Starting out

I've been wanting to start a writers' critique group for a little while now: a real-life group in Palmerston North, for people who are serious about their writing.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Monthly meet-ups


2. A communal blog (i.e. this one) which members can post to and share things between meet-ups


3. The blog could also be used for posting excerpts of writing to share with the public for feedback, if desired


4. Before each meet-up, writing is emailed out to other members, who read it BEFORE the meeting and come prepared to critique.


5. You wouldn't be required to send out your writing for critique, although helping with others' critiques would be required to get your own critiqued by others. This is a give-and-take group.


6. Critiques would be phrased as helpful, constructive criticism. Saying something is crap would not be allowed; saying you don't like something because the dialogue is stilted, or you don't feel sympathy for the main character, or something similar, would be fine. Constructive is the key word here.

I think a small group (4-8 members) is probably best — especially since Palmerston North isn't exactly a huge city.

At this stage, there's only me and lurgee. So are there any other Palmerston North writers out there who are looking for a critique group? Keep in mind that none of the above notes are set in stone — all are open to suggestion! What we're really wanting at the moment are other writers to help us critique each other's work. With the right mix of people, this could be really fun — and useful!

One more thing: any ideas for names? I've stuck a generic "Palmy writers" title on the blog for now, but it'd be good to have an actual name for our group. Any ideas are welcome!

So leave a comment if you have any ideas, or would be interested in signing up. Hope to hear from you soon!