One of the benefits of joining Tri-Valley Writers is the availability of critique groups and the beta reader group. The time I have spent working with other writers has always been worth it. Aside from sharing a love of the craft, I get a chance to see how my peers address plot and character development issues. Whether I learn to recognize where I go wrong by seeing it in another author’s work, or get valuable tips as we examine the piece together, the lessons stick with me.
As a reader, I can put down a book that stops being interesting. As a critique partner or beta reader, I must analyze why I’m no longer responding to the work. This exercise has helped my writing when I reach a point where my own project stops being interesting.
I’ve also learned how to put my impressions of another author’s work into a form that person will accept. This has improved my negotiating skills, and has helped me accept the comments I’ve received from my own critique partners. Rather than dismiss a critique that seems (to me) to be off topic, I now have tools to read those words from a different point of view. Once I do that, I’m usually amazed at how on topic the comment really was.
Finally, as a critique partner and beta reader I’ve discovered how my opinion varies depending on when I read the work. My judgment comes from a particular point in time, and may have been different if I had read the story earlier or later in the day, or on a different week altogether. This is useful for taking the sting out of a poor review or rejection letter.
If you aren’t in a critique group, consider joining the Tri-Valley Writers STEM group, which is open to all members. From the STEM group, you can find compatible writers to create your own genre-focused group. Also consider joining the beta readers list. You have total control over which projects you take on and when. While we all guard our writing time fiercely, there are advantages to sharing a tiny part of your schedule with other writers.