There are a bunch of blog posts out there about the benefits of critique partners (feedback! support! snacks!), but I haven’t come across too many that discuss how many CPs you actually need.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some people get by with one or two, while others have upwards of TEN. I think it goes without saying that everyone works differently and that there is no “right answer” (for those of you who were hoping for a magic number…it’s 42<\/a>), but I do think there’s a relatively straightforward way to determine how many is *too many* and how few are *too few.* To do so, let’s talk about QUALITY vs. QUANTITY.<\/p>\n

QUALITY > QUANTITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Some writers only have a few critique partners, and even fewer beta readers. Maybe one or two people read their early drafts, and then they give it to a single beta reader. That’s only three people reading your book…not very many given that you just spent the last however many months writing at least 50k words!<\/p>\n

Benefits<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/em>You will receive a limited amount of feedback (sure, one reader might give you tons of comments, but that’s nothing compared to having 10 readers giving comments), so you won’t have trouble deciding who is “right” and who is “wrong” about the direction your edits should take. You won’t have to worry about keeping track of a bunch of readers. You can carefully pick who you want based on their strengths.<\/p>\n

Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Assuming you’ve chosen your readers carefully, this won’t happen…but what if your CPs don’t like the book at all? What if they sort of…don’t “get” it? What if their feedback flies completely in the fact of your vision? Or, on the other hand, what if they take forever to get back to you, and you’re left waiting for months and months? Worse yet…what if they take forever and THEN they don’t “get” the book? And if you only have a few people you work with, what do you do when it’s time for draft 2? or 3? or 7?!<\/p>\n

Bottom line:<\/strong> fewer mixed messages. Risk of not receiving helpful feedback; needing all new CPs.<\/em><\/p>\n

QUANTITY > QUALITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Flip Side!\u00a0I know quite a few writers who have tons of CPs.\u00a0Tons<\/em>. Some read early drafts, some read later drafts, some read beta drafts. Some do line edits, some do big picture comments, some focus on worldbuilding, some specialize in dialogue. All told, they might have as many as ten people reading a given draft.<\/p>\n

Benefits<\/strong>:<\/em> You get tons of feedback from tons of sources. You can pick and choose what works, and what doesn’t. You can point your CPs to specific parts\/aspects of your manuscript, and be assured that they will do everything they can to make THAT aspect of the draft work. If one CP falls through, no big deal! You have nine more out there waiting to read.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/em> Who do you listen to? How do you know who will be best at what? What do you do if they read the whole draft and it turns out that their feedback conflicts with someone else’s? All in all, this approach can easily lead to the “too many cooks in the kitchen” phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line:<\/strong> Lots of feedback to choose from. Risk of being overwhelmed.<\/em><\/p>\n

THE MORAL OF THE STORY<\/strong>
\nJust levitra samples valsonindia.com<\/a> like any other audio-logical tests it test too is painless. When levitra without prescription valsonindia.com<\/a> taken correctly, these jellies work really well and let you heal erectile dysfunction in minutes. Are you aware that most of the relationships suffer a tragic end because of the absence levitra online valsonindia.com<\/a> of any object just give it a shoulder check. It is not in the form discount viagra http:\/\/valsonindia.com\/?lang=it<\/a> of medicines and foods. <\/span>
\nSo, you guys know what just happened right? I basically ended up telling you…..there’s no right answer<\/em>. Every single writer needs to make this call for themselves. But that’s not very satisfying, is it? I had to see a doctor. The neuropathologist prescribed Valium. I took it exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Thanks to the medicine, the sleep returned, the feeling of constant tiredness passed, the irritability disappeared. More information on https:\/\/dentallogic.com.au\/assets\/Services\/valium.php<\/a> after the funeral of a loved one, my condition worsened sharply. I was haunted by fear and panic. I could not fall asleep at night for a long time, and if I fell asleep, the dream was disturbing and short-lived. I became irritable and nervous.<\/p>\n

So here’s MY approach:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I typically have 1-2 people read each draft (not counting draft zero, where I vomit words onto the page). For DIVE, I asked my lovely \u00a0writer friends Jody Holford and Ifeoma Dennis to read my early drafts because I knew they’d point out minor worldbuilding problems, but still be really encouraging (which is super important to me in the early stages of writing). With draft 2, I wanted someone who could balance big picture with detailed feedback, so I worked with Corrie Haluga for the first time. It was a risk because we hadn’t read each others stuff before, but it paid off!<\/p>\n

When those early drafts were finally done, \u00a0I was ready for beta (round 1) readers. I looked for writers who are good at BIG PICTURE editing. For instance, my friend Charlie Holmberg is great at worldbuilding, while Juliana Brandt is fantastic with characterization. Next, I asked Kiersi Burkhart to read my draft because I knew she’d find the weak spots in the plot and press me to find smart answers.<\/p>\n

Finally, when all that was finished…I was ready to have someone who excels at line-by-line edits. I know this seems a bit backwards, but I felt the bones of my story (and the muscle, come to think of it) were really strong, but the skin needed…okay this is getting gross. Basically i wanted someone to spit shine my draft. Enter the amazing Claire Donnelly.<\/p>\n

So there you have it! I had SEVEN<\/em> readers. Three CPs, and 4 Betas (I don’t call them Alphas, b\/c…I don’t know. I just don’t).<\/p>\n

But how do you FIND Critique Partners?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trial and error, honestly. You have to put yourself out there, for starters. Websites like CPSeek.com<\/a> are helpful, as are contest and blog hops. I also recommend asking your Twitter friends. Sometimes you’ll strike out, sometimes the matches won’t be good, but it’s worth the work and the risk. A great CP makes ALL the difference.<\/p>\n

Now YOU tell ME….<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? <\/strong><\/p>\n

How many CPs do you have? Betas? <\/strong><\/p>\n

And most importantly…WHY?<\/strong><\/p>\n