As events at the Cascade Writers Workshop recently reminded me, writing dangers are everywhere. Websites such as Writers Beware and Preditors & Editors warn rookie writers away from traps that include vanity presses, squirrely agents, and horrendous contracts. But some dangers cannot be quantified or identified. The more subtle traps don’t take a writer’s money but steal something more vital: time and knowledge.
What is the most insidious of these traps? Mutual Appreciation Societies.
Mutual Appreciation Societies masquerade as writing groups. These societies schedule regular meetings where their members share poetry or prose (sometimes both) with the others, just like writing groups. They promise critiques, just like writing groups. But their critiques are tepid at best, focusing on the low-hanging fruit. For those societies who submit writing in advance, the members critique technical issues like grammar and punctuation–something which is impossible for those groups whose authors read their selections to the group.
Then we come to the difference between societies and writing groups. The unspoken rule of Mutual Appreciation Societies forbids members to hurt another author’s feelings. So after the manuscript is either read to the group or technically critiqued, group members discuss their favorite parts and share praise. As an ego-boosting device, this works pretty well. Unfortunately it is also fatal to new author careers and can destroy a promising writer before she even gets published.
How do I know this? Because for nearly two years I was a member of such a society and it did so much damage to my writing that I almost didn’t recover.
Praise is nice. Everyone wants praise, and unpublished writers crave recognition with the fervor of a starving man staring at a forbidden feast. But when writers are praised to the exclusion of all else, it instills in us a belief that we can do no wrong, that our art is perfect, that rejection is impossible and those who reject us are clueless and jealous and idiots. The truth is, though, that everyone’s writing needs work, even those who are famous best-selling authors. Writers never get manuscripts right on the first try, that’s why we call them “drafts.” We rarely get manuscripts right on the second try, that’s why there are editors.
A legitimate writing group or a legitimate group of beta readers is critical for all writers, experienced and new. Legitimate groups are willing to share praise when praise is earned and do occasionally give technical critiques, but that is not their main purpose, nor should it be the only thing that is reviewed. Legitimate groups tear apart a manuscript, pointing out issues. Legitimate groups discuss problems such as characterization issues, plot holes, world-building, and writing style. Legitimate groups give problem-solving suggestions even as they point out the problems. The bad is not the sole focus of these critiques. It is customary for the bad to be balanced out by mentioning the good, but there is a huge difference between saying “the world is really well detailed” and “I love your world. It’s the best thing since sliced bread.” The first is a good critique and the second is unnecessary praise. And praise has no part in a writing group.
Good critiques teach writers lessons about their bad writing habits as well as helping writers overcome those habits with good writing habits. As painful as this process might be, it is a necessary part of a writer’s evolution. Mutual Appreciation Societies allow a writer to live with the status quo, never learning, never improving, and never risking anything. Risk is important because when a writer takes risk, she can achieve amazing things.
When I took pitches at Cascade Writers, I asked this question: “What do your beta readers think of this work.” 95% of the writers gave me variations on the following two answers: “Why aren’t you published yet?” and “It’s the best thing I’ve ever read.”
Only two writers, *two*, gave me answers such as “It’s an interesting story, but you need to work on…”
I applaud those two authors for risking their hearts and self-confidence, and not falling into the trap of Mutual Appreciation Societies. To all other writers, I say this: Find new beta readers. The ones you have are killing your career.
#sfwapro
