Don’t all pile on at once. I know you love your critique group, and maybe you’re right–but I have a few concerns, and a contrarian view of what such groups really accomplish. I’m not going to paint all critique groups with one brushstroke. Writers at different career stages need critique groups for different reasons, and depending on where you are in your writing, you’ll be able to put together different constellations of members. What Critique Groups are For The usual wisdom

Writing is fraught with uncertainty. Double that for starting a new project, much less your very first work of fiction. Even experienced writers feel uncertain. What if the topic is uninspired, the concept derivative, or–worst of all–what if the writing is bad? My answer to all this is, so what? What if the concept could be better? Are you going to wait until summer for the concept to change or a better idea to arrive? Why not get started and let the subject matter guide you