Today I’m talking about critique partners in honor of my critique partner (and friend) Nara Malone - whose first release The Tigers’s Tale comes out tomorrow with Ellora’s Cave.

Nara and I have been working as critique partners for over two years now. We got hooked up through the RWA On-line Chapter (shout out to Kate Pearce for matching us up!). I’d previously worked with a couple of other partners and things didn’t work out for a variety of reasons - our stories were way too different, one partner had a baby and didn’t have time. I also belonged to a critique group for a while which had some positives and some negatives. So I was very happy when Nara and I exchanged critiques and things went well.

What makes a good critique partnership work? When I started writing I was full of self doubt (oh who I am kidding, I still am!) so I needed encouragement. On the other hand, I had a lot to learn. A LOT. Nara’s gentle feedback was just right for me. And I hope I have also encouraged Nara.  

It also helped that we have different strengths and weaknesses. Nara’s writing is very poetic, almost literary in quality (and yes, she does write amazing poetry, which I so envy her for!). The first thing she taught me was to add more conflict. She caught me on not enough sensory details and adding action to my descriptions. Then she caught me on not being deep enough into my character’s point of view. She told me to go deeper. I went deeper. And she told me to go deeper still.

I’ve had critiquers who wanted to change my style and rewrite everything, who criticized what I thought were petty things, critiquers who wanted to show off how much they knew. Bad critiques can be damaging and discouraging if you don’t have confidence in your writing. So it’s important to have confidence in your writing and to stay true to your own style and voice, but it’s also important to be able to recognize when you have things to learn and to be open to making changes.

Nara and I have both had times of great insecurity and doubts, feelings of wanting to give up, times of personal struggle when writing seemed less important, and times of success. The hard times are easier to bear and the good times so much more fun when you have someone to share it with.

Our partnership has progressed from critiques to brainstorming story ideas, promotion and marketing ideas, giving each other business advice, and even rescuing lost Word documents (thank you Nara!). We have things in common (similar age, we have both lost parents, both of us are mothers who think the most important thing you can do in life is raise children who are good people and will themselves be good parents, and we both like to run - although I’m pretty sure Nara would take me in a race!). We are also very different - I so admire Nara’s computer and technical abilities, at which I am hopeless.

When my first book was published, of course it was exciting. But it’s just as much a thrill to see Nara’s story being published - a story I’ve read (many times!), a story I’ve had some small part in contributing to - knowing how important and exciting this is for her.

Congratulations Nara on your first release!