The purpose of a critique group is to improve YOUR work and help you realize YOUR vision. It is not to turn your work to something that realizes their vision.

However, I think 'art' inspires feelings on a deep and frightening level so we are compelled to control those feelsings through ownership. If the art in a written piece affects us on that level, maybe we all have to resist the urge to make it our own.

I wonder how that works in other art forms. A friend who is a professional artist was commissioned by a hospital to paint a series of large paintings of a well known clown who died suddenly. When the paintings were almost finished he got a call from the hospital wanting to know what colors he was using. Based on previous experience, he thought they wanted him to change the colors to match the decor.

Irritated and half mad, he asked why they wanted to know the colors. He said he was delighted to hear that they wanted to paint the walls to match the paintings.

Maybe your critique group needs to paint their critiques to match your essay instead of asking you to paint your essay to match their critique.

smile