Critiquing by e-mail can be a fast, inexpensive way to upgrade your writing. All you need are a computer, e-mail access, and a few other interested writers. If you don’t know how to find a group that is already established, follow the guidelines at the end of this article. But first, consider the advantages and disadvantages of e-mail critiquing.

THE ADVANTAGES

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Consider what you stand to gain: 

¨      Improve your writing skills

¨      Save money

¨      Increase your networking possibilities

¨      Gain new sources for information

¨      Gain more exposure for your manuscript

IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS

ü      As you critique manuscripts for others in the group, get out the grammar guides, thesaurus, and dictionary to check for possible errors. Checking for errors in other writers’ manuscripts keeps you alert to the same kinds of problems in your own writing.

ü      Benefit from all the comments that the writers in the critique group make. Don’t just pay attention to the comments they make about your manuscripts, but read what they say about the manuscripts that other members of the group submit. Sometimes what you learn from the critiquing of another writer’s manuscript is as valuable as the critique of your own.

SAVE MONEY

ü      E-mail critiquing eliminates the expense of driving to meetings, and possibly buying lunch or dinner. No need to miss meetings because of scheduling conflicts, either.

ü      There is no need to pay a babysitter while attending a critiquing meeting.

ü      There are no mailing expenses of envelopes, paper, and postage.

 INCREASE YOUR NETWORKING POSSIBILITIES

ü      Share contest, marketing, and conference information as soon as you get it. It takes only a few minutes to e-mail the information to everyone in your critique group.

INCREASE YOUR SOURCES FOR INFORMATION

ü      Share information instantly as you get it about web sites or helpful reference books.

ü      Don’t know where to look for the information you need? Mention it to your critique group. Chances are somebody will E-mail you a helpful reply within hours.

GAIN MORE EXPOSURE FOR YOUR MANUSCRIPT

ü      In an e-mail critique group, you always have the opportunity to get your manuscript critiqued.

ü      There isn’t the risk of running out of time before it is your turn to be critiqued, as can happen in conventional groups.

ü      By limiting the number of people in the group and setting guidelines as to how often manuscripts will be submitted, all group members will have time to critique for each other.

ü      If one or more in the group are willing, they will likely critique an extra manuscript occasionally if you need one done.

A FEW NEGATIVES TO CONSIDER

ü      You miss the face-to-face reactions of having your manuscript read aloud in a meeting.

ü      E-mail critiquing prevents the instant give and take of being in a conventional critique group.

ü      You miss out on the opportunity to leave the kids at home while you enjoy time with your critique group.

FORMING A GROUP

It takes a thick skin to handle criticism, but this is true whether in an e-mail or face-to-face critique group. It can be tough to hear that your manuscript would be improved by cutting out part of it. Those are your precious words that others are suggesting you delete!

However, if you are willing to take those risks and improve your writing, it may be time to consider getting into a critique group. Here are simple guidelines for starting a new group:

1.  Ask two or three other writers if they are interested in being part of an E-mail critique group. If you don’t know other writers, put a notice in the newspaper or on the library bulletin board.

2.  Limit participation to no more than seven; three or four are enough for an effective group if everyone takes an active part.

3.  Decide when and how often to critique (perhaps the first and middle of every month, or every week).

4.  Establish some guidelines, including length of manuscripts to be critiqued. Determine if your group will critique any genre or if it will be limited to poetry, nonfiction, fiction, or something else.

5.  Put the e-mail addresses of all critique members in a group file in your address list, making it easy to send your manuscript to everybody at once.

6.  When you receive a manuscript to critique, print it out on scrap paper, mark your comments, and type them back into the original E-mail message. Send your comments as a Reply To All, so that all members of the group can benefit from the comments that others make.

7.  Keep a record of the manuscripts that you send for the group to critique. By keeping a record, you will avoid sending the same manuscript later.

8.  Critique and return manuscripts promptly.

GUIDELINES FOR CRITIQUING

1.  Only work of members will be critiqued; do not submit a manuscript for a friend who is not a member of the group.

2.  Do not defend or overly explain your work. If it does not explain itself, rewrite.

3.  Accept critiques as constructive, but do not feel obligated to use all comments.

4.  When submitting a manuscript to be critiqued, be prepared to identify what market you plan to submit it to.

5.  In critiquing a manuscript, be positive; offer positive comments first.

6.  Critique only the writing, not the writer’s ideas or beliefs.

7.  Do not compare the manuscript with anything else. Let this piece stand alone.

8.  You may say you agree with another’s comments, but it is not necessary to repeat them in detail.

9.  When critiquing a manuscript, suggest market possibilities where the writer might send the article.

LeAnn has been freelancing for about twelve years and has published over 300 articles, columns, and stories in more than 90 publications, online and in print. She is former president and current vice-president of Christian Writers Fellowship in Girard, Kansas. As MarketWorks Coordinator for HACWN, she writes a monthly online marketing column, and an additional column for the monthly printed newsletter. She also teaches workshops at writers conferences, including one last year at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park.

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