Thread for Critique Groups, etc.
33 Comments December 15th, 2009 in writing, writing contest Posted by AmySince I closed the writing competition winner thread, you can move your discussions about critique groups, sharing entry chapters, etc. here. Please keep on topic since I don’t want to have to moderate comments.
~Amy
33 Responses to “Thread for Critique Groups, etc.”
- 1 Pingback on Dec 18th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Thanks Amy. Brilliant idea!
Keeping it short and sweet. . .
http://tgunwriter.blogspot.com/
Have tried posting here and no joy!
Post won’t accept urls
Anyone interested in reading first chapter email for url:
francinehvr@yahoo.com
Oh yeah, sorry Francine — Wordpress sends comments with URLs to moderation. I just approved one of yours.
Will keep an eye out for others stuck in moderation so if anyone else’s posts don’t show up right away please give me some time to get to them.
~Amy
Anyone interested in joining a small crit-group of 5 or 6 members you can email me at
there-are-angels-at-my-table@googlegroups.com
I hope it can be a nice friendly place to share ideas and help each other along.
Hi Everyone
Thank you so much Amy for setting this blog up for us.
I’m having a hot flush!! I’ve had wonderful emails from lovely, lovely ladies!!
To those of you who have tried to join and had no luck here is the web address.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/angels-of-romance
It will be a positive, constructive and supportive environment for us to laugh and cry.
Please bear with me, I am new to navigating around google. How I set it up in the early hours of this morning, I’ll never know. Must have been an angel!!
All the best,
Christine x
Thanks Amy, this is a brilliant idea. I just created a blog so I could post my chapter and have people critique it and tell me where I went wrong. Check it out everyone and point out my mistakes to me, I really want to learn from them.
http://liabal.blogspot.com/2009/12/looking-for-critic.html
Way to go, guys!!!
It’s great to see all this passion and enthusiasm being directed into something so positive, and I think – I know – you’ll be blessing the day that you decided to form these crit groups of yours – just like the sisterhood, in fact
FWIW, the only advice I would offer is to keep your group down to a smallish number. Better and more productive, I think, to have several small ones rather than one very large one (and it’s not very often you’ll hear a Jilly say that, LOL!). The only reason is that once you start posting stuff on the files for the rest of the group to take a look at, it can soon get pretty congested, and let’s face it – the whole point is to nurture and progress with your writing so you don’t want to get completely overwhelmed and find you’ve no time to actually write!
And can I wish you all the very best of luck with all of your future writing. As so many people have already said, perseverance is truly the key. Believe in yourself, believe in your writing, and with a warm and supportive group of like-minded people behind you, one day you’ll surely succeed!
Enjoy your Christmas, and here’s to a bright and positive 2010!
Gill x
This is a wonderful idea!
Hope you all have fun, productive, and supportive groups, with plenty of Call stories to celebrate!
Thank you for the advice.
There are fifteen in the group already and I have a migraine!! (Joking)
Some have even posted their chapters!
These women are fearless!
We can’t take any more angels and devils.
However, it is so easy to set up on google groups. If I can do it, believe me, anyone can do it.
And as you say Gill a smaller group may be able to work better. I shall see how it goes.
Pray for me Gill.
Christine xx
To lovely Christine Carmichael or any other angels flittering about who can help!
Can anyone puhleese tell me how to send an e-mail w/ the popup e-mail window? I have spent hours from last night to today…on angels-of-romance@googlegroups.com I’ve tried googlegroups.com, opened a google account, and sent message from my aol e-mail to: angels-of-romance+subscribe@googlegroups.com but I’m not sure if it got through. I’ve clicked on the web address above too, Christine, but it wouldn’t let me get through either. When I clicked on the grouplink in the early dawn hours…about the time you got it going 4:30 a.m. an email window popped up on my desktop, but I didn’t know how to use that to send the e-mail message. Help! I’m in cyberspace limbo! Oh my! This techie stuff! Grr!
Buckets of thanks!
Oh darn… I missed the opportunity!
I logged on too late!
I did send a request for invitation, Christine, but I completely understand if you are full and cannot take any more members
I agree about crit groups. I actually helped direct a writer’s group in the last town I lived in (Military spouse… we move around a lot) and it grew to such a number that we had to find a new place to accommodate the masses (20+). But, it was fun meeting all the people and offering such encouragement in their writing development!
I wish you all great success and look forward to hearing how well you are progressing as a motivated group!
Happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Lolo Dee
Well… here is my first chapter if anyone wishes to take a stab at it!
http://lolodee.blogspot.com/
I can see why I was not chosen
Enjoy and best wishes!
Sincerely,
Lolo Dee
Hey Lola Dee…
You already read mine, I loved your comments and I am in the process of reading yours right now. I have been trying and failing to get a small group going… you would make us three so far if you are interested.
there-are-angels-at-my-table@googlegroups.com
I didn’t leave it open to everyone purely because I didn’t want numbers getting out of hand so the first 5 or 6 people to request membership will just be accepted.
http://groups.google.com/group/there-are-angels-at-my-table?hl=en-GB&lnk=
Seeing most other groups are now full I have decided to start another. If you still would like to join a group, here’s the link, hit the button and apply.
Thanks,
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/AngelsofRomance/
Hi all never posted on this before although I have been reading it daily since the 2009 competition announcement! It’s almost as scary as pressing the send button on my competition entry!
I also got a form email and would love to know where I am going wrong, I have set up a google group but there is not much on there at the moment and I’m not 100% sure how to run it, if anyone wants to join and give me a hand it would be really appreciated.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/romance-kittens
Hey all,
I write Presents, Intrique/Suspense, Romance, Blaze and Spice. If anyone is interested in joining I have a critique group starting at:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/romantic-whimsy/members_invite
Come on over. Maximum 10 members. First come first served.
Hey Christine,
You have my prayers, plus all my best wishes
I’m sure you’re going to have loads of fun, and the insight you’ll get from someone else reading your stuff will be so invaluable on your way to achieving that dream!
I know it certainly has been for me
. Not that I’m there yet, of course, but I’m determined to make the most of this great opportunity.
Again, all best wishes to you and your angels,
Gill x
Hey, guys, seems like we’ve started something!
So glad this is going well!
I’m sure no-one wants my parayers, but what the hey, you got them anyway…
Mulberry & Gill
I tell you what – you must be good at the prayer thing!
They’ve gone mad!!! Groups opening up everywhere and Joanne is going set up a link for all the groups – how good is that?
The women are doing it for themselves!
I feel like I’ve just had a multiple birth!
Time for a Gin and Tonic, or a wine, as long as its alcohol.
To Amy at Harlequin – you should be a proud lady today!!
Now, if I can only write what you want – I’ll ask an Angel!
Luv to you all.
Christinexx
You’ll get there, Christine – just keep on believing and, above all, keep writing and writing! Everything’s a learning curve and the key, I’m sure, is to look for the positives, even in the bleakest of times. And that’s where your group will come into its own.
And you’re bang-on there – hats off to Amy!! And to Joanne, of course, for joining the fray and setting up that group link. How good is that for such busy people to take time out and offer assistance??!!
The power of the sisterhood is spreading fast and we know that can only be a good thing:-).
Enjoy your tipple, whatever it may be.
Gill x
Hello
The wonderful Joanne, the IT wizard, has set up a network for EVERYBODY – those of you who do not have a group, you will find one here along with critique help.
She insisted I post this – what is she like?
I cannot thank her and everyone I’ve met through this blog. The support has been wonderful.
Please spread the word, I cannot bear to think of a writer toiling at the coal face feeling left out.
Here’s the link:
http://groups.google.com/group/romance-angels-network
Christine
Just thought I’d let everyone now that the group is now full and is closed to new membership.
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/AngelsofRomance/
Suzanne
Hello ladies, like Christine said, now we have this Romance Angels Network group for anybody to join and post news, ask for being adopted into a group, or new groups owners to post their groups links, it doesn’t matter if is hosted at Google or Yahoo.
Basically a social networking group for aspiring writers to stay in touch.
Everybody can lists their groups, even if they are full now, we don’t know how our publishing needs might change in the future, and we might want to change groups. All the possibilities are there, just join and make friends.
Please feel free to post suggestion, this is our communal WIP!
I want to take a moment to thank Amy for setting this thread for us, Maisey and Jill C for their support and inspiration, and of course, Christine Carmichael, who gather us all.
Happy Holidays everyone!
I hope all goes great for you and your groups, Joanna and I wish you all the best!
Maisey
(captcha was wives because…as in Wives…because they’re convenient.)
Maisey, thank you.
What Maisey and Joanna said
And my catchpas are FAR less interesting than yours, Maisey. Probably as well, when you think about it …
Gill x
Thank you so much Christine for all your help! You’re wonderful! And buckets of thanks to both Christine & Joanna for setting up, Angels of Romance Network…a fabulous idea! All of you lovely people are sending forth love vibes with your encouraging and cheerful posts!
Merry Christmas all! Happiest of New Years!
God Bless!
Sun
Merry Christmas to you too Sun!
Happy Holidays everyone!
Maisey and Jill, speaking of reCaptcha, the one for this post was The Jeopardy. lol
Too true, Gill. If you had an opportunity for the double entendree you’d make it a triple…
I had this crazy busy and stressful week at work.. with the Christmas break coming next week suddenly I had a million and two things to do and very little time, its 11.30 on Saturday night and I’m only taking a break to check my personal email and things right now… so I hadn’t accessed the crit group I’d joined earlier this week for maybe 2 days… when I went to log in it told me I was no longer a member.
Are you an aspiring author who wants to write for Harlequin Presents?
I am forming a critique group for the purpose of writing, critiquing, revising, polishing, and submitting manuscripts to Harlequin Presents. Ideally, I am looking for aspiring authors who can demonstrate their commitment with all or most of the following: (1) devotion as a long-time reader of Harlequin Presents; (2) completion of a full manuscript or two; (3) participation in one or more Harlequin Presents contests (e.g., Instant Seduction, Feel the Heat, and/or The HP Writing Competition 2009), no matter the outcome; and (4) achievement of at least one RWA chapter contest final, whether in the contemporary series category or otherwise. I will consider aspiring authors who fall outside these parameters, but I would like to form a critique group with aspiring authors of like skill and experience.
This group would not be for the faint of heart. If you write on and off when the mood strikes, you dabble in writing for fun, you want to write contemporary series because you think it would be easier than writing contemporary single titles, or you often use personal and/or family issues to justify your failure to produce, this group would not be right for you. But if you love Harlequin Presents, you need to write as much as you need to breathe, and you are determined to become a Harlequin Presents author, please send an e-mail to HPAspiringAuthor@msn.com. I will close the critique group once I have five or six members.