HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each participant will be placed in a group of three to five fellow novelists who will be reading and critiquing each other’s work over the summer.
This annual critique includes three segments.
The Query Package Critique takes place in April-May. Each of us sends our query package (first three chapters of our work plus a synopsis and query letter) to each of the other group participants. We mail out our packages in April and get back detail line edits from the others in a few weeks.
Then we make changes to our complete manuscripts, based on the feedback we receive, and, in June, each participant emails their full manuscript to each of the other critique group peers.
The Full Manuscript Review occurs over the summer. Each participant will read the manuscripts received from the others and assign a subjective letter grade for each chapter, each major character and each act (with the reasons why). This allows us to set aside portions of our manuscript that work and focus on fixing weaknesses identified by our peers during this segment. A template feedback sheet for the full manuscript review will be furnished for reference for each participant to adapt to their novel.
Finally, we'll all meet in Santa Barbara. This year, the retreat is scheduled for Friday afternoon, October 8th through Sunday morning, October 10th 2010. There, each writer will receive two hours of in-person feedback with their critique group, using an agenda of their design. A default agenda template is available for reference. We also offer coursework during the weekend.