I would have to say I do *not* recommend Critters. It didn’t work for me at all, largely because of aburt’s extremely autocratic style of operating the thing and the service’s technical deficiencies. (You get “points” for critting, and you have to maintain a certain ratio to be allowed to post a ms; all well and good, but the system often didn’t credit me when I *did* crit, and holy God is it like trying to drink from the firehose.)

I learned far more from reading other people’s work than I did from their comments about my work. I thought a writing group would be all about delicious praise and a few helpful suggestions. As readers, most beginning writers never see anything but polished, published work from other writers. When you see someone else’s manuscript struggling under the same problem that has been helpfully pointed out to you in your last 6 stories, you not only finally get it at last, but also realize why it’s a problem.

There’s a nice “support” aspect to local critique groups – you can get all your writing-geeking out of your system at the meetings and not have to annoy your friends and relations with your word-nerdery – or feel weird because you’re keeping it all to yourself.

I also recommend summer workshops, especially for people who can’t get to a regular group. I tried this out for the first time last summer, with a lot of trepidation about wasting $$ and etc, but it turned out great. It was eye-opening to listen to an experienced author critique other people’s manuscripts (again, what she said about other people’s work was far more instructive than what was said about my own). Her 10-minute breakdowns of how she might “fix” other writers’ stories are examples I still refer to a year later. Conferences are also a good way to meet other writers you connect with – a few who might turn out to be your email readers/critique partners.

Details on current workshops can be found here: http://www.mamohanraj.com/classes.html

There are writers at every level there, from just starting out to well into their careers, and everyone is friendly and helpful. The whole community is built on the idea of Paying if Forward–writers at all levels learning from each other and sharing what they know.

For me, joining an online writing community had a profound effect on my writing. I climbed an amazingly steep learning curve, gained a lot of self-confidence, and made some wonderful friends in the process. I don’t visit FM much anymore, but I sure enjoyed it while I was there.

No, I’m not shamelessly plugging my favorite writers community, not in the least. What would give you that idea? ;D

~Mary

I’ve found all my crit partners either online or at RWA meetings. If you hang out an comment on writing blogs/forums/message boards (like this one, or an agent blog, or verla kay or etc. ad mauseum, you end up making friends, and then you end up exchanging work, and then it’s like dating — sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. Keep working until you find the right match.

Sexier explanation here: http://arielgore.com/

I actually got lucky and found some good writing classes at a local community college. The teachers were great and open to any genre. Inexpensive, too, and actually better than one of the university writing classes I took.

If you’re looking for a Master’s, you can get an MA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University out in Greensburg, PA. It’s low residency (meaning you fly out every six months for classes) and you write a novel as your thesis. Very supportive and open to any genre with professional writers as mentors and student critique groups. Stonecoast, up in Maine has a genre-friendly low-res program too.

And yes there’s Clarion and Viable Paradise, there’s also Odyssey, another 6-week workshop in the summer.

There’s Alpha, which is a weeklong SF/F workshop for younger writers where pros come to visit in the Pittsburgh area, I think.

Check to see if your area has any local SF/F conventions. Some of them have writing workshops as part of the programming.

The overall trick is to find writers who are at least as good as you, preferably better, because if all they say is “I like it,” you’re never going to get better; they need to point out stuff that needs improved and to be honest about it. And I know plenty of pro writers that still have face-to-face crit groups, because they still need their peer’s help in improving.

That said, I think the often overlooked bonus of an in person crit group is that there is usually a schedule–ie, ‘we’ll crit your story in two weeks, so please have something for us next week”–which is a good motivator to write. Face to face is a lot harder to make excuses about not writing.

There are larger more intense workshops like Clarion, VP and some writers do give weekend workshops, such as Bob Mayer and Dean Wesley Smith.

Usually you find writers like that speaking at conferences.

Personally, I have learned a lot from writer/editor run workshops and conferences, but tend to stay away from crit groups. I lean toward just a few trusted readers, many of whom I have met at conferences or professional workshops and trade reading. Currently, I am cultivating to non-writers to be readers for me. I show them the professional level critiques I get from other writers to help them learn how to critique.

I admit to one time asking Diana to read for me. Bad me. But not so bad, because I never finished said project. Or actually, VERY bad me…