Critique Partner Dating

Working with critique partners and beta readers is an important part of the editing process. These are people who are looking at your manuscripts when you have become too close to them and help you identify the weak areas. There are differences between critique partners and beta readers, each having a different focus and coming in a different stages of editing.

Your critique partners tend to be involved during the early stages of editing, looking at a story's development. As such, their purpose it to help you identify weak areas of your manuscript, where the writing itself needs to develop or you need to look more into the nitty-gritty of your subject matter.

A beta reader, on the other hand, looks at the full manuscript and is there to provide you with those reader reactions. You can even employ a special breed of beta reader known as a sensitivity reader, who is one who focuses on the way in which you handled the subject matter.

Understanding what these two different types of readers do is one thing. Finding them is something entirely different.

Finding critique partners is just as complicated as finding a romantic partner.

Every time that I decide that I need to find another critique partner, I find myself in this situation where I honestly feel like I have stepped back in time to when I was first dating my husband. The emotions are on tender hooks, and I'm watching that email screaming at the monitor. "Why haven't they answered my email already?"

Gah! It's horrible. And what's worse, in all of my 10 years as a fiction writer, I have found only one long-term critique partner. There have been moments when I have been in the middle of the critique partner dating cycle and have thought that I might have found another whom I can lean on from time to time, but nope... They all seem to disappear into the woodwork. It is one of the reasons why I just hire a developmental editor now for my own writing.

(Yes, even the skilled developmental editor that I am needs to hire a developmental editor herself. Writers get too close to their writing that what we think we see on the page is no longer the same as what is actually on the page. This is why other eyes on our writing is so vital.)

However, I will not give up on the critique partner process. Fresh eyes are always needed.

Where does one look for that fish in the big sea?

When you are on the look out for new critique partners (or beta readers), there are multiple places to try.

• Connect with other writers at your local writing groups.
• Connect with writers on Facebook (or your favorite social media platform).
  • One group specifically set up for finding critique partners is the Sub It Club CRITIQUE PARTNER MATCHUP.
• Connect with writers on Goodreads.
• Join in on #CPMatch (or the like) on Twitter.
• Join critiquing sites, such as Scribophile or Critique Circle.
• Advertise on writers' forums.
  • The NaNoWriMo discussion forums has a few threads of people looking for critique partners and beta readers.
  • Even Absolute Write Water Cooler has a few threads.

Those initial contacts are really like those cheesy pickup bar scenes, where each party is trying to put their best foot forward. There will be some where you'll be willing to go on that first date, but with others... No way.

Then the real critique partner dating begins.

First date only or a long-term partner? That is the question.

After those initial contacts, and the swapping of the elusive email, send a few chapter swaps. Start with say 3000 to 5000 words. Most people can push their way through something of that length, even if they really don't like it. With these early chapter swaps, you are looking at multiple things.

When it comes to their writing, do you actually like their writing style and the story? Are you able to provide useful feedback on the manuscript? And most important, would you be interested in continuing to read the story?

However, you need to look at their feedback on your work too. Was feedback provided in a timely manner? Is it useful? Was it presented in a way that was nice or soul destroying?

Communication is the key to this. Do they respond to emails/messages in a timely manner? Can you actually understand their responses? Does their personality fit with yours?

If a potential partner makes it past that first date stage (and not all do), progress to longer lengths of works. Again, you'll be looking at their communications and the usefulness of their feedback. And you'll be continually assessing whether you want to keep reading their work.

Remember that critique partnerships (and to a lesser extent beta reader relationships) are a two-way street. If at any point you feel that you're doing the lion's share of lifting, getting little out in return, perhaps it's time to move on.

Unfortunately, it's rare to find critique partners that last the test of time. Many partnerships fall apart before the manuscript is finished, lasting only a few chapters. Long-term beta readers are a little easier to find, often coming from trusted fans. If a critique partnership fails, it's not your fault. It's just the nature of the beast.

Even if the ultimate critique partner is an elusive catch, you can't be afraid to try. Sharing your writing is an important part of a writer's journey, and the rewards can be incalculable.