TRANSCRIPT

Hi… this is going to be one of my “unpopular opinion” videos because I think a lot of people will strongly disagree with my point of view on the topic of… critique groups. This video is also a bit long. But if you’re considering participating in a critique group, I encourage you to watch the entire video.

If you don't know what it is, a critique group is a group of writers that gets together to read each other’s work and provide feedback. Now, I understand that writers take part in critique groups and find value with them. My unpopular opinion is that critique groups are a waste of time and, even worse, harmful. And, again, this is just my opinion.

But let me explain why I feel the way that I do, starting with why I think they're a waste of time. For me, the bottom line for writers is that writer’s write. If you’re spending your valuable time critiquing other people’s manuscripts, you’re taking away moments that could be spent working on your own writing. Now I know that this sounds selfish, callous, unsupportive. But these videos are about helping YOU become a published author. So why would you want to play a supporting role in someone else’s life story when you could be focusing all of your energy on being the star of your own? Even if you’re not spending time directly reading another manuscript or providing feedback, their stories may start creeping into your mind during your quiet times, like in the shower or driving to work. And this steals even more time from you. These quiet moments belong to you. Spend them thinking about your own work.

So that's why I think critique groups are a waste of time, and now I'll tell you why I think they're harmful.

And I’ll explain this by going back into a little of my own history. I started in the advertising industry in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. And at that time, the industry was a bit similar to how advertising was portrayed on Mad Men – and much different than what it looks like today. Back then, especially behind the scenes, agency life was a lot of fun, but also rude and crude (and turn down the volume if you don’t’ like cuss words). Because after one client presentation that didn’t go well at all, my creative director said to me, “Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one.”

And that summarizes how I feel about critique groups. I’m not saying at all that people who provide critiques are assholes. Far from it. They’re trying to be helpful by providing well-meaning, thoughtful feedback. But here’s the question, is their feedback helpful or harmful to creating a manuscript that will lead to a book deal? The feedback could possibly help, but when you’re sifting through multiple opinions, including opinions that may contradict each other, it’s difficult to determine which feedback to incorporate into your story. When you try to incorporate too much, whether because you think the ideas are good or you just don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, you end up with a manuscript that feels disjointed and forced.

But even more harmful is the effect critique groups have on the trust you place in your own instincts. When you receive so much feedback, you may start doubting your story. Worse, your writing abilities. This isn’t because people are being mean or telling you that your work is bad. It’s a subtle feeling that can sneak up on you over time and dampen your enthusiasm to pursue your publishing dream.

Now I know that is a lot of hate towards critique groups, but again these are just my opinions. If you enjoy critique groups, if you get energized being a part of them, if you like providing feedback to others, then by all means continue… Although (and I promise this is my last comment), if you haven’t had any manuscripts published that were critiqued in your group, you may want to consider taking a break from that group, try going on your own with one trusted advisor as your critique partner and seeing what happens.

I’d love to get your thoughts on critique groups after all of that. Do you love them? Hate them? Let me know in the comments and, as always, thank you so much for watching. If you got any value out of this video, like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.