P. in the Pod

I've been meaning to write about the first meeting of the novel pod I joined as part my membership in the Writers' Alliance of Gainesville. You may remember that I was nervous about that first session, held last Thursday.

I've been laughing ever since.

As our session began, each of the four members nervously fingered the marked-up copies of the other writers' chapters, wondering, I assume, as I was, how forthright to be about perceived weaknesses in the writing of these writers we didn't really know. The critique began a little tentatively, each of us tempering his/her remarks with qualifiers. "This is just my opinion, but..." or "Now you might have a reason for wanting this in there, but...."

During discussion of one writer's work, I ventured that the chapter got off to a slow start with what I felt was too much back story and too little sizzle. I was pleased to note that the other two critics were nodding their heads as I said it. Great! I must be making astute comments, I thought.

It was not until we got around to discussing my chapter that I realized why their nods had been so enthusiastic. Guess who else's work had the same starting gate flaw? They let me know - ever so politely - that I, too, had unloaded a ton of back story before I hooked the reader's attention!

They were right, of course. How had I missed that? I swear, I read my chapter critically - many times - before printing it out! Well, I have some re-writing to do on chapter one, and I need to take off my Pulitzer-colored glasses before I hammer out the next draft of chapter two.

But that's okay. That's why I joined the pod. See you Thursday, gang.

Sometimes a Lamppost, Sometimes a Dog

I wrote some time ago that, through the Writer's Alliance of Gainesville, I would soon be participating in a small critique group, dubbed a "pod." Well, last week four of us met in what I hope will be just the first of many good sessions dedicated to fiction writing. We seemed compatible, which is great for a bunch of folks crazy enough to want to write who have never met before. That was hurdle one.

At that meeting we each gave the other members a copy of several pages of our respective works-in-progress, to be taken home and critiqued before this afternoon's meeting. Hurdle two.

Will they like what I wrote? If they don't, will they say so? And if they do say so, is that bad or good? There's something about putting your work in someone's hands and saying, "Critique me" that is akin to sticking out your chin and saying, "Gimme your best shot."

Well, wouldn't you know, right when these thoughts were swirling through my head, Glenn Pearsall just sent me the following quote:

"Asking a working writer what he thinks of critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs." (Attributed to Christopher Hampton, Academy Award-winning British playwright)

Perfect! Today I am a lamppost.

But now I have to ask myself another question: How will the other writers react to my critique of their works? Were my comments on the mark? Will they be regarded as helpful and constructive or negative and picky?

Either way, I'm not just a lamppost, I am also a dog.

I'll let you know how it goes, and what wisdom I glean from this experience.

Perky

A Tale of WAG

I'm off this afternoon to attend the second meeting of Writer's Alliance of Gainesville, or "WAG," as it is already known. This meeting will be great - a presentation by local poet and teacher Lola Haskins, author of "Not Feathers Yet." I'm looking forward to it.

WAG is also launching the start of several writing "pods" - small genre-specific critique groups that will begin meeting soon at various spots around the area at the convenience of the pod members. I plan to join a pod. I need to join a pod. Critique, as painful as it sometimes can be, is the forge that tempers our writing. My natural tendency is to write in isolation, re-read several times, and decide I'm "done." Without feedback, however, I'm missing the opportunity of making my work better. Writing that is intended for the consumption of others ought to be "market-tested."

I'm approaching this part of WAG with mixed feelings. I've belonged to groups before, and actually had good experiences. But each time I venture forth anew, I wonder if I'm too much of a wimp to bare my soul in front of others, and wonder, too, if I can make a valuable contribution to the other writers' work through my feedback. The only way to find out is to jump in, so I will. I'll report back.