I sat out in the sun today for the first time this summer. Not long, but there is now a difference in color between my arms and my stomach (which has not seen direct sunlight since the birth of my first child back in 1991)! And why did I finally have time to sit out in the sun you ask? BECAUSE I FINALLY FINISHED MY SECOND REVISION/REWRITE!! I sent it off to my agent on Friday and plan for it to be in front of the editor at Harlequin Medical Romance no later then Friday 7/23….in time for me to head off to the RWA National Convention on 7/27 without having to worry about it.

So far I have resisted the urge to tinker because enough is enough…..and because after all the time I’ve spent at the computer these past four weeks, my eyes, hands, and back are demanding I take a break……so here I sit….updating my blog.

Onto my post.

I belong to a writing group where we post our productivity and goals every week. Sometimes I see posts similar to this: So and so (we post in third person) didn’t get any writing done this week but she did two beta reads and critiqued four chapters for her critique partners.

Didn’t get any writing done? Shouldn’t focusing on our own work come first?

My opinion on this has recently changed. In a past post I mentioned my new critique partner Joanne. While I have never met her in person, we work well together. A week or two into our partnership, Joanne got a request for a full from Silhouette Special Edition. Even though I was working on my rewrite at the time, I dropped everything and spent two full days critiquing her entire manuscript. Her submission with the editor, she’s been instrumental in reviewing my work (chapter by chapter) within twenty-four hours, often times quicker, and pointing out issues that, after corrected, have really improved the quality of my manuscript. (Thank you, Joanne!!!)

My new opinion: If you can find the right one, a critique partner, AKA an objective pair of eyes, is a necessity. The problem: Finding the person who is strong where you’re weak, committed to making your work the best as it can be, and dedicated to getting your work back timely is very difficult. (It’s taken me over two years!)

Now I’ll ask you:

What’s your take on critique partners? Do you have one? Several?
Do you love them/hate them?
Do you think they’re a time suck or time well spent?
Are they nice to have or a necessity?