How many times do you revise your manuscript? How many readers do you have go through it? At what point do you decide it's ready and move on to querying?
If you decide to self-publish, do you put as much work into it? Do you still have it critiqued by multiple people who know what they're doing? I think it's way more important to do those things when choosing this route.
Have you ever ran across a self-published book and wished you could help re-write it?
That is what critique groups help prevent.
If you aren't a member of one-find one to join or start your own. You not only get wonderful suggestions for perfecting your manuscript, but get to enjoy reading others. (Even if they sometimes make you feel inferior because they're so amazing. ;-) )
Workshops and seminars are wonderful, but joining a critique group was the best thing I've done for my writing. My critique friends are awesome!
I agree. Critique groups are very helpful. Supportive comments aside, a group of critique partners provide the additional eyes to catch the things we miss since we read our own works so often and know the pictures in our heads so well.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I feel ready I'll definitely be looking for a critique group :-)
ReplyDeleteWriting groups are wonderful and help me see the things I can't see in my own writing.
ReplyDeleteI use test readers on my manuscripts--I can't imagine sending a manuscript off without having other eyeballs look at it first! I'll usually do three drafts, get test reader feedback, revise a fourth time, send it to my editor.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if the revising is ever quite done. I think I got my ms to a polished level with the help of, oh, I'd say almost 30 critiquers? They were different levels of critique, of course, from anonymous "first page critiques" at conferences, to beta readers who struggled through my first draft, to two separate critique circles that met weekly or monthly, to four people who read the whole ms. All of it was just invaluable. But even now, if I'm working on something (like a synopsis or a log line), I'll be looking over pages and sharpening sentences in the ms. And I can't even guess what an agent or editor will ask for. So until the thing is on the store shelves, it doesn't end!
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