Viva Scriva

Part Two: Who gives comments first?

If you’ve given many verbal critiques in your life, you know that it can be a bummer to be the last person to speak. Everyone has already said everything you were going to say! The only thing worse is if you are ALWAYS thelast person to give a critique.

So how can you make sure this doesn’t happen in your critique group? It depends on your group.

If you are all considerate, thoughtful, self-aware people, you might not have to do anything formal. Someone excited to give comments will start and you jump around as people volunteer. Or after someone starts, you go around the table from there. This works if no one tries to go first or second more than once. (This is mostly how the Scrivas handle it.)

If someone seems to go first more often than not, or if someone always seems to be stuck last, there is a simple solution. Start with the person to the left of the writer whose work is being critiqued and go clockwise from there. Everyone goes first, everyone goes last, and everyone is happy.

P.S. I don’t mind going last. I like tailoring my comments to what has already been said. And hearing other people’s comments gives me more ideas which I can share on the spot.

Elizabeth Rusch

www.elizabethrusch.com

Part One: What order do you critique in?

Picture this. You get your critique group together in a coffee shop for a meeting.  You’ve all read and commented on each others pieces, the small talk is over, and it’s time to get down to business. Everyone knows this, senses it’s time, yet nothing happens. Maybe there is an awkward pause.

Someone says: “What piece should we do first?”

People throw out ideas: “Well, Jules hasn’t submitted in a while so why don’t we start there?”

“How bout we start with the picture book, it will be quicker.”

“Sammie has a deadline coming up so let’s start with hers…”

The discussion about where to start could take up the whole meeting. (Well, not really, but you get my point.)

The Scrivas did this for a while, just playing it by ear. But that felt awkward, arbitrary, and possibly unfair. What if someone’s work was always critiqued last, when everyone was tired and time was running short?

So these days we have a process that works pretty well. It’s simple: First come, first served. Scrivas submit (by email) manuscripts to be critiqued at least one week before the scheduled meeting. We critique manuscripts in the order they are received.

There is a built in incentive to get work in early. If you do, your work will be addressed toward the beginning of the meeting when people are fresh and energy is high. If you submit late (past the deadline), we may or may not get to your piece.

It’s not as harsh as it sounds. We all try to give each piece our best critique no matter where in the meeting it falls. And we usually fit every piece in.

But now, we always know what’s on first. And there’s even some playful competition for that coveted first spot.  (I, the reigning champion, am being challenged by ScrivaAddie. Hiss.)

 Elizabeth Rusch

www.elizabethrusch.com