In my efforts to improve my writing and motivate myself, I joined a writing group. Most of the other members of the group give me helpful advice and commentary. As with any group, however, some of the participants fail to provide any useful information. This causes me to critique them in my head. I enjoy critiquing the people who critique me. Such behavior actually makes me aware of my own faults as an amateur editor. Though I have listed some of these before on my online journal, I want to list a few of my own thoughts for those participating in such a group.
1. No matter how much you want to say it, anything that equates to "I would never write this, so it isn't any good" is not useful. The other members of the group offer the best advice that they can give. You should do the same. If you begin reading each submission with an open mind, you might be surprised to find that other genres are just as interesting as the one you prefer.
2. In a similar vein, always telling someone that their writing is almost perfect because they share your genre doesn't help them. Do you really think it helps someone to tell them you love the story but not tell them what they can improve? We all have room for improvement.
3. Learn from the people in your group. Observe what techniques they use to critique your work and emulate those methods that help you. Don't be afraid to ask them for input on how you can offer better advice. For instance, poetry proves complicated for me because it is so subjective, so I tend to ask the poets what kind of feedback they desire.
4. If you don't plan to take the advice of your fellow writers, don't waste their time. At least one member of our group blows off the majority of what other people say to him. This doesn't help him grow. Conversely, I have seen some amazing improvement of one of the other members of our group because he actually applies the advice he receives.
Anyway, those are my beefs for today. Use them to make a hamburger if you wish.
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