Critter Notices
Critters is 30!
Last November, Critters turned 30 years old! Wow! Thanks so much to all of you, who've made it such a resounding success!
FEATURED BOOK
Welcome to Critters.org!
What is the Critters Workshop?
Critters is a member of the Critique.org family of on-line workshops/critique groups, and is for serious writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. You get your work critiqued in exchange for critiquing the work of others, both of which are invaluable ways to improve your writing. It's run by Andrew Burt, former vice-president of SFWA and his army of software minions. Critters is free (except for the work of doing critiques!) and funded by donations; if you find Critters useful, donations are appreciated .
What Next?
- Want to know more?
- Want to join?
- Need resources on critiquing, writing or SF?
- Who are we?
- What's in the Queue?
- Where's the good stuff? (Manuscripts & Critiques)
- Want to jump to the head of the queue?
- Want to write a story?
- What's in it for pros?
What Others Say
If I were shopping for a workshop, I'd give Critters a close look.
Well run and quite stable
I spent a year literally just dedicating myself to reading short stories--getting the rhythm of them, understanding how they worked; understanding how to compress a story, because my brain kept generating novel-length ideas, and understanding how to pick a piece that would fit a short story. You just can't make a short novel--that's not how it works. But I also joined Critters. When you post on Critters, the way that it works is that people choose whether or not they want to read your story--in a lot of cases, based on the title and the first few sentences. So it's a lot like submitting to a slush pile.If you want a lot of good critiques, you learn how to title your story better and how to start off with a good hook. Critters is an old interface; it still has some clunkiness to it because it was designed back in the 1990s, but it is excellent for figuring out story writing. It's textual, it's simple and the process forces you to be diligent, forces you to get better at your hook and your opening, which are crucial pieces of short-story writing. A year of that, plus reading and so forth, helped me sell my first short story.
Critters has been profiled in Salon Magazine.
I did a guest podcast talk about Critters, and critiquing in general.
I was interviewed live on public radio for Critters' birthday, for those who want to listen.
More Info
Check out a more detailed description of Critters and what it's like to send a manuscript through the workshop.
Our mission is to achieve a high level of participation in giving critiques on short stories, novel chapters, and entire novels in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. The focus is on providing timely, helpful critiques. Our Rules are what make this work.
(And a steady hand on the tiller from the Critter Captain.)
Note To Pro Writers
Professional SF/F/H authors are most welcome, and we have many in the group. For one critique a month, voting SFWA/HWA members get immediate reviews of their work. If you don't mind a little humorous coaxing, drop in here.Ready to Join?
If you're ready to join, come on in.
