Over the past several years, while trying to pursue writing, my biggest hurdle was getting quality feedback to help me improve. If you’re not in college with access to professors or professional editors, it’s kind of a Wild West.
I started in an online writing group which wasn’t too bad but it was short-lived. I then moved to Facebook and tried a handful of groups with mixed results. Everyone is at a different point in their writing career, and a great many of us amateurs seem to have congregated on Facebook. But not everyone knows even the basics of fiction writing, and a lot of people struggle with giving actionable feedback.
And while my recent first meeting at a local writing group was fun (and I plan to go again next time), it wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. I really need feedback for my stories! So I went hunting for someplace online that was perhaps specifically catered to getting writers the feedback they need.
Enter Critique Circle.
Critique Circle (CC) is a website designed for writers to upload their stories so other writers can read them and leave feedback. The system is pretty easy to use, and leaving feedback is very intuitive. You get a lot of controls for your story, including hiding it or removing it when you no longer want it up or even controlling who can leave feedback.
So how does it ensure quality feedback?
You need an account, and uploading your own stories costs “credits” (not real money) that you earn by critiquing other peoples’ stories. Uploading your own work costs 3 credits and leaves it up for 1 week for others to read and leave feedback for. Posting a story while you have one already up increases the cost. Each story you critique gives you between 1/2 and 2 credits based on how much feedback you leave (but you can be reported for obviously rambling just to pad your word count for extra credits). This means you have to critique more stories than you post, a win-win for everyone.
This also means that the amount of work involved will be a roadblock for lazy writers and those who aren’t really that invested in improving their writing. So far, it seems everyone on CC is truly invested in their writing, even if some users are still very early in their careers and need a lot of guidance. The overall quality of writing has been much better than on Facebook, and the feedback has been fantastic. There are a lot of very knowledgeable writers on there. The community on CC is also very active. I haven’t really done much with the forums, but there are plenty of active discussions. And there are loads of stories each week in a wide range of genres.
CC might not work for everyone, and even Facebook wasn’t all bad. But for me, feedback on CC has been much more consistent and of greater quality. For anyone who needs feedback for their writing and still looking for where to get it, Critique Circle is highly recommended! Whatever your genre, even non-fiction, you’ll fit right in.
Thomas P. King, author and game designer 