Deadly Prose Critique Group is above all a private group of creative, diverse and talented novelists, dedicated to the full-novel critique and career-building.

We support each other through exchanged critiques to a detailed template—keeping track of our work with credits for each chapter critiqued. We ask for a DETAILED critique, we spend a credit. We give one, we earn a credit.

FULL NOVEL CRITIQUES

About Deadly Prose
These sessions are scheduled for six to eight week periods in PRIVATE e-lists (subscribed by invitation only). Only you and your critiquers see the posts, keeping everything quiet and constructive. Your entire novel is critiqued in a few weeks. You receive incredible feedback character, plot throughline, pace, opening and closing of scenes, prose structure, point of view, nits on your actual prose – all with the view of giving you the information you need to polish your work. The critiques are to a solid template of information.

EXCHANGED EXPERTISE

We all have different talents. We are focuse don the commercial novel, not genre. Many of our members are published. The remaining members have been given "thumbs up" by at least two of the three members of our author admissions committee (made up of author members). This ensures quality critiques and a small group. This is a intense group of hard-working professional or soon-to-be-professional novelists, all working on completed novels.

PROFESSIONAL GROUP

We share our triumphs, our dilemnas, our issues—but this is a career-oriented group, very serious about the ultimate goal of publishing commercial fiction. We help each other achieve. We don't dabble in a hobby. For this reason, admissions is via an admissions committee. If you are a royalty-published or agented novelist you can enter without a writing sample, but you may still have to submit a sample critique. Why? Because we are a group of novelists who are either published or about to be. If you have not yet completed your novel, we encourage you to participate in the private critique forum, rather than the full-novel critique group (click here).

IT'S THE PEOPLE

Deadly Prose Critique Group is a group of supportive friends and professional associates. We have no room for flamers or antagonists. At the same time we're frank and honest with each other. This is a moderated group, and our moderator's word is final.

DEADLY PROSE

Publishers and agents watch our authors. Several mainstream publisher watch our members for their new work. To be a Deadly Prose Critique Group author means something. It means the manuscript will only be sent out polished and perfected. Agents have an eye on our members as well.

STAYING SMALL

Although we're open to new members, we're focused on staying small enough to remain constructive. This is why we only focus on the full novel critique.

IT'S ABOUT ACHIEVEMENT

Deadly Prose Critique Group remains open for novelists with talent, published or not, who want to achieve. If that's you, click on the YAHOO groups icon and apply. You'll be asked to submit a chapter to our admissions committee.

Since Deadly Prose Critique Group is designed for serious novelists working towards a career, you should meet certain standards. The broader Deadly Prose communuity forums is for everyone. The Critique Group is really for someone who has completed novel drafts and is ready to deliver honest critiques (HARD WORK!) and recieve honest critiques (HARD TO TAKE SOMETIMES!)

This is important to other members who need expert opinions – and who reciprocate with their own quality critiques. If you do not currently meet these criteria, why not bookmark this site for future reference? You do not have to be published, but you must show strong skillsets and be ready to improve. You should also be ready for critiques.

MEMBERSHIP

There are two ways to “convince” the membership committee to “give you the keys” to Deadly Prose Critique Group:
• You are a published author (any genre) or an unpublished novelists with a compelted novel willing to submit a writing sample. You will likely have to offer a critique sample as wel of a flawed chapter that will be sent to you.
• You are a serious novelist or you have published short stories and are now working on a novel length project (60,000 words or more), with at least a full completed draft. Again, you will be asked to critique a “dummy chapter”
• If you are a talented writer who is not published but have not yet finished your first draft, we ask you participate first in the Deadly Prose chapter critique forums. These are not formal or to template, but they are valuable.

Please read the Bloody Guidelines post, and any revised guidelines. If the group seems right for you, click on the Yahoo Group icon below. This is a private, secure e-mail style Yahoo Group, tightly moderated.

Click to join deadlyprose

These guidelines ONLY apply to the private full-novel critique group.

 EASY GOING GROUP

Deadly Prose Critique Group is very professional and follow certain guidelines. Guidelines and rules prevent disputes. Otherwise, Deadly Prose Critique Group is an easy going community of serious novelists, with most members on boad for years. We critique each other's work for mutual reward.

CREDITS

Credits ensure we give and take equally. You critique a chapter, you receive a credit. You must use the template to ensure all topics are covered. If you receive a critique, you SPEND a credit. If you miss a full-novel deadline, however, be aware that after the 2 day grace period, you start LOSING your built up credits, one per day you are late. Why? Because we're profesionals, with agents and publishers waiting. And because without this rule, the critiques almost always come in a little late. However, our members are never late.

PLEASE NOTE. Our group does NOT use pseudonyms INSIDE the private critique group. You must apply with your real name and your will be known in the group by your real name to make authors comfortable with your access to their copyrighted materials.

Moderated Credits

Inside the Critique Group, you'll be subscribed to a main "room" where we all talk via email and posts through browsers. Every two months, the moderator will place a CALL for novels. Critiquers based on debits and credits are assigned to novels submitted. If you critique you earn credits. If you receive a critique you spend them. The moderator manages "debts." Long term members can carry "debt." New members must earn credits simalteneous with their spend or earn them in advance.

Private Rooms

Once your novel is in a "round" you are subscribed to a smaller room, private for just you and your critiquers. The entire group does NOT see the critiques, only your critiquers and the moderator.

Template

New members must use it, older members must use it if the novelist requests it. The template is just a list of topics that should be covered on each chapter, then a broader list of topics for the summary critique of the novel. You'll be critiquing each chapter, one by one, then provide a summary critique of the entire novel.

Sensitivity of Authors

Most creative people are sensitive and their “creative egos” can be irreparably damaged by poorly thought out replies to the group. For this reason, the group is moderated to ensure we stay constructive. We also have found a few rules which the moderator will enforce. Again this is to ensure novelists aren’t distracted by damaging posts:

1. All posts must start and end with the positive summaries. Every novel (or scene) will have strong elements, and we start by highlighting these.
2. Critiques necessarily must highlight “areas for improvement” but be diplomatic and ensure that your post emphasizes this is “your opinion.”
3. We are very strict on this one: NO REPLIES TO OPINIONS OR CRITIQUES. In other words, no defense please, followed by counter-defense, followed by blood and mayhem. People render opinions and you take them or leave them as you require – without commenting.
4. You can ask clarifying questions, however, as long as it’s not a thinly disguised “defense.”
5. That’s it. Otherwise, just critique with the golden rule: “Give what you want to receive.”
6. For novel length crits in a scheduled round we try not to allow direct exchange of authors. In other words, A can critique B, but in that same round B cannot critique A. B would critique C. This prevents emotional cross-fires in critiques.
7. New members should follow the template to ensure they are covering all the areas a serious novelist will require opinions on. Non probationary members can vary from this, as long as the receiving author is comfortable with their submission.

Critique Deadlines

Bear in mind that novelists who are serious or working professionals often work to deadlines, self-imposed or agent-imposed. If someone requests a full-novel critique (Interrogation Room), we try to accommodate within 8 weeks.

Once you sign up for an critique, please try to meet the 8 week deadline. If you can’t, let the moderator know and we’ll work it out. If you’re couple days late, no one will get uptight, but any later than that you'll have credits deducted for each day over. Bear in mind agents are waiting. We can’t stretch too far. THE AUTHOR STILL NEEDS TIME FOR REWRITES! So, try to be early. More important, be complete and thorough. Most of us would prefer meaningful and brilliant insight over getting it done in 8 weeks.

Other Deadlines

There is a half-way point deadline to help keep you on track. If you miss it, you'll be warned by the moderator.

Politeness of Deadly Prose

A group like this must be polite. Please, no thinly-veiled put downs or sarcasm. Keep it friendly and professional. Flaming is grounds for removal, of course.

This is a MAIL LIST

This list uses Listserv-style mail. This gives us the privacy or posting without overly stressing about public intercepts. To join, you will be asked to agree to respect all copyrights. You should label your posts with your copyright notices.

The posts will come to your mail box. Ensure your junk filters are set to allow posts to come through.

Copyright -- PLEASE READ

ALL POSTS TO DEADLY PROSE ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR.
We all agree, in joining, that this listserv does not constitute publication or impact creator’s rights under copyright conventions.

Copyright also means that we can’t copy or print other people’s posts. If you print out for critiques you agree to destroy all copies. You also agree to delete their scenes from your computer. Archived backups, however, are kept on our Listserv in the event an author loses their critiques due to a computer malfunction (it has happened). You agree, in posting to this group, to allow the archive.

COMPLIANCE on COPYRIGHT

Any Deadly Prose Critique Group member violating copyright will be permanently removed from the Deadly Prose Critique Circle. The archive can serve as a record in the event there’s a copyright dispute, although this should never happen. There is no implied guarantee that the archive will be available in this scenario.

PLEASE NOTE. Our group does NOT allow pseudonyms. You must apply with your real name and your will be known in the group by your real name.