Wild Words . . . Photos & Fine Art

Co-creating by heart with sandy cathcart through writers helps and art info, focusing on all things wild.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Exciting Week!

Wow! What an exciting week. I worked and prayed through hitting the "Wall."

You probably know the place I'm talking about. For me, it was knowing that something different needed to happen with my chapter, but not knowing what. Then I met with my critique group, and together, we worked through it. I've been writing all day today and am very excited about moving forward once again. It feels just right.

Do you have a critique group?

I can't overstress the benefits of belonging to a good critique group. By "good," I mean one where you are not only encouraged to write on a regular basis, but each member actually presents fresh work every meeting. It's important that each member contribute their individual expertise as well. Some members are good at catching grammar errors, others are good at spotting inconsistencies, and still others are gifted at helping with a "fix."

How big should a critique group be?

Mine is limited to five members and we meet twice a month. That really keeps us on the ball and allows plenty of time to review everyone's work. It's amazing how close you grow as a unit when you work like this. When one member rejoices, we all rejoice. When one member hits bottom, we all pitch in to cheer them up.

Don't know of any critique groups?

Why not start your own? That's what I did. The first time was over fifteen years ago when I only knew one other writer. He and I were the only members for several months. Then our group grew to be so big, we had to split in several units. It's easy to get on the phone and start calling your writing friends. But it's a good thing to pray first. A good critique group will be one of your greatest treasures!

Enjoy the Son!

2 Comments:

At 5:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sandy, what a great post! I've been blessed with great "critters" over the years (and you know who I'm talking about! *vbg!*) and while it takes courage, Good Critters are one of the greatest treasures God gives a writer. Thank you for this post! Write on! *g*

 
At 6:11 PM, Blogger Sandy Cathcart said...

Susan,

So very good to hear from you! And thanks for the thanks! I love your books! And I sooooo admire your spunk and persistence. I often lift you up as an example in my classes, and this blog site was first inspired by you starting your web site so many years ago.

Blog on sis! You still need to make that trip out to Oregon!

 

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