Critique Group Killers

Some Writer's Deserve to Starve by Elaura Niles

Some yellow brick roads lead down dark alleys where unsavory literary types lurk. These are the Critique Group Killers. While different personalities bring depth to a group, personality clashes bring depth with an anchor attached. If you want a group that makes you want to write, to improve, to succeed, avoid the following:

Drama Queens. "Hello, spotlight." These writers were born ready for their close-up and will do anything to make sure the group revolved around them. If you want theater, buy a ticket.

Non-Writers.  You'll know them because they don't give out review pages. To anyone. These smooth operators have a great line and some fabulous stories. Don't allow them to talk you into letting them join, or remain, in your group.

Self-Professed Prolific Writers. They'll give you tons of pages—pages that need vast amounts of work. Equitable is best. An eye for an eye, a page for a page.

Universal Know-It-Alls.  These are the writers who know absolutely everything in the universe. Expressing one's opinion is only half a benefit. The other half is being able to listen.

Deadly Silent Types.  They quietly bask in the attention. They absorb every word of your critique like a sponge. But when it's time for them to give criticism they come up with generic favorites like, "Um, that was nice," "I liked it," or "It's good." These writers haven't read your work, don't care to read your work, and have no intention of helping you or anyone else become a better writer. Lose 'em before their lackluster attitude sinks your group.