MGWAVES
Critiquing Your Writer Friends Stories
Hey Friends!
I’m so happy that you stopped by! I’m Susan and I am from coastal North Carolina. I write Middle-Grade Fantasy. My adventure stories are fast-paced, have a commercial hook with a hint of magic, and feature either an element of mystery or thriller. My favorite thing about being a writer is developing a rich plot with entertaining characters and an immersive storyworld. I hope you get a chance to click around my website. I share tips for writers and you can find free downloads here.
In my last blog post I teamed up with fellow MGWaves, TC Kemper, to share about Finding Your Writer Joy:
Writing is not about the destination, it's about the journey. For a writer, that journey can take a long time. My advice is to try your best to sit back and enjoy riding the waves as they go up and down. Though the ‘downs’ aren’t usually as joyful as the ‘ups’, they are a starting point from which to soar up to find your joy.
Hot tip for finding your Writer Joy! Build a community of writer friends to share the journey with.
The MGWaves are a diverse group of writers who share a passion for middle-grade literature and support each other through the writing process to ensure that middle grade readers are getting the novels that they deserve to read. I am so happy to be a part of this community of writers. We support each other in so many ways. (Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for links to some other writers in the MGWaves.)
Now for the Writerly Advice: What do you do when a friend asks for feedback on their story?
One important way to support your writer friends is reading their stories and giving feedback. The practice of reading other works-in-progress and giving feedback is something that helps writers improve their own writing skill. It helps everyone in the group to improve together (and it creates a much larger wave in Middle-Grade literature).
But before diving head first into the waves of critiquing another writer's work, there are some things you might want to ask yourself first:
Do you have the time to read with an editor’s eye?
Have you read a sample of your friends writing and would like to genuinely read more?
Do you respect the writer and their writing?
Do you like their style/genre of writing?
Are you prepared to be truthful, direct, and kind?
If the answer is ‘no’ — well it is best for both of you to pass. If your friend writes a genre that you don’t like, critiquing her manuscript will not help her writing to improve and it will not help your writing to improve either.
If the answer is ‘yes’ — that is great! Before you get started, here are some questions to ask the other writer:
What level of feedback are you looking for?
What stage of development is your manuscript?
Why do you want feedback at this stage?
What is concerning you the most about your manuscript at this point?
Sometimes a writer might just want your big picture review and other times they want editorial comments throughout the story. What happens if you start reading and it isn’t ready for the level of feedback the writer is asking for? Take a step back and just offer general and honest feedback.
Remember the goal is to make stories that we are proud to share with Middle-Grade readers one day.
If you have any questions about starting a writing group, leave me a comment below. You can find links below to follow me on Instagram (where I post daily), Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Until next time, have fun indulging your imagination.
Follow Susan:
The Other MGWaves
One of the best things about our community is the resources we share. Please check out each of the MGWaves to collect tips and Middle-Grade book recommendations!