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Meets at:
Country Club Christian Church 6101 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 64113 |
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The Critique Group functions as a point of discussion for "works in progress" as provided members. The group leaders included Mary-Lane Kamberg, Deborah Shouse and Dawn Downey. The are all widely published, professional writers and editors who are willing to share what they know with other writers regardless of experience or achievement.
Learn more about: ► Mary-Lane Kamberg and Debora Shouse |
Spring, 2018
For the spring fevered and the writing-obsessed! 10 Week Session Begins
March 15, 2018 Thursdays, 10:20 a.m. -- noon Questions or to Enroll, Contact: Mary-Lane Kamberg 913-764-4950 Email ► MLKwriter@yahoo.com Fee: $65.00 Make checks payable to: Mary-Lane Kamberg Enroll and Pay at the first class. |
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How it Works
Members turn in, per their discretion: 3 to 5 poems, one chapter of a book, a short story, article or essay to the leaders, via e-mail or regular mail, or hand off at the end of class the week prior. We also critique query letters and book proposals. The leader then does a line edit and comments in writing on the piece. At a subsequent meeting, the leader reads the piece aloud to the group. We have found that it benefits the writer to hear someone else read the piece aloud. The writer often catches things he/she did not notice in written form. For longer pieces, we limit the amount read aloud to about 10 pages. |
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The class then comments on the piece with the goal of helping it become more publishable. Comments may address grammatical or factual errors, comments on structure, characterization, etc., or just how the piece “hits us” as readers. Sometimes, the class even suggests a different plot twist. Other times, someone may suggest a market for the piece. It’s pretty much up for grabs. Comments usually include both positive and negative points. But we don’t attempt to change content. We are trying to help the author say what he or she is trying to say.
Our meetings begin with “Market News,” which is a time (some call it “brag time”) to pass around recently published work, announce awards, acceptances or rejections, signing with an agent, sales of books, articles, stories, or poems. It’s also a time for such general announcements as when someone is doing a poetry reading or appearing on TV or on the radio or passing around an article in the newspaper about one of us. Also during Market News, we pass around guidelines or Web sites for markets we have found. It’s sort of a show and tell time. This time varies, probably about 15 to 20 minutes each meeting. However, on the first day of each semester, it takes most of the meeting, since we’ve been apart so long and lots has usually happened.
In each class, we read the pieces in the order they were turned in (roughly) but we like to read poetry first, because it goes a bit more quickly, and we can get more authors heard. Then we read the longer stuff. We also like to vary the types of pieces to keep the class interested. During the critique, the author simply listens. We don’t “defend ourselves.” However, the author may ask the person commenting to clarify the comment. The author also occasionally may ask the group a question he/she has that no one has commented on. We say, take what you agree with and leave the rest. Whatever anyone says is just that person’s opinion. The piece stays the writer’s to edit or not per the comments. 
We like to try to read pieces by authors whose work hasn’t yet been heard that semester... before we repeat an author. (Some people never turn in anything!) Also, the author must be in class the day the piece is read and critiqued. If he/she isn’t there, we just save it ‘til the next time they are there.
We take a seven to 10 minute break at midpoint in the session. This provides a bit of extra time time for socializing, or to ask each other specific writing questions – like advice on approaching a certain editor or anything else on a one-on-one basis. Our class ends at noon; whoever wants to join us, then proceeds to lunch at a nearby restaurant. |