A critique partner is another writer (or more than one) who works with you on your manuscript; giving their opinion on your plot, grammar, characters, etc. They all work in different ways, depending on their needs. I have friends that meet every week and work chapter by chapter. For me, my story is too fragile to have anyone give me an opinion on it while I'm working with it. I need to maintain my enthusiasm for the project. Once I'm finished, it could be torn apart and I wouldn't sweat it. So, my CP only looks at the finished product. She finds all the little things I might have missed, and sometimes a big one! I'm very strong at spelling, grammar, etc. but no matter how careful I am, I always miss something. So my CP makes sure that when my manuscript is ready for submission, it's as 'clean' as humanly possible.

     Critique Partners also provide something even more valuable: support. What would I do without my CP's shoulder to cry on when things get a little rough? She's the first person I tell anything to, and I can always rely on her being happy for any of my successes. That makes a good CP more valuable than gold, and I'm blessed to have mine.

And now, click HERE to read what my CP, Donna MacQuigg has to say on the subject.