Scribe meeting this Saturday, August 28th!

It's time once again for the scribes of Riverbend to get together. Since this will be a fourth Saturday, our meeting will include dividing into four small groups and hearing what others are writing, sharing our own writing, and discussing and critiquing the works we bring. It's a helpful exercise which will also make you feel encouraged and not alone in what can sometimes be a lonely pursuit—writing. As always, the meeting begins at 10:30am in Quad 4. I hope to see many of you and I encourage you to bring along other potential writers. We are an open group and we'd love to continue to grow.
If you missed our meeting on August 14th, here are the guidelines for critique/workshop meetings which Jo Virgil shared with us. Please keep these in mind when you come to share and listen this week.

Ten Commandments of Critiquing:

1. Comment on the text, not the author.
2. Speak from your own perspective.
3. Be willing to give honest feedback.
4. Remember that a writer’s work and the conversations about it in group are private.
5. Start with a positive comment, end with a positive comment.
6. Honor the writer’s own voice—don’t try to re-write.
7. Consider the writer’s goals in asking for a critique.
8. Be specific with suggestions, but avoid being nitpicky.
9. Make your critique concise and leave time for others’ comments.
10. Keep a sense of humor.

Ten Commandments of Being Critiqued:

1. Be open-minded to the comments.
2. Don’t argue or defend your work—in fact, just don’t talk except to ask for clarification.
3. Be willing to receive honest feedback.
4. Identify what you are looking for in the critique.
5. Leave your ego at home.
6. Keep a sense of humor.
7. Listen to the praise, not just the criticism.
8. Pay special attention to comments that you hear frequently, and take notes.
9. Remind yourself of the purpose of the critique.
10. Treat feedback like a gift from your mother-in-law: If you like it, use it with pride. If you don’t, quietly toss it aside after she’s gone.