Writers with the Right Words
A critique group beyond the fleeting feedback
I joined my first critique group in 2008. Over the years, I cycled through formats ranging from reading on the spot to reviewing advance submissions. They were great rooms for testing out short prose, but the missing piece was always continuity, as there was never a guarantee I would see the same writers in consecutive sessions.
When I shifted to a novel, submitting my manuscript in six-page chunks meant explaining or defending the plot to entirely new readers every single time. But the thing I dreaded most was the "what happened before" summary.
I could squeeze the plot arc into a two-line recap, but capturing the emotional arc in a soundbite felt impossible. How could I summarize a character’s shifting motivations or slow behavioral changes?
Whether it is literary fiction, a spy thriller, or a potboiler, the heartbeat of the written word is always the emotional journey of its characters, isn't it?
I wanted a continuity of readership. I took a risk and, in 2023, founded Writers with the Right Words (WRW)—a community as invested in my manuscript as I am in theirs.
Today, our group focuses strictly on macro-structural feedback, not line edits or comma placement. For surface mechanics, there are plenty of software tools and paid services. We care about the human psychology driving the page. In our sessions, we examine how the emotional and physical arcs interact—ensuring a character's internal stakes evolve alongside external events rather than flatlining.
We dissect narrative architecture, diagnosing structural tension, pacing lags, and plot holes. Instead of settling for polite reactions or vague "I liked it / I didn't like it" comments, we actively brainstorm together to troubleshoot broken mechanics and solve story stalls.
While I never set out to deliberately exclude shorter narratives, novelists gain the most from this format. The entire structure exists to help us finish, revise, and rewrite full drafts without becoming overwhelmed by the logistics of feedback.
We meet once a month on Zoom. Members upload submissions of up to 4,000 words to Google Drive one week before the session. We read literary and commercial fiction with strong narrative engines—from slow-burn whodunits and psychological whydunits to dark humor and historical epics. We do not review screenplays, poetry, children’s books, textbooks, professional essays, technical writing, erotica, or AI-generated text.
Our circle is intentionally tight and carefully vetted to ensure we handle every manuscript with honesty, sensitivity, and respect. As life happens and members move on, seats open up. Right now, we are looking to welcome a few dedicated novelists into the room. If our focus and rhythm match the way you write, we invite you to apply.
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