It's a cheesy little romance novel. Modern times, about an actress reunited with her long, lost love on a movie set and she's determined not to let him again, which, of course, she invariably does. Nothing award winning, just fun and kinda mine and Joe's story set with more money, more fame, and the same sarcastic love.

Sounds fun!

And speaking of critique groups, now that I've made my page quota for the day, I really need to go read some pieces for the new online group. I happened to post first, and they've already commented on mine--useful suggestions and feedback, telling me I really must give some more concrete descriptive details in the early going, but overall, they like it! Always nice to have brand new people enjoy your work.

Sounds fun!

It is. It's totally not serious (at least, to anyone but me).

One day, I mightn't feel so intimidated (for lack of a better word) and post a bit of my novel in here

Aimee, I've said this before, but this seems a good moment to say it again: just remember to be careful about how much you post. If you're serious about finishing it and trying to get it published, a lot of publishing houses look at segments published online in a publicly viewable forum as being "previously published."

Email for input, she is our friend.

just remember to be careful about how much you post. If you're serious about finishing it and trying to get it published, a lot of publishing houses look at segments published online in a publicly viewable forum as being "previously published."

Got it. (Almost typed Git. Whole other meaning.) :)

Oh, there's another definite plus about a writers group in which the ongoing work is read aloud: it allows the writers to get a better feel for how they read in public.

If you publish a novel, you publicise it: that's a bottom line. It's especially a bottom line because most publishers of fiction have their heads up their hineys and do not pay to promote anyone other than their A-list authors, not beyond sending out ARCs.

So, eventually, you will make friends with the bookstores who carry your book, as many of those bookstores as possible, and you'll likely set up signings. And, very often, signings mean readings and Q&A.

The public stuff, for promoting fiction, is a biggie.

And Aimee, if you want any advice on Romance Writers of America, feel free to drop me a line. I've had good luck with them, because the Seattle chapter is very active and there's a wonderful online chapter for Regency writers, and I'm sure if I asked around, I could find out what's available in LA and/or about other online chapters.

Back to critiquing.....

Nothing award winning, just fun and kinda mine and Joe's story set with more money, more fame, and the same sarcastic love.

they let us know upfront what it is they're looking for in feedback or commentary or input or whatever, they read their piece, they get the discussion.

This is how my writing school functions, and it's so helpful. Nothing is worse than reading an obvious first draft -- messy and ungrammatical as hell -- to your group, wanting basic content/concept feedback, but getting line-edits on the grammar instead. Makes me want to punch someone in the head.

Just as bad, however, are people who, when asked what kind of feedback they want, say "Oh, whatever; I don't care." Then WHY are you reading it to us?!? My personal (bitchy) opinion is that the people who say "I don't care" *actually* want heaps of praise for the shimmering wonder that is Their Art, but they can't actually *say* that (O! No!), so they passive-aggressively use the "I don't care" line.

Almost all of my writing groups? Lame. (In one case, literally.) The crip one was always after me to take the "obscenity" out of my stuff, because if they read "goddamn" they melted or something. That was the only note I ever got, I curse too much. I fucking knew that. As you can tell, I followed that advice.

erika, the more I look at it, the more I think you need to be somewhere that produces fewer people concerned with their personal harmlessness. Really. That's just nuts.

Just as bad, however, are people who, when asked what kind of feedback they want, say "Oh, whatever; I don't care." Then WHY are you reading it to us?!? My personal (bitchy) opinion is that the people who say "I don't care" *actually* want heaps of praise for the shimmering wonder that is Their Art, but they can't actually *say* that (O! No!), so they passive-aggressively use the "I don't care" line.

GAH. Yes. And ditto on the first draft thing. Everything I read at one of my own group meetings is either a first draft, or close to it, at least in terms of feedback from other people, so mine is easy, because I'm looking for pretty much the same thing every time: does it flow with the previous chapters I've read? Does it ring true? Are there any bits of dialogue, and back and forths, any particular bits that slow down your absorption of the story?

Also, as Allyson mentioned earlier, there's the fine line, the give and take, in critiquing. I don't allow any gratuitous trashing of work, and lord knows, if the work is really bad, I totally get and sympathise with the temptation. Luckily, I've only ever had one person who couldn't write for love or money, poor man, and he's gone now...