CRITIQUE GROUP FACTS
Handouts should be limited to five thousand words or twenty-five pages, whichever comes first.
If you are going to be away for several Wednesdays, you can hand out a chunk. For instance, if you are missing a couple of meetings, you could hand out fifty pages.
Please e-mail a copy of your manuscript to Jenny Engleka at JENNYENGLEKA@YAHOO.COM, so she can see that people who were absent get a chance to read the homework.
When there is a single manuscript or no homework for the next meeting, you can e-mail a manuscript to Jenny for distribution.
Jenny also keeps a contact list for members, so always tell her when you change your e-address.
Keep your oral critique to less than five minutes.
We subscribe to Milford Rules--if your work is being critiqued, please withhold your comments or responses until everyone has finished with your piece. Unless you are asked a direct question, of course.
Should you find material offensive, or you simply don't care to read something, you are not obliged to take the manuscript. No explanation necessary, simply don't take a copy.
We keep things flexible. For instance, if we only have a manuscript or two, should your story/chapter be twenty-nine pages, no biggie. Likewise, if we have a low turn-out or only one manuscript, feel free to take more than five minutes with your critique.
Please do not abuse the process.
Sign your critique. It makes it easier for people to know who said what.
Remember, critique is opinion, not fact. Critique the story, not the author.
Any questions, feel free to drop a line to RNEUBE@JUNO.COM.