Sunday Discussion: The Glory of Critique Partners

This week's discussion post talks about how wonderful critique partners can be.  Have an idea for a discussion post?  Just leave a comment or send me an email at christinathebookreader@gmail.com

So...

The reason I would like to talk about this is that I learned a lot during NaNoWriMo.  And I had a critique partner that helped me through some hilarious problems I had with my draft.  Some of them I didn't even know I had.

Actual quote:

"And I felt the pull to be alone with her, even though she was unconscious."

Please laugh.  I certainly did.  When she pointed out to me how creepy one of my MCs was coming off (something that was not intentional) I honestly thought it was hilarious.  I read back through and though, "Oh wow.  She's totally right."

Would I have spotted that line and removed it without her?  Yeah, probably.  But that one is just the tip of the iceberg.  There were other situations where my poor Raoul was being misunderstood because I had't put enough background in to show that he was just a friendly guy, not a creeper.

I point this out because if you are a struggling writer, a critique partner can look at your book with fresh eyes and give some pointers.  I don't necessarily agree with everything critique partners say, but it's a great way to help polish the novel.