tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80130656003756514142008-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:002008-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:00It's in the ethers. Just blogged about this today.<BR/><BR/>To me, you get out of your group or critique partners what you put into them. Like a marriage, or a long-term friendship, it takes nurturing. You don't have to be these people's best friend. In fact, that can complicate things (in my case, one of my group IS my best friend and a tremendous writer, and it works for us). But you have to be honest and communicate openly, try to leave your ego at the door . . . etc. You can spot a toxic group or critique partner, just like, if you have your head screwed on straight, you can spot a toxic person and hopefully run the other way.<BR/><BR/>My group is invaluable to me--they give me discipline (I have to produce pages), and they alert me to those writer lessons I'm still struggling to learn. 15 or 20 books later, I'm still learning. That's what life is all about. <BR/>EErica Orloffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16415925758466527671noreply@blogger.com