Critique Group

Since 2014, Red Pen Addicts Anonymous has provided a monthly critique space for serious writers seeking honest & thorough feedback. We meet in Baltimore, Maryland. Our ranks include both published and unpublished writers. Our members have be recognized for our work with the following awards and honors:

We are currently at our membership cap but if you’d like us to keep you in mind for the future, feel free to get in touch.

Who are we?

  • We’re fiction writers. Lately we’ve been writing and discussing horror, women’s fiction, literary, and historical. We want strong prose, multi-dimensional characters, and satisfying plots. The genre is up to you.
  • We’re small. RPAA consists of 4-6 permanent members. We discuss three writers’ work each month. This means you never spend more than a month on the bench, unless you need to 😉
  • We expect reliability and dedication, to us and to your craft. With a quorum of 3 and a maximum membership of 6, we need to know we can count on you (and you can count on us).
  • We’re friendly. Most of us are parents. All of us have adult responsibilities outside of fiction writing. Despite the previous bullet point, we know life happens sometimes. We also keep a friendly atmosphere, and spend a few minutes socializing before getting down to business at critiques.
  • We’re here to critique. Sounds obvious, but not all writers want tough love. Some want a compliment sandwich, and some want a writing group to offer a regular pat on the back. That’s cool, but we’re not that group. We come to critiques expecting the honest, detailed, and constructive feedback that will take our work to the next level.

What happens at a critique meeting?

  • Snacking. We like snacks. And sometimes a glass of wine.
  • Chatting. We usually open with 10-15 minutes of catching up.
  • Critiquing. Each writer gets around 30 minutes of discussion on their pages, give or take (general sub guideline is 3000 words, but we’ll discuss everything from flash fiction to a full novel ms, given adequate notice).

What do members need to do?

Our expectations are pretty simple:

  • Read all the pieces before the meeting
  • Provide both written (i.e. notes on printed hard copies, when appropriate) and verbal feedback at critique meetings you attend
  • Keep your subs to <5000 words, unless you give the group advance notice and more time to read a longer piece
  • Attend critique meetings to which you RSVP “yes”
  • Give us a heads up if you can’t attend a critique (they’re usually on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.)
  • Miss no more than 2 critiques per year*

* Note: obviously we make common-sense exceptions to this. Also, attending virtually is totally fine if you have a sick kid or you’re spending the summer writing at the beach or something else renders you unable to be physically present.

Special note for the Covid-19 pandemic: we’ve met virtually since early 2020. This will continue at least until all members deem it safe and responsible to meet in person. After that, we’ll re-assess our meeting format and decide whether to resume in-person meetings or stick with virtual-only.

How do new members join?

If we’re below our six-member cap, we’ll consider new members on a case-by-case basis. Membership is granted through the following process:

  1. Email rpaa@jaclynpaul.com:
    1. A brief introduction: who are you? Why do you write? What do you write? Why do you want to join the ranks of the Red Pen Addicts Anonymous?
    2. A writing sample of no more than 5000 words, pasted below your email signature or provided via a link to an outside source (e.g. Google Documents, a published piece available for free online, etc.). No attachments, please!
  2. We’ll read your writing sample, discuss, and get back to you.
  3. If we think you might be a good fit, we’ll invite you to attend a critique as a guest. We have no expectations for your participation. Jump right in, or watch in silence.
  4. After the meeting, you get to decide if you still feel like we’re a good fit for you. We can part with no hard feelings, or the existing group members determine whether to offer provisional membership.
  5. Provisional membership lasts for three monthly critiques, during which you behave just like a permanent member of the group. After the third meeting, you may either request permanent membership or bow out with no harm done. The existing permanent members always have the final say on whether to accept new permanent members.

Remember we’re a very small group. Our primary responsibility is to maintain the tone and quality of our critiques. This requires the right balance of writing level, genre, personality, and critique style.

New members are only accepted if it is mutually agreed that they will help our members grow as writers, and vice versa. RPAA is a vital part of its members’ writing lives. Any changes to group structure are taken very seriously. If we decline anyone membership, it’s not a statement on you or your writing. It means we don’t think it’s the right move for our group at this time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Share
Tweet
Pin