In this blog post, we will be considering some of the downsides of joining a writing critique group and how this may negatively impact your work. Of course, there are also many advantages to joining a critique group, as we saw in my last blog post, so don’t be too put off by this! However, there are definitely some things you should bear in mind before you join, weighing these up against the potential benefits and deciding what is right for you.
Before we consider the disadvantages, we will first review what a writing critique group is and how they work. We also remind ourselves of some of the benefits that writing critique groups can bring.
What is a Writing Critique Group?
A writing critique group is a place where you can get feedback on what you have written, receive constructive criticism and talk to other authors. Usually, you will each provide copies of what you have written since the last meeting and everyone will give their thoughts on it at the next meeting. You will need to do the same for everyone else’s work, so make sure you read it carefully and prepare your feedback in advance.
A writing critique group can help to motivate you by holding you accountable for having prepared work for the next meeting. It also provides a sympathetic ear or two from other people who know from their own experience what problems you face. In addition, the feedback you receive will hopefully help you to improve your writing and grow as an author. Finally, it can just be nice to make some friends in the writing community.
What are the Disadvantages?
Lack of Honesty
Of course, getting honest feedback from other members can be more difficult than you might think. No-one really wants to criticise each other’s writing, so you may find that you get a very light version of how they truly feel about your work. This is problematic because you are essentially in the same situation as you were before joining the writing group – you don’t know how your writing will be received by a wider audience.
Not getting any proper feedback also means that you can’t improve your writing as much. Without someone else to point out the weak spots, you don’t what is good and what needs some improvement – or what this improvement would be. It is notoriously hard to judge our own writing and friends may just tell you what they think you would like to hear. Writing critique groups are supposed to resolve this problem but cannot if members don’t feel comfortable giving negative feedback.
The other problem with negative feedback is that no-one really wants to hear it, which may well affect their version of feedback. How comfortable are you with hearing the flaws in your work, especially in front of a group? You need to make sure you are prepared to listen to the truth, as well as tell it.
You and other members can help with this by really thinking about what you are saying – trying to find something positive about their work and giving constructive criticism. Don’t just tell people you don’t like their writing; instead, offer suggestions of what you think might improve it. Be tactful in your criticism and give it kindly.
Not All Opinions are Useful
Even if your writing group does manage to be truly honest – and kind – with each other, it is worth remembering that whether this is positive or negative feedback, it is still only an opinion. The members of your writing group will not always be right and, unfortunately, they may not be in the best place to judge other aspiring writers’ work.
As presumably unpublished authors themselves, they don’t actually have the experience necessary to judge if what you have written is good, bad, or somewhere in between. If their writing is still a work-in-progress that needs a lot of improving and editing before it is up to publishing standard, how can they know what anyone else’s needs before it is ready?
However, make sure you do still listen to advice and criticism of your work. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that there is no good advice being given!
Different Types of Writing
Another problem with writing groups is that everyone will be focused on improving their own style of writing. For example, they might write in a way that is very fast paced, while your style of writing is more reflective. It is unlikely that the other writers can apply what they have learnt about their writing to yours, so their analysis is unlikely to be specific enough.
This means that any advice that other members do give on how to improve your writing might not actually help. It may be an idea that would help with their own writing but doesn’t really apply to yours. Of course, this will be less of a problem if you are in a writing group that caters specifically for your sub-genre, but still bear in mind that everyone has different writing styles and what works for someone else may seem out of place in your book.
Wrapping Up
I hope that you now understand some of the downsides of writing critique groups and why they may not be as helpful as you would hope. However, do look at the overall picture to decide what is best for you and your writing. You could see if you can go along to a group for one meeting to find out what it’s like and if it suits you.
Want help proofreading your work? Contact Carmine Proofreading for a friendly, professional service from a qualified proofreader.
Email: CarmineProofreading@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarmineProofed
Carmine Proofreading 
1 thought on “What are the Disadvantages of Writing Critique Groups?”