The more conferences I go to and the more paid critiques I get from editors and agents, the more I see how the type of critique you get from a pro is just so different from what you get from most critique groups.
Not that critique partners won't give you valuable feedback - not at all! My critique partners are invaluable. I could never put a price on them or on their feedback. They keep me grounded, and they keep me focused. They keep me pointed in the right direction. They are my rocks in a roiling sea of uncertainty, and I would be lost without each and every one of them. I need them.
But I encourage you to get a paid critique from an editor. Not only will you get a different level of feedback, but you'll learn a ton about how to give good critique. It won't just make your manuscript better; it will make you a better writer overall, and a better critique partner.
Yes (but if you do, make sure it's someone reputable who has legit experience!) I've experienced this difference between my beta-readers and my agent, and that's why I need them for different stages of the process.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that a paid critique at a conference can be so helpful. But after getting many critiques of the same work over a number of years, I have found some of the advice conflicting and subjective. Still it always gives me something to think about.
ReplyDeleteInteresting timing. I was just compiling my mental list of editors last night. I agree. These ladies are likely to give me a whole new level of feedback. That is worth a heck of a lot!
ReplyDeleteI agree. My rhyming WIP is so big that I only got part of it critiqued and then used the same technique to do the rest so I hope it scrubs up. The pb one I won was really good and an awesome example of how to critique others.
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