Critters^TM Workshop

Internet SF/F/H Writing Workshops

Here is a list of known electronic workshops on the Internet that handle SF/F/H. If you know of or run one you'd like to add, just email me the data for it.

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Name: Critters Workshop
Cost: free URL: http://www.critique.org/users/critters
Email: critters@critique.org
Genres: SF/F/H
Established: 1995
Synopsis of membership requirements: Anyone can join, but to get your own work critiqued you must be in good standing with respect to # of critiques you've sent in. "Good standing" is doing roughly one critique a week. Voting SFFWA/HWA members (aka "professional SF/Horror writers") are only required to do one critique a month. Special provisions to handle novels quickly.
Number of members: 1000+
Max # members: none
Has pro writers among members: Yes
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: 3-4 weeks (1 week for pro authors)
Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: 15-20

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Name: Online Writing Workshop
Cost: has a monthly fee URL: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/
Email: support@sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
Genres: Horror
Established: 2001
Synopsis of membership requirements: Valid e-mail address, agreement with member terms
Number of members: 100+
Max # members: none
Has pro writers among members: Yes (see Hall of Fame page)
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: 1-2 days for first review, 1-2 weeks for full complement of reviews
Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: average is currently around 4, with almost all receiving 2 or more, and some receiving up to 20 (average word count of reviews ranges between 300 and 400 words)

Name: SFnovelist Writing Workshop
URL: www.sfnovelist.com
Email: See web site.
Genres: SF (hard science)
Established: 1997
Synopsis of membership requirements: Anyone can join for a free six-month trial period. After that, you must pay dues to continue membership. This helps ensure that only serious writers continue. Submissions are restricted to "hard science" SF novels. You must critique three times as many words as you wish to submit before you can submit.
Number of members: 40+
Max # members: none
Has pro writers among members: Yes
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: a few days
Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: 5

Name: Gotham Writers Workshop
URL: http://www.writingclasses.com/scifi
Email: office@write.org
Genres: SF
Established: 1992
Description: Gotham Writers' Workshop, New York City's largest creative writing school, offers comprehensive writing classes in NYC and online at WritingClasses.com. Classes include Science Fiction Writing Online, Also: Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Business, Screenwriting, Poetry, Children's Books, & more. 10-Week, One-Day classes in NYC and Online, for adults/teens. Call 212-WRITERS or visit www.WritingClasses.com

Name: Online Writers Group
URL: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=29cbc74228c1cc213fec2a072bdb64d1& Email: kelleyarmstrong@kelleyarmstrong.com Genres: SF/F/H/R
Established: 2003 Synopsis of membership requirements: Anyone can join, but to remain a member you must submit at least two substantive critiques a month.  "Substantive" means a detailed critique not just a few lines of "I liked this."  Line edit critiques are not uncommon. Number of members: OWG is split into smaller groups which serve as the primary feedback source, although everyone is free to and does critique outside his/her own group.  Current membership is approx. 55, excluding the "newbie" group through which all new members must pass. 
Max # members: none
Has pro writers among members: Yes
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: Members post chapters or other WIP with a max word count of 3600 each month.  Critiques must be posted within the month.  Private arrangements can be made to exchange entire manuscripts. Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: 4-5 per month

Name: Critique Circle
URL: http://www.critiquecircle.com
Email: info@critiquecircle.com
Genres: All
Established: October 2003
Synopsis of membership requirements: Anyone can join, but we work on a credit-system -- You earn credits by critiquing the works of others and spend credits when submitting your own work
Number of members: 40+(and growing rapidly)
Max # members: none
Has pro writers among members: Yes
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: 2-4 weeks
Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: 5-10

Name: Carnival of Wicked Writers
Cost: Free
URL: http://freezenerve.proboards32.com/index.cgi
Email: Contact Critter James Swingle at jswingle@noneuclideancafe.com with any questions.
Genres: H
Established: 2004
Synopsis of membership requirements: Anyone can join. Members are expected to post a minimum of two critiques for every story they post.
Number of members: 50
Max # members: None
Has pro writers among members: Yes
Ballpark time from submission of ms. to when it gets reviewed: 1-3 days Ballpark number of critiques you'll receive: 3-6

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Some on-line workshops for which I have less information:

There's one run on Orson Scott Card's Hatrack River site, but I have no experience with it.

Critter member Amy Sterling Casil runs one on AOL (she says you need not be an AOL member except to participate in chats); contact asterling@aol.com. It looks like it's at: http://hometown.aol.com/sfwwmoder/index.htm

Critter member Fraser Ronald runs a fantasy oriented workshop, The Fantasy Writers' Workshop.

Critter member Sigrún Erna Geirsdóttir runs a Critters-like workshop in Iceland (in Icelandic) at http://www.rithringur.is (rithringur means "writing circle").

The Algonkian Novel Workshops

Sasha Miller runs one on Compuserve (but you have to be a paying Compuserve member).

Project Galactic Guide is an internet writing project for amateur SF humourists. Also has newsgroup, alt.galactic-guide.

Other Worlds Writers' Workshop, http://www.otherworlds.net

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SFWA's list of workshops (online, in-person, etc.) is at: http://sfwa.org/links/workshops.htm

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Some off-line SF/F/H workshops:

• Clarion and Clarion West, the grand-daddies of SF workshops
• Viable Paradise, a one-week intensive SF/F workshop held on Martha's Vineyard each fall.
• Odyssey, a newer Clarion-like workshop
• The Dalton-Woodbury SF&F Workshop

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Some non SF/F/H workshops:

• Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope magazine has an on-line workshop used primarily as slush for their magazine, but also serves as a workshop for fiction of any genre
• Internet Writing Workshop has workshops for various other genres
• The Novel Workshop is a workshop for, well, novels...
• Writers Write has a list of workshops on it for various other genres, etc.
• SFSite has a list of workshops on it and other writing stuff, etc.
• SFWA's Preditors & Editors also has a nice list of workshops on it
• Litique - abyrnes@litique.com

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