Tap into the Power of RMFW Critique Groups … by Susan Schooleman

My writing sucks.

Or used to.

Or still does.

Doesn’t everyone’s at times?

But now I have a remedy for my suckiness: My RMFW critique group.

For the past three years, my work has been fortified by decades of experience and insights through the group members. They infuse my weekly installments with everything from basic grammar reminders to radical plot reconstruction. Some weeks, all my writing needs is encouragement. Other times, it requires defibrillation. No matter what, this group always delivers.

And I have proof.

After joining the group, I went from consistently losing the RMFW Gold Competition to placing third this year, and getting a request for a full manuscript. In addition, one of my short stories was accepted for publication by the 2020 RMFW Anthology.

None of this—and whatever’s yet to come—would have been possible without the group. The same way author Stephen King forever depends on his wife/editor Tabitha King, that’s how I feel about my fellow critique group writers. It’s what frees my work from the clutches of too much backstory, clichés, offensiveness, and just plain boringness. It’s also what helps me take things in perspective. For example, once after suffering a hard rejection, my fellow members shared some of their war stories. The takeaway for me: It can and does happen to everyone—even my fellow critiquers, who are quite accomplished, having published and won so much. But most of all, they have the write stuff. And they share it. Every week. With me.

Of course honesty plays a large part with the critiques. In this regard, the group functions like a bathroom scale. It tells you just what you need to hear to stay on track. Or get on track. And the group is usually right. For this reason, some sessions have reduced me to tears, while others have pumped me full of hubris. But once I wade through the extremes, I’ve been able to use the feedback to help refine my work. Or shelf it and start something new.

If you do, more power to you.

But if you don’t, and you really need to find out, “Is my work as great as I think? Or is it more like my singing voice, which only sounds good when I’m alone in the shower?” If you’re like that, then I encourage you to find an RMFW critique group. Then go try it out. Be brave. See how others respond to your pages.

And if you feel intimidated or scared to take that first step, don’t.

Because we share our innermost thoughts and feelings through our writing, we’re all in the same boat. We understand.

For this reason, the group shares a type of intimacy I rarely see in most relationships.

Together, we shine, we whine, and yeah, sometimes we suck, too.