Scribophile

For new and seasoned writers, the need to have other eyes on your writing before contemplating publication can be a daunting, yet a necessary experience. The author must release a part of themselves up for criticism. The manuscript that has been labored, sweated and cried over for such a long time is like a child to the author, who must, like all parents allow their child to leave the nest.

There are Beta readers who can help, but they are in great demand. Some even charge for their opinion, even though many have no credentials to do so. You can also pay a significant cost to have your manuscript vetted by a reading service. These services usually do have people qualified to do so and they offer different services from proofreading to a full edit of your storyline, character development, plot, and pace. The price though, can be dear.

There is also the option of writing group. These can be good or bad. When you put your work out to be critiqued, you want positive encouragement and valid suggestions on how to better your writing, not insults. This is key. Unless you’re into masochism, no one likes to be abused and it can turn anyone off of pursuing a writing career or hobby.

I was fortunate to find Scribophile. This on-line community of writers offers an opportunity to have your work critiqued through its different stages. You can decide to submit by chapter or you can have your entire book critiqued by one or more people. However, there is a catch.

You have to critique other people’s writing.

The whole idea is to ensure that everyone gives as much as they receive. When you choose to critique a piece of writing, you are given points; the amount is dependent on how much or little of a critique you give. The normal range is 250 word of critique = 1 point. Longer critiques gain more points. One major benefit from critiquing is that you see what works and what doesn’t. From there, your own work evolves for the better.

Once you have accumulated 5 points, you can submit a sample of your writing, up to 3,500 words. Depending on the type of critique you choose, you can get three or more critiques from different people. What you do with the advice, is then left up to you. You can agree with critique or dismiss their advice. Using this input, allows you to re-write and then re-submit if you choose.

All authors must be ready to have their work criticized. It is the way we grow as writers. The fortunate aspect of Scribophile is that you do not have to worry about negativity. The site is monitored and any rude, insulting behavior ends with a warning and then a dismissal.

I have actually been on the receiving end of a very harsh critique which actually questioned why I would even bother to contemplate writing. Other writers read the comments and advised one of the monitors. The situation was dealt with immediately. It was done behind the scenes with no further confrontation.

The site has other features that are helpful. There is an Academy section that helps new authors on a variety of subjects such as point of view, pacing, character development and how to formatting a novel, short story or screenwriting. There are multiple forums on different subject that you can participate in. There are also a number of separate groups within Scribophile that deal with a variety of issues like query writing, specific genre, publishing and agent hunting.

The site does have a free version; however after trying it, I jumped in and paid the annual fee which is reasonable. The site has been a tremendous tool and my writing has improved tenfold.

I would highly recommend this site to anyone who wants to have their manuscript looked over before publication and/or are trying to better their prose.