In continuing our series on receiving critiques, here are the top ten things to not do when receiving a critique. 

1. Go to critique group or review critiques not in the right mindset. Check in with yourself and your emotions either before going to a critique group or reviewing a critique.
2.  Break the rules of the group. If you're instructed to arrive with 10 copies of five pages of your WIP, don't show up with 1 copy of thirty pages. 
3. Talk over your critiquer. Respect your critiquers time and effort and let them finish their thoughts. 
4. Argue. If you disagree or don't understand, ask clarifying questions. Or just say, 'thank you.'
5. Take comments and critiques personally. While your writing is a piece of your heart and soul, comments are not personal and not about you as a person. 
6. Ignore all advice. While you may choose not to follow the advice, comments about your work are valuable.  
7. Assume your work is perfect and can’t improve . No matter how experienced you are, you can always improve. 
8. Assume that because critiquers are not published or as experienced as others means their comments are less valuable. Critiquers are readers, which makes their comments valuable. 
9. If you receive a critique, expect to give critique. Be present and mindful when receiving and giving critiques.  
10. Treat others time/work as less valuable than yours. Critiquing takes time and energy. 

Congratulations to the following winners!

The Map by Alanna Robertson-Webb
I Guess They Don't by Greg Beatty
Room for One More by Chris Bannor
Defying Distancing by Tamara Merrill

Click here to read the winning entries.

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted an entry for our contest. We had so much fun reading them. Check back for other contests. 

Join us at the Flights of Foundry virtual convention happening May 16-17. Flights of Foundry highlights speculative creators: writers, artists, game makers, and podcasters. Participate in a panel, reading, workshop, or join a space to connect with another creative! If you are a  dreamer, thinker, and/or a doer sign up for the FREE conference: https://flights-of-foundry.org/ .   

Character Sheets to Build your Author Skill Set
At 2:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, the Semi-Sages host an interactive workshop where we take a deep dive into helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses as an author. Using a writer-based character sheet, (like one would find in a role playing game such as Dungeons and Dragons), we take participants through the self-reflexive activity of understanding who they are as authors. Participants will leave with an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses as well as growth strategies.

Spec Community Panel
At 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, the Semi-Sages invite you to join our adventure as we explore how community unleashes creativity. Join the discussion about how our passion for speculative fiction allows us to escape the challenges of everyday life. Podcasting, personality, and perspective, let's unleash the keys to productivity!

Imagine you received the above canvas in the mail, but there's no note or idea who sent it to you. What do you do and why would someone send this to you? This actually happened to one of our Semi-Sages and you can listen to Molly's story on her Semi-Sode. As amazing as her story was was, it sparked an idea among the Semi-Sages. What if we ran a contest, asking you to write a story on the above scenario? And what if there were prizes?
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PROMPT: You receive an odd package and have no idea who sent it to you. 
WORD COUNT: 250-500 words
WINNERS: Each Semi-Sage will select a winner for a total of four winners!!! You heard that right! Hint: Follow us on our social media platforms to see where our interests lie. Winners will receive a $25 Amazon dollar gift card, shout out on our podcast, publication on our website, bragging rights and a COVID-19 approved wave.    
HOW TO SUBMIT: Submit via our email address Semisages@gmail.com in the body of the email. ATTACHMENTS WILL NOT BE OPENED  
FORMAT:  Times New Roman 12 point, double-spaced. No extra spaces between paragraphs. Please put in the header Mysterious Package/Last Name. At the top of your email, please include your name and wordcount. If you have a specific Semi-Sage you'd like to submit to, please put her name at the top. If not, all Semi-Sages will consider all submissions. 
SUBMISSION DATES: April 10-May 8th (Extended!)
REPRINTS: No. We only consider original works. 
STIPULATIONS: We will not accept any gratuitous sex (story appropriate sexuality is okay), harsh language or any stories with abuse or mistreatment of animals (including human animals). This includes no torture porn, torture in general, rape, killing of children or animals, and bestiality. 
MEDIA RIGHTS: By submitting to the contest, you agree to share your work on social media and post the winning entries on our website.  

As we recorded this episode, California was in a shelter in place order due to Coronavirus or COVID-19 and we recorded from our homes. The Semi-Sages discussed how things were going for us on a personal level and then we went into the meat of the episode--plagues! We discussed Shakespeare who went under several quarantines and had his theatre shut down in his lifetime due to...the plague. We also discussed the importance of sanitation, and where the term sh*t-faced came from. It's a fun, topical episode!

In episode 4 we talk about dialogue and how to use it to breathe life into your characters.
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Each moment of dialogue must push the story forward, has to show how the characters feel about each other, and must be authentic and sound genuine. We share our favorite lines of dialogue from Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Twilight, Return of the King, Stranger in a Strange Land and discuss how these lines push the story forward and characterize these unique characters.
 
What are your favorite lines of dialogue. Share below!

In this episode we talk about romance and what it means to us. Romance isn’t just romantic love, but it’s also about love with cars, with nature, with our pets, or even with ourselves. We discuss that many character arcs involve falling in love with  themselves, before they can fall in love with another character. We also talk about why readers love romance so much even though the plot points, lovers meet, lovers start a relationship, lovers break up, one lover does a grand gesture, lovers reunite, stay the same over and over.

We also discuss the importance of choosing the best way to write for you. As Theresa says, “If you write, you’re a writer. Period.”
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How do you write? Do you write every day like Sarah or Theresa or do you binge write as Molly does? Do you have a critique group like Molly? Did it help? Do you need help finding a group? Let us know in the comments below.