Before Critique Circle, I was a lonely writer sitting on the couch with my laptop talking to myself. I had a draft that I sent to a few friends who all said it was lovely. I began to search online for information on how to self publish and ran across a post by Victorine Lieske on Kindleboards recommending that every would-be author get their work critiqued at Critique Circle.
Without looking back, I rushed to CC and signed up. I soon found out that I didn't know the basics of comma usage and that my prose was a deep shade of purple. But more than that, I met and made wonderful friends and grew my knowledge base by both giving and receiving critiques and following up on suggestions.
I learned what filter words are, why dialogue tags do not include "smiled", "laughed", "continued", and when to use italics. I also learned the individual styles of the various writers on CC and profited from each and every one. I had my Sweet Sheriff, my Internal Thought Monitor, my David Defender, my Hot and Spicy Meter Maid, my Macho Manly Makeover, my Emoticon Exploder, my Was-Has-Been Banner, among many loyal and dedicated critters who gave me over 1100 crits.
After exactly one year on CC, I published my first book, Michal's Window. I'm truly thankful for all the help and advice I received on Critique Circle. Nobody should publish before passing through the friendly but firm critters of Critique Circle.
TiaClare on CC
Agreed. CC is the best!
ReplyDeleteSo totally agree too!! I felt like I needed some new eyes on mine this past summer and did research on online critique groups and kept seeing CC mentioned as the best. So off I went and I have to say that because of CC I believe my writing learning curve got cut by years! I learned sooooo much in just that summer, and still learn more.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention all the cool people I met and all the wonderful stories I read. It's great!
ReplyDeleteI'm with all the rest of you. CC is the best! Definitely cuts the learning curve, hanging out with the awesome people there. I made mistakes I didn't even know were mistakes before finding CC. Great group of people, all out to help each other learn.
ReplyDeleteGot my vote. The biggest, the best organised, free, helpful people. All round no contest.
ReplyDeleteBest software too. Just think. Other crit groups rely on e-mail lists. This one has forums, point tracking, in-line crit, a database that can sort and filter and keep track of all your crits, and responsive and friendly owners who are willing to try new things.
ReplyDeleteRemember the "Hook" queue?
Love CC. I joined shortly after they opened and still moderate there. Thanks for the great shout out! The more who know about CC, the better! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I love the community and the point system where you actually get great crits in exchange for critting. Other places where you post and hope to get comments usually don't result in much feedback.
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