July 19th Meeting Cancelled

Our regular meeting scheduled for July 19th will be canceled as many of our members will be attending our Writing Retreat at Gilchrist. Our next meeting will be August 2nd at Baker College in Flint. Room E206 from 7 till 10pm. We hope you are all able to attend!

We are excited to see the new faces and hope you will be able to attend.

Some helpful tips for new attendants:

- Come with paper and pen to take notes

- Come ready to listen and hear some work in progress

- Know that you don't have to have experience in critique or even writing to join. We will help you out.

- Ask questions! Many of our members have been here for sometime and we are happy to help

Critique Tips:

- Focus on what the author is reading. Take notes

- If you are just starting out listen for words that repeat a lot or sentences that don't just feel right

- Feel free to say if things don't make sense. Even if you are hearing something that is in the middle of a story, if something doesn't make sense to you, tell the author. It may not be something brought up earlier

- If you don't know, or are unsure feel free to say pass - but keep in mind we are a critique group that helps each other out. We're there to give it and to receive it.

- Is there parts you wanted to know more about? Is there parts you really enjoyed but felt it was missing something?

- Ask questions - Before a read ask the author if there is something they are looking for

Reading Tips:

Once you become a member and are able to read, here are some tips that might help you out.

- Find 8-10 pages (double spaced) that you need the most help with. It's usually best to start your first time reading with the start of a story

- Some authors find it easier to print what you are going to read in advanced, but it's not needed. If you are using a laptop be sure to have it charged or bring a plug. Some rooms have more plugs than others so be prepared.

- Read slow and relax. We know you are nervous, many of us are still as well, but if you read too fast then we might miss important parts.

- Find a good place to end. The end of a scene is usually best, but if a piece is long, find a spot that is a good break to end.

Getting Critique:

- Many of our members will be honest with you. We try to balance what you did good with what you did bad.

- Sometimes critique can be hard. We understand you put a lot of work and love into your pieces so hearing negatives can be tough. The best advice I've gotten was listen, take notes, hold onto everyone's comments and set it aside. Step away from the work and the feedback for a couple days and come back with a calmer look on it. Sometimes you'll understand feedback better when it's not so fresh.

- Remember - You are the author. Our suggestions are just that, suggestions. Sometimes we mishear things, or are confused or don't understand why something is there that you mean to be there. But as the author, you can decide to take or ignore any advice we offer.

Hope to see everyone there August 2nd at Baker College in Flint Room E206 7-10pm.

If you have any questions or want more information visit the website of you can message the group and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

(Remember most of our group will be gone on the retreat from July 18-21 so we may not reply until July 22)