Don't Bug Your Critique Partners...

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because mistakes really bug me!

(This post was sponsored by Grammarly.com.)

SNAP!

I did something I swore I would never do... I sent one of my critique partners an unformatted piece of my WIP (work in progress). Thankfully, she is a good friend and didn't hold my lack of proofreading against me. Normally, I would only send a manuscript for a critique after I had done a spell check, a grammar check, and read the manuscript out loud.

Why is it so important to me that my manuscripts be polished before I send them to a critique partner?

My critique partners are offering their time, energy, and skills to help improve my writing. So sending them my very best is what I should do every time. (Sorry, Theresa!) Even in the WIP phase of your work, you should check your work. I found a great site that helps you do this: Grammarly.

This is what Grammarly said about the piece I sent Theresa:

Grammarly found 45 critical writing issues in your text.

Score: 65 of 100(weak, needs revision)

Plagiarism		The text in this document is original
Contextual Spelling Check	9issues	Spelling (4) Commonly confused words (5) Ignored words
Grammar	16issues	Use of articles (1) Incorrect use of prepositions (1) Pronoun agreement (2)
Punctuation	4issues	Punctuation within a sentence (4) Closing punctuation Formal punctuation
Style and Word Choice	16issues	Writing style (15) Vocabulary use (1)

YIKES!

I found out all of this information for free. I copied and pasted my writing into the box and discovered I sent Theresa a really rough draft of my first chapter.

I should have checked it before I hit send. This really seems like a super tool. I won't be sending messy WIPs to critique partners again. I value their time. By sending something that's not polished it looks like I don't value their time.

Have you heard of Grammarly? They also post interesting and sometimes funny things on Facebook. Please check them out if you have a moment.

Where has the summer gone?

Summer is drawing to an end in our part of the world.  The kids go back to school on Wednesday. Don't ask me how sad I'm going to be that first week...My baby is going to be a senior this year. A good portion of my summer has been devoted to helping her find her top three college choices. Thankfully we found the third one two weeks ago. (Wipes brow)

Bur I've been up to a lot of other things, mainly critiquing:

Critiquing for others:                         Writing for myself:

Short story=Coma                                A charmed Life S.S.

First 41 pages blind gardener               Stanley the Seagull PB

NF PB- Again Adolph                             My tears poem

Chester’s Best Idea Ever-PB                  Finished SURVIVING

Lenny’s Fourth of July-S.S.                    OPERATION PIED PIPER

Seer 50 pages                                     Queried 6 agents(that I

Motley Ed-1 chapter                              know through

Page one                                             conferences or on line

Page one                                             connections)

Muriel and the Misfits MG novel             The Ground-poem

Our Life Revisited-Memoir

Sorcerer Sisters YA

Starry Night-S.S.

3 author bios

Madison Morgan 115 page Chapter Book

Country Bus poem

Two query critiques

Wolf Charm S.S.

Future Plans: (After school starts)

Currently working on critiquing Saving Danger From Danger. Then I am going to start an edgy YA. 

I have to finish reading TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for the Story Master Conference That I won from Martina Boone.  It’s in November and I can hardly wait. If you don’t know Martina please hop over to her informative blog. (And congratulate her on her book deal.)

What did you do this summer? What is next on your list of things you want to do?