It feels weird to be posting and to not be a part of a series or a chain. I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a classic Jon post and list my dream critique partners.
When considering dream crit partners, I first take into consideration writing style. John Green and A.S. King top that list with their high levels of humor and deep moments of clarity. I'd love to have Cormac McCarthy and Sherman Alexie in my corner too, so I can finally break the rules in the right ways.
Personality is another draw for me, and Maggie Stiefvater is the queen of fun in YA. I'd also like to have Neil Gaiman and Lois Lowry hanging around, ya know, for when I need a hearty laugh and some help with some of that deeper meaning stuff.
What about success by association? I'd definitely want to be at J.K. Rowling's right hand. Of course, it's slightly more realistic to ask Suzanne Collins out on a date. Or perhaps James Dashner would let me act as a a character at a signing or two.
Finally, I need a well-grounded, down-to-earth kinda guy or gal to round out my crit group. Who better than Ned Vizzini or Don Calame? Oh, wait, I totally need Stephen Chobsky to get me to watch Rocky Horror. I need someone who can look me straight in the eye and tell me that I suck, then hand me a beer.
Can you tell that I see crit partner as a synonym for hangout buddy? I think my crit partners might agree with that.
Who are your dream crit partners and what are your parameters?
Love your choices. Especially Maggie and JK Rowling.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices! I would want Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe (critting from beyond the grave? How cool!), Lois Lowry, Suzanne Collins, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Gayle Forman, and Neil Gaiman. I'm sure there are at least 500 more that I could think of, but I'll keep it short ;- )
ReplyDeleteOh! And JK too (duhhh)
ReplyDeleteDid you hear the podcast of James Dashner with Nathan Bransford and some other guy? It was on Nathan's blog yesterday.
ReplyDeleteJ.K., Gaiman and Cormac. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteI lucky that I already have my dream crit partners. They understand my warped sense of humor (are are equally warped themselves), and really get my writing. Also, they aren't afraid to tell me when something doesn't work -- that's invaluable.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, S. Collins FTW! Except I'd be afraid to let her see my stuff in such a rough state. :(
ReplyDeleteI have no dream crit partner. Is that strange?
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. And I'm with Michael ~ I don't have a dream CP. I already have the best ones!
ReplyDeleteali's blog
Natalie - They would be great, wouldn't they?
ReplyDeleteKristen - I need to read Forman...readerFAIL.
Anita - I love how you use first name, surname, first name.
Linda - In truth, I feel the same way about mine.
Tere - I'd love for SC to see my stuff in its raw state. I think she'd be kinder to me.
Michael - I don't think it's strange at all. The idea first occurred to me the other day when I was reading someone's post on dream agents. I think both ideas are absurd, but choosing dream crit partners is waaay more fun.
Ali - You do indeed!!
I'm not gonna lie - I already have such sharp, awesome crit partners that want to grow with me (which I find the most beneficial when it comes to learning the craft of writing) that I'm very happy, even if they aren't yet totally successful authors. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. How did I miss this post? Carrie Ryan is on my list right now. For pacing and accelerating the story in each consecutive book. And for making the setting a g-d character. She ROCKS. Stephen King would scare me as a crit partner. J.K. would be great for flow and char. development. (Obvs.)
ReplyDeleteBut, in reality, I am blessed. Truly. :)