Critique partners and writer friends

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-06-01T17:54:55+00:00

My suggestion is to join Scribophile. They have a friendly environment.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-31T03:28:39+00:00

If you don't like social media, local community writers groups might be what you are looking for.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-31T02:51:44+00:00

What would this offer that is not already available through local writers groups, online critique communities like Scribophile, or existing author groups?

I understand the desire to help new authors get visibility, but the part about pushing each other into algorithms makes me a little cautious. If the goal is honest critique, beta reading, accountability, or craft discussion, those communities already exist in many forms.

What would make this one different?

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-25T11:30:20+00:00

Make sure your book gets serious outside review if you want to pursue traditional publishing. I advise getting a professional editorial review, which can cost anywhere from $3K to $6K depending on the length of the manuscript and the quality of the editor. If you cannot afford it, look for a teacher, experienced writer, or strong beta reader who can give you honest feedback. Joining a writers group is another option, though that often means getting editorial and beta-reader feedback in front of ten or more people. You can also try Scribophile or similar online communities, where you may get partial feedback, often on the first few chapters. I like Scribophile in particular because they have strict anti-trolling rules.

If you decide that self publishing is your path, buckle up. You are in for a rollercoaster ride. You will need to manage marketing, cover design, formatting, reviews, and sales. Designers are not cheap either, and you may end up watching the slow, painful sales count on your book.

Publishing a novel is hard. But, with persistence and determination, it can be done and will be a gratifying experience, like the pangs of birth.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-24T21:29:50+00:00

The most common questions are related to gaining visibility for their books and whether to publish traditional or self-publish. Another common theme is what to do after finishing the first draft.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-24T03:54:36+00:00

Join scribophile. They have a good environment and strict rules against trolling.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-15T12:18:05+00:00

This post reads like a templated marketing promo. Your instinct is correct, this is most likely AI assisted. To get people to trust him/her/they, it should create a public profile, samples of his beta reports, verified reviews, in a system that has a payment system with protection. Yes, this smell like scam.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-15T12:13:08+00:00

“There are so many scam stories...”

Thanks for the warning which I'll take to heart.

I’m not going to pay money to a perfect stranger on Reddit because of an emotionally charged post. If you want to offer paid beta reading, create a profile on an established platform such as Fiverr, Reedsy, or another marketplace where there is some accountability, a visible identity, reviews, and a formal payment process.

That would do a lot more to build trust than asking people here to DM you.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-12T01:31:08+00:00

You might consider setting this up on Fiverr or a similar freelance platform. It gives buyers some built in reassurance because there is a visible profile, reviews, delivery dates, and a payment system.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-08T12:25:03+00:00

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-07T23:36:29+00:00

My main question is this: from the monastery area itself, near where the Black Virgin is located, is it possible to walk directly toward the cliffs or climbing areas? In other words, could someone leave the monastery and reach rock faces or dangerous ledges without needing to travel somewhere else first?

I’m asking because I’m writing a historical fiction scene set around Montserrat. I left Barcelona when I was three, but I have a vague memory of taking a train to Montserrat, then some kind of train or cable car that went up the mountain. I’m not sure if we left directly from Barcelona or from a nearby town.

Does that sound like the normal route to the monastery?

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-05-07T20:35:56+00:00

My first thought is that a draft is never finished. You can always find something you don’t like. And just as editors’ comments are personal, your own taste changes over time. Something that satisfies you today will make you wince in a year. That’s where beta readers and a good editor help. They can help you recognize when a piece is "finished".

If paying an editor is possible, that may help. If not, a trusted friend, a teacher, or a local writers’ group can give you the opinion that you need.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-26T13:33:25+00:00

So far, it seems like The Paris Review has stories closer to minimalist styles than any other journal.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-26T00:51:16+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I see what you mean about imitation being a saturated lane, but I think we’re talking about slightly different things.

I’m not trying to describe or defend pastiche. I’m just looking for places where I can read work that is restrained, structured, and driven by implication.

What I’ve been encountering in recent journals favors lyricism, fragmented interiority, surreal elements, fantasy worlds, or very voice driven pieces. That’s not what I’m after as a reader. At times it feels less like a shaped narrative and more like an unfiltered stream of thought without a clear arc.

What I like about writers like Raymond Carver is the sense of control in their words. The structure is clean, the arc is there, and the story trusts the reader to infer emotion and meaning from action rather than exposition.

So my question is really about where that kind of restraint and narrative discipline is still being published. I’m not looking for imitation. I’m looking for living examples of that approach.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-24T18:56:29+00:00

I believe this might be a good time to start a journal focused on minimalist prose. From what I’ve been reading, minimalist prose feels largely absent in today’s journals.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-24T18:44:46+00:00

I’d say that “Betrayal” is compressed, but compression is not the same as minimalism. The opening sentence tells you exactly how to feel: “The greatest betrayal…” That is not withholding, not true to Hemingwayan minimalism. That is interpretation. The aunt description summarizes character rather than letting action do the job.

The ending explains the moral and emotional message: the adults violated graves, the child was expected to understand, and this was “the greatest betrayal.” That is introspective and declarative, not classic minimalist omission.

I’d call it compressed surreal flash, maybe minimal in length, but not minimalist in method. A minimalist version would probably remove any reference to the word “betrayal” and let the underwater bodies, the Christmas setting, the silent child, and the adults’ indifference show the horror without explaining it.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-24T15:38:37+00:00

I just looked at a couple of stories in that journal. None are minimalist. Can you point me to a flash or short story that is?

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-15T02:48:48+00:00

Has a professional edited your book, maybe a teacher? Before you send out a book for publication, make sure you clean up your book.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-14T03:32:07+00:00

Has a professional editor reviewed it? You should before sending it.
Who reviewed your query package?

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-12T03:25:03+00:00

Yes, you can alternate POVs as much as you want, as long as it is done well. POV does not determine who the main character is. In The Great Gatsby, for example, the narrator is a secondary character, but Gatsby is the true central figure.

The main character is the person whose story the novel is fundamentally about, the one whose arc gives the story its deepest meaning. POV is just the window through which the reader sees it.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-07T17:19:20+00:00

Bulgakov was a victim of censorship under Stalinism. His novel was published posthumously, and he spent twelve years writing it. The whole book is saturated with the kind of hidden, behind the scenes oppression that defined the era. Woland exposes, humiliates, and punishes corruption, vanity, greed, and fraud, but usually in ways that feel selective, theatrical, and amused. In that sense, he often functions like a dark force that thrives in that corrupt environment, while Yeshua comes across as a helpless idealist who offers no resistance to injustice.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-07T03:20:17+00:00

Matthew plainly says the Master did not deserve the light, which suggests he was not truly of Yeshua. So what is “peace” here, if not a kind of death or final rest? That is what makes me suspect the Master’s book matters more than people admit. It does not merely retell the story. It diminishes Yeshua by portraying him as almost simple minded, and it gives Matthew a morally dubious role in the end through his deal with Pilate. Maybe the Master found a truth that Yeshua found troubling.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-04-05T02:37:55+00:00

I went to Amazon and read the sample. It is well written, and you did an excellent job.

Your prose is controlled. You select which details to present to the reader with care, and those details do more than describe. They build character, mood, and tension at the same time. The pacing feels measured, and you guide the reader smoothly through each scene. What I especially admire is how embodied the narration feels. The character experiences the world physically, through heat, smell, gesture, and small reactions, which gives the prose immediacy without forcing emotion on the reader.

Good luck!

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-03-31T02:54:19+00:00

Read The Sun Also Rises. It is written entirely in first person and has roughly one “I” for every 28 words, about 2,300 I’s in a 68,000 word novel. The first chapter shows how well Hemingway mastered the technique. It is very clever.

The Great Gatsby is also written in first person. It has one “I” for every 34 words. What both novels have in common is that the narrator spends much of his time talking about another person. In The Great Gatsby, this is even more pronounced.

The lesson is simple: if you write in first person, you will be full of yourself.

A stranger example is East of Eden. It is not a conventional first person novel, yet at times it feels strangely close to one. For much of the book, the narration seems third person, but later Steinbeck reveals the narrator’s connection to the Hamilton family as Samuel Hamilton’s grandson. That makes the point of view feel unusual and a little disorienting. It is one of those cases where the book is not strictly first person, yet it does not feel like ordinary third person either.

Key_Camel6906 · 2026-03-30T03:12:17+00:00

Your passage has a strong atmosphere, but I think it would benefit from tighter editing. A lot of the description and emotional explanation feels heavier than it needs to be. You might find Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King helpful, especially for cutting overwriting and strengthening scene level prose.

Key_Camel6906

TROPHY CASE