Peer review

I know I missed last week.  The joys of having an infant who is teething.  Anyway this week I’m going to talk about the importance of peer review.

Currently I’m part of a small writer’s group.  There are only three of us that meet with any kind of regularity.  We all have varied styles and ideas.  One is an avid writer of fan fiction, the other is just starting to get back into writing after some discouragement.  We all bring different things to the table, which is why we work well as a group, at least in my mind.

Now for a little about myself.  I don’t handle criticism of any kind very well.  And it’s not that I think I’m a perfect writer.  I’m not.  In fact one of the members of my writer’s group bought me a necklace with the coma key on a chain to help me remember that “comas are key”…  Part of the problem stems back to not getting enough criticism as a beginning writer.  Let’s face it most middle school and high school English teachers are more focused on grammar than content.  And I didn’t have creative writing classes in high school.  Learning a second language kind of shot my grammar skills all to pieces anyway.

Okay enough about my past.  What I’m getting at is I don’t handle even the constructive criticism that my writer’s group members give me.  And it is really, really, annoying.  I know I need their feedback and their help.  I’ve looked back at my first published book and there are simple grammar mistakes, and even complex grammar mistakes, that I missed despite my multiple personal edits.  And this brings me to my point.  Peer review is vital to being a success as a writer.  Other people have to help us because we get so close to our work that we begin to fill in the gaps, or ignore the problems because we know what it’s supposed to say.

My personal goal while I’m reviewing something another person has written isn’t grammar, clearly, what I strive for is to make sure the ideas flow.  Does everything I’m reading make sense to me?  This requires a methodical approach so I can make certain I’m not skipping words like I occasionally do when I’m reading.  The burden is on me to make sure I’m giving them my utmost effort.  If I can help, even a little, then I’m doing my part.