge & teach them something." (But if the writer has expressed this, then it might be okay in some instances to give advice.)

If a specific minority group is being repped on the page that is not ownvoices and you are part of that community, you could offer insight that can be helpful, but should ask the writer if they want that kind of feedback prior to giving it. If you are not part of the community, you should not comment unless the writer has requested it (unless ofc you're complimenting it lol)

When betas go in without these ideals, it can lead to at best, unhelpful comments, and at worst, condescending and hurtful comments. These are the comments that make writers feel like failures, or like their book is bad, or that they are bad writers. Or, for experienced writers who know you went in with these (toxic, imo) mindsets, it can hurt relationships, break trust, and/or make a writer roll their eyes and disregard all of your comments.

That isn't to say that you should only compliment and not have any negative feedback or ignore flaws you see in the writing, narrative, character development, etc... but it is best to go in with the mindset that you are here to give them insight so they can make their story stronger, not to teach/give advice or change the story.

A note on sensitivity, authenticity, and expert readers: In my opinion this is one of the only cases where direct education/advice should be given. I also recommend having at least 2 sensitivity readers per any group that's repped that's not ownvoices, because even two people from the same group may interpret your story differently or see different weaknesses/strengths. That said, it is important for readers who are not of the repped groups to hold their tongue. It doesn't matter if your partner or sibling or parents are part of a group repped on the page. If you are not a member of that group, you are not an expert. If you have an inkling that the writer has not had sensitivity readers yet, you can politely suggest it. But it could also be a case of you having different life views, ideals, and/or opinions than the writer and the group being repped, and that is why you are not a sensitivity reader. I can't tell you how many times I had cis/het betas say my representation of an identity or repping gender as fluid was inaccurate/offensive when it was ownvoices, or when I'd already had 3+ sensitivity readers for the group(s).

Basically, as an alpha/beta reader, you are here to offer insight and immerse yourself in the story. It's also good to remind yourself throughout reading that "this might rub me wrong, but another reader might like it." Framing your ideas and comments this way will help you be more objective and less "this is wrong/right" because there is no such thing in writing.

TL;DR: The goal of alphas/betas is to engage with and understand the STORY, give the writer insight into how you interpret it, and help the writer figure out how to make their story stronger. It is not to give advice or teach. The writer decides what changes to make and is the expert on their story.

Ok, now I got the Beta Mindset™. So how do I comment?

Well, really this will depend on the person. Everyone is different and will notice different weaknesses and strengths in any given manuscript. And, as I said above, most people naturally will provide some crit-style comments, it's just in our nature to point out when a writing style doesn't mesh with our preferences.

From a writer's perspective, at least for me, these are the kind of comments that are the most helpful for me:

"I..." statements. For example: "I am struggling to visualize this fight scene." Instead of rewriting it or pointing out that the descriptions or actions are weak or explaining how to fix it—this is an open statement that leaves the decision up to the writer.

Immediate emotional reactions are awesome for writers to know. For example, if a line made you laugh out loud, say so! If you get to the end of a chapter and were so immersed that you forgot to comment, say so!

And on the other end, if you were immersed but then something happens that snaps you out of it, say so! But without "because..." or "you should..." advice. Just say "hey I was super immersed, but in this paragraph you lost me."

I also recommend holding comments until the end of a chapter/section (minus immediate reactions as above). Look at scenes, chapters, acts, as a whole rather than individual pieces. This will help you focus on the story, rather than the writing.

I would also recommend this post!! Excellent, and I agree 100%!!

Other critical examples: "this is my favorite character but this decision is frustrating/confusing me"; "I was bored and skimming through this chapter"; "I'm not sure what [insert worldbuilding feature] means"; "I didn't know that the magic system could do this and I feel blindsided"

Other complimentary examples: "This line of dialogue really resonates with me"; "this has been my favorite description so far"; "I didn't see this coming but it makes perfect sense!"

And here are comments I suggest you avoid:

Anything that implies that the story is unfinished, too long, too short, etc. This might be ok for crits or alphas or if the writer has said that it's unfinished, but probably not for most betas. If the writer is at the beta stage, then likely they consider their manuscript finished (minus any changes they make based on beta feedback). If you feel the need, you might say something like "this genre is usually 80-100k and yours is 150k" but avoid wording like "the story is overwritten/underwritten", which can be hurtful. (Once, a story of mine was on draft 8 and had been called polished and ready to publish by various other people, and then one beta said, "this is a good attempt at a draft of an opening scene." So yeah, avoid stuff like that.)

Wording things in a way that make them seem like Facts. As a reader, everything you say is subjective. Regardless of what you are commenting on, what you are providing are opinions. Especially for writers who tell unconventional stories/structures, comments like "this isn't the way this is done" are just annoying and are not even true half the time.

Unless you can provide sensitivity feedback personally, do not criticize the representation of a group you are not a part of. If you see something overtly harmful toward a group on the page, you can politely suggest sensitivity readers, and leave it at that.

Try your best to not give reasons or "because" statements. "This action scene felt slow because-" "I didn't feel connected to this character because-" Nope. Stop right there, unless/until the writer asks to elaborate.

Side Story: My Favorite Comment One of the single best comments I've ever received in a beta was when they noticed a character making a decision that didn't seem right. They pointed it out and basically said, "This feels out of character to me because I don't think this character would do this. They have done XYZ in the past, and I thought their motivation was ABC, but this decision directly conflicts with that." Why was this the best comment? Because 1) they didn't tell me how to fix it, 2) it was objective with evidence and nonjudgmental, and 3) they were 100% right. What they had actually found was a plot device I had used to push the character in the direction the story required. But because they pointed this out, I was able to see the source of the issue and rework the scene so that the character's motivation was consistent and they still ended up in the direction of the plot.

Since I foresee questions, allow me to elaborate on the last point: so often, a reader will say "this isn't working for me because of this reason" but actually, they're wrong about the reason. Like the comment above, this beta could have easily said, "this feels out of character because you messed up their motivation." But the problem wasn't motivation, it was me using a half-assed character decision to move the plot in the right direction! The issue was the scene, not the character development. The advice to "fix the character's motivation" wouldn't have fixed anything and might've even made the problem worse.

This isn't to say that advice should never happen in an alpha/beta, but I personally believe that the best comments are not those that say "you should change/fix this" but instead say "this is working for me/this isn't working for me." It leaves it open for the writer to figure out how to solve the problem, if a problem even exists.

I shall paste in a quote from the writing god himself, Neil Gaiman:

TL;DR: Basically, you aren't here to give advice, or fix anything, or change the story in any way. You are here to show the writer how their story impacts you, what you connected with, what you didn't, how their writing style works for you. Keep your comments open-ended and use specifics to show the writer what you connected with and what you didn't. You are giving the writer insight into how readers will interpret and understand their work, and it is the writer's duty to then grow their work.

And that leads directly into our final section...

How Much Should You Talk to the Writer About It?

This depends on the writer. Sometimes, writers will do 5+ betas at once (even on the same document) in which case they might not talk individually with the readers about any of the comments. Some writers (not me lol) will have an alpha as they write the first draft so it's not even complete yet, so they would probably talk a lot.

Personally, some betas I talk to for hours trying to brainstorm fixes (see: @jamieanovels and @wildswrites lmao tysm 🙏), and some betas I will just say "thanks for reading <3" and that's about it. It depends on how much you commented, the types of comments, and if I felt like you genuinely connected with the story (or not).

Side Note: I do want to clarify that by "misinterpret" below I don't mean that the readers are wrong, I just mean that they interpreted differently than what the writer had in mind. There is no misinterpretation when it comes to any form of art. But if a writer intended for the Main Takeaway of their story to be one thing, but the majority of readers took away another—that's important for the writer to learn in the beta stage. (Also, some stories are vague or open to multiple interpretations on purpose.)

For me, I talk in-depth with alphas, and maybe some betas, but there are also a lot of betas I barely talk to. I don't think there is a right or wrong here. Because as stated above, alphas/betas are here to provide insight into how readers interpret, relate to, and understand the story.

So once the writer gets that, there may not be anything else to talk about. Or, maybe the writer has questions about something you commented, and will want to follow up. For me, especially if you interpreted something way differently than I intended, I might want to follow up to see what in the narrative made you go that direction. Or, if you interpreted exactly as I intended, I may want more insight into which parts stood out the most to you, or what your favorite parts were. Or... I might not feel the need to follow up at all, for either.

In general, in my opinion, writers should be leading these interactions. Unless the writer has welcomed it, readers shouldn't be reaching out to writers to further discuss the comments they left.

(Note: this is not the same as hype/fangirling. Please come to my dms unsolicited and go hype about my book)

You have agreed to read it and leave comments, but the writer has not agreed to have full discussions with you about their own work. The writer doesn't owe you follow-up on the comments you leave, and whether they liked or disliked, agreed or disagreed with your comments doesn't really matter.

You may leave comments that are totally out of line with what the writer wanted, and that's fine. You might leave comments that make the writer uncomfortable, and that's fine too. We can't control these things, and there is no way to know how someone will interpret a story or what comments they might leave.

That said, If a writer doesn't follow up with you on anything, that doesn't mean your comments were bad. It might just be the writer's style to process and make changes alone. Even if you "misinterpret" their work, or even dislike it, all perspectives bring something to the table. Giving the writer insight into how one might "misinterpret" and/or dislike what they've written can be just as valuable as the betas who loved it.

Regardless, it's important to comment in a respectful way—respectful to the writer and what types of feedback they request, the story itself, and yourself as a reader. We are all growing and learning together, and miscommunication or writers and betas who have misaligned goals can lead to hurt on both sides. Hopefully this longass post gave you some insight into how/why that happens, and how to avoid it in the future.

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ANYWAY that was a lot. I hope you got something out of this, because it took a week to write this up lmao

–mj

P.S. I am considering doing another in this series focusing on writers and how to handle comments (good and bad). If you'd be intersted in that let me know <3

P.P.S. if you'd like to be tagged in this series, message me or comment below!

#writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #writerblr #wtwcommunity #beta reading #beta readers #writer community #writing community #critique #critique partners #novel writing #writers of tumblr #writing #fantasy #mj mumbles #mj posts #discussion #mj talks about beta reading #100

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Having just been through the gamut again finding a new CP, I think it would probably be helpful for me to explain what to look for in a CP/how to be a CP/etc. but not sure what all to put in it. What would people want?

#writing #writing help #critique partners #writing questions #critique #editing

[elizmanderson]

Wondering about how to find beta readers? Especially finding those who would understand what your writing. The previous question you answered was SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL LIKE OIGHSODPIHGDL K - Especially about how to respond and work with beta reader feedback.

because my family had been my previous 'beta readers' which... the 'best' time was when I got into a huge slump and hated my comfort writing because my parents said my MC was too 'overdramtic' when I was just... describing and trying to process feelings that I've felt before with characters? It did not feel nice whatsoever and sent me spiraling. Another time I got kicked out of the house for the day for not wanting my NON-HUMAN characters to be gendered... but I digress.

Which brings me to my next question, how would I find people (preferably online) who can give me feedback and beta read? It's been difficult to find people IRL who are as excited/understand what I'm trying to write with my plant fairy escapism comfort.

Thanks for answering my questions! It means a lot to me. :)

this is, alas, a tricky question, because...guess where I used to meet beta readers? if you answered "Twitter," you are correct! and that's obviously considerably less viable than it once was (and less viable every day).

with that in mind: if anyone else reads this and has suggestions for similar events/hashtags/ways of connecting on other platforms (including Tumblr), please rb or comment!

at any rate, in general social media can be helpful for finding betas because there are often hashtags to use when you're looking for readers. sometimes there are even specific events to help writers connect with each other for critique purposes! again I'm unfortunately most familiar with this on Twitter, but for example there's been an event there called like CPmatch or something like that where folks would pitch their books and then interested people would comment like "wow yes I'd love to read this!"

personally most of my virtual beta readers are friends I met online just by talking about my books and learning about their books! while several of us are agented and/or published now, we all started in the same place: writers finishing up projects and hoping for good luck in the query trenches. so we'd all just shout excitedly about our books on Twitter, and that's how we found each other.

(hashtag events for writers - weekly, semi-weekly, or monthly events at a set time where the host asks questions/provides prompts and writers answer them and comment on others' answers. I'm sure they exist somewhere other than Twitter, but that's the only place I've seen them. not to be a broken record lol but I fear my knowledge about connecting with people online is more useless day by day because of the incompetent grapefruit now destroying my favorite platform.)

anyway, sometimes you'll be more excited about someone's book than they are about yours or vice-versa, but overall being genuinely interested in other writers' work and making friends with them over your shared interest is the best way to find future virtual betas, particularly betas who will understand what your books are trying to do (as opposed to what you described coming from your family).

and I know you said "preferably online," but just in case you ever have interest in in-person meet-ups: depending on your location, you may have a home region on NaNoWriMo (dot) Org, the official site for National Novel Writing Month. (I think I mentioned that in my last post, but if you're like "what the hell is that," lmk and I'll explain.) various regions may have in-person events in November, which is a great way to meet people irl!

(actually, speaking of NaNoWriMo, it's a great time to meet other writers virtually, too! use the tags "NaNo," "NaNoWriMo," or "National Novel Writing Month" to declare your participation and find other writers who are also doing it. the official site also allows group chats - I think there's a maximum of 20 people per chat - and don't quote me but I think you can request to be sorted randomly into one in case you don't already know anyone there.)

additionally, try googling writing groups in your area. there may not be any (and I have zero tips on how to start one, as I am much happier joining an existing group), but it's worth taking a look. in my area, we have an unofficial NaNoWriMo group that chats throughout the year on Discord (so online even though we're also close enough to see each other in person!), plus a weekly critique group that meets up at a Panera to share feedback, plus a weekly writing group that meets up at a local coffee shop to chat and get some writing done! even if your area doesn't have a critique-specific group, you can meet other writers in your area if that's something you're comfortable with and able to do.

(of course you should always meet people in a public place until and unless you get to know them well enough to feel comfortable meeting them somewhere private.)

I feel like this was basically no help at all because all my virtual meeting-other-writers experience came from Twitter, but:

tl;dr

use hashtags to indicate that you're looking for beta readers (don't ask me which hashtags; I've never personally done it this way)

join hashtag and beta-matching events on social media to meet people

connect with other writers on social media by shouting excitedly about your projects and theirs

if you participate in NaNoWriMo, meet people using relevant hashtags or on the NaNoWriMo website

to meet other writers in person, google writing groups in your area or check your NaNoWriMo home region to see if a group is active near you

#answered #beta reader #critique partners #writing tips #writing group #more info needed because I hail from twitter

[princessallura052]

Betareader?

Hi guys.

Past experiences made me a little weary on betareaders because my two closest ex-friends started as betareaders but I’m in a better place now mentally so I want to try again because like in the words of Zuko. “You will fail a lot before you succeed but no matter how many times you fail, you have to keep trying.” So I’m going to do the same, I will stand back up and try again.

I am looking for a long-term betareader and am willing to be a betareader for you in return, even fandom-blind as long as you are okay with it and accept that I won’t be able to help with characterisation. My main 3 fandoms are Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender and the Digimon series. My OTPs are Zuko/Katara, Keith/Allura and various across Digimon. I am okay with slash and femslash as long as your story can create chemistry between them. I can help with that, people have said I write romance very well.

I am 32 years old so I write some dark stuff including rape/non-con and different types of abuse. I also have characters sometimes take darker paths which may come across as bashing but I am a Psyche major who likes to explore possibilities of the dark side of humanity. I would prefer someone 18 + because I feel more comfortable going through my darker ideas with you. This has gotten long enough so I will just ask and hope for the best. Please either reply to the post or message me directly. :)

#voltron legendary defender #avatar the last airbender #digimon #writing #fanfic #beta reader #beta request #critique partners

[himluv]

You *might* be in the right crit group when they make Dragon Age memes about your book...

#original fiction #critique partners #dragon age #horror fiction

[pens-swords-stuff]

Hi Undine~ Been following you on tumblr for a few years now, lemme just say a thank-you first for all your awesome writing resources shared! (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)

It’s been a pretty good day for us here in Seattle! The wildfire is subsiding and the air is mostly breathable again (yay… ❤️‍🩹💀). How’s yours?

This is from the Sleepover Sunday ask:

My journey of finding a long-term critique partner has been long and unfruitful thus far, do you have any advice on how/where best to find a critique partner who writes in the same genre(s) and are of similar writing level?

Hello, it's very nice to meet you! I absolutely love your URL and avatar. I'm so glad that you like my resources 🥰

I'm so glad to hear that you're safe and sound, and that you're able to breathe again! I hope that things continue getting better for you. It's beginning to get a little chilly where I'm at. I finally dug out my winter clothes and started wearing sweaters so that's very exciting and seasonal. I also had the chance to go see some leaves turning red, so I'm very happy.

My advice for finding a long-term critique partner is to reframe your search into finding a writer who's writing you like, admire and respect.

You know how sometimes when we're looking really hard for a specific something, it's impossible to find? But when you're not looking for it, you see it everywhere? That's the philosophy I have when it comes for looking for something — especially something as big as finding a long-term critique partner. That's a pretty big commitment!

Chances are, you're not going to find a critique partner who writes in the same genre, and is at a similar writing level as you. And that's okay!

I recently read something online about how perfect relationships are not made, they're built. I think the advice given was "look for a clearing in the forest, not a castle that's already built". And I think this is applicable for critique/writing partnerships as well, not just romantic relationships.

Finding the perfect long-term critique partner is probably not going to happen. But what you can do, is find someone who's writing you really like, who has a perspective that you appreciate, and who's advice you think is valuable, and start there. Approach them to try it out, even if you don't think you're on the same level, or if they're writing in a completely different genre. Writing levels are subjective; how do we know what level we're at, and what level someone else is at? Someone we might perceive as better than us, might not perceive themselves in that same way. People grow and people don't necessarily stick to the same genres forever, either.

As long as you have a mutual relationship where you appreciate each other's perspectives, advice, and experience, I think that you'll be able to grow into critique partners long-term that ends up at a similar level, and possibly even similar genres if you keep at it.

Our perfect critique partners might not be perfect at first, and we might overlook them if we're too narrow with the scope of our search. So why not try opening yourself up to the possibilities, with very low expectations? You mght be surprised at what you find.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense for you, but this is how I found my writing partner. We stumbled upon each other and after sticking together throughout many hardships, we've found that our growth together has been so intertwined that we basically became each other's perfect writing soulmates.

Good luck, I'm rooting for you!

It’s Sleepover Sunday: Come chat with me!

#writing #writeblr #writing advice #writing help #writing tips #critique partners #undine answers stuff #undine gives advice

[shapedforfighting]

Me: pitch a critique partner networking event to my writing org because a bunch of our members really want feedback and critique but are too shy writer to make that happen themselves. Get it approved

Me: do like 3/4 of the event planning and organizing

Me: run like half the event but don't participate because I'm not looking for a critique partner

Me: get approached by someone who wants to partner up with me anyway

Me: [sweats in loner]

#she's nice and we have similar values #so i said we could give it a go (i was in a hurry to get everything packed up and was thus vulnerable) #but I'm not really feeling a spark with her and her writing #idk how to break this off with her or if maybe i should give it a little longer #summer says #writing thoughts #writing rambles #writing #critique partners

[quasar-concept]

Say for instance I had a completed original ya/na sci-fi novel,,, is there anyone who might be interested in potentially being a beta reader?

I'd have some specific questions for you to answer on things such as pacing, characters, voice, grammar,l etc, and I'd be asking you to read the whole thing (expecting it to be 85-95k words, about 450 pages)

(I don't have a complete manuscript yet but I just want to put out some feelers lol, cause

lol)

In the meantime I'll be posting about it so you can decide if you're interested later on, too

#science fiction writer #science fiction #original fiction #thunderfam #science fiction novels #beta readers #critique partners #beta reader search #writerblr #writers community of tumblr

[fictionaldeity]

My CP: anyway here's my WIP

Me: awesome, thanks. I'll get it back to you asap

Me, 2 months later: so SORRY for taking forever. loved it tho *docs attached*

Me, 2 seconds after hitting send: why aren't they replying? :(

#The gall of me truly #Writing #Critique partners #About me #Personal

[coffeeinkblog]

Word x Word Historical #CritiqueGroup Invite

We’re looking to add to our group of critique partners. This is for writers of historical fiction, and its subgenres–fantasy, romance, mystery, suspense, supernatural, gothic. All eras and cultures welcome. (The industry definition of historical is 50 years ago.) LGBTQ+ welcome. Short stories, novellas, novel beta swaps, chapter by chapter, and brainstorming. Hopefully we’ll find enough writers…

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#am writing #critique groups #critique partners #historical fiction #writing #writing community

[atomatowriter]

I miss having long-term critique partners and kinda wanna put together a small CP group - 3-5 people, so check out my Google form if you're interested!

And I'll share my answers since that's only fair for you all to know if I'M a good fit.

What should I call you and what are your pronouns? Alex or Fable, she/her

What do you primarily write? Fantasy with lots of adventure and mystery

How long have you been writing? 5 or more years

What are some themes/motifs that you love to play with? Generational messes, complicated relationships of all kinds, people in positions of power twisting the narrative, emotion-driven characters, big vast forests, cruel and dangerous fae, everybody's queer, redemption arcs, everyone being the hero of their own story, half my characters started out as TTRPG pcs.

What is your strength as a writer? Characters, relationships, and dialogue.

What do you need help with the most as a writer? Not always great at descriptions and pacing, fight scenes are a struggle

Have you ever had a critique partner before? What are you looking for in a critique partner? My quip and I used to critique for each other pretty frequently and @awritingcaitlin and I read for each other frequently enough to pretty much be CPs. As for what I'm looking for: mostly a small group of CPs who balances each other out in terms of our skills and enthusiastically supports/helps to strengthen each other as writers.

How would you prefer to chat with your fellow CPs? Discord is usually my go-to but I do have...so many...Discords. Including so many writing Discords. So honestly email chain or like a simpler group chat somewhere works, too. I'm flexible with whatever people want to do.

Can you commit to reading the chapters your CPs swap with you in a reasonably timely fashion and providing kind but helpful feedback? Yes yes yes.

Do you have anything published (you absolutely DO NOT HAVE TO, this was more like "hey lemme support you if you do!")? My debut YA romantic fantasy with court intrigue came out in May.

I am in my 30s, have absolutely no problem being a CP with someone younger, but just in case that matters to you, now you know!

#writing community #writeblr #critique partners

[lonitownsend]

Loss #IWSG

Earlier this week, I was thinking of my critique partner–Ken Rahmoeller. Many of you know him as he’s been a member of the IWSG for longer than me. I had the honor of beta-reading his novel and I enjoyed his Hogwarts fan fiction on WattPad, even though it remains unfinished. I even got to read his reader magnet short story. I hadn’t heard from Ken in a while. It was with terrible sadness that I…

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#critique partners #insecure writers support group #iwsg #ken rahmoeller

[donnamaloy]

Hot Weather Friends

We had the hottest May and the hottest June on record where I live. Add to that, we’re deep in a serious drought over most of Texas. A nice LITTLE hurricane would be a blessing! I don’t deal well with high temps; my energy level goes way, way down. So what perks me right back up and gets me going? Going out again with my author friends! Even better– joining my critique partner friends for calm…

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#Critique Partners #Friends #Hot Weather

[himluv]

On Writing Communities

The writing life doesn't have to be a lonely one, I swear! After a year of weekly critique group meetings, I have some thoughts...

When we think of writers, what do we picture? For many of us we see a cluttered desk in a home office, papers strewn every which way while a person sits staring at a computer screen with a permanent frown. The coffee on the desk has long gone cold, and this book isn’t writing itself. If you’re in my age bracket, you might actually just picture Johnny Depp from Secret Window. (Side Note: If I had…

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#critique partners #sfwa #willamette writers #writing #writing community #writing groups #writing life #writing organizations

[crimeronan]

yesterday a guy at irl critique group whose stuff i Really Really Like was critiquing this week's piece, and as part of his critique, he just straight-up said "okay, this is nitpicky and only because i keep writing fantasy stuff about healing myself, but there's a line here about this healing magic making this girl 'whole' and 'as she was meant to be' that reads...... really ableist." & the guy who wrote it was like "oh wow, you're right and that completely blew past me, thanks" & noted it down.

& i was sitting there trying not to visibly perk my ears like a dog like. SORRY TO BE SO SURPRISED I KNOW I'M BEING BIASED AND CONDESCENDING AS HELL. HEY. YOU KNOW THE WORD ABLEISM???

#i gotta stop assuming that i'm the only person with active leftist politics in. fuckin portland oregon. im doing everyone a disservice #this guy has written very nuanced cool shit in the past he has my fave pieces we've critiqued so far #him knowing the word ableism is not worth its own tumblr post Except. #ohhh my god i'm suddenly so excited to get to talk about the original fiction project. #like it's ugly horror so it might not be well-received. but i now know FOR SURE theres at least one dude whos gonna Get The Themes. #u know. like i see ur writjng magic horror healing for a reason. the critique partner version of soulmateship?? #original fiction #autoimmune tag

[gynandromorph]

God didn't give me a dick because I would get hard every time I see an adverb. I would do unspeakable things to any adverb. I would try to Fuck an adverb physically and oh God there it is--

#ive found a goldmine of line edit with me videos #partner critique videos. #its like catnip to me