on Writers Helping Writers:

Here on Writers Helping Writers, you’ll find a lot of folks extolling the virtues of getting feedback on your writing through either a critique partner or a critique group. Joining a critique group is, in my opinion, second only to reading widely in the list of free ways to improve your writing. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been writing for decades, critique groups can help you process feedback from agents, editors, and other readers. They can provide great support and perspective. And they can gently, kindly, offer feedback on how you can improve. Still not convinced? Check out this post on Building Your Writing Support Triangle.

Most writers have been through the dreaded critique group break-up. It’s both a right of passage in the writing world and an incredibly difficult situation to find yourself in. You’ve invested the time in getting to know other writers, to critique their work, and to receive feedback on your own work, and still, something’s not quite working. It can feel like such a setback to go back to the beginning and get to know a whole new group. I know. I’ve been there. Like I said, most writers have.

As with most types of interpersonal relationships, good communication is at the heart of critique group / critique partner success. Today, I’d like to share an Author Accelerator tool I typically use with my clients and students to help gauge the type of feedback I give them. I recently realized it could be helpful for critique partner communication too and this blog post was born.