Delmarva Christian Writers’ Fellowship

GOALS
(adapted from Write His Answer

by Marlene Bagnull, appendix 8)

With God’s help, DCWF endeavors to facilitate a “safe place” where believers can:

1. Press on to know the Lord, abide in Him, and keep on growing in Him (Hos. 6:3; John 15:1-8; Col. 2:7).
   
   
2. Reach out to one another in fellowship, support, understanding, and encouragement (Phil. 2:4; 1 Thess. 5:1; Gal. 6:2).
   
   
3. Pray for one another—for our personal needs, our writing, and especially God’s guidance and enabling (Eph. 6:18-19; Col 4:2; 1 Tim. 2:1).
   
   
4. Increase our knowledge of God’s Word in order to become effective communicators of His truth (Ezek. 3:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17).
   
   
5. Strengthen our writing and marketing skills (1 Tim. 4:14-15).

 

THE CRITIQUE PROCESS
(as suggested by Marlene Bagnull

and Susan Titus Osborn)

It is impossible for most people to critique their own work.  Plus, having to have something ready to take to the meeting is a great incentive for accountability. Realizing that the critiquing process can be very threatening, here are some guidelines:

GUIDELINES FOR CRITIQUERS:

1. Sped some time in prayer before you begin. Ask God for discernment and sensitivity.
   
   
2. Find something positive to say about the manuscript before making suggestions for change.
   
   
3. Respect one another’s beliefs. Do not debate theology.
   
   
4. Use a check-off list (see “Notice as You Read,” page 3). You won’t help the writer by a casual critique and the comment that “it’s wonderful.”
   
   
5. Keep the groups small (3-5 members).
   
   
6. As much as possible, give equal time to all who have manuscripts to read. Consider how much time you have and allot an appropriate number of pages per person.
   
   
7. Be sure you understand what the author wants from the session. If she is seeking publication, try to suggest possible markets. Some writers aren’t ready to submit to the publishing world. Some don’t want to. That doesn’t make their work any less worthy of our best evaluation.
   
   
8. Strive always to be honest encouragers.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PERSON BEING CRITIQUED:

1. Bring three to five (3-5) copies of your manuscript so the members of your critique group can make written suggestions (members may want to use different color inks). It is often much easier for others to spot problem areas when they can see as well as hear it being read.
   
   
2. Have someone else read your manuscript. Hearing your manuscript read aloud is a wonderful way of picking up on problem areas. OR . . . exercise the option of having them read silently (reading aloud may affect opinions). OR . . . you may want to read it aloud yourself.
   
   
3. Be open to new thoughts and ideas.
   
   
4. Listen. Do not debate or argue or defend your work. Develop an armadillo hide—you only learn by listening to others and taking what they say to heart. Feel free to ask questions for clarification.
   
   
5. Pray about the suggestions you’ve received. Many will be excellent, but not all may be right for you. Remember, this is your work and you are responsible for deciding which ideas to embrace or to disregard.
   
   
6. Be a good steward of the group’s time by working diligently on your manuscript to make it shine.
   
   

“Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed.”

(Prov. 16:3)