There will be a  sign up option for critique tables when registering for the Wyoming Writers, Inc. annual conference. When you sign up you choose the genre you will be reading as groups are split up by genre. This is not an official sign up sheet but it  gives  Wyoming Writers, Inc. an idea of how many participants  will be at the tables for each genre. You can join the critique table when they begin, even if you did not sign-up when you registered for the conference.

Each critique table is scheduled for 90 minutes.  If eight (8) participants sign up, we should comfortably have ten minutes for the reading and critique of each manuscript. It’s important to practice before you come to the table for a read that takes half your allotted time (5 minutes). If you practice reading your manuscript before the conference but are still not a strong reader, don’t worry! You are not here to be judged on your reading ability. You are here to be critiqued on your writing. Please have eight (8)  copies of your manuscript so your peers can follow along and give you an honest, hand-written critique! Group size may be smaller depending on the number of participants in each genre.

While passing out the copies of your manuscript, BRIEFLY tell us who you are, where you are from, and whether or not you belong to a writers’ group. Tell the group what you want from them: 1) a hard critique for something almost ready for  market; or 2) a brainstormer—“This is an early draft. Where do you think it is going and what am I doing right/wrong to get it there?” Other than that, the rule is to “cut the crap and read … and pass the chocolate!” (This is according to Bearlodge Writers!)

Be considerate and respectful of the opinions of others, whether reading or offering critique. You are here to improve your writing and help others to do the same. If you are critiquing, find something nice to say about the manuscript at hand. Is it well-written? Does it tell an interesting story? Is it in good manuscript form? Did one character stand out above the others? There is good in everything—teach yourself to find the good and make someone’s day!

If other critique tables are physically close by, please keep your voice down so as not to interfere with what’s being discussed by other participants.

Make friends. Make contacts. Consider a critique partnership with someone you have met at the table. Don’t belong to a writers’ critique group? Go home and start one! If you do belong to such a group, institute something you’ve learned here and let us know how it works for your group.

We will ask for a participant at each table to also serve as a group moderator. The moderator is responsible for keeping track of the time allotted for each read/critique. We will provide a script to make facilitation easy! Thank you to everyone participating!