  Fantasy
This week: Peer-Review Groups in the Spotlight Edited by: Satuawany  
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| Last month we went over some of the benefits of joining peer-review groups. This week, I'll give you some introductions to on-site peer-review groups. Hopefully, you can find one that's just right for you. |
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Publishers and agents recommend peer-review groups, but even if publishing isn't your goal, joining a peer-review group can be one of the best things to do for your writing. Critiquing others' work in a friendly and familiar atmosphere puts you in a comfort zone where you can learn more, do more, and get encouragement the whole way. It means more structure, it means steady work, and those things are great for building the discipline you need as a writer.
This past month, I've been contacting peer-review groups to get the low-down on what each is about. I come here today with information on just a few of the peer-review groups available on Writing.com. All the groups listed below are either devoted to speculative fiction or welcome it.
I am a member of a few of these groups, but I'd join all of them if I had the time. That's the impression they, their leaders, and members have left on me.
The Boiler Room focuses on Steampunk, but don't skip past this if you think you don't write it. The group isn't just for veterans of the genre. It's friendly to those who want to learn more about it and even those who know nothing about it at all. Part of their mission is to inform, and they are excited and happy to do it.
On the group page, you'll find a great link to a list of Steampunk themes to help you get a better idea. If you've written sci-fi or fantasy, you just might recognize elements you have used.
The group offers public and members-only contests, all of them geared toward helping you try out this genre. Becoming a member gives you access to the discussion forum where you can ask questions and learn even more about Steampunk and I dare you not to get inspired by the ideas behind it.
Of course, there is also a review forum. A link to a members' work is provided and willing members discuss the item for one week, following guidelines that give the writer the best chance of useful input. You have a chance of leading discussions about your work and, at the end of it, the most helpful reviewers earn awards. (I don't want to give any more away, but it's good stuff.)
The group leaders (tYpO/T.Boilerman  and CeruleanSon ) are friendly and more than willing to help you along, no matter how high up in the zeppelin you want to go.
This is what member Briar Rose has to say about the Boiler Room:
The group is a lot of fun. Steampunk is such a new subgenre that first of all, it is wide open for imaginations to go wild, and second, most of us have very little experience writing or even reading it so there's a real sense of excitement and adventure among us. We're all jumping into the deep end and helping each other swim. Steampunk appeals to a wide variety of interests - sci fi, history, adventure, mystery, romance, etc. - so we're an eclectic group but somehow it works, thanks to the magic of imagination and the magic of words.
For even more information, check out this testimonial from another member, nishia:
First off, just let me say that I never even knew about the existence of SteamPunk as a genre. The Boiler Room is just such an interesting name that I had to see what it was about and from the very first moment I was hooked.
The genre in itself is a perfect platform for so many elements from other genres. Typically seen as a sub-genre of Sci-Fi, SteamPunk looks to incorporate fantastical inventions based on steam- and/or clockwork inventions and devices. It can also be a great genre to write mysteries in, I think mainly because the "voice" of SteamPunk is very Sherlock Holmes-like in nature. By the same token and because of great stories from HG Wells and Jules Verne (both seen as classic examples of SteamPunk), it is great for adventures.
I am currently busy writing my second long-ish story (5000 words) for the official SteamPunk contest and just like with the first one, I am having tons of fun.
The group itself is made up of people mostly like me: unfamiliar with the genre, but eager to learn. We try and encourage and teach each other and it is really a great group of people with excellent group leaders and judges.
I would recommend this group for anyone wanting to learn about this exciting genre, anyone interested in writing Sci-Fi, mystery, adventure, fantasy and also anyone willing to push past their comfort zones. It is challenging, captivating and very fulfilling to write in this genre and a huge pleasure to belong to such a wonderful group of people.
All reviews I have had from people not part of or familiar with the group have been positive, with everyone mentioning how fun the stories are and that they thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
The Green Dragon Inn focuses on fantasy, but they're open to all genres. This is another group that runs contests for the general WdC population and you can check out their variety via a link on the group page.
TGDI is a newer group and it's an exciting time to join. You'll get to see the emergence of new activities from behind the scenes, where you can add input and help the group's direction. careisman has put together the "Invalid Item" to show you more about what membership entails, as well as the upcoming opportunities.
Besides offering review forums, TGDI works to give members activities that bring them closer, which promotes that familiar atmosphere that makes reviewing and receiving reviews more comfortable. There are opportunities for recognition (and therefore even more reviews.)
Check out what TGDI members have to say:
The best thing about this group is, our ability and willingness to help others and create a general feel of community. I chose to be in this group, mainly because I write mostly fantasy, but also because there is a huge possibility of ascension through the ranks. Being a part of a group is nice, but knowing what you do is seen and allows you recognition along with the feeling that you have an influence on the whole of the group is amazing.
I had only been here on WDC for a few days when I received an invitation to join the TGDI Group. I had just posted a chapter of my fantasy novel to be reviewed and it had been spotted by one of the members. I liked that the group was just forming and that members would not be so ingrained with each other as yet. I also enjoy reading fantasy stories and have a fondness for dragons. I have read and reviewed many of the stories in the group and by doing so have gotten to know people. Joining TGDI has been helpful for me to get to know WDC and to feel less lost as I explore the site. Its been fun and I intend to remain with them.
The Dark Society focuses on the genres of horror, thriller, and suspense. The group page says, "Horror isn't just about violence and gore; it's about the atmosphere of creeping terror that descends on us whenever we're exposed to the dark side of humanity." Put that way, there's a lot more horror out there than just what's next to Stephen King's work in the bookstore. This is the group to go to for help with it.
They have a great contest open to WdC members and a public discussion forum, if you want to talk to real live Dark Society members. (These are linked on the group page.)
The group is going through a time of regrowth, which makes now an excellent time to join. They're looking for people to help judge contests and keep discussion forum's active. Judging contests is another great way, along with reviewing, to help with your writing. Both let you focus on another's work and see things ways you might not be able to in your writing, but practice teaches you to carry those methods into your own work.
Anyone interested in the darker side of stories is welcome, but now is really the time to come in with a mind toward leadership. You have a real chance to steer discussions into avenues that you need more opinions on most. I can't stress enough how great it is to enter a group in a phase of regrowth, so if your writing has a darker side, I recommend you get in there as quick as you can.
Here's what Dark members have to say:
If you are a ghost, ghoul, or grave robber, you'd probably like someplace to just go and hang out with your friends. "The Dark Society's Meeting Place" is just that kind of place. Here we exchange horrific ideas, poke each other with the bones of the dead, and simply relax within a cocooned coffin of tragic terror. Of course, it's all in good fun, but when you toss in contests like "Sinister Stories Contest" it always makes the ghouls drool.
While I may be new to the group, I can't help but feel inspired by the energy and inspiration that is found here. The Dark Society is a wonderful home for those interested in consistent, quality feedback on their dark writings. I especially like that the group inspires writers to look beyond just gore and shock value horror writing and encourages them to develop their skills to affect the reader in different ways.
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Active Writers' Group is another new group, still in an exciting initial grown period. They allow all genres and have multiple review forums that focus on novels, poetry, short stories, and nonfiction. There is also the opportunity for members to set up other review forums, depending on their needs.
This group offers so much it's humbling to try to include it all in a few paragraphs. They are all opportunities, however; you are not required to participate in every level of the group. They have a monthly newsletter to keep members up on one another's projects, as well as the discussion forum. And once a week, they meet for chat sessions where you can voice your opinions or share your thoughts on a specific agreed-upon topic. Once a month, those sessions feature a guest speaker who comes in to answer questions about his or her area(s) of expertise.
Can't make the chats? No problem. You can read the transcripts later and open up discussion on them in the group forum. A lot of great information comes through in those chats and discussions.
On the group page, asymmetrical address some concerns you may have. You'll also find a link to the group's "Handy Book" which will give you even more of a glimpse of what is and is not expected of group members.
Members have ample opportunities to chime in on aspects of the group and where it is going. As such, it meets (or had the potential to meet) a wide variety of reviewing and writing needs.
Here's what member Lynn McKenzie has to say about being an Active Writer:
I like this group for two reasons:
1) The emphasis is on writing and reviewing. Not contests, not charity, not fundraising or playing games. Just writing pieces and reviewing each other's work, usually with an eye toward publication and always with one toward improvement.
2) The demands are simple. One review per month for each piece you post. Plus, you have the ability to go on hiatus without losing your status as a group member.
That's basically what keeps me going.
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Chat Reviews is just what its name implies: members exchange reviews via chat meetings. This opens up discussing your work in ways other groups do not. A piece is chosen and members schedule a meeting to go over your work in a real-time setting.
The great thing about this method is that you can ask questions about comments as soon as you have them, and have them answered. Not only that, but you get to see how the different people who have read your work react to one another's opinions, and that can go a long way in helping you decide what to change and what should stay the same.
It has a speculative fiction base, and (as the group page states) was founded by fantasy writers, but you can bring other genres along if you need help in them.
Chat Reviewer asymmetrical says:
It's a de facto speculative fiction group, since the four of us who are regulars all fall in that category. It's different from any other group on the site, in that we hold interactive reviewing sessions in the WDC chatroom. Authors and reviewers have a dialog, with plenty of leeway to ask questions and throw out impressions. I've found these reviewing sessions very valuable for seeing what impression my work actually makes, because it's easy to hone in on reader reactions, including ones that are unexpected. The others in the group often see things in my writing that I've completely missed, and help me brainstorm when I'm stuck.
| | WYRM (13+)
A group for those dedicated to writing and reviewing speculative fiction.
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WYRM is a speculative fiction writing and reviewing group. Their application process is more involved than most, but it assures a focus on review quality. Other groups are great for new writers and all kinds of reviewers, but WYRM caters to the experienced writer, the in-depth reviewer.
There is a link to a public forum on the group page, where visitors can ask questions. They also run a contest once a year, and I've already said how helping to judge a contest can strengthen your eye on the virtues and mistakes of your own work.
If you're not sure of your in-depth reviewing style, you can follow another link on the group page to the Application Review Forum, where you can get a look at the reviews that accompanied accepted member applications.
Their high standards tend to keep their membership low, but that allows for a close atmosphere in the discussion forum and a real chance to get to know your fellow members. They're always excited to see a new face in there and get to know people with different writing and reviewing backgrounds.
Here's what the members of WYRM have to say:
Best thing about WYRM: Getting to read a bunch of good stories I wouldn't get to read if I wasn't a member, and smart people to talk to. Plus, you get serious reviews at a brisk pace.
What do you think is the best thing about WYRM?
- It's going to sound cheesy, but the best part about WYRM is its members. The group manages to foster this sense of kinship while at the same time encouraging its members to constantly strive to become better writers.
Why do you want to be in WYRM, in particular?
- I'll be completely honest, if it weren't for this group, I wouldn't be on this site at all. I spend 90% of my time on WDC doing something for WYRM. I just love this group, the principles it was founded upon, and the people who are and have been associated with it.
My answers are pretty much exactly what Arwee said, but here it goes in my own words:
What do you think is the best thing about WYRM?
The members. They are more conscientious and productive than anywhere else on the site. Plus, they come up with some carazzy stuff.
Why do you want to be in WYRM, in particular?
Not only have I made great friends here, but by being here I feel like my writing and my skills as a reader and critic are going, and have went, places.
A hearty Thank You to the leaders and members who helped me gather information about their groups. Their eagerness and willingness to walk me through is further testament to how great the peer-review groups around this site can be. I apologize to the great speculative fiction review groups I fear I've missed, and to the ones whose leaders I couldn't get in touch with. I hope to be able to spotlight peer-review groups again in the future (and, again, those that cater to, or at least welcome, writers of speculative fiction.)
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Not exactly peer-review groups, but here are some groups that definitely know a thing or two about reviewing.
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Here are replies to last month's newsletter, [#4481] "Calling All Peer-Review Groups"
tYpO/T.Boilerman writes:
Please consider featuring "The Steampunk Authors' Guild " [E] as a peer review group for Steampunk authors. We are currently 26 members strong and growing weekly. We have various activities including poetry, short stories, and flash fiction activities as well as a reviewing/discussion group. As a whole we are very active. We have authors from most of the major groups around WdC and people on 4 continents around the world. We are truly an international group!
Thank you so much for showing me to this group and genre, Typo! You and CeruleanSon made me feel welcome and I hope a lot of people want to learn more about it.
Robert Waltz  writes:
Great topic for your first newsletter as a regular Fantasy editor - and welcome to the fold! 
Thank you! I'm in good company, no?
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  writes:
Me and a friend of mine created a group that deals with Sci-fi and Fantasy writers who like to use Non-humans as their main characters. Perhaps someone would like to check it out.
I'm sorry I didn't get to highlight the group this time, but hopefully we'll be able to work together another time. In the meantime, I'll tell others the link is "Non-Humans R Us" if they're interested.
saraiv writes:
I think the greatest thing about Peer-Review groups is the fact that we all have a common goal. The not-so-fun aspect of peer-review groups ... after a while many people start to walk away ...
I'm in four groups on WdC that are all about Peer Reviewing. One keeps it light, and we do member to member reviews. On the complete opposite spectrum, I'm in a group that takes one piece each month and everyone reviews it. Both are different, but I get similar reviewing points out of it.
The one thing I've learned is any feedback is great feedback.
All good points. What I've found, too, is that if people start to walk away, the great groups find ways to keep going. You get to see who was really serious about it all along, and a lot of times it opens doors for growth in a new direction.
LJPC - the tortoise writes:
I completely agree about the value of peer groups. I've had some success with publishing short stories, but would never have been able to without the sharp-eyed assistance of my crit group. Alas, that one faded away, but I've found others and hope they can help me succeed with novels now. Crit groups are invaluable.
-- Laura
Indeed! I'm glad you were able to find another group. That's something I should have mentioned on the last comment: if the group does fade away, there is usually another to join. And if there isn't one that suits a writer's purposes, it may be time to make one.
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Fantasy: July 27, 2011 Issue [#4526]
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