No, I'm not talking about the creepy crawlies, although those are very important to our ecosystem. I'm talking about critique partners. Critters are trained eyes that help us see things in our manuscripts we don't see ourselves. When I first started writing, my critters were friends and family. Now, I know they meant well, and they thought their comments were helpful, but my work wasn't the better for it. You really need someone with a writing background who knows why something isn't working and can suggest another way to do it. Whether this be changing it from third person to first, taking out an unimportant chapter, starting the book in another spot, or pinpointing places lacking internal thought and description. Critters are like filters for our manuscripts. You wouldn't give an agent a glass of dirty water, would you? So why give them an unpolished manuscript?
The ideal situation is to have a critter read as you write. This allows them to provide that much needed motivation, help you get past writer's block, or to offer a fresh perspective on an old idea. Here's a good example. The first book I ever wrote was "supposed" to be about small-town romance. You know, a cozy, happy-feely kind of book. I gave the first chapter to a co-worker (scene featured the MC's dog falling in a well) and you know what she came back with? Are they going to find a body in there?!! I was like huh? This is a romance. There's no dead bodies anywhere! But as I got thinking about it, I liked the dead body. So my laid back romance became a mystery with neighbor feuds and family secrets. Her one simple question changed the entire feel and content of my book. I'm just glad she suggested it only a chapter in!
What do you look for in a critter? Someone good with grammar to polish up your sentences? Someone logical who can find your plot holes or character inconsistencies? Or someone whimsical who looks at the story as a whole and can target places you've strayed from your theme?
p.s. Have you virtual hugged your critter today?
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