CORBS: 5 Letters That Can Keep the Drama on the Page and Out of Your Critique Group
By Jan O'Hara | June 18, 2012 |
“That’s an offensive question. You have the bedside manner of pink slime. I wouldn’t talk to you about sex if you were the last doctor on Earth.”
In medical school, it’s common for students to practice clinical skills within small groups. They interview a professional actor who’s been coached in a particular role, then receive feedback from their peers, instructors, and the so-called “patient.”
I taught Human Sexuality. Each year, as a fresh crop of students filed into my room – some puffing out their chests in a display of bravado, some slinking to their chairs and staring longingly at the door – it was clear they anticipated feedback like the dialogue above.
Scary, wouldn’t you agree? Particularly in such a personal realm.
Fortunately, I had M. Therese Cave as a mentor, and she dialed down the emotionality by providing a critiquing framework. Once we established and modeled the ground rules, small groups became safe and valuable places to learn. (Not necessarily comfortable, you’ll note, but safe.)
So let me pass the model on to you, shifted subtly to reflect the writing world.
You might find the CORBS model helpful if you’re:
- settling into a new critique relationship
- hoping to revive a stagnant, too-polite group
- still see potential in an acrimonious one
- are avoiding a valuable opportunity, not by choice, but because you believe you have to feel crucified to learn.
I’d suggest you discuss the principles in your critique group first, before doing actual work on manuscripts. Seek adoption through consensus.
One final note: CORBS doesn’t fix everything, of course. We had actors who gave inappropriate feedback, and participants who delighted in carrying personal grudges into the group, but that’s what facilitators are for, right?
*cracks knuckles*
*allows self to indulge in momentary nostalgia for her ball-busting days*
For similar reasons, some critique groups choose to establish a moderator – a goodwill-code enforcer, if you will pardon a touch of irony.
CORBS Model of Critique
CORBS = Clear, Owned, Regular, Balanced, Specific
Clear
- Clear expectations: Are you certain about what a colleague wants discussed in critique, and what’s off the table? If not, ask. Feedback is always more productive if it falls on receptive ground.
- Clear communication: You might be thinking, Duh, Jan, but it’s common for people to speak because they have the floor, not a considered opinion. Take time to gain clarity.
Many groups rely upon oral, real-time feedback for the bulk of critique, with written notes provided as an afterthought. Trouble is, between the sheer quantity of information, and the emotionality of a critique experience, writers can become overwhelmed. They miss valuable insights.
In addition, it might be days or months before an individual is able to edit. When they’re ready, it’s a gift to be able to turn to clear, comprehensive notes.
Written records are particularly important for groups that call for silence on the part of the critique-recipient – one strategy to limit defensiveness, though not my personal favorite.
For all these reasons, I’m a big fan of providing a clear, written record.
Owned
Though it can be challenging to remember, your feedback is only your opinion, and right-fighting – that is, arguing to establish who is right, and who must therefore be deeply, deeply wrong – is one of the most frequent poisons to infiltrate the critiquing-well.
Keep on the right track by using “I/ me/ my” statements, rather than “you.” You get bonus points for showing genuine humility.
Example: “Maybe it’s just me, but I thought she was in love with him, so I find this statement confusing. I interpret it to mean she’s after revenge.”
Regular
If you’ve agreed to a critiquing schedule it, honor it, explain it, or renegotiate.
Timeliness is important. If a writer submits a chapter for critique, then waits for feedback to trickle in, it’s harder to learn and discern patterns, harder to commit to that rewrite.
In addition, in case you haven’t noticed, writers are sensitive creatures. If you disappear shortly after they proffer work for critique, their imaginations will go into overdrive. (Generally to supply an ominous explanation, like the idea you hate their piece so much, you’d rather hide than render a verdict.)
It’s hard for a group to feel safe when participation is constantly in flux.
Balanced
- Balance within a particular session: Most people have heard of the “shit sandwich” – namely, that feedback about what can be improved should be nestled between doses of what the writer already does well. Begin and end your critique-contribution on an up-note.
- Balance in quality: With safety and time, some authors can get to an almost egoless state, where they seek high-level critique and can act without delay or devastation, even if they have a lot of work ahead. This is not true of most writers, at least not at the beginning, and not within every project.Therefore, if you see room for improvement, triage. Address only the points that can be changed or modified, and only at the level to which the critique-receiver is receptive. Don’t overwhelm the individual. You can always go deeper later.
Remember that point about right-fighting above? If you cannot produce solid content on what you think they’re doing well, chances are you’re operating with a personal agenda. Be cautious.
- Balance within the arc of the group: If you have an issue with the world-building, character, or a significant plot element from the beginning of a manuscript, better to flag it early than wait until meeting ten and drop a huge bombshell.
Specific
In my opinion, specificity is the quality that leaves a writer feeling energized after critique rather than defeated. Even if the to-revise list is long, it’s concrete and actionable.
As you construct your feedback, try to point out the passages or points which you’d like to see them:
- discontinue
- lessen
- increase
- replicate, because it’s masterful
It’s helpful to provide a rationale, too, so the recipient can judge the value of your feedback against their particular goals.
The more specific you can be, the more likely the recipient will learn their personal strengths and vulnerabilities, the faster they’ll become self-correcting.
Better to say, “I think you have a knack for nailing the absurd, as shown by this phrase,” for instance, than, “You are so funny.”
Ready to look for a critique group? Check out these places, as supplied by the very helpful participants on WU’s Community Facebook Page.
- The WU Community Facebook page (!) Click on the link > go to the top of the page > Files > Critique Partnership.
- Ladies Who Critique
- Meetup
- Absolute Write Forums
- Zoetrope
- If you write for children, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
If you’ve had a positive critiquing experience, what principles or policies are responsible? Please share in the comments!
A USA Today bestselling author, former family physician and academic, Jan O’Hara (she/her) left the world of medicine behind to follow her dreams of becoming a writer. She writes love stories that zoom from wackadoodle to heartfelt in six seconds flat: (Opposite of Frozen; Cold and Hottie; Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures). Her latest Christmas novella, The Cowboy’s Comeback Christmas, is part of a 9-author-strong anthology (A Cowboy This Christmas: A Sweet Romance Anthology). She also contributed to Author in Progress, a Writer’s Digest Book edited by Therese Walsh.
Jan,
Thanks for this comprehensive set of tips. I must share this with my critique group. We meet monthly and have drafted a group operations document that includes many of the points you reference. I would only add one suggestion: be welcoming and inclusive to new members. You don’t want newbies to perceive the group as a clique. Thanks again!
Good point, CG. Newcomers are bound to be nervous, but if they feel like they’re an outsider, it will take longer before they’ll risk appearing foolish. We all know how vulnerability is inherent to learning.
Oh, Jan, you are so funny. No wait, I mean, specifically the parts where you make me laugh.
Seriously, this is great advice. I can see now, in hindsight, that some of my wise partners and mentors have done some triage over the years. And with each revision I inch my way forward, as difficult and unending as it sometimes seems to be.
Thanks for sharing CORBS, and for the fb page shout-out. The critique partnerships doc comments have been rockin’ of late.
The funny thing about triage is one must first have an understanding of hierarchy — a challenge at the very beginning. When I first began writing-critique, I overwhelmed some partners out of a desire for diligence. But we all improve and learn! It’s part of the process.
Great advice. Specificity is definitely on my list of important critique qualities. It’s pretty frustrating to receive feedback with vague statements like, “This is confusing.” Well, how is it confusing? The writer clearly didn’t think it was or he or she would not have written it that way. A simple line or two of explanation can transform a vague comment into a useful insight.
Connie, I agree. I think fear is the reason people hold back — fear that their opinion isn’t valid, fear that if they do commit to a position, the critiqued author will feel devastated. I find the opposite to be true, particularly if the critiquer offers tools or examples.
So great, Jan. Thank you for making me laugh.
Thank you for also making me remember my very first writing group. I don’t know if you could have found a group of less healthy people. One man, eight women. At least three of us had some mental health issue, and the others might have been sociopaths. One had anger management issues.
It was a spin off of a fiction-writing class, and while we all seemed Fairly Normal in that class, once we started meeting in a critique group, it was dysfunction junction.
I could have used both CORBS and your ball-busting awesomeness fifteen years ago, but better late than never!
Thanks so much, Jan.
Oy. Not sure I’d be a match for those particular circumstances. Some groups aren’t meant to be! But thank you for laughing, anyway.
Thanks for sharing, Jan. These are awesome tips that I’ve bookmarked for future reference, as well s current. They’re very logical and put critiquing into a format that can be beneficial to both the writer and reviewer. I’ve already adjusted my current beta read to incorporate some of these points. Great article!
So glad you found it helpful, Maer! Thanks for letting me know.
Good advice.
I would be wary of recommending Absolute Write as a resource for anyone. My experience there was very unpleasant. I received snide, snarky, and destructive criticism. None of it was remotely helpful. Even after the sting wore off, there was nothing in the comments that I could use to improve my writing.
I’m sorry, Kiana. Snarky critique is always a challenge. I’m assuming you put your work up in Show Your Work? if so, can I make a few suggestions?
Casual critiquing is to long-term critiquing as casual sex is to a marriage. Assuming you’re looking for a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship, rather than posting your work on a message board, and relying on the random skills of that day’s posters, you can do this:
Watch who gives excellent critique and approach them privately. Share your work with them after discussion and agreement on process. (CORBS or similar.) You can do this through SYW or through the thread designed to solicit private critiquers.
Ensure the relationship will be reciprocal. People who know their work will be scrutinized next are more likely to treat others’ work with kindness and fairness.
Some groups assure compatibility by critiquing a third-party’s piece first.
These all take time, but IMHO, it takes more time and energy to shake off an ill-matched critique experience. Better to put in the front-end time.
I’m pre-critique group so not yet ready to use your advice, but thanks for the links at the end of this — I needed someone to point me in the right direction!
I’m quite scared about approaching people over the internet with my writing. How do you get over that initial fear and take the plunge? I’m the sort of person who needs feedback and support to learn, so I would definitely appreciate a critique group. Maybe one of the sites might just offer what I need!
*eek*
Thanks again.
CB, we’ve all been there, and I wish I could guarantee your first critique experience will be amazing and a Hallmark-card experience. The truth is, you probably will stumble, but by doing so you’ll have a better idea of what you’re seeking the next time.
You might take note of the suggestions I just made in my comments to Kiana. There are ways to diminish the feeling of risk.
When I comment on someone’s story, I have two goals in mind. One is the improvement of the story, and the other is the improvement of the writer. Whatever criticism I make, I don’t want to discourage or dishearten him or her.
Writer improvement is actually a very selfish goal: there aren’t enough good writers out there, which means I run out of reading material too fast.
Ah yes, improve content and relationship — admirable goals.
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[…] all that helpful. Or maybe there are some ego issues. Jan O’Hara (@jan_ohara) offers CORBS: 5 Little Letters That Can Keep the Drama on the Page and Out of Your Critique Group on Writer Unboxed. Not only is this great stuff all by itself, but it also lets me get in a plug […]
Awesome post, Jan! I’ll admit that I haven’t had great luck with crit groups. I work much better with specific critique partners. Maybe it’s because none of the groups I have been in had guidelines like this!
Nothing wrong with partnerships, Heather! It can be easier to sync schedules and process with one person. On the other hand, if one party gets sidelined due to personal issues, or one author works at a different pace from the other, it can help to fall back on the larger membership of a group.
In the end, it’s whatever works, right?
Brilliant post. I was in a critique group for years before I decided to venture off on my own. I wonder if things would have been different if we had incorporated CORBS in the beginning.
JR, all groups aren’t created equally, that’s for sure. You might have more luck in another crew.
If you’re at the point of having an agent and/ or editor, some authors don’t bother with a critique group, anyway. It’s so variable. Whatever keeps us writing, learning, and growing.
Excellent, excellent guidelines, Jan! I’m lucky in that I’ve found a great crit group and we’ve been together for a couple years now, but I definitely know some newer writers who would benefit from having such a clear foundation for critiquing. These are exactly the skills, attitudes and techniques that my college writing program sought to install in us, too.
Good to hear about the consistent foundation, Kristan, and that you’re doing so well in your group. I think it’s important to people here to know there are success stories.
These are great guidelines, Jan. I think that most of us write our first book and believe it’s going to be magic. Then when someone tells us it needs work, reality sets in. And as we grow into our writing and get better at it, I believe it also gets easier for us to accept a critique, mostly because we then have a clearer picture of how to fix the issue.
I’ve been lucky with every group I’ve been with, all marvelous, caring women who are kind, gentle, honest, and so very helpful.
I think that’s true, Sheila, that we acclimate to a critique environment. We develop trust in the group but, more importantly, trust in ourselves to learn through even the most challenging critique.
Glad to hear your experience has been mostly smooth sailing. I wonder if that’s because some of your partners have had critique-training through the RWA. I think it makes a difference.
Thanks for these tips. Critiquing is tough for us all. One thing I try to remember is to find the good points and make note of it.
‘What works & what doesn’t ‘ is roughly what I have in my mind when I’m critiquing.
It’s only one view, one opinion; and we just have to remember that. Now read my stuff and tell me how great I am. :)
“Now read my stuff and tell me how great I am. :)”
Ha ha. So true. The not-so-hidden desire of all who enter the critique fires.
Great tips, Jan. And thanks for including Zoetrope — I’ve been in several critique groups there over the years, and they have all been extremely helpful.
Thank you for the reference and the second pair of eyes, Liz.
Smart, smart, smart advice. Thanks so much for this, Dr. Jan!
Appreciate you fighting with the formatting for me, T. Don’t know what you did that I didn’t, but it’s maaahvelous.
This is amazing, Jan. I wish I knew about CORBS years ago, the critique group I was in might not have dissolved in dysfunction.
Color me surprised, Kathleen. When I did this post, I thought it would be too basic for most people here. I’m so glad I did it. (While obviously being sorry you had frustrations, too.)
This post is so useful, Jan! I’ve just been looking for a new and better critique experience. To build on the ‘sex’ metaphor, my current group is more like an anonymous orgy than a committed marriage! In other words, I feel the group has nothing invested in the success of its members, and that makes it uninspiring. Thanks for some great suggestions at getting inspired critique-wise.
Oh dear, LOL. Anonymous orgies have their place in some people’s worlds, I’m sure, but that wouldn’t work for me either. Hope you can find a better match.
When I felt isolated as an international, living under Israeli occupation, and trying to be a writer, I asked the Palestine Writing Workshop (https://palestineworkshop.org/) to use their list to announce a writers’ circle. It was chaotic at the beginning as people expressed interest but didn’t show up, and we tried to find a schedule that worked for everyone. I think it was important that we set the expectation from the beginning that there would be a start-up phase and that committed folks should stick it through. We also had a very strict communication policy: either you attend the meeting or you send an email that you can’t. Folks who didn’t show up weren’t welcome back. Now we have an intimate group of 5. We are all very interested in one another’s success. We HAVE to write 300 words a day, and now we’re pushing one another to publish. It an amazingly loving, smart and dedicated group that has come to hold a very special place in my life. And I’m not the only one who looks forward to Wednesdays with the same hunger that a faithful Muslim looks forward to breaking the Ramadan fast.
Wow. Now there’s a story, Nora.
Some critique groups grow a step beyond the pages and function like a mastermind group. Perhaps your formula for commitment allowed it to get to the next level. Sounds like a winner!
Maybe the magic number is five! My critique group settled into five members a few years ago and the support we offer one another is magical. We meet every other Saturday and email chapters to each other ahead to allow time for written critiques.
This post echoes the techniques we learned through trial and error.
One thing that isn’t mentioned is the size of the group. In our experience, when the group is larger than five, there are always problems in keeping balanced and on track. Mr. Blake mentioned how important it is to be welcoming to newbies and to not be perceived as a clique. We are a clique and plan to keep it that way! Our group is closed to newcomers, even though we often find it hard to say no. We all belong to a larger writing group in the community that meets less frequently and we steer newcomers there.
Carolyn, you’re right, I didn’t address size at all. That could be a whole other blog post in itself, since there are so many different potential critiquing structures. Some groups meet in public places, welcome all comers, read aloud and provide only oral feedback. Some are tight partnerships and take place over Skype. Others are entirely virtual.
Sounds like you’ve got the ideal one for you, and it’s fair — and honest — to keep it closed to newcomers. Why wreck what’s working, right? But if it’s an open group, I think there’s an obligation to be welcoming.
Love this piece! What a great share, thank you.
I’m the moderator for my writers group, and I start every session reminding people that what I’m going to say is only my opinion and I may very well be wrong. I’ll offer my thoughts, but I’m not going to bludgeon you with them – ultimately, it’s the writer’s piece and she gets to win.
When I forget to give my little spiel, someone will remind me. It sets the tone and contributes so much to the success of our group.
If you’re not in a writers group, I do recommend it. Like writing, critiquing (and taking criticism) is something you get better at the more you do. Just remember that it’s not personal – it’s fellow writers doing their best to help you with your *writing.* Their comments have nothing to do with your lovability as a person!
If they’re reminding you about the process, you’ve obviously got buy-in from the members. Sounds like your group runs smoothly.
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