Critique Groups
Houston Writers Guild Critique Groups
HWG Believes That Effective Critique Groups Embody:
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Trust
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Respect
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Shared Purpose
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Established Ground Rules
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Sharing of Challenges
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Encouragement
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Differing Perspectives
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Caring About Work of Others
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Commitment
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Strong Leadership​
As Critique Group Members, We Commit To:
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Giving Fearless Feedback Respectfully
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Not Forgetting To Include the Positive
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Being Tough on the Writing But Tender on the Person
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Listening and Not Speaking When Accepting Feedback
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Offering Constructive and Specific Feedback
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Focusing on the Big Issues Verbally
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Following Our Circle’s Rules/Standards
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Honesty and Trustworthiness
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Respecting the Time of Others
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Critiquing as Requested
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Consistent and Timely Participation
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Communicating Respectfully with the Person if Problems Arise
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Assuming Positive Intentions from All in Our Group
In Person Groups
Check out our in person group meeting schedules to join an in person HWG group.
Virtual Groups
Check out our in virtual group meeting schedules to join a virtual HWG group.
Houston Writers Guild Critique Groups
In Person Group Schedules:​​​​​
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Date – Saturdays
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Time – 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
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Location – Houston Height's area
Virtual Group Schedules:​​
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Date – Tuesday
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Time – 7:00 pm to 9:45pm
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Platform – Zoom
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Date – Thursday
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Time – 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
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Platform – Skype
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Date – Sundays
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Time – 9:00 am
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Platform – Zoom
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Date – Tuesdays
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Time – 6:00 pm
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Platform – Zoom
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Date – Thursday
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Time – 7:00 pm to 9:45 pm
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Platform – Zoom​​
To join a critique group, you must be a member of the Houston Writers Guild.
Log in to your account or Register and Join today!
Then, access your Membership Portal and navigate to the detailed Critique Groups page for the specifics!
No new groups are being formed at this time.
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Still have questions? For more information, contact our Critique Groups Director, Steve Ellis.​​​​​
About Critique Groups
If there is one thing that the editors, authors, and agents at our conferences agree on, it is the importance of critique group membership and manuscript peer reviews. Spouses, relatives and/or friends do not count. We make it painless to help you get your manuscript publishable.
Houston Writers Guild Critique Groups are free to members. Visitors are welcome on a one-time basis. After that, membership is required.
There are usually 5-8 people at our groups.
Online Meetings
Sharing Files
Webex is free for meetings with no more than three members. It handles both audio and video, although there can be some setup glitches for the uninitiated.
Several methods are available for sharing files. The group can email attachments, although that clutters email servers and can lead to forgetting to delete other peoples’ files. Google Drive is free for the small amounts of storage required. Dropbox is not free, but if one of your members has an account, works well. Other cloud storage sites are also available.
FAQ
​Could I form a group with four members? Two?
At this time, HWG recommends groups of three, but would entertain other concepts.
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Why the timer?
We are all busy. Enforcing time restrictions keeps everyone focused and encourages spending time on more important areas of critique. The author will see the other corrections in the critique file.
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Does everyone use the same software (e.g. Word)?
No. But the group should decide on a file format (e.g. Word) for posting that is compatible with everyone’s software of choice.
