As a key objective of Reading Writers is to improve our creative writing skills, half our meetings are devoted to critiquing fellow members’ work. This helps develop and refine our writing abilities by experiencing the insights and perspectives of other members. The group’s constructive comments and ideas offer each of us an opportunity to improve our work by learning from fellow writers’ ideas and experience.
The guidelines are intended to maximise the benefits of manuscript evenings. These are not rigid rules and can be amended as we find necessary. They are:
- Work submitted for comment is limited to 1,500 words unless otherwise stated in the programme. This maximises the number of manuscripts that can be properly reviewed in the time available.
- E-mailing manuscripts in advance to the other members gives more opportunities for assessment and comment than manuscripts presented only as hard copy at the meeting.
- Members should comment verbally in turn at the meeting. Those with nothing to add to earlier comments restrict themselves to passing their written notes to the author.
- Authors should refrain from responding to comments.
- There is no compulsion to submit a manuscript, or comment on other members’ work.
- Members are encouraged to make informal arrangements with each other to exchange scripts for comments at any time.
