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#IWSG: Critique Partners

Congratulations, Alex Cavanaugh! Your brainchild Insecure Writers Support Group celebrates its two year anniversary today, and I'm happy to be part of the group.


Today I want to discuss critique partners, and I have many questions for you. Do you have a critique partner? Several? How does it work for you? (What's the structure? Has it helped you? What do you wish you'd known when you started?)

A good friend and I agreed to be critique partners, and I want to learn from the collective wisdom of this group about how to make this relationship work best.

When I started writing, I posted stories online, and the feedback made me eager to get the next chapter out there. Now that I'm writing novels, my motivation has waned. I'm hoping that having an encouraging friend waiting for the next chapter will help inspire me to write more frequently.

~*~

In other news, my next novel On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3) launches 9-24-13. In celebration, my publisher slashed the price of the first novel in the romantic suspense series to only $.99. 

If you have a moment, would you be willing to help spread the word by tweeting one of these?

Win a print copy of ON BEST BEHAVIOR by @JenLaneBooks -- romantic suspense with a psychological twist. http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/63573-on-best-behavior

They found love in a hopeless place. WITH GOOD BEHAVIOR by @JenLaneBooks only $.99! #romance http://www.amazon.com/With-Good-Behavior-ebook/dp/B003VU00QU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Thanks for your support and here's to a wonderful September.

Comments

Cherie Colyer said…
I'm in a couple critique groups and run an open critique that meets once a month. My CPs make me a better writer, because they see ways to improve a scene and often challenge me to find new or better ways to approach something in my story. And I learn just as much by reading their pages and hearing the feed back from the group. I have a list of critique group etiquette under Resources for writers on my blog if you want to check it out.

I'm looking forward to the release of your new book! It's coming up quick.
Jennifer Lane said…
Cherie, thanks for the tip about the resource on your website. I agree that we learn a lot through providing feedback--just as much or more than receiving feedback!
Be happy to spread the word for you! And announce your book when it's released.
I have three critique partners and they are just awesome. They get the full manuscript after my two test readers have been through it and I've revised it many times.
Jennifer Lane said…
Thanks, Alex! I will spread the word for your release, too.
Congrats on your new book! I would also like to learn more about critique partners.

Julie
Nicki Elson said…
I'll head over to Cherie's to check out that tips page. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership. ;)
Nicki Elson said…
P.S. It's freaking me out that your release month is heeeere!! So exciting.
Jennifer Lane said…
Empty Nester, thanks for stopping by! Glad to know I'm not the only one with questions.
Jennifer Lane said…
Hi Nicki, aka critique partner! We don't need no rules...we'll create our own! ;-)
Cynthia said…
First, congratulations on your new job! As for finding critique partners, it helps to go with someone whose opinions you really trust.
I'm dipping my toes into the critiquing world. I'm not very good at it though - I don't think I pick up enough of the problems!
Jennifer Lane said…
Cynthia, thank you times two. I agree your c.p. should be someone who you trust personally and whose writing you admire. That's why I chose my gal!
Jennifer Lane said…
Annalisa, it seems that betaing and editing are skills of their own, just like writing. Hopefully I've become better at giving feedback over time.
Michael Di Gesu said…
Hey, Jennifer,

Congrats on your new book! How exciting.

Cp's are amazing! It dies take a while to click with there right ones though. Just be honest and straight forward. We need to hear the good and not so good aspects of our stories for us to improve them.