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"Writing quality books without a critique partner is like trying to climb a mountain with your hands tied behind your back. You c...

Because Your Dream Critique Partner is Worth Searching For Because Your Dream Critique Partner is Worth Searching For

Because Your Dream Critique Partner is Worth Searching For

Because Your Dream Critique Partner is Worth Searching For




"Writing quality books without a critique partner is like trying to climb a mountain with your hands tied behind your back. You could probably pull it off eventually, but why sabotage yourself like that?"

I've had a lot of critique partners in my life. One could go so far as to say I've had more than my fair share. Some have been for one project only. Some are the all too rare and precious keeping-for-life critique partners who are among my favorite people on the whole damn planet*. 

*Not just because they have mad critiquing skills and help me take my writing up about a hundred-and-three notches, but because of who they are as people. 

I adore these women**, and for some crazy reason they adore me back. Believing that is a really big deal for me. The voice of self-doubt in the back of my mind has a megaphone strapped to it. For me to admit that ANYONE adores me is pretty much a miracle. And yet when it comes to my critique partners, I don't doubt it. That's how amazing at loving and encouraging me these women are.

Whatever stage of the writing process you're at, whether you're a testing-the-waters novice, a slogging-in-the-query-trenches veteran (like myself), or an agented and/or published pro, critique partners can make all the difference. And we hope you won't let where you are in your journey deter you from finding the people you want to take that journey with. Writers of ALL skill levels are welcome here. This isn't about trying to have the best excerpt or the cleverest bio. It's about trying to find someone who's in a similar place as you. Someone you might be able to climb the mountain of the publishing industry with.


Now, it can be awkward as hell to meet someone in the online writing community and trade chapters because you write "the same kind of stuff," only to find out that you are otherwise COMPLETELY incompatible. There are a lot of factors that go into critique partner compatibility, and some of them aren't quantifiable, but here are a few things to consider:

1) Are you at similar enough skill levels to enjoy working with one another?

2) Do you enjoy the subject matter of each others' stories?

3) Do you enjoy each others' writing styles enough to want to read HUNDREDS of pages of each others' words?

4) Are your critiquing styles helpful to each other?

5) Do you click on a personal level?

I'm not going to pretend that Write Type will answer all those questions for you (or the many others not included here), but we hope that in reading the excerpts in the Write Type entries, you'll find some insights into possible answers to questions 1-3, and maybe a little of number 5 too.

Some people find their dream critique partners fairly early on. Some search for years before finding their "dream team." Personally, I've been one of the lucky ones (it's more about luck than merit, I think), and it seems only fitting to pay that forward by helping others get a couple steps closer to finding their "match."

Best of luck. And if you have questions or concerns, please contact us through the comment form below, or on the #WriteType twitter hashtag.


**I'm not averse to working with men at ALL. The opportunity just hasn't cropped up yet. :)

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