The Internet is a great place to be if you’re looking for feedback on your writing. Short stories, poetry, essays, book chapters—if you can e-mail it, someone else can help you improve it. And what’s really great about it is that reputable groups are out there, which you can join free for the asking—if you know where to find them.

Finding a Critique Group:

There are literally hundreds, even thousands, of critique groups out there. Many will have their own websites, or be accessible through someone else’s. But how do you know if you’re in a group that is right for you?

Know your own writing. What genre(s) do you prefer? Fantasy or science fiction? Horror or romance? Spy novels or hard-boiled detective stories? Mainstream or experimental fiction? Poetry or nonfiction? Whatever you write, there is a crit group (or several) out there for you.

Surf the Web. If you’re new to it, use a search engine, such as Google or Dogpile, and enter your literary genre. Then click "Search". Presto—zillions of hot links! You can narrow it down by searching within the results for "writer’s groups" or "critique groups" once you’ve completed the first tier of your search. Click "Search" again. Now you’ve got a much more manageable number of links. Read through them and click on any that look good. If you don’t like what you see, just use the "Back" button on your browser to return to your search results and try again.

Joining a Critique Group:

You’ve found a website devoted to an online group that looks just like what you need. Now what?

Don’t be shy. Look for an e-mail address (often underlined and in blue, in which case you can simply click it) and send them a "subscribe" message. Many servers have an autoresponder program in place, meaning you don’t have to put anything in the body of the e-mail, and just the word "subscribe" on the subject line. (Be sure to read the sign-on instructions on the site first.)

Within a day or so, you’ll be getting your sign-up and welcome messages from the group, and after that, your e-mail box will be buzzing with messages from the group. Some will be submissions waiting to be critiqued; some will be responses to your submissions. Introduce yourself and familiarize yourself with the group’s dynamics.

Some critique groups don’t use e-mail at all. They have members post submissions on an open forum straight on the website. However, there are some disadvantages to this: You need a password (which could easily be lost or forgotten); web pages can take forever to load if your modem or their server is slow; anyone visiting there could steal your work if it’s especially good; and if you try to sell anything that’s been posted on a website, you might have given up some of your first publication rights, meaning you’ll be paid less for this work than if it had not been on the Web first. Some reputable sites, such as Orson Scott Card’s website, Hatrack River (http://www.hatrack.com) have a way of working around this: group members post only the first dozen or so lines of their story, and send it out to the rest of their critique group (typically 4 to 6 people) via e-mail. This way, the chance of losing first rights is minimized.

What to Look for in a Critique Group:

1. Ground rules. These should be clear and reasonable. Length of pieces and subject matter may be part of the rules—some critique groups don’t do sex, violence or extremely long, short or controversial material, while others thrive on them. Group etiquette—no name-calling, no insults, no "flaming"—will also be part of the rules, since a critique group that’s not polite is not a safe or pleasant place to get needed advice. Many groups also have specific instructions on how to submit a piece (what to put in the subject line to indicate a submission, how often per week or month a member may submit something, whether or not e-mail attachments are allowed, etc.) Ground rules will usually appear in your first welcome message from the group moderator.

2. Timely responses. Most members in a group will have up to a week to read and critique each other’s pieces. It’s not fair to keep a busy writer waiting, and no one knows that better than another busy writer!

3. Politeness. It’s the mark of the professional, whether paid or not. Even if a piece stinks to high heaven (and the author knows it), telling them they’re lousy writers and should never write another word is simply inexcusable. Good critiquers will say honestly what they didn’t like about the piece, but they’ll also suggest what can be done to improve it. It’s a rare piece of writing that has no room for improvement, and a good critiquer knows it.

4. Lots of activity. The more writers are using a given critique group, the more likely you are to get plenty of timely advice on your own writing. Not only that, but the more often you critique someone else’s work, the better your own writing will be. Besides, what’s the point in joining a group where nothing ever happens?

5. The honor system. After reading and critiquing a story, members of the group should delete the message it came in, and promptly. Hoarding old stories not only takes up disk space on your computer, it essentially amounts to stealing another author’s work—if you liked it, support the author by buying the publication where she sold it, or visiting the website where he published it.

6. Minimal expense. There are some writing classes or workshops that operate online and do charge; as long as actual lessons are being sold at a reasonable price, there’s nothing wrong with this. But a critique group shouldn’t cost anything to join—there are lots of great ones out there that cost no money and just a moment’s time and a few mouse-clicks to get you in the door.

7. Moral (and professional) support. It’s great when members can share their victories—and sometimes, their frustrations. A good critique group will be open to reports of its writers’ successes, trials and tribulations. It’s also a great place for writers to share market information and thus help each other get published.

How to Read a Critique Without Flinching:

Getting feedback isn’t always easy or pleasant. If you want syrup, go to a pancake restaurant; if you want roses, go to a florist. But if you want honesty, be prepared to face the unexpected.

A critique group is full of unexpected reactions to works you thought would be straightforward, and new writers are often fazed by this. Don’t be. Plunge right in and read all critiques of your piece, then go back later and read them again. Don’t discount any advice, even if you don’t agree with it. Remember, not everyone shares your tastes, nor should you expect them to. One person’s great creative breakthrough is another’s big yawn. And sometimes, an unexpected suggestion might be the thing that helps transform your so-so piece into something highly publishable.

But suppose somebody has said something incredibly hurtful or downright unhelpful. Should you argue with this?

Not on the public forum. In private e-mail, if you’re really that upset, you can say what you will, but don’t be surprised if you get an even nastier response back. But why waste your valuable time and energy getting locked in a flame war? Deleting a bad critique is so much easier. And a sharp-eyed moderator is likely to spank the offending party herself, so don’t feel that you have to.

Fortunately, really scathing critiques seldom come up in a good group. And often what looks awful on the surface of things amounts to little more than a misunderstanding (not all critiquers will "get" what you’re trying to say), or a difference of opinion (the other person may "get" it and simply disagree with you.) You can thank them for taking the time to look it over, and not follow a word of their advice.

What Advice Should You Use?

Clearly, if two or more critiquers suggest similar changes to your work, they might be onto something. If half a dozen or more give the same advice, you should seriously consider it. If everyone stumbled over the same sticky patch in your piece that you encountered while writing it, take their advice with profuse thanks. But even if just one person pinpoints a trouble spot you had while writing, pay close attention to their suggestions as to how to fix it. It’s uncanny how often another writer will be right about something like this!

Much advice you get will be unusable—some of it simply due to differences in taste, some because it would turn your piece into something it’s not. Pay attention to whether the critiquer is close to your original vision for the piece, but don’t expect them to treat it as gospel. And keep an open mind—sometimes, a complete change of direction is exactly what a good piece needs in order to become an outstanding one.

Getting the Most Out of Critiquing: A Final Thought

You may not believe it, but the best way to become a better writer is not getting critiques—it’s giving them! By helping other writers find their way through the maze of language, you help yourself. You find yourself getting original ideas at an amazing rate; you feel great when you’ve suggested something that will make someone else’s gem shine; you’ll even find surprising new ways to spruce up your own pieces, including stinkers you thought you’d given up on long ago. Writers need to write every day, and writing critiques is a good way to limber up for your daily verbal workout. And on top of all that, you get thanks for good advice—and more of the same in return.

So, what are you waiting for? Get online, get writing—and write back!

Useful Online Critiquing Links:

Inkspot: http://www.inkspot.com. Very extensive clearinghouse of writing-related links. You can find links to most websites offering critique groups here.

Orson Scott Card’s website: http://www.hatrack.com. Offers free access to critique groups for writers of fantasy and science fiction.

DarkEcho Horror: http://www.darkecho.com. Specializes in horror and dark fantasy fiction; offers critique groups.

Muse-W Online Poetry Workshop: http:// home.att.net/~writerbeing/ A free online critique group for poets. Recommended.

Flashfiction-W and FlashXer: http://home.att.net/~p.casto and http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/FlashXer. Free critique and study groups for fiction under 1,000 words. All genres. Highly recommended.

Search Engines:

Google: http://www.google.com

Dogpile: http://www.dogpile.com

Both do meta-searches, meaning they comb existing search engines for all available links.

Sabina Becker lives in Cobourg, Ontario. She has published several short stories and poems online (you can find some of them through her website, http://www.crosswinds.net/~thescholary/). She credits her successful beginnings to participation in online critique groups; she has been active in at least one for more than a year.