Guides
How to find the room, and how to stay in it.
Ten pieces on critique, poetry, genre rooms, the write-in, and the decision to start a circle of your own. Each one points at the catalogue, and at the studios that sit beside the meeting.
01
The Quest for the Golden Critique: Finding a Writing Circle That Doesn't Suck
A field guide to the awkward, useful business of finding people who will tell you the truth about the work.
02
The Novelists' Support Group: You Are Not Alone in Your 80,000-Word Nightmare
Long-form fiction is a lonely job. Other novelists have already been lost in the middle.
03
The Poetry Circle: Where Weeping Is Encouraged (But Not Required)
A quieter room, where the unit of attention is the line, and silence counts as part of the work.
04
Genre Writers Unite: Why Your Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Romance Peeps Get You
Worldbuilding, tropes, and the particular relief of a room that already reads what you write.
05
The Online Writing Circle: Pajama-Clad Criticism at 2 AM
The commute is from the bed to the desk. The harder part is showing up, and giving notes as well as taking them.
06
The Critique Sandwich: How to Give Feedback Without Starting a War
A compliment, the hard note, and a way back to the page. Specific, or it isn't a sandwich.
07
The Magic of the Write-In: Just Get the Words on the Page
No reading aloud. No notes. A room, a clock, and the shared decision to stay with the draft.
08
The Writing Circle Red Flags: When to Run for the Hills (and Your Manuscript)
Ten signs the room is costing you the work, and what to do when you notice them.
09
So You Want to Start Your Own Writing Circle? You Brave, Foolish Soul.
Three or four people, a time, a few rules, and the willingness to keep showing up.
10
The After-Party: The Best Ideas Are Born Over Coffee and Chaos
The official meeting ends. The useful conversation often starts at the next table.