TBT: How to Maximize Your Crit

In the writing world nothing happens without a crit. Well, nothing should happen without a crit. But not all crit's are created equal. How you manage your critique can impact the value it has. Whether you're about to start the crit process or you're an old-pro looking to shake things up - this post on how to maximize your crit is for you.

Enjoy!

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Shakespeare said it best, “get thee to a crit partner.” No? Well, then the internet said it best: “get thee to a crit partner.” Whether you are writing your first or fiftieth novel you need to crit partner (CP). Preferably a team of them – because the more eyes on your book baby, the better. But simply having a CP isn’t good enough, usually. To get the most of your crits you might want to take some of these steps:


1. Define the aim of the crit: Are you looking for a big picture crit that examines potential plot holes, character inconsistencies, opportunities for improvement, etc. or more of a

A line by line (LBL) crit that digs deeeeep into each line looking to correct punctuation, grammar, and language usage. Or what about a Structure crit and evaluates the story structure as a device (beginning, middle, end) and the structure of each chapter. Or some combo of all of those.... It’s best to know what you’re looking for early on. Establish what you need from the crit so your using your CP’s time effectively. Have 3 CP’s? Maybe have each CP read with a different goal. Remember, your CP’s may have different strengths than you – use their strengths to compliment your own. And always, always, be respectful of their time.


2. Break your crit up into manageable pieces: One CP I've worked with had a great system for this. She broke her MS into chunks of 3-5 chapters and sent them to her CP's with deadline 'goals' for having them returned. That way, she could work on revisions her CP’s suggested in chunks while her CP’s were busy reading the next few chapters. Also, it’s way less overwhelming to work on changes/suggestions to 3 chapters than 30.


3. Don’t forget your query letter and synopsis: If you plan to start down the long, and winding road of querying be sure your CP’s have had a pass at your letter and synopsis. The query letter is so critical because it’s the only thing the Agent is guaranteed to read. If you can’t hook them with the query then they may never read your sample pages or synopsis.

Defining your strategy and goals can help ensure your crits are laser focused and productive. Need more on getting the most out of your CP relationships? Try these posts – list posts.

How do you approach a crit?


Want more about CP's:

SC Write - Handling A Tough Crit



Secret Life of Writers - The Secrets of and Awesome CP Relationship

Ladies Who Critique - CP 101

TBT: Strategy for the Query Letter

Query letters are tough and there is a lot of advice on the internet about how best to write them. Below are tips and tricks I've learned through my participation with Romance Writer's of America (god, I love that organization).

I hope these tips help you on your writing journey.

Enjoy!

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Query letters are no joke. It's hard to boil an entire novel down into three paragraphs.

Luckily, I attended RWA's national conference last summer and learned some FABULOUS tips on query letters.

In general, the query should read like the back jacket of a book - high energy, low details, and dripping with suspense and tension.

Format, there is actually a format to a query. Someone at the conference was preaching about structure in queries and it finally clicked. Knowing the format took a bit of the mystery out of it for me.

Think about it like the three act structure in your novel (beginning, middle, end) only in the query it should be something like: Intro, Conflict, Stakes.

In the intro give one or two sentences setting up the character and world/setting. At least one sentence stating what the character wants and why it's important. It's okay to be direct.

Next you have the conflict: What goes wrong?

And then last but not least, we need the stakes: what happens if she fails? What does she stand to lose? What will she have to sacrifice? This should be big so it hooks us to want to read more.

Try this, exercise. Fill in the blank.

"She's a ____________ that wants nothing more than _____________. He's a ____________ that wants nothing more than______________. Together they must __________________ or stand to lose_______________________. "

Ideally, what she wants and what he wants should be in direct conflict with each other. Together, what they must do should push their limits and threaten to unravel them as individuals. What they must do together is the test that makes them grow and change.


This is a good format to start a query because it has the intro, conflict and stakes. This is also the format you would want to use if you were pitching this MS to an agent or editor live, and in person, at a conference or something.

What strategy do you use to craft your query? Share ideas here:





Want more advice on query letters? Check out this post and this one.

Race Recap: Two down, Ten More To Go #12in12

It's February and that means it's time for another 5k. Check out my quick recap of my January 5k here.

It's been chilly so I ran the race in full gear: running pants, long sleeves, gloves, hood, and three layers. The skies were blue and beautiful. It as just a little too chilly for me.

My hubby and my sister ran with me. Well, my sister ran for time while my hubby and I ran for fun (his knee is still jacked up and he hasn't had surgery yet so we are taking it easy).

Taking it easy doesn't mean we can't have fun.

School's off to a good start this semester. I'm definitely under less stress than last year. A lot of things could be contributing to my reduced stress:

1. I gave up coffee: I switched to tea so I'm not caffeine-free. More like reduced caffeine.

2. I listen to music when I read: I've been listening to zen-like message music (without words) while I read.

3. I'm working out again: my class schedule allows me more time at the gym which is always good.

4. I've been through this before: It's not a mystery anymore. I know what species of hell I'm in for.

Last month's happiness goals went fairly well. I'm heading into February with a positive attitude.


How are your goals coming along?