Something I have been sitting with for a while and want to know if other people have experienced the same trajectory.

When I started writing seriously I was bad at it in ways I could not see and the invisibility of my own limitations made the work feel more possible than it probably was. Sat down, wrote things, felt okay about them, moved on. The feedback loop was slow enough that the gaps in my craft did not interrupt the process of making things.

Now I can see the problems before I have written them. Know a scene is going to be flat before I finish the paragraph. Feel the dialogue going wrong mid sentence. The craft awareness that took years to develop has made me a better reviser and a more interrupted drafter because I can no longer write in ignorance of what is not working.

The question I cannot answer is whether this is a stage that resolves into something better or whether it is just the permanent condition of knowing enough to see clearly. The writers I most admire seem to produce work with a fluency that suggests they are not fighting their own awareness the way I am. Either they have found a way through it or they started somewhere different than I did.

What I want to know is whether people here who have been writing seriously for a long time found that the self consciousness about craft eventually became less of an obstacle or whether you just learned to work alongside it rather than waiting for it to go away.

Hey everyone!

I'm trying to put together a small Discord group for young writers/readers — ideally around 17–22.

But I don't really want to make another server that's just writing prompts, critiques and writing sprints.

The idea is to have a small group of people who happen to like writing and intrested in making new friends.

We can share our poems, stories, essays, unfinished garbage, whatever we're working on, and give each other feedback when we want to. But just as importantly, we can also hang out. Also interested in self help and others Non fiction stuff.

Talk about books, movies, music, random ideas, life, philosophy, complain about our writing, send stupid memes, have late-night conversations, maybe eventually hop into voice calls — whatever naturally happens when people actually become comfortable with each other.

I'm specifically hoping to keep it small. I'd much rather have 5–10 people who actually talk to each other than 200 members and a dead chat.

You don't need to be published or particularly experienced. You can be someone who's been writing for years or someone who just started.

The only things I'd really like are:

- Around 17–22

- Interested in writing/reading/creative stuff

- Actually willing to talk and get to know people

- Respectful of other people's work and opinions

- No pressure to constantly produce or share anything

If that sounds like your kind of place, here's the Discord:

https://discord.gg/YdK2Y4cMq

And if you're joining, feel free to introduce yourself when you get there — tell us your age, what you like to write/read, and literally anything else you feel like sharing.

Hopefully we can turn a random Discord server into an actual little group of people. :)

* Genre/s: Writing and Fun * Goals/expectations/commitment: To make a small attentive friend group and to get to know new people. * Writing/experience level: Beginner or expert no matter * Meeting place: Discord * Max size: 10

For a crime thriller of mine, at two parts in the story, I want to have it so two different cops are overpowered by the villains. I thought I would write it so it's department policy for the characters to leave their pistols at the station when off duty, but so far a couple of readers find this hard to swallow.

Would this be too unrealistic of an explanation as to why they were overpowered? Thank you for any input on this! I really appreciate it!

Hello!

I(26F) am looking to create a discord server of fellow women who are writing fantasy! I would love to create a diverse fantasy group of women, whether you write romantasy or dark fantasy or grim dark fantasy or cozy fantasy or historical fantasy, all is welcome! Even those of you who think your book is better classified as paranormal(because I believe it to be under fantasy).

I am in the middle of act two of my first fantasy book and realize the trenches of drafting might be easier if I had a few friends! I am hoping to create a group of women who are prepared to share their work with other writers and get feedback, no matter what part of the drafting process you are at. That being said, I hope we will be able to do weekly critiques for each other. I am also hopping for writers who love to do sprints since that is the only thing that seems to be driving me these days.

Anyone above 21 is welcome! And this is strictly for women writers only, and is not something that can be negotiated. I am hoping to keep the community fairly small with 15-20 people max. If you are interested, please reply or send me a DM! The server already ahs a basic set up to it and I am prepared to make some new friends!

• Genre/s: Fantasy
• Goals/expectations/commitment: regular check-ins and chatting in the server, weekly critiques and feedback
• Writing/experience level: any! We are not snobby here
• Meeting place: Discord
• [Writing groups only] Max size: 20(non-negotiable, sorry)

EDIT: We are strictly against the use of AI in any form to help you write your book so if that's you.... this will not be the group for you.

I'm looking for a craft-focused Paranormal Romance/Romantasy critique group of three or four intermediate-to-advanced writers. Are there any that are already established or individuals out there who are interested in creating one? Ideally, we'd meet once a month via Zoom and/or exchange critiques by email, with approximately 4,500–5,000 words submitted per person.

I'm specifically looking for critique grounded in fiction craft rather than primarily subjective reactions.

I wanted to add like a flashback as the introduction to the story, but it feels so mundane and lacking of emotion. It doesn't make my skin crawl the way I want it to, you know? I wanted to keep it brief so that it kind of remains a mystery what is going on (and since it's a memory I kind of wanted it to be short to show that the character was so distraught they didn't really notice much), but it feels less traumatic and more detached that way. I've always had this issue, I feel like my writing is too objective and bland, so I struggle SO MUCH with scenes that have a clear emotional impact, especially if they're seen through the lenses of a character. Gosh, I just don't know what to do.

I am writing my very first romance novel and wondered if any UK writers know of any free websites that are good for writing on? I’ve been using Reedsy but would like to know if anyone knows of any better sites

Hey all!

I am a 23M self-taught comic artist who is looking for either a writing partner or group to help bounce my ideas off of. I've been working on one large story for over 8 years now, and I've been making a lot of progress of actually putting my ideas into an actual formatted story.

Genre/s: Fantasy, Comedy, Action, Dramas

Goals/expectations/commitment: My major goals are to improve my work and actually make a publication that I'm proud of! I am fully committed to finishing my project and working with others, while also giving any advice/criticism if I have any for their stories

Writing/experience level: I am *technically* a published writer, as a short story I submitted in a magazine was published. Otherwise, I have been writing/drawing since a very young age, and I have a lot of passion for it. Roughly a self-taught intermediate writer with some experience, but no professional experience.

Meeting place: Online, preferably

Max size: 2-20 people, I prefer smaller groups, but am willing to be a part of a larger group if necessary

My current story is a Shonen-inspired webtoon that takes place in a diesel-punk style baroque fantasy setting. Lots of action, comedy, and deeply philosophical themes are what I'm going for. If that sounds interesting, or you're just looking for a partner to bounce ideas with, let me know!

Hi! I’m looking for a small, ongoing writing group or a few critique partners, ideally other writers working in romantasy, fantasy romance, queer SFF, or LGBTQ+ fiction.

Genre/s: Adult romantasy, fantasy romance, queer SFF, LGBTQ+ fiction. My current WIP is an adult M/M slow-burn romantasy.

Goals/expectations/commitment: I’m hoping for something more ongoing than a one-time manuscript swap. I’d love to find people who become familiar with each other’s characters and worlds over time, can talk through story and craft problems, share progress, and exchange honest constructive feedback.

For critique partners, I’d prefer exchanging a chapter or sample first to see whether our writing and feedback styles click before committing to anything larger.

Writing/experience level: I’m currently 52k words / 32 chapters into my first adult M/M romantasy, The Song Without a Choir, with a projected final length around 90–100k. I’m actively drafting and plan to pursue traditional publishing after finishing and revising the manuscript. I’m happy to work with writers at different stages as long as everyone is serious about improving their craft and contributing to the group.

Meeting place: Discord would be ideal for ongoing conversation and exchanging work. I’m also open to occasional voice/video meetups depending on scheduling, days of the week, and time zones, but asynchronous participation is important to me.
Max size: Ideally around 4–6 writers. I’d rather have a smaller group where everyone actually gets to know each other and their work than a large general writing server.

I’d especially love an LGBTQ+ focused group or a romantasy/fantasy-romance-focused group. An existing group with room for another writer would be great, but if several compatible people here are looking for the same thing, I’d also be happy to help put one together.

I’m 18+ and looking for other adult writers. I’m comfortable reading adult material, and my own manuscript will eventually include open-door sexual content.

If this sounds compatible, feel free to comment or DM me and tell me a little about what you’re writing!

Hey writers, our small Discord community will be hosting a bi-weekly writing sprint event: a low-pressure, asynchronous writing sprint where members have 24 hours to write whenever it fits their schedule/timezone.

• Genre/s: all genres are welcome!
• Goals/expectations/commitment: 200-300 words, 24hrs per 2 weeks
• Writing/experience level: all experience welcome
• Meeting place: Discord
• [Writing groups only] Max size: 2-10

We'll be hosting this event regularly September onwards. The server is small, so we're expecting to have 2-10 participants, and we'll be reviewing each other's work at the end of the sprint.

We also have a weekly cowriting/coworking event (muted channel) where writers can body double and finish up their writing together in silent (perfect for introverts like me, hehehe).

Let me know if you're interested! thank you!

Hi all! I'm finished with Book 1 of a five-book Epic/political dark fantasy with a romantasy core, so think war, factions, high stakes, and slow burn. Its an 18+ series and looking for a small group of 3-5 early readers for feedback before I open up a launch date.

Content notes: explicit sexual content, dark themes (identity loss, psychological horror elements, power dynamics).

Long long ago god made heaven fir all the humans on earth but it was defective it didn't fit right it had something wrong with its design so he threw it away abd git to work om a new heaven for his angels abd fir him eventually life grew and devolved on its own in the first heaven God had made and that life became demons and thanks to the magic that he embedded into that first heaven it became a land shaped by the general populations belief on how it should be the veey space of that land changing to fit what they desired it to be so when God punished his rebellious and sent them down to this lesser heaven they expected a land of danger abd fire and so the old heaven changed into thier hell to match what they thought they deserved and thanks to religion on earth any human who goes to hell will still only see it as a place of danger and torture abd not the heaven it coukd be