Everyone's A Critic

I’ve been doing the rounds trying to find myself a Critique Partner. I’ve had some amazing ones, but we’ve sort of drifted apart. I have a couple Beta Readers who I simply send my completed MS and they got to town, but I’d like to find that one person I can gel with, someone I can talk plot with, bounce new ideas off of, and generally create a great working partnership and friendship.

Is that not what you want in someone who’d be critiquing your babies? I’m very particular about these things, and maybe I have too-high standards, but I think my Critique Partner should be a friend. Someone I can trust to be honest, laugh and cry with me, and all the other emotions us crazy writer people go through.

I don’t plan to do any hand holding, or coaching some newbie on how to format their MS or what font to use. I can’t take beginners who think their work is golden and above reproach. My ideal CP would be seasoned in all things, including rejection and criticism. The finer points of grammar and punctuation should be known, right?

Ugh, you have no idea how many out there don’t have a grasp on where the quotation marks go.

In my need to find me somebody I can mesh with, I put my name on a list in one of my yahoo groups. Some people responded, but I’ve yet to get that feeling…you know, when you’ve found ‘THE ONE’.

Some people don’t need a cp. Some are okay with doing their thing and sending it right on to the pub/editor. Not me. I never feel comfortable doing that unless and until at least two different pairs of eyes have taken a closer look. My mistakes aren’t many, I write pretty clean, but I still make mistakes and I’d like to ease any unnecessary burden on my editors if I can by simply having another pair of eyes.

It never hurts.

I’m still looking for that special someone. That one CP waiting for me. I know they’re out there. I just have to keep searching. And hoping. I’ll never give up hope.

***Side note…sent off In Wicked Chains (The Wicked bk#3) to my editor today :)