Nathan Bransford - The Forums

dios4vida wrote:

Cookie wrote:Genre: fantasy
Audience: adult

Methinks I know who I'm gonna be matched up with!!

Methinks you're right. Lol. Mine is not quite epic, definitely sword, but not sorcery. More GRRM than Tolkien.

dios4vida wrote:

Cookie wrote:Genre: fantasy
Audience: adult

Methinks I know who I'm gonna be matched up with!!

Aha, yeah. I used to be in that category too, but my current WIP is not fantasy at all.

Sommer: I know what you mean. I've had the same problem with people who never read SFF and using magic in a story. I'll do my best to keep similar people together, because they have more reference, but there's a high chance we don't match all neatly. Hopefully it'll work out into useful critiques anyway.

As for reading each other's WIPs.. nothing stops us from doing it outside of the critique (or inside if there's time left). I say we leave that up to those who want to do it!

fantasy (with a little romance)

I agree with Sommer, both about 3 being a good group size, and about some risks for different target audiences.

1) Fantasy (epic and/or dark)
2) Adult (though I read some YA)

OK, guys, I think I have nearly everyone. I'm leaving until the weekend for everyone to give their genres and audience, and then I'll team people up.

It's time! The Critique Exchange Groups have been decided.

Fun fact: all of us write speculative fiction. We should all get along! And we got lucky, because there's 9 of us, 6 of which are fantasy writers. When it made no apparent difference in which group you'd be, I rolled a die. It's arbitrary, but it appeals to the gamer in me.

And now, without further ado!

Group Fantasy #1
Cookie (Adult fantasy)
Trixie (MG adventure/fantasy or YA fantasy)
Beethovenfan (Fantasy/romance, adult?)

Group Fantasy #2
MattLarkin (Adult epic fantasy)
dios4vida (Adult fantasy)
Nicole R. (Adult fantasy)

Group Sci-fi. Ish.
Sommer Leigh, YA sci-fi
Claudie, Adult sci-fi
CharleeVale, YA dystopian

The next step would be to PM/e-mail all of your group to exchange WIPs. While you are free to set a different deadline, I suggest you send your work to each other before Feb 4th, so that everyone has a month to critique properly.

You should send about 13,500 words of your work. It doesn't have to be that exact amount. Find a good resting point (chapter or scene end, for example). Try not to exceed too much, however. We want to be fair to everyone. Also, print the others' WIP and do the work on paper. It a) is easier to see mistakes and b) allows the other to bring back the critiques with them.

That's it everyone! And if there's no questions, to your red pens!

Claudie wrote:Group Fantasy #1
Cookie (Adult fantasy)
Trixie (MG adventure/fantasy or YA fantasy)
Beethovenfan (Fantasy/romance, adult?)

Group Fantasy #2
MattLarkin (Adult epic fantasy)
dios4vida (Adult fantasy)
Nicole R. (Adult fantasy)

Okay - question!!

Matt & I are critique partners, and while he hasn't read my work yet I've read one of his. Does that change anything, like would you want to separate us so that everyone gets new perspectives or something? I don't know if that messes with anything or if everyone's okay with it all. Just wondering. Personally, I don't really care one way or another.

Hmm...guess I should have brought this up earlier?

dios4vida wrote:Okay - question!!

Matt & I are critique partners, and while he hasn't read my work yet I've read one of his. Does that change anything, like would you want to separate us so that everyone gets new perspectives or something? I don't know if that messes with anything or if everyone's okay with it all. Just wondering. Personally, I don't really care one way or another.

Hmm...guess I should have brought this up earlier?

Well, that could've helped, yeah. Would've kept you both apart. Now, I don't know if the other group has started contacting each other, so before we decide, here's a couple of questions for you two:

Are you fine either way, or would you rather get critiques from someone else?
Have you read the section Matt intends to send (though I think that one is more for Matt to answer)?

Claudie wrote:

dios4vida wrote:Okay - question!!

Matt & I are critique partners, and while he hasn't read my work yet I've read one of his. Does that change anything, like would you want to separate us so that everyone gets new perspectives or something? I don't know if that messes with anything or if everyone's okay with it all. Just wondering. Personally, I don't really care one way or another.

Hmm...guess I should have brought this up earlier?

Well, that could've helped, yeah. Would've kept you both apart. Now, I don't know if the other group has started contacting each other, so before we decide, here's a couple of questions for you two:

Are you fine either way, or would you rather get critiques from someone else?
Have you read the section Matt intends to send (though I think that one is more for Matt to answer)?

I have just now (Monday evening) followed the link and read which group I'm in. I can be moved wherever you need me to go if it helps. I am more than happy to do it.

Okie. We'll wait and see if dios and Matt would rather work in a separate group, and if that's the case, you'll be our mover. So, Fantasy Groups, please hold a bit before exchanging e-mails or anything.

Actually, I should have read this more closely--I thought it was just critique partners in general, not for the Bransforumfest. I'm probably not going to be able to make that

So perhaps we need to encourage someone else to participate in my place.

Looks like Matt and I are trying to make Claudie's life frustrating. Sorry about that!!

Sorry, Claudie...

Ookay, we have reached an agreement! After some private deliberations, we seem to be running the critique exchange with two groups. The Sci-fi Ish one, which stays as it is, and the Fantasy one, which will have a fancy star-shaped exchange.

This is what the star looks like:



Now. This means you will all give and receive at least two critiques. You do not have to do more. The two participants you are connected with are your partners. If you have the desire to read and comment the rest of the star, however, have at it. Please aim for two in-depths critiques before you move on, however. Your partners are counting on you!

Just in case the shape confuses you, an example. In the star, Brenda is linked to cookie and Nicole. This means she critiques Nicole and cookie's work, and they critique hers. cookie's second critique, however, isn't Nicole. She is linked to trixie, and that's her 2nd partner.

Is that clear? Remember, you've got a minimum of 2 critiques. If you exchange your WIPs with everyone rather than just the two, however, you could get more. It is entirely up to you.

Now, I encourage all of you to get in contact with one another. Unless there's another problem?

The star is a cool idea, Claudie. If we do this again next year, I hope I'll be able to participate.