The clock says it's Friday morning, but it hasn't been that long since Kevin, Jennifer, Bob, John and I wrapped up our non-fiction critique group at the library on Thursday evening.
Although I was tired, the walk to the library got my blood going.
Still, I questioned whether I was up to the challenge of critiquing so I stopped for coffee to sharpen my mind, but after I arrived, I hardly touched it. The company and the task at hand energized me so that my "inner critiquer" kicked in despite physical tiredness.
We critiqued 4 pieces (although Bob got short shrift because we were running out of time) and I must say: while trying to fix a bad piece of writing can be a chore, it's a delight to have the challenge of making a good piece even better...
Honing good work is like working an interesting - even fascinating - puzzle. I don't want to change anything just for change's sake; so it takes careful looking and analyzing.
Sometimes I couldn't quite get a grip on what bothered me about a sentence (because I was tired) and that's where Kevin, John & Bob, especially, were helpful. They've been critiquing for several months now and are damn good at it. (And I don't mean that in any kind of condescending way at all. They each have amazed me with their insights.)
It seems each one of us brings a different set of critiquing "eyes" to the table. Kevin may see a structural problem. John may see word redundancies. Bob may provide a better descriptive phrase. I might question whether a particular verb really conveys the meaning the writer intended.
Between us we cover all the bases and it gets very exciting (at least for me) to see us making a good piece better: trimming out the throwaway words and making it more powerful through better verbs and active tense.
The goal is always to help each other craft something that has a chance at publication.
So what did we critique?
Jennifer brought a thought provoking piece she wrote about the choices we make as consumers. I loved the topic; loved the comparisons she was drawing. A musician, she wove in that aspect - how we consume music - and we encouraged her not to equivocate but to "stand in her power" as someone who can speak with authority about the value of music and how it's treated as "a commodity."
Kevin brought a clever little piece on aikido that I think may have widespread appeal.
John read a speech for Toastmasters about a life-changing moment he experienced and we were riveted.
Bob - who disarms us with the charm of his style - took us to a sweltering July afternoon in Montreal during which we chased a family pet who seemed to laugh at us...
All good stories. All different styles. All held our interest. Believe me, this meeting was no chore to get through, but flew by...
Oh, and you might think that everyone's work started to sound the same, but that didn't happen at all. In fact, we talked about this as we were leaving: how the integrity of the "voice" in each person's piece was maintained - and made stronger.
I feel so very good about what we did tonight. Lots of laughter; lots of great critiquing. I loved it, coming away with more energy than I had when I arrived...
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