It’s been almost a year since the last critique partner meetup, and as social media subsumes more and more social networks, I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to find early readers + connect with fellow writers.
So, if you’re in need of a secondary reader, share the following in a comment:
Title (or working title, code name! Just something for easy reference)
Genre (e.g. fantasy, mystery, romance—get specific, if you can, with subgeneres too)
Reading level (e.g. adult, YA, MG)
Word count
What you’re looking for in a reader (e.g. a quick gut check, a thorough editorial pass, a cheerleader to read as you write)
If you see someone’s project that interests you, leave a reply and figure out how to get in touch outside the comments section. ☺️
Oh, and I highly recommendthatno one share their ENTIRE manuscript right away. Treat this like dating! Only share a few chapters initially, so you can get a feeling for how your writing and critiquing styles align. If the connection is there, keep sharing! If the connection ain’t there…then no hard feelings. Better to be honest that your styles don’t match than to keep reading when neither of you is enjoying it.
Now, happy reading and connecting, friends! 😘
P.S. It’s the last few days to enter the sweepstakes for an advanced reader copy of The Executioners Three!
Just saw this update in my email, but better late than never... right?
I would love to establish a CP or roundtable team for anyone working with speculative themes. I currently have a draft I will provide details below that I am working on my 5th round of edits and hope to query soon. But beyond that, have been working on short stories and another speculative/ women's lit novel that will have themes of PMDD and alien first contact.
Title: Paid Off (open to suggestion from any CPs!)
Genre: Speculative Dystopia
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 109,000
Partner: Gut-check, Character Development/ dev edit in general, flagging unclear ideas, orrrr desire to work on future projects
Blurb:
In one of the last two cities, drones patrol, ensuring civilians prepay their crimes. Romi Deng has been struggling to make rent by selling death to disgruntled housewives. So, when a paranoid caller rings her up with a cryptic double hit and a hefty payday, she can’t refuse.
Romi soon finds her target has strange allies when an insurgent ambushes her. He knows all her secrets, including her search for her mom, and proposes an unsettling deal. Save the corrupt senator and join the rebellion to commit unbuyable crimes.
Realizing she's undersold her services, she attempts to renegotiate. Expecting to collect an advance, a middleman hands her a detonator that blows up the bank.
Though she doesn't trust these rebels, they desire to infiltrate the city that is now hunting her— the city she suspects holds answers about her mother's disappearance. As Romi navigates what it means to be a part of a resistance, she discovers something else she's long avoided: community.
PAID OFF is an adult speculative fiction standalone novel with series potential complete at 109,000 words, combining the grit of THOSE BETWEEN THE WALLS with the formidable bureaucracy of HUM.
Not sure if this will appeal to anyone, but I'm working on a novella.
Title: A Memory of Love
Genre: Spec Drama
Reading level: (Young) Adult
Wordcount: 15,000 atm but getting longer
Partner: gut check, cheerleader, accountability buddy – at least for this first draft
Blurb: 12-year-old Lucy struggles with grief and her father’s decision to relocate their family of two to his home country of Spain. Her loss and inability to fit in force her to shut herself into her memories of her deceased mother. Her mother’s words that a single memory can bring you back to the person you loved triggers Lucy to time-travel to moments when her mother was still alive. While she struggles to find her mom and prevent her death, she develops a crush on a local buy, only to lose touch with him under tragic circumstances.
When 15 years later, grown up Lucy returns to Spain, she runs into the boy she met during her time jumps, now also a grown-up, and troubled man. Their relationship is all push-and-pull, and Lucy believes she can get back the boy she once knew by time travelling to that tragic moment in their youth when they split up. But when her father intervenes revealing truths, he had kept hidden from her, Lucy will be forced to learn how to let go of the past – or lose more than she bargained for.
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
Hi everyone—I’m a little late to the party, but better late than never.
Title: Tessa in Caerwild
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 105,000
Blurb: A year after her beloved grandmother’s death, sixteen-year-old Tessa Albright finds out that her adoptive family has been keeping a secret from her—she was adopted in the magical crossroads city of Caerwild, where mythical beings and regular people live side-by-side. She takes a summer job at Mythical Pet Care and Rescue, determined to find out more about her birth family. But in between taking care of a baby chimera and falling for her cute coworker Sharese, Tessa learns that the city and her past both have a darker side.
Please note: halfway through the novel, it turns into a heist plot! Tessa must liberate a magical artifact from a sinister bureaucracy in order to meet her birth father.
What I’m looking for: I’ve finished a full first draft of Tessa in Caerwild, with all the messiness that entails, and I’m having a hard time getting started on revisions. I’d love someone willing to be a second pair of eyes and make suggestions for big structural edits, pacing, and the consistency of Tessa’s character arc.
What I provide as a reader: It depends what stage you’re at! I can be an as-you-go cheerleader with enthusiasm and questions as you draft, or provide full-manuscript scrutiny and developmental suggestions if that’s what you’re looking for. I love fantasy and YA but I read in a lot of genres.
I would love to read. I would love to share my chapters. I write ya fantasy. About two twins who must leave the castle after the sun goes missing in a magical world set above the clouds
Hi Friends! I’m Jessy and I’ve been working on my first novel (currently working on edits which is the perfect stage for a critique partner to come in).
Title: The Fall of Atlantis
Genre: Fantasy, mythology
Reading level: Adult
Word count: ~105k (but will likely end up being around 110k by the end of my edits)
What you’re looking for in a reader: I would love a critique partner who can help me with the developmental edits to clarify on character development, if their motivations are coming through, pacing, and generally pump me up and tell me if I’m going in the right direction. (I'm happy to do the same for you).
Description: From birth, twenty-one-year-old Kara Eyre’s been told that, one day, she’ll take on her mother’s mantle as the Shield of Atlantis, protector of the realm and advisor to the king. Kara’s never known a day of discontent until her sense of safety is shattered by an assassination attempt at the age of ten. She struggles to untangle the web of lies spun by those inside and outside her kingdom. The king’s political machinations and Kara’s mother’s attempts to protect Kara forces her to question the truths she’s been told as she learns how to wield her Primordial powers. But something blows in the wind as ancient forces stir, and the foreign powers from the eastern continent, Pangaea, make their move. Does Kara have what it takes to protect her family and her people? Or will she bear witness to the greatest tragedy to strike the earth?
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Hello, I am Jacob, this is my project. I have completed draft number 4 at this point, so editorial feedback is welcome, but hopefully most of the grammar is well refined. What I am really looking for is someone to give me feedback about the overall narrative, characterization, and the flow of the story itself. You can be brutally honest, in fact I prefer it. If you love it great, I want to know what you loved, but if there are things you hate, I want to hear about those, too.
Title: The Ballad of Maribel Blake
Genre: Historical Romance (set in late 1960s)
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 82k
Blurb: Maribel Anne Blake is the precocious 16-year-old daughter of Cataline Blake. Mari’s mother is a man-eater, the sort of woman who plays men the way a card shark plays a poker table. Mari hates the way her mother treats men, especially her new stepfather, 27-year-old Norman, which leaves Mari so furious she refuses to call Cataline mother. When Cataline dies, leaving Mari in the care of a man she has known for two months, Mari is keen to comprehend why her mother became who she was, so Mari can better understand herself, and avoid repeating those mistakes. Mari must find the inner strength to become a better version of herself or fall into the rut left by her mother’s footsteps, destroying the lives most important to her in the process.
Hi yall I'm Matt! I'm on a third-ish draft that I'd like some fresh eyes on. I'm new here and would love to connect with other writers!
Title: Bury Me Twice
Genre: Sci-Fi Dystopian
Reading level: YA
Word count: 85K
Blurb: Sixteen-year-old Maverick cannot die. The catch? — the last living city in the world wants him to kill for eternity. Set in a post-apocalyptic city where its resources are slowly dwindling and immortal beings are seen as commodities, Maverick must topple the city and escape before all hope is lost. (Got a lengthier blurb I can send haha)
I'm looking for someone who can give somewhere between a quick gut check and an editorial pass. I have a feeling that the novel collapses halfway through, but I've no clue. Thank you all in advance!
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
HI! Carmen is my best friend and her WIP is amazing! I'm also working on my debut—hoping to connect with others to get some unbiased notes.
Working Title: Abandon All Hope (Book 1 in The Divine Tragedy series)
Genre: High fantasy (+mystery, adventure, myth/theology)
Reading level : Adult
Word count: ~15,000 thus far
What you’re looking for in a reader: Act 1 feedback, gut checks/cheerleader on plotted Act 2-3, hole pokes on world-building and magic system
Blurb: Three year's after her brother's death, Celeste Cantharos is surviving out of spite—and running Verturia's most lucrative guild of thieves. When creatures from the Underworld attack Eldergrave in search of her, Celeste is forced to confront her grief, her deepest fears, and her family’s darkest secrets. And she must journey to the depths of Hell for answers.
How I can help you: Provide honest, unabashed (yet constructive) feedback and be your aggressive hype girl
Hi everyone! New to this community (so happy to be here!) and working through my first novel. I would love to connect with a secondary reader and be one myself.
- Working Title: Heavens Hold Me (potential book 1 of a trilogy)
- Genre: Fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, mythology
- Reading level: Adult
- Word count: 15,000 currently
- What I'm looking for: Unbiased third-party feedback on drafted Act 1 and gut checks/cheerleader as venturing into Act 2
- The elevator pitch: All bow to Fate and its decrees, even the all-mighty Gods. Until Fate proclaims that a pair of mere mortals will unseat the Gods from their long-held positions of power. Over centuries, they create religion and rites all to shield their sacrifice of potential pairs and maintain their rule. But the will of Fate can only be held back, not countered... and Fate finds its way in the unsuspecting Nora and Leo.
- What I can be: Your personal Joy from Inside Out as you're writing plus I can bring the critique/feedback when needed.
Hi all, I’ve drafted my first novel but would love an outside perspective on how the story knits together.
Title: Shelter
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Word Count: 70,000
The novel is about Daniel, a sixteen-year-old boy forced to flee Britain and seek refuge in a foreign country where he has been promised he and his little sister will be safe. They arrive to find a city ruined by war and he must fight to keep himself, his sister and his new friends safe as the last semblances of civilisation crumble around them and the enemy draws closer.
I’ve written the first draft and had some feedback which I am now working on incorporating into story but I’m mainly concerned about pacing and whether the characters are well developed enough so would really like a fresh pair of eyes to have a look.
Happy to do reviews in return, I read most things other than horror. Or be a cheerleader, I write most days and have a tracker that helps me along that I can share.
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
Hi Rachel sounds great! I'm writing a dystopian sci-fi too. If you're interested, you could shoot me a dm? My story details are somewhere in here more recently. If not, no worries!
Hi all! I'm Angela and I'm working on a dark academia fantasy novel best described as if Gossip Girl took place at a magic school.
Title: Fated Magic (ROUGH title)
Genre: Dark academia fantasy (romantasy)
Reading Level: New Adult
Word count: Around 105K
What I'm looking for: The project is with two beta readers and I'd love to find one other beta reader or CP to look at the project. Right now, the prose is rough and I'm asking for higher level feedback. After, I'll incorporate that feedback and then start to work on making the writing sound a bit better.
Premise: A rebel masquerading as a rich student at the world’s only university must get into a secret society that controls the masses so her fellow revolutionaries can destroy magic once and for all.
I know you already have a reply, but dark academia is right up my alley! I'd happily beta read. Take a look at my WIP Tessa in Caerwild above and let me know if you want to trade a few chapters to start off.
Hi, my name is Casee and I am working on a true crime murder mystery. I never got a response when I posted last year, so hoping I will get a reader this year.
Title: Jayne Doe
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 6832
What I'm looking for in a reader: I am looking for a gut check and a cheerleader. I would also like to work with someone who would like to be held accountable for their writing-I will do the same for you.
Blurb: A disgraced former true crime podcaster moves back to her tiny Pennsylvania hometown, having sworn off true crime for good, only to be drawn into the sinister mystery surrounding a girl who disappeared from her hometown 50 years ago.
Hello, Casee. Your story sounds very interesting, something I'd pick off a shelf to read. You're looking for the same things I am - accountability and cheerleading. My name is Michelle, and I'm working on my first cozy mystery, which also involves a cold case murder from 35 years earlier. If you think we're a good fit, let me know.
Hi I'm Tawney and working on a murder mystery based on Taylor Swift and her fandom. I never got a response on the last comment so trying it again. Hoping to find someone.
• Title: Where are the Bodies?
• Genre: Murder mystery
• Reading level : Adult
• Word count: 65,000
• What you’re looking for in a reader: A critique partner or beta reader to help with feedback. Also, someone who wants to write and keep each other accountable for our work!
Blurb: Gabby’s twin sister goes missing at country superstar Kinney Rayden’s concert in Arizona. It would seem in each city Kinney’s tour has visited, people seem to go missing and the connection hasn’t gone unnoticed. Gabby follows Kinney’s tour and immerses herself in the country fandom to gain access to speak with Kinney Rayden and her management for answers. But as she digs further into the disappearances, she finds answers she really doesn’t want to know, and those answers could lead to her own disappearance.
Hi Tawney, I’m very interested in your project and I’d love to chat more about being potential critique partners :) I sent you a message on instagram, let me know if you didn’t receive it. Thanks!
Hi! My name is Safia, and I'm so excited to properly join this amazing writing community!
I would love to have a critique partner who could provide a thorough editorial pass for my completed sci-fi novella. Now that I finished the first draft, I'd really love for some help and insight to tighten/polish the story, so that I can eventually start querying.
Title: The Curious Incident of the Laboratory Test Subject in the Night-Cycle
Genre: Science-fiction (I've been describing it as a post-war story, a police procedural, and an action drama at all once). The story follows a Department soldier named Lianlin, in the city of SilverFalls, who reopens a cold case she was unable to solve during a planet-wide war that has only recently ended.
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
My book: Concordia, Sci-Fi Fantasy, YA, ~100,000 words, I'm in the last couple of passes before querying, so I'm looking for a fairly editorial pass of anything that's still outstanding.
Quick blurb: Quinn Reeve learns the secret to maintaining a peaceful society: kill anyone who threatens it. At least, that’s what King Marsden is doing. To protect his methods, he orders Quinn’s sister on a suicidal mission, leaving Quinn to decide who she can save, and who will be next.
About me: I review books for a company, and am a filmmaker. I'm always told the notes I give are really helpful :-)!
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
Hello! I’m always looking for new writing friends, especially since I’ve been struggling to write for the past several months. Happy to have all types of new friends: cheerleader, brainstorming/commiserating buddy, in-depth critique partner, etc.
I mostly write YA/NA fantasy, but love reading just about anything. Here’s the pitch for my current WIP (I’m alllllmost done with the second draft, but struggling to wrap it up):
Nickname: Witch on Fire
Genre: witchy contemporary fantasy with romance subplot
Reading level: New Adult-ish
Word count: ~90k or so
Basic premise: When a witch is kidnapped by a rival coven, she must find allies and use her skills to defeat their common enemy, a creature killing young witches.
Hi Megan! Sounds interesting! My WIP is further down (contemporary urban fantasy but I mostly write all kinds of fantasy) so if you're interested too we can swap some chapters :)
Hi everyone! I’m Kenzie and I write in the fantasy genre!
I am working on my second novel, THE CANARY GIRL.
This is an adult gothic romantic fantasy following a witch and a witch hunter on a quest for their king.
I am looking for critique partners or beta readers willing to give me feedback on this project :) I’d love thoughts on overall vibe/flow of the project.
Hi...My name is Wendy, and I was excited to join Misfits only yesterday! Critiques of my writing has been invaluable in the past, and what I'm looking for now is a partner who will critique my novel, chapter by chapter, or whatever else might work, and I'll do the same. And cheering wouldn't be turned down, either!
After 20 years of writing novels, I gave it up for the past five years, but "the bug" hit me again and I'm back at it. My current novel its the story of a middle aged man who discovers a body in the trunk of his car, and the hitchhiker who, after pledges his allegiance, turns him in. This is an old story and could easily become a cliche, but I'm working hard at not letting that happen.
Title....I won't have one until the book is almost finished.
Genre...mainstream
Reading level...adult
Word count...20,000 and growing
Looking for comprehensive critiques, with mine in return.
I'm not sure how everything works here in Misfits, but I'm including my email address "just in case."
Hi everyone! I’m Amy and I read and write historical fiction/historical romance. I have two projects that I’m looking for critique partners for (or if you like both, even better!)
Title: Banfield Sisters 1
Genre: Historical Romance (Regency)
Reading Level: Adult (About a three spice level)
What I’m looking for: I’m just finishing up the first draft right now (five chapters left!), but will be looking for a hype person, someone to gush about our characters and stories with. I’d love to be able to discuss our ideas and stories and bounce ideas off each other as well as give feedback on our manuscripts.
This is the first book in a series of four, following a group of sisters in regency England. Thomasin is this second of the Banfield sisters, the pragmatic one of the bunch. She’s seeking a husband who grant her security and the opportunity to give her younger sisters a proper chance to find good husbands. What she doesn’t expect is for her childhood best friend to come back into her life.
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Title: Until the War is Over
Genre: Historical Fiction (WWII)/Women’s Fiction
Reading Level: Adult
What I’m looking for: Pretty well the same as above. I’m about to start edits based on my beta readers’ feedback and then line edits (yay!). I’d love to get more feedback/a second set of eyes on this story as I’m trying to cut down on the word count (she’s hefty!).
This book is a standalone. It takes place on the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation in the Second World War. It follows Clare, a young woman from the island, and Erik, a German lieutenant.
Hi! My name is Carly and I’m looking for a new beta/CP to exchange novel length work with in the middle grade horror/adventure and adult “bubblegum” horror genres!
Current WIP: MG Horror (but I have a campy adult horror that I’m prepping for sub currently, too).
I write predominately in the MG and adult space, always with a heartfelt, spooky twist.
I’m looking for someone to exchange work with who is willing to give (and I’m willing to provide!) a thorough read with editorial/inline comments, someone who may be willing to brainstorm ideas/ developmental elements together, and most importantly, someone who is willing to offer genuine constructive critique in a kind and uplifting way. I try to always make my own critiques encouraging, practical, and filled with enthusiasm for the authors vision/work and I’m hoping to find someone to exchange with who will be willing to get excited over each others work and accomplishments. ☺️
I also write MG, and am working on my 4th novel. Mine is Elf Punk, set in an orphanage for fae-born children in a post-apocalyptic world where electricity no longer works.
I'm in communications with another MG author on here and we are setting up a Discord server to exchange chapters on a weekly basis. Interested?
Hi Allison, Galactic Bond sounds awesome! I write in YA Fantasy mostly, but I read YA sci-fi too. Am also going through the query trenches right now, so maybe I can help with the gut check for your book before sending it out? 😊
Hi Joyce! Sending you the best of luck in your journey through the query trenches! Happy to exchange first chapters to see if we're a fit. Do you have any info on your WIP?
Hi everyone, my name's Ana, I'm entering a writing competition for my novel in progress so I'd really appreciate feedback on my prologue+chapter 1+synopsis! If this works out, I'd also love feedback on subsequent chapters as I write them!
Title: Dreams like Ghosts in Your Attic
Genre: Second world fantasy
Reading level: adult
word count: this entry specifically is 5k words plus 500m word synopsis, we'll see how long the novel ends up being :)
What I'm looking for (so dating app coded, this one, lol): The more detailed the feedback the better ngl, just lmk what you have the time for if you are interested! Would love to have someone who sticks around for the end of the novel!
Hi everyone, this is my first time doing the critique partner swap. I've always been super anxious about sharing my work, but I know I definitely could use outside perspectives on my writing if I want to continue growing and improving. I've got two WIPs at the moment that I could use some input on.
WIP #1: Daughters of Darkness
Finished at 115K
YA epic fantasy, bordering on New Adult
Blurb: Two girls on opposite ends of a kingdom without stars find their pasts and fates entwined when old monsters and older myths are resurrected, and a mother’s long-held secrets are brought to light. Aurea Glenfalloe is Starless, marked by color-leached features and a lack of innate magic. When her home is destroyed and her father taken by these monsters, she must travel to the capital to seek aid in his rescue. Lunea Ursan-Seren is the bastard daughter of the king and a member of the vibrant and magic-filled Starkissed. After a humiliating public spectacle, she is sent to join a disgraced scouting company who are investigating the monsters’ return. As both of them begin to uncover more about these long-forgotten myths, they’ll find that some lies are sweeter than the truth.
It's been through the query trenches once without any bites, so right now I'm more looking for beta readers to give me big picture impressions to help me see through the weeds of what is working and what isn't (and whether it is worth continue to query at all).
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WIP #2: Monstrous Hearts (working title)
A little over halfway done at 22K (this one is a novella)
Adult steampunk/historical fantasy
Blurb(ish): Among London’s academic elite, inventor Iris Hale is derided for both her gender and her “frivolous” clockwork animals, so when she—along with her creations—is invited to the estate of the brilliant but reclusive Lord Everett Actaeon, she sees a chance to prove her peers wrong. What she finds instead is a monster masquerading as a man, and she may be the only one capable of slaying him.
This one is a retelling of a greek myth blended with elements of Beauty and the Beast and Frankenstein.
I'd love for some input on both the big picture and pacing (especially as it's a novella). Also, with the steampunk/fantasy elements, I would appreciate someone who might be able to see where I maybe give away too much or not enough information, as well as possible plot holes.
Daughters of Darkness sounds like something right up my alley! I‘d absolutely love to see if we could be a good match. I write NA High/Epic feminist Fantasy about feral and smart girls, fates and gods and monsters.
I would love to swap chapters with some people as I really need some beta readers outside of my close friends and family (who are probably biased). The two things I mainly need help with are figuring out what scenes to chop or if they’re all beneficial to the story, and if it’s even a tale that other people would care about.
Working Title: Swiftwing
Genre: YA general fiction (fictional country, no magic)
Word Count: much higher than it should be (please help me chop scenes, I’m too emotionally involved)
More info: Swiftwing is a female Robin Hood retelling told from the povs of Robin Swiftwing, an outlaw protecting her people from their tyrant king, and Alex Marrenson, a boy on the run after killing his parents’ assassin. Though she allows him to join her band, Swiftwing resents his presence for reasons she refuses to admit to herself, but he quickly becomes an irreplaceable member of her team, proving his loyalty through great sacrifice. Through their eyes, the reader journeys throughout Illiad on missions of thievery and intrigue, complete with near-fatal captures and heart-pounding rescues. With tropes such as found family, fake-married, only one bed, touch him and die–all set against the backdrop of evergreen forests spotted with medieval villages—Swiftwing has a cozy, character-driven feel.
It's an adult book, but sometimes it wants to be YA so I've got that going for me 😬
My word count is currently around 96k but this is changing as I'm working through revisions.
Right now I'm looking for someone who enjoys world building and magic systems (bonus points if you can be a sensitivity reader for Greek characters, language, and/or culture). The story is told from dual POV's so I'm looking for someone to check for inconsistencies and any issues with things like plot holes or really anything that you notice might need more attention. As for me, when I connect with someone's writing, I'm all in. I enjoy providing constructive feedback, asking questions, giving praise, and checking in on how you're feeling about your writing. I also love sprinting together when schedules align 😊
Blurb:
Met with the truth about his family's history after the Dreamweaver seeks Merrick out, he must decide if he'll make the dangerous journey into the depths to save her, or leave the island and distance himself from those he loves most, but who have kept everything about his family's past, hidden from him.
Themes: found family, sentient house, discovering heritage, war, finding a sense of belonging, inspiration from modern Greek culture and ancient Minoan and Greek culture.
Hi Elisha! That sounds great! I'd love to connect. I tried to send you a message to talk more about our stories with each other but I don't know how to do that on Substack 😅🫣 Do you, by chance?
Hi everyone! I'm Allison and I'm so excited to participate in the matchup again. I may need someone to do a gut check with my on my current WIP before I send it to the query trenches in June. But later this year I will need some alpha/beta readers for my next WIP.
WIP 1: (Almost finished editing)
Title: Galactic Bond
Genre: Sci-Fi (more of the space variety)
Reading level: YA
Word count: ~93k
What you’re looking for in a reader: gut check that everything feels good before sending out to agents.
Blurb: With her entire family stuck on a rapidly dying Earth, a determined but anxious Gigi Deckert is chosen to participate in a notorious reality competition in space, but when she realizes the boy she’s connected with could endanger the family she is trying to save, she must find a way to break their bond or risk losing the competition.
WIP 2: (Not yet drafted)
Title: Code name Time Traveling Groundhogs Day
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reading level: I think adult right now
Word count: 0 because I haven't started drafting yet.
What you’re looking for in a reader: Will be looking for beta readers. If the plot of Groundhogs Day appeals to you but they're actually time travelers trying to avoid nuclear war (and you know also having the worst work trip ever) then let me know because that's the idea as of now.
I am hoping to be on a similar timeline as you for sending off my 109k (still working to cut this down) Speculative Adult novel (sci-fi lite, no space). I'd love to read Galactic Bond and if it works out be each other's CP/ cheerleaders as we set forth on querying. I literally made a substack account for this post though, so feel free to email me if you'd like to swap! jaimeechoi@proton.me
I’m looking for beta readers to look for inconsistencies, areas of confusing, big picture things (pacing, character arc, setting, world building), and also more specific things like all the ways to improve my manuscript
Hello, fellow writers! I'm hoping to find someone who is willing to do a read through of my 102k Adult, contemporary women's fiction with a heaping portion of magical realism novel.
I'd love someone who will give an overall vibe check, a cheerleader to remind me that my writing (hopefully) doesn't suck, and someone to look for any major plot holes. The title of my novel is Turn of the Wheel. It features two timelines; one of Zala Babiak who is a 26 year old woman living in 1920's Ukraine. She is set on a journey towards her own future which may or may not include lots of yearning and some mysterious tarot cards. The other is Zala’s great-granddaughter, Gabby. A selfish 30 year old determined to be the last psychic of her family.
I love a good dual POV and hope to dabble in women's lit with my next WIP. I would love to read your novel if you'd be open for a swap? I'm generally looking for the same type of read for my Adult Speculative novel at 109k. I actually had a plan for a sequel that would dabble in more magic realism/ psychic ability/ collective consciousness so would particularly love someone with your perspective to see how I can drop more hints of this to come in the first book.
Hi authors! I’ve been searching for a writing community/critique group for a while. I’m shy so this is a big step for me (even though it’s just a post haha).
Title: Witch Story (Placeholder title)
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Reading Level: YA/Adult
Word Count: 75k (ish)
I’m looking for a good critique, cheerleading, and honesty. Do I have the foundation for a great story? Is my delivery captivating (or not).
Pitch: 19 yo Adella just wants to live carefree.
Discovering she can use magic seemed like the solution—until she finds that her true inner gift makes her the most hunted witch by humans and her own kind. How many witches' lives will she destroy to save her own?
Title: The Last Stop at Wishwater Creek (1912: An ambitious lawyer for an Appalachian railroad company arrives at a magical inn at the edge of the wilderness, hoping to seal the deal to force its owners out so that his company can bulldoze the place and build new rail lines. There’s just one problem…he didn’t expect the handsome son of the owners to open his eyes to a world he never could have dreamed existed in those East Tennessee mountains.)
Genre: Historical Fantasy (with a touch of whimsy, romance, and queer male leads; think TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, but a hundred years ago)
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: <10k drafted as of this comment, with plenty developed and ready for drafting
Looking For: Hi, all. I’m just beginning a draft after several months of working on background for a new story, so I’d love to connect with writers who are at similar stages. I mostly need a cheerleader and accountability partner in these early stages, and can be the same for someone else, with maybe more in the way of critique later on down the road.
This is an experimental genre for me, so I’d love to connect with other contemporary or low-stakes fantasy writers, but I’m also open to CP’ing for adult horror (my forte) and pretty much any young adult contemporary sub-genre (especially speculative contemporary - think Adam Silvera or C.G. Drews)
Hello, I'm Katie. I would love to find a critique partner who writes in the realm of YA and fantasy/urban fantasy.
Title: Underground Providence
Genre: Urban fantasy/folklore/crossworlds fantasy with a romance b plot
Reading level: YA
Word count: 107k right now. It's almost done and then I will do another round of revisions to get it down to 100k (hopefully!)
What I'm looking for: Quick gut check/beta reader. At this point, it would be amazing to get another perspective on overall plot, character, world building, and magic.
Overview: On Ida's 17th birthday, she discovers she is able to see myths. Not the Greek gods or goddesses of Olympus, but the eerie local myths of her city and the creepy yet powerful American myths that shape our beliefs. Myths stalk the hallways of her school, influencing teachers and students. Ida follows a myth boy named Omar through a door in the school basement and discovers the world of myths, called the Underground. She soon finds that factions of myths are fighting for control of new territory: schools.
Themes: Control and power! Culture wars. And also: heritage, privilege, cultural assimilation, folklore, American myths (duh).
Hi Katie, I'm also Katie! And I also have an urban fantasy draft that could use big picture feedback. I love the idea of seeing folklore and of schools as a battleground of myths.
Take a look and let me know if you want to swap some early chapters!
Title: Tessa in Caerwild
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 105,000
Blurb: A year after her beloved grandmother’s death, sixteen-year-old Tessa Albright finds out that her adoptive family has been keeping a secret from her—she was adopted in the magical crossroads city of Caerwild, where mythical beings and regular people live side-by-side. She takes a summer job at Mythical Pet Care and Rescue, determined to find out more about her birth family. But in between taking care of a baby chimera and falling for her cute coworker Sharese, Tessa learns that the city and her past both have a darker side.
Please note: halfway through the novel, it turns into a heist plot! Tessa must liberate the (spoiler) from a sinister bureaucracy in order to meet her birth father.
What I’m looking for: I’ve finished a full first draft of Tessa in Caerwild, with all the messiness that entails, and I’m having a hard time getting started on revisions. I’d love someone willing to be a second pair of eyes and make suggestions for big structural edits, pacing, and the consistency of Tessa’s character arc.
Hi! I found a wonderful critique partner from the last one of these, and I'd be happy to find more.
Title: The Executioner's Daughter
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Reading level: NA/Adult and YA crossover (Somewhat spicy)
Word count (current): 20800
Tropes: Grumpy girl/sunshine boy, annoyance to lovers, court politics, Necromancy, brothers at odds
Blurb: Feared and despised, Enid fights her inherent empathy, striving to become the feelingless Executioner her forefathers would be proud of. But her careful plan to prove herself goes awry when Bromithra's beloved prince is convicted of treason against his brother the king and sentenced to hang.
What I'm looking for in a reader: I'm really happy for whatever kind of feedback is easiest to supply. I'm currently nearing the end of a large cutting phase/gut edit, and I'm concerned it could have left some holes behind that my overly concentrated brain can't pick up on. I love being a cheerleader and offering whatever feedback I can.
I love stories with necromancy in it (huge Gideon the Ninth fan here) and your blurb sounds super interesting! I write High/Epic feminist Fantasy about smart and feral girls finding their place in a world that doesn’t necessarily want them, and about gods and monsters and old evils returning to wreck havoc. I’d love to see if we could click.
I‘m free over the weekend if that works for you. Just fyi, my story is still a WIP in its first draft, so I‘m only able to share snippets. I also don’t write in chapters, only in scenes. If that‘s still ok with you, you can reach me via email at: fabienne [dot] j [dot] seegler [at] gmail [dot] com.
Hi everyone! I'm Nadia and I write contemporary romance. I'm looking for a critique partner(s) who would be willing to work with me as I draft my new wip. I want to get a feel for how my initial chapters are landing and if there are areas for improvement with plot, pacing, character etc., so I'm throwing my hat in! I'm happy to do the same for you too.
Title: Untitled for now. Just known as my "adventure romance."
Hi everyone! I love connecting with other writers, so hoping to make some more friends and beta readers here. :) I'm currently on my 2nd draft of the below project and am keen to swap feedback!
Title: Lessons In Corpsework
Genre: Dark academia fantasy
Reading level: Adult
Word count: Approx 112K
Blurb: No one cheats better than Kelz. A master of illegal shapeshifting, she takes on the appearances of university students and aces magic exams on their behalf. Should she ever be caught, the punishment is death. But after mastering a test for the wealthy and decidedly awful Sirelia, Kelz returns home
to find her murdered. Unable to report the crime without drawing attention to her own, Kelz has no choice but to shift back into Sirelia’s body and take her place at the university. For if "Sirelia" never goes missing, Kelz's secrets will never be revealed. But Sirelia’s killer now believes they failed, and they will stop at nothing to finish their task. If Kelz wants to keep her life, she must discover who murdered Sirelia, and stop them before they end her.
What I'm looking for in a reader: What is and isn't working - feedback on plot structure, characters, pacing, worldbuilding etc.
Let me know if you're interested, would love to hear from you!
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi Cobalt, thanks so much for your lovely comment, so kind! You sound like a wonderful group but unfortunately I don't think I'd be able to commit to a writing group at the moment with my current commitments. If that changes I can definitely let you know! :) Thanks again
Hi everyone! I participated in this critique partner meet-up last year, and I'm happy to be back. :)
My manuscript is called MOON BRIDE and it's an 86,000-word YA romantasy. After a really devastating war, a girl from the losing side—who also has the power to talk to the dead—is forced into an arranged marriage with a man from the winning side.
I would love some more beta readers for my query package and/or the ms itself, and would be super happy to trade critiques with someone who also needs a reader for either a query package or a manuscript! I've done a few critique swaps before and have experience interning for two literary agencies. Please feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to swap query packages and/or manuscripts! Would be happy to chat!
Hi! I don't have a manuscript polished enough for querying yet, but I would love to be a beta reader for your manuscript since the premise intrigued me!
Hi everyone! I would love to meet new writer friends and trade support!
My manuscript is titled REJUVENATE and is a 90,000 word YA scifi/thriller mash-up. Not high scifi though- more speculative. Little blurb: The last thing Kweku wanted to do before graduation was donate a kidney to his younger brother. But when the organ grows back and he realizes he is part of a subgroup of humans called 'rejuvenates', his life is thrown upside down. Escaping and overthrowing a ring of illegal organ smugglers wasn't on his list of things to do the summer before college . . . but he'll give everything to outwit his captors, save his brother, and help the girl he met along the way.
I’d be interested in any support someone is willing to give but actively looking for alpha and beta readers along with a cheerleader that would like to read while I write my current WIP (working titled CAMP GOOD THOUGHTS) - a YA scifi/historical story about a summer camp for troubled teens in 1972, set in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.
Blurb about current WIP: Neither Austin or Molly have ever been to summer camp, so when it was jail time or a summer in the woods, both take the chance at a 6-week trip in the Ozarks. But they'll be faced with much more than just canoeing and capture the flag. The question at Camp Good Thoughts is simple. What makes you . . . you? And will you still be yourself if it's taken away?
Looking forward to meeting others and swapping our stories! Thanks!
Hi Lindsey! Your projects sound so interesting - I write in the horror/thriller space (adult and MG) and love anything with a spec twist! Would you be interested in chatting and potentially swapping first chapters to see if we’re a fit? ☺️
Hi, I'm Kaz! I'm currently on Draft 2 of my WIP (it's actually more like Draft 7--I've been at this on and off for nearly five years!) and am looking for beta readers but would also appreciate some more experienced writerly advice.
Title: Damned Mortals
Genre: Fantasy with historical elements
Reading level: adult
Word Count: 147k, but I am parceling this down
What I'm looking for: for beta readers, a normal readthrough with feedback such as what you liked, what didn't sit so well, what you want to see more of, general feel of pacing. For excelled feedback (i.e., CP-lites) character development and pacing.
Extra info: themes of female empowerment, second chances, fate, queer/LGBTQIA+ themes, secrets, nature-based magic
For fans of Dungeons and Dragons and J.R.R. Tolkien.
This sounds really cool Kaz! I love all your themes and I've been really enjoying fantasy with DnD vibes lately.
I'm also a 'working on this for multiple years and have crazy word counts' kind of writer. Yay? The book I'm (trying to) focus on at the moment is a fantasy loosely based around a queer Sleeping Beauty retelling, with a pair of spies who develop conflicting loyalties while on a mission to figure out the cause of the curse on a neighbouring country. I originally drafted it as YA but I think it wants to be adult and am partway through that rewrite. I usually write fantasy with romantic elements but sometimes dabble in actual romantasy.
I'm looking for a CP rather than a straightforward beta reader, someone who doesn't mind reviewing the story in chunks to help me work out what is/isn't working, but I'm happy to do beta reading style feedback as well. Let me know if you're interested.
Thank you so much for the interest! It sounds like we have similar writing interests and crafting styles. Your WIP is so exciting, I'd love for the opportunity to work with you. Chunking is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to tackle a big project to prevent burnout. However, what does your crafting timeline look like? I want to make sure we both can put in as much effort as possible to maximize and expedite feedback with respect to scheduling.
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi, so sorry to leave this hanging! I hope this offer is still available, I would be so happy to connect with like-minded people. Thanks again for reaching out!
more info/vibes: inspired by a true story, deals with themes of women and insanity in the 19th century, for fans of Shirley Jackson, T. Kingfisher, & Mexican Gothic
Reading level: Adult
Content: supernatural scariness, very low spice
Word count: approx. 88k
What I'm looking for: beta reader, reading for broad-strokes (ready to read in a few weeks, with a preferred turnaround of about a month, but I'm flexible!)
more info/vibes: Romeo and Juliet in magical reform school--enemies/rivals to lovers, mystery, dark academia setting, for fans of The Atlas Six, The Magicians, and A Deadly Education.
Reading Level: Adult/YA crossover
Content: (WIP so uncertain) probably low spice, maybe some fantasy monsters
Word count: currently about 10k
What I'm looking for: just someone to swap a few chapters and brainstorm. There are a few plot things I am trying to hammer out before I keep writing.
These projects sound so cool! Let me know if you want to swap support/chapters. I'm currently editing a NA dark academia fantasy novel and brainstorming a new contemporary fantasy/romantasy project
Hi Karissa! I write in the adult horror space, too. Love the gothic tones and the comps mentioned here! Would you be interested in chatting and potentially swapping first chapters? ☺️
Your manuscripts sound so interesting! If you'd like to swap support, I'd love to. Mine are strictly YA and land in the sci-fi/speculative world. I love the brainstorming process and enjoy working out plot holes :)
My WIP, with the absolutely brilliant title of WIP 2024/2025, is a New Adult High/Epic (feminist) Fantasy about two young women being pushed to the precipice of desperation by a deeply patriarchal world and a dark, ancient force about to break free of its prison. The story tackles some heavy themes and includes some spicy scenes, and includes disability and LGBTQ+ rep.
(Please bear in mind, this is the first draft.) It’s initial word count was supposed to have capped at around 110k, but I’m at around 140k right now and a whole second act of a second character to go.
I’m looking for both a hype buddy and someone to brainstorm/bounce ideas off, preferably someone who reads and writes in the same genre as me. Sometimes writing gets a little lonely, and I’d love to have someone to talk to.
Hi Fabi! I loooooove your book premise and I am so down for deconstructing large-scale plots and being a hype woman.
I'm currently 15k into my "first novel" and it sounds like we're on the same wavelength.
The elevator pitch: All bow to Fate and its decrees, even the all-mighty Gods. Until Fate proclaims that a pair of mere mortals will unseat the Gods from their long-held positions of power. Over centuries, they create religion and rites all to shield their sacrifice of potential pairs and maintain their rule. But the will of Fate can only be held back, not countered... and Fate finds its way in the unsuspecting Nora and Leo.
It's very feminist and all of the "god" characters are non-binary because... they're gods haha. Let me know if you're interested in jamming sometime.
Hi Carmen, your blurb sounds absolutely intriguing! I’d love to swap some snippets if you’re up to it. Since it’s still a first draft, I can only share some of it and I only write in scenes, not chapters. But if that works for you, let me know! 😊
I'm getting ready to self-pub my first YA fantasy, and procrastinating by juggling other side projects haha, so would love to connect with someone interested in either swapping manuscripts, or sharing first draft chapters.
Title: Gwendolyn (YA Fantasy - 103k Complete)
Quick blurb: Magic guilds, flying ships, treasure rooms — it’s all part of a day in the life of Gale Corsair, amateur scholar and mage extraordinaire. Not yet seventeen, Gale is determined to make her mark on the world and rival the exploits of legendary heroes. But she and her band of friends will have to dig beneath familiar comforts to confront the conspiracies lurking in the city, as well as the storm of guilt which clouds her past and keeps her from the sky. (It's a little Seraphina meets Legend of Korra)
Title: Waymaker (Adult Fantasy - 130k in progress)
Quick Blurb: As one of an elite order of knights, Miri is supposed to guard against devils and monsters that sneak through the inter-planar portals, not make deals with them. However, with political tensions and disarray within the Ashen Order, her next routine journey is waylaid by a deal with a demiable (half-devil) and a grumpy new squire, and the secrets between them could threaten the stability of the entire realm. (It's a little Witcher, a little "what if Tamora Pierce's knights were in the struggling-young-professional phase of life". Slow burn, french-inspired world. Adult, content is YA appropriate.)
What you’re looking for in a reader: Editorial deep dive or quick reacts. Just looking to vibe with some new writers. :)
For sure! I think Wayward Magicians is most up my alley, but if you're down for a perspective that's a little outside the genre, Madhouse Island sounds super neat too.
I've written and edited a contemporary romcom, but I'm not sure it's strong enough to query yet. I'm looking for "big picture" thoughts on the plot, pacing, voice, etc.
Hey there. Don't know if you'd be interested because my WIP is YA. It's real/contemporary and "upper" YA, but still YA, so if you don't really read it, that's cool. 57k words, complete. If you want, we could exchange a couple of chapters and see where it takes us. If you're interested, feel free to message me. If not, no worries.
No worries, though I'm not entirely sure what you mean about "more of a genre" beyond real/contemporary YA. Comps would be something like William Sutcliffe's The Gifted, The Talented & Me, Blake Nelson's The New Rules of High School, and Jeff Zentner's In the Wild Light. Hope that helps.
I meant, is it a romance, adventure, horror, coming of age, etc. I just wanted to get more of an idea of the content, but the comps are good.
Do you want to try an exchange? I'm good with it if you are. Mine's a romcom, slow burn, hate to love, very low spice about two HS teachers in rural Virginia.
Sounds good. I'll message you my email address. The comps are definitely on point. There's a romance angle (similar to the books I mentioned), but it's not a romance or rom-com and doesn't lean into those tropes. There's also a coming-of-age element, but, I suppose, I consider coming-of-age books more like adult books with a teenage protagonist (also, past tense), while mine is first person/present like many YA novels. We can chat more over email. Looking forward to it.
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Hello! I'm looking for a critique partner to swap with! Details are below for this project.
• Duffy Sisters in the Way Back
• Contemporary MG, funny
• Middle Grade
• 51,000
* Description: Sisters Georgia, Caroline, and Maude have driven with their parents cross-country for Georgia's college orientation. The "vacation" has been a disaster and is about to get worse. When the family minivan dies in California, the family has to get creative on how to get back home to Pennsylvania with dwindling funds and a nationwide rental car shortage. The final plan is to rent a U-Haul, buy a used couch of Facebook marketplace for the sisters to ride on in the back of the truck, and head for home. What else could go wrong?
• I'm looking for general feedback on chapters, plot holes I may have missed, and general suggestions on what's working and what's not. The project is not polished, but has been through one round of revisions. Not looking for line edits, but big picture issues and suggestions.
In return, I write MG and YA fiction and I'm happy to read someone else's project. I prefer contemporary, romance, mystery, etc. I'm not a big reader of sci-fi or fantasy, so I'm probably not the best choice for those projects. I would love to read a 1-3 chapters a week and swap feedback. We could work primarily over email/track changes/comments, or have a call occasionally if necessary. My project is complete, but I am revising several chapters ahead. Would prefer to swap with someone's complete project, even if you are also still revising.
Hi Jamie! It looks like you might have some people set up already, but I also write MG contemporary and would love to swap with you. I really like the 1-3 chapters a week idea...because I have my idea outlined and ready to go, but I need to write it. I'd love to have feedback as I go.
So essentially my story is an upper MG romance, with characters who are 14 and just starting high school. They were BFFs growing up, but are finding themselves growing apart as they pursue different interests and are dealing with that. The FMC meets a popular boy while they're both babysitting their younger siblings and the two hit it off, so she's also dealing with that, but doesn't feel like she can tell her friends.
Hey there. My WIP is also contemporary YA, 57k, complete, and fairly polished. If you're interested DM me and we can exchange a few chapters and take it from there.
Would you be interested in having a trio? John (below) is a MG author as well. Since there aren't many of us that are YA/MG, maybe the three of us could swap chapters and have double the eyeballs on the chapters.
Hi, Jamie. It looks like you and I are currently the only MG authors on this thread (I posted directly above you). Ping me if you are interested in swapping chapters and seeing if we are compatible.
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Would you be interested in having a trio? Bart (above) is a YA author. Since there aren't many of us that are YA/MG, maybe the three of us could swap chapters and have double the eyeballs on the chapters.
Hey there. I'm happy to create a trio, but I have to be upfront and say that I'm not a great reader of fantasy/sci-fi/speculative. Also, my work is definitely upper-YA, obviously, not an industry standard term, but it's a bit removed from MG.
All of that said, I'm very happy to trade work, perhaps the first 3,000 words, and see where it takes us.
Hi everyone! I'm Jasmine and I'm looking for critique partners to swap chapters with.
I'm looking for anything from general feedback to a thorough editorial pass, whatever is your style of feedback, and also cheerleader/accountability buddy.
This is my first time jumping into one of these swaps, I've always been too nervous but I'm ready to put myself out there.
I'm currently doing rewrites of what will be my debut self-published novel Falling Star, and the rewrite is basically an entire overhaul so I want to know if I'm on the right track.
Title: Falling Star
Genre: Fantasy / Romantasy (with darker elements i.e. grief, leaving toxic relationships, etc.)
Reading level: New Adult / Adult
Word count: 95,000 - 97,000 (estimate)
About Falling Star:
The princess in my book is believed to be a reincarnated goddess, but she thinks there’s a darkness in her blood, and plans to go on the run with her new husband the night of their wedding, to spare her kingdom from the ruin she might bring.
But when the wedding party turns into a bloodbath, she’s forced on the run with her estranged best friend–now bodyguard–to find the scissors of fate before her newlywed husband catches her.
The book has:
Bisexual representation, Haunted FMC with a martyr complex, Sapphic princess x bodyguard, Found family, Soulmates gone wrong, Estranged best friends to lovers, Slow burn romance, "I'll love you in every lifetime", Magic/gods inspired by Greek mythology
I’m looking for a beta reader or two to give me their gut reactions—what’s confusing, cool, funny, didn’t work for you, or stood out in a bad way. I am willing to return the favor as well.
Here's my WIP:
Working Title: The Moons of Allumen
Genre: Epic Adventure Fantasy in a secondary world
Reading Level: New Adult
Content: mild gore; no sexual content; mild language.
Themes: Responsibility, family, violence, mercy, truth, and existence.
My story follows two characters: Sandham Toscundi is a talented ethersmith whose ambitious plans to end one war land him in the center of a second conflict against a mysterious shapeshifting enemy. Meanwhile, after Ennas Brandt begins her apprenticeship to her uncle—one of the greatest ethersmiths in the Five Moons—she discovers too late that his research into the Void between the moons is taking her to darker and deadlier places than she ever wanted to go.
Word Count: Currently at 45k, aiming for 120k total
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi, everyone! My name is Madison. I'm finishing up a revision on a project I'm looking to query later this year. I'd like to get a beta reader or two since I've made some big changes in my revision. I'm happy to swap chapters in exchange.
Title (code word): haunted studio
Genre: horror comedy
Age: YA
Word count: 85K
Description: In an attempt to make two feuding actresses get along, a 17yo does a seance on her mom's TV set and accidentally uncovers a dark, supernatural secret that's been controlling Hollywood for the past 100 years.
Hi Madison! I won't lie to you I'm not normally a horror reader (typically fantasy and romance) BUT I'm really digging your description. I'm revising a sci-fi book so I understand if that's not a genre your interested in swapping in but let me know.
Ok you had me at "horror comedy"! I am also in the revisions for a horror book and looking for a beta swap. Let me know if you are interested in connecting!
HI rosemary, want to do a space opera trade? I'm kris and I am looking for someone to do a critical read (not editing - just read and think) of my space opera. this is my 3rd pass at it.
* Title (The cat walks alone)
* Genre (Science Fiction, space opera, literary edge to it)
* Reading level (adult, YA)
* Word count ~110,000
* What you’re looking for in a reader (e.g. no edit, but a reader, with willingness to help me organize book, and see if it flows)
-Brief: a young monk stuck on a space station itrying to get back to their monastery accepts a lift on a passing ship - that turns out its headed the one place they can not return to.
Hi I'm Abbie Fine and I'm looking for a couple of critique partners to start swapping in mid-April/May as I'm finishing up a revision to my WIP. (I'm a working mom in Northern Virginia. I published one book with an indie press in 2018 (before kids) and I'm excited to get reactions for my quirky WIP!)
Working Title: "Romantasy IRL"
Genre: Adult Romantasy, Portal Fantasy (pretty spicy!)
85,000 words
Hook: This book explores, what if your favorite romantasy book hero were real and whisked you through a portal into an actual romantic fantasy adventure--and he needs your help!?
This round I'm looking for quick reactions and feedback--do you care about the characters? Is anything confusing or off-putting? Is it fun to read? thanks!!
Hi Abbie, this sounds awesome! I'd love to do a swap. I'm a new mom and just trying to pick my WIP back up. It's about pirates, necromancers, estranged sisters, and a deadbeat dad. Genre is fantasy adventure with some romance subplots. If you'd like to do a swap, send me a message!
Hi everyone! I’m traditionally published in my home country (one adult fantasy, one YA dark academia) and I’m now venturing into writing in English. I’m currently drafting a dark fantasy set in a frozen theocracy that involves a descent in an abandoned mine. I love writing psychologically unstable female MCs. I’d love feedback on my first chapters to help me find the best hook and develop my voice in English. Let me know :)
Hi Sacha, Dark fantasy and unstable MCs sounds perfect to me! I'm a native English speaker so happy to help with that and other feedback. Would love to swap chapters if you're interested? (My post with full blurb and info on my dark academia fantasy is in the wider comments!) :)
Hi everybody! I had great success with the last Meetup, looking forward to meeting new friends here :-)
I'm actively drafting an adult historical/supernatural called Death Meridian that takes place in Victorian-era Europe, about a priestess using holy necromancy to hunt a supernatural serial killer during a global scientific symposium. There's a full description here on Wattpad. I have a few chapters posted already if you want to check that you vibe with my writing: https://www.wattpad.com/1490763265-death-meridian-about
Basically looking for someone to read as I write and offer feedback. I'm a fast reader and I like to think I'm a good CP, happy to read chapters/full manuscripts, or help brainstorm!
Hi Savannah, your story sounds a bit darker than my current WIP but I cannot resist Victorian-era Europe (even as an European, ha). I think my WIP is further down, you can let me know if you're interested :)
Just saw this update in my email, but better late than never... right?
I would love to establish a CP or roundtable team for anyone working with speculative themes. I currently have a draft I will provide details below that I am working on my 5th round of edits and hope to query soon. But beyond that, have been working on short stories and another speculative/ women's lit novel that will have themes of PMDD and alien first contact.
Title: Paid Off (open to suggestion from any CPs!)
Genre: Speculative Dystopia
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 109,000
Partner: Gut-check, Character Development/ dev edit in general, flagging unclear ideas, orrrr desire to work on future projects
Blurb:
In one of the last two cities, drones patrol, ensuring civilians prepay their crimes. Romi Deng has been struggling to make rent by selling death to disgruntled housewives. So, when a paranoid caller rings her up with a cryptic double hit and a hefty payday, she can’t refuse.
Romi soon finds her target has strange allies when an insurgent ambushes her. He knows all her secrets, including her search for her mom, and proposes an unsettling deal. Save the corrupt senator and join the rebellion to commit unbuyable crimes.
Realizing she's undersold her services, she attempts to renegotiate. Expecting to collect an advance, a middleman hands her a detonator that blows up the bank.
Though she doesn't trust these rebels, they desire to infiltrate the city that is now hunting her— the city she suspects holds answers about her mother's disappearance. As Romi navigates what it means to be a part of a resistance, she discovers something else she's long avoided: community.
PAID OFF is an adult speculative fiction standalone novel with series potential complete at 109,000 words, combining the grit of THOSE BETWEEN THE WALLS with the formidable bureaucracy of HUM.
Hey everyone!
Not sure if this will appeal to anyone, but I'm working on a novella.
Title: A Memory of Love
Genre: Spec Drama
Reading level: (Young) Adult
Wordcount: 15,000 atm but getting longer
Partner: gut check, cheerleader, accountability buddy – at least for this first draft
Blurb: 12-year-old Lucy struggles with grief and her father’s decision to relocate their family of two to his home country of Spain. Her loss and inability to fit in force her to shut herself into her memories of her deceased mother. Her mother’s words that a single memory can bring you back to the person you loved triggers Lucy to time-travel to moments when her mother was still alive. While she struggles to find her mom and prevent her death, she develops a crush on a local buy, only to lose touch with him under tragic circumstances.
When 15 years later, grown up Lucy returns to Spain, she runs into the boy she met during her time jumps, now also a grown-up, and troubled man. Their relationship is all push-and-pull, and Lucy believes she can get back the boy she once knew by time travelling to that tragic moment in their youth when they split up. But when her father intervenes revealing truths, he had kept hidden from her, Lucy will be forced to learn how to let go of the past – or lose more than she bargained for.
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
I am still stuck at the first draft, halfway through but if you want we can have a chat and maybe a video call about it? DM me.
can you send me a message? I dont know how to DM you
Hi everyone—I’m a little late to the party, but better late than never.
Title: Tessa in Caerwild
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 105,000
Blurb: A year after her beloved grandmother’s death, sixteen-year-old Tessa Albright finds out that her adoptive family has been keeping a secret from her—she was adopted in the magical crossroads city of Caerwild, where mythical beings and regular people live side-by-side. She takes a summer job at Mythical Pet Care and Rescue, determined to find out more about her birth family. But in between taking care of a baby chimera and falling for her cute coworker Sharese, Tessa learns that the city and her past both have a darker side.
Please note: halfway through the novel, it turns into a heist plot! Tessa must liberate a magical artifact from a sinister bureaucracy in order to meet her birth father.
What I’m looking for: I’ve finished a full first draft of Tessa in Caerwild, with all the messiness that entails, and I’m having a hard time getting started on revisions. I’d love someone willing to be a second pair of eyes and make suggestions for big structural edits, pacing, and the consistency of Tessa’s character arc.
What I provide as a reader: It depends what stage you’re at! I can be an as-you-go cheerleader with enthusiasm and questions as you draft, or provide full-manuscript scrutiny and developmental suggestions if that’s what you’re looking for. I love fantasy and YA but I read in a lot of genres.
I would love to read. I would love to share my chapters. I write ya fantasy. About two twins who must leave the castle after the sun goes missing in a magical world set above the clouds
Hi Friends! I’m Jessy and I’ve been working on my first novel (currently working on edits which is the perfect stage for a critique partner to come in).
Title: The Fall of Atlantis
Genre: Fantasy, mythology
Reading level: Adult
Word count: ~105k (but will likely end up being around 110k by the end of my edits)
What you’re looking for in a reader: I would love a critique partner who can help me with the developmental edits to clarify on character development, if their motivations are coming through, pacing, and generally pump me up and tell me if I’m going in the right direction. (I'm happy to do the same for you).
Description: From birth, twenty-one-year-old Kara Eyre’s been told that, one day, she’ll take on her mother’s mantle as the Shield of Atlantis, protector of the realm and advisor to the king. Kara’s never known a day of discontent until her sense of safety is shattered by an assassination attempt at the age of ten. She struggles to untangle the web of lies spun by those inside and outside her kingdom. The king’s political machinations and Kara’s mother’s attempts to protect Kara forces her to question the truths she’s been told as she learns how to wield her Primordial powers. But something blows in the wind as ancient forces stir, and the foreign powers from the eastern continent, Pangaea, make their move. Does Kara have what it takes to protect her family and her people? Or will she bear witness to the greatest tragedy to strike the earth?
Thanks so much!
Hello, Potential Partners!
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
(The first 500 words: https://johnrberkowitz.wordpress.com/the-first-500-words/).
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Hope to hear from other interested MG authors!
John Berkowitz
Hello, I am Jacob, this is my project. I have completed draft number 4 at this point, so editorial feedback is welcome, but hopefully most of the grammar is well refined. What I am really looking for is someone to give me feedback about the overall narrative, characterization, and the flow of the story itself. You can be brutally honest, in fact I prefer it. If you love it great, I want to know what you loved, but if there are things you hate, I want to hear about those, too.
Title: The Ballad of Maribel Blake
Genre: Historical Romance (set in late 1960s)
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 82k
Blurb: Maribel Anne Blake is the precocious 16-year-old daughter of Cataline Blake. Mari’s mother is a man-eater, the sort of woman who plays men the way a card shark plays a poker table. Mari hates the way her mother treats men, especially her new stepfather, 27-year-old Norman, which leaves Mari so furious she refuses to call Cataline mother. When Cataline dies, leaving Mari in the care of a man she has known for two months, Mari is keen to comprehend why her mother became who she was, so Mari can better understand herself, and avoid repeating those mistakes. Mari must find the inner strength to become a better version of herself or fall into the rut left by her mother’s footsteps, destroying the lives most important to her in the process.
Hi yall I'm Matt! I'm on a third-ish draft that I'd like some fresh eyes on. I'm new here and would love to connect with other writers!
Title: Bury Me Twice
Genre: Sci-Fi Dystopian
Reading level: YA
Word count: 85K
Blurb: Sixteen-year-old Maverick cannot die. The catch? — the last living city in the world wants him to kill for eternity. Set in a post-apocalyptic city where its resources are slowly dwindling and immortal beings are seen as commodities, Maverick must topple the city and escape before all hope is lost. (Got a lengthier blurb I can send haha)
I'm looking for someone who can give somewhere between a quick gut check and an editorial pass. I have a feeling that the novel collapses halfway through, but I've no clue. Thank you all in advance!
Mel
in just now
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
HI! Carmen is my best friend and her WIP is amazing! I'm also working on my debut—hoping to connect with others to get some unbiased notes.
Working Title: Abandon All Hope (Book 1 in The Divine Tragedy series)
Genre: High fantasy (+mystery, adventure, myth/theology)
Reading level : Adult
Word count: ~15,000 thus far
What you’re looking for in a reader: Act 1 feedback, gut checks/cheerleader on plotted Act 2-3, hole pokes on world-building and magic system
Blurb: Three year's after her brother's death, Celeste Cantharos is surviving out of spite—and running Verturia's most lucrative guild of thieves. When creatures from the Underworld attack Eldergrave in search of her, Celeste is forced to confront her grief, her deepest fears, and her family’s darkest secrets. And she must journey to the depths of Hell for answers.
How I can help you: Provide honest, unabashed (yet constructive) feedback and be your aggressive hype girl
Hi everyone! New to this community (so happy to be here!) and working through my first novel. I would love to connect with a secondary reader and be one myself.
- Working Title: Heavens Hold Me (potential book 1 of a trilogy)
- Genre: Fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, mythology
- Reading level: Adult
- Word count: 15,000 currently
- What I'm looking for: Unbiased third-party feedback on drafted Act 1 and gut checks/cheerleader as venturing into Act 2
- The elevator pitch: All bow to Fate and its decrees, even the all-mighty Gods. Until Fate proclaims that a pair of mere mortals will unseat the Gods from their long-held positions of power. Over centuries, they create religion and rites all to shield their sacrifice of potential pairs and maintain their rule. But the will of Fate can only be held back, not countered... and Fate finds its way in the unsuspecting Nora and Leo.
- What I can be: Your personal Joy from Inside Out as you're writing plus I can bring the critique/feedback when needed.
Sounds awesome!!
Hi all, I’ve drafted my first novel but would love an outside perspective on how the story knits together.
Title: Shelter
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Word Count: 70,000
The novel is about Daniel, a sixteen-year-old boy forced to flee Britain and seek refuge in a foreign country where he has been promised he and his little sister will be safe. They arrive to find a city ruined by war and he must fight to keep himself, his sister and his new friends safe as the last semblances of civilisation crumble around them and the enemy draws closer.
I’ve written the first draft and had some feedback which I am now working on incorporating into story but I’m mainly concerned about pacing and whether the characters are well developed enough so would really like a fresh pair of eyes to have a look.
Happy to do reviews in return, I read most things other than horror. Or be a cheerleader, I write most days and have a tracker that helps me along that I can share.
Thanks,
Rachel
Mel
in just now
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
Hi Rachel sounds great! I'm writing a dystopian sci-fi too. If you're interested, you could shoot me a dm? My story details are somewhere in here more recently. If not, no worries!
Hi all! I'm Angela and I'm working on a dark academia fantasy novel best described as if Gossip Girl took place at a magic school.
Title: Fated Magic (ROUGH title)
Genre: Dark academia fantasy (romantasy)
Reading Level: New Adult
Word count: Around 105K
What I'm looking for: The project is with two beta readers and I'd love to find one other beta reader or CP to look at the project. Right now, the prose is rough and I'm asking for higher level feedback. After, I'll incorporate that feedback and then start to work on making the writing sound a bit better.
Premise: A rebel masquerading as a rich student at the world’s only university must get into a secret society that controls the masses so her fellow revolutionaries can destroy magic once and for all.
Hi Angela,
I know you already have a reply, but dark academia is right up my alley! I'd happily beta read. Take a look at my WIP Tessa in Caerwild above and let me know if you want to trade a few chapters to start off.
This sounds so cool, Angela! I love giving higher level feedback ;-)
Hi, my name is Casee and I am working on a true crime murder mystery. I never got a response when I posted last year, so hoping I will get a reader this year.
Title: Jayne Doe
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 6832
What I'm looking for in a reader: I am looking for a gut check and a cheerleader. I would also like to work with someone who would like to be held accountable for their writing-I will do the same for you.
Blurb: A disgraced former true crime podcaster moves back to her tiny Pennsylvania hometown, having sworn off true crime for good, only to be drawn into the sinister mystery surrounding a girl who disappeared from her hometown 50 years ago.
Thank you in advance!
My email is storyspice@yahoo.com
Hello, Casee. Your story sounds very interesting, something I'd pick off a shelf to read. You're looking for the same things I am - accountability and cheerleading. My name is Michelle, and I'm working on my first cozy mystery, which also involves a cold case murder from 35 years earlier. If you think we're a good fit, let me know.
Michelle!!! This sounds great I am so interested!!! You can contact me again at my email addy and we can talk! Thank you for reaching out!
Hi I'm Tawney and working on a murder mystery based on Taylor Swift and her fandom. I never got a response on the last comment so trying it again. Hoping to find someone.
• Title: Where are the Bodies?
• Genre: Murder mystery
• Reading level : Adult
• Word count: 65,000
• What you’re looking for in a reader: A critique partner or beta reader to help with feedback. Also, someone who wants to write and keep each other accountable for our work!
Blurb: Gabby’s twin sister goes missing at country superstar Kinney Rayden’s concert in Arizona. It would seem in each city Kinney’s tour has visited, people seem to go missing and the connection hasn’t gone unnoticed. Gabby follows Kinney’s tour and immerses herself in the country fandom to gain access to speak with Kinney Rayden and her management for answers. But as she digs further into the disappearances, she finds answers she really doesn’t want to know, and those answers could lead to her own disappearance.
Hi Tawney, I’m very interested in your project and I’d love to chat more about being potential critique partners :) I sent you a message on instagram, let me know if you didn’t receive it. Thanks!
I just saw this! So sorry, I didnt see this! Messaging you now!
Hi Tawney, sounds really interesting. I'd be keen to beta read for you.
Id love for you to read it! Email me at Tawney13@gmail.com and we can chat more!
Hi! My name is Safia, and I'm so excited to properly join this amazing writing community!
I would love to have a critique partner who could provide a thorough editorial pass for my completed sci-fi novella. Now that I finished the first draft, I'd really love for some help and insight to tighten/polish the story, so that I can eventually start querying.
Title: The Curious Incident of the Laboratory Test Subject in the Night-Cycle
Genre: Science-fiction (I've been describing it as a post-war story, a police procedural, and an action drama at all once). The story follows a Department soldier named Lianlin, in the city of SilverFalls, who reopens a cold case she was unable to solve during a planet-wide war that has only recently ended.
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 34k
Thank you so much! 😊
Hi!
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
This is so cool! Hi writing friends!
My book: Concordia, Sci-Fi Fantasy, YA, ~100,000 words, I'm in the last couple of passes before querying, so I'm looking for a fairly editorial pass of anything that's still outstanding.
Quick blurb: Quinn Reeve learns the secret to maintaining a peaceful society: kill anyone who threatens it. At least, that’s what King Marsden is doing. To protect his methods, he orders Quinn’s sister on a suicidal mission, leaving Quinn to decide who she can save, and who will be next.
About me: I review books for a company, and am a filmmaker. I'm always told the notes I give are really helpful :-)!
Mel
in just now
Hi. I am Mel and have an MFA in ya writing. I write ya fantasy and have a full manuscript I am now revising. let me know if youd like to swap chapters and feedback
Hi Elisha! Your project sounds right up my alley. Wanna be writerly friends??
Hey Carmen!! I'd love that :-) I have not used subtack much -- how do we exchange info on here LOL
OH I literally have no idea either — wanna go old school? carmenharbourtaylor@gmail
Hello! I’m always looking for new writing friends, especially since I’ve been struggling to write for the past several months. Happy to have all types of new friends: cheerleader, brainstorming/commiserating buddy, in-depth critique partner, etc.
I mostly write YA/NA fantasy, but love reading just about anything. Here’s the pitch for my current WIP (I’m alllllmost done with the second draft, but struggling to wrap it up):
Nickname: Witch on Fire
Genre: witchy contemporary fantasy with romance subplot
Reading level: New Adult-ish
Word count: ~90k or so
Basic premise: When a witch is kidnapped by a rival coven, she must find allies and use her skills to defeat their common enemy, a creature killing young witches.
Hi Megan! Sounds interesting! My WIP is further down (contemporary urban fantasy but I mostly write all kinds of fantasy) so if you're interested too we can swap some chapters :)
Sure! I’m all over the place too haha. My email is in the comment above if you want to send me a chapter or two!
Hi! I would be down to do a prologue/first chapter swap! I also write YA fantasy.
Hey! That’d be awesome! If you want to email me, it’s megangoldwrites@gmail.com :)
Hi everyone! I’m Kenzie and I write in the fantasy genre!
I am working on my second novel, THE CANARY GIRL.
This is an adult gothic romantic fantasy following a witch and a witch hunter on a quest for their king.
I am looking for critique partners or beta readers willing to give me feedback on this project :) I’d love thoughts on overall vibe/flow of the project.
It is shaping up to be around 90-100k.
Thank you all in advance 🤗
Hi! I also write fantasy and would be down to swap the first few chapters!
Hi!! I’d love that! Send me an email kcbrookswriting@gmail.com 🤗
Hi...My name is Wendy, and I was excited to join Misfits only yesterday! Critiques of my writing has been invaluable in the past, and what I'm looking for now is a partner who will critique my novel, chapter by chapter, or whatever else might work, and I'll do the same. And cheering wouldn't be turned down, either!
After 20 years of writing novels, I gave it up for the past five years, but "the bug" hit me again and I'm back at it. My current novel its the story of a middle aged man who discovers a body in the trunk of his car, and the hitchhiker who, after pledges his allegiance, turns him in. This is an old story and could easily become a cliche, but I'm working hard at not letting that happen.
Title....I won't have one until the book is almost finished.
Genre...mainstream
Reading level...adult
Word count...20,000 and growing
Looking for comprehensive critiques, with mine in return.
I'm not sure how everything works here in Misfits, but I'm including my email address "just in case."
Thanks,
Wendy
koulani@reagan.com
Hi everyone! I’m Amy and I read and write historical fiction/historical romance. I have two projects that I’m looking for critique partners for (or if you like both, even better!)
Title: Banfield Sisters 1
Genre: Historical Romance (Regency)
Reading Level: Adult (About a three spice level)
What I’m looking for: I’m just finishing up the first draft right now (five chapters left!), but will be looking for a hype person, someone to gush about our characters and stories with. I’d love to be able to discuss our ideas and stories and bounce ideas off each other as well as give feedback on our manuscripts.
This is the first book in a series of four, following a group of sisters in regency England. Thomasin is this second of the Banfield sisters, the pragmatic one of the bunch. She’s seeking a husband who grant her security and the opportunity to give her younger sisters a proper chance to find good husbands. What she doesn’t expect is for her childhood best friend to come back into her life.
------
Title: Until the War is Over
Genre: Historical Fiction (WWII)/Women’s Fiction
Reading Level: Adult
What I’m looking for: Pretty well the same as above. I’m about to start edits based on my beta readers’ feedback and then line edits (yay!). I’d love to get more feedback/a second set of eyes on this story as I’m trying to cut down on the word count (she’s hefty!).
This book is a standalone. It takes place on the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation in the Second World War. It follows Clare, a young woman from the island, and Erik, a German lieutenant.
If you're potentially interested in my project, Banfield Sisters sounds so fun!
Hi! My name is Carly and I’m looking for a new beta/CP to exchange novel length work with in the middle grade horror/adventure and adult “bubblegum” horror genres!
Current WIP: MG Horror (but I have a campy adult horror that I’m prepping for sub currently, too).
I write predominately in the MG and adult space, always with a heartfelt, spooky twist.
I’m looking for someone to exchange work with who is willing to give (and I’m willing to provide!) a thorough read with editorial/inline comments, someone who may be willing to brainstorm ideas/ developmental elements together, and most importantly, someone who is willing to offer genuine constructive critique in a kind and uplifting way. I try to always make my own critiques encouraging, practical, and filled with enthusiasm for the authors vision/work and I’m hoping to find someone to exchange with who will be willing to get excited over each others work and accomplishments. ☺️
Hello, Carly.
I also write MG, and am working on my 4th novel. Mine is Elf Punk, set in an orphanage for fae-born children in a post-apocalyptic world where electricity no longer works.
I'm in communications with another MG author on here and we are setting up a Discord server to exchange chapters on a weekly basis. Interested?
Carly, I am interested in your adult campy horror-would you like a critique partner for that?
Hi Allison, Galactic Bond sounds awesome! I write in YA Fantasy mostly, but I read YA sci-fi too. Am also going through the query trenches right now, so maybe I can help with the gut check for your book before sending it out? 😊
Hi Joyce! Sending you the best of luck in your journey through the query trenches! Happy to exchange first chapters to see if we're a fit. Do you have any info on your WIP?
I’ll dm you!
Hi everyone, my name's Ana, I'm entering a writing competition for my novel in progress so I'd really appreciate feedback on my prologue+chapter 1+synopsis! If this works out, I'd also love feedback on subsequent chapters as I write them!
Title: Dreams like Ghosts in Your Attic
Genre: Second world fantasy
Reading level: adult
word count: this entry specifically is 5k words plus 500m word synopsis, we'll see how long the novel ends up being :)
What I'm looking for (so dating app coded, this one, lol): The more detailed the feedback the better ngl, just lmk what you have the time for if you are interested! Would love to have someone who sticks around for the end of the novel!
Hi Ana, I'd be interested in swapping prologues and first chapters of you think you'd be interested in my work.
Hey Kayla! Sounds great! I’d like to hash out some details first, can we dm on here? I’m new to substack lol
I'm also new. I was going to send you a message, but it seems like it might be public?
I managed to dm you lol, you might’ve seen it
Hi everyone, this is my first time doing the critique partner swap. I've always been super anxious about sharing my work, but I know I definitely could use outside perspectives on my writing if I want to continue growing and improving. I've got two WIPs at the moment that I could use some input on.
WIP #1: Daughters of Darkness
Finished at 115K
YA epic fantasy, bordering on New Adult
Blurb: Two girls on opposite ends of a kingdom without stars find their pasts and fates entwined when old monsters and older myths are resurrected, and a mother’s long-held secrets are brought to light. Aurea Glenfalloe is Starless, marked by color-leached features and a lack of innate magic. When her home is destroyed and her father taken by these monsters, she must travel to the capital to seek aid in his rescue. Lunea Ursan-Seren is the bastard daughter of the king and a member of the vibrant and magic-filled Starkissed. After a humiliating public spectacle, she is sent to join a disgraced scouting company who are investigating the monsters’ return. As both of them begin to uncover more about these long-forgotten myths, they’ll find that some lies are sweeter than the truth.
It's been through the query trenches once without any bites, so right now I'm more looking for beta readers to give me big picture impressions to help me see through the weeds of what is working and what isn't (and whether it is worth continue to query at all).
--
WIP #2: Monstrous Hearts (working title)
A little over halfway done at 22K (this one is a novella)
Adult steampunk/historical fantasy
Blurb(ish): Among London’s academic elite, inventor Iris Hale is derided for both her gender and her “frivolous” clockwork animals, so when she—along with her creations—is invited to the estate of the brilliant but reclusive Lord Everett Actaeon, she sees a chance to prove her peers wrong. What she finds instead is a monster masquerading as a man, and she may be the only one capable of slaying him.
This one is a retelling of a greek myth blended with elements of Beauty and the Beast and Frankenstein.
I'd love for some input on both the big picture and pacing (especially as it's a novella). Also, with the steampunk/fantasy elements, I would appreciate someone who might be able to see where I maybe give away too much or not enough information, as well as possible plot holes.
Hello Allie,
Daughters of Darkness sounds like something right up my alley! I‘d absolutely love to see if we could be a good match. I write NA High/Epic feminist Fantasy about feral and smart girls, fates and gods and monsters.
Hi, I'd love to exchange a couple chapters. really liked what you described of your story as well.
Sounds good! Is email ok for you? You can reach me at: fabienne [dot] j [dot] seegler [at] gmail [dot] com.
email works great, I'll message you soon.
Hi Allie, your works sound awesome! I write upper YA fantasy and have a love for anything steampunk, so maybe we’d be a good fit?😊
Hi, I'd love to exchange a couple of chapters. :)
I would love to swap chapters with some people as I really need some beta readers outside of my close friends and family (who are probably biased). The two things I mainly need help with are figuring out what scenes to chop or if they’re all beneficial to the story, and if it’s even a tale that other people would care about.
Working Title: Swiftwing
Genre: YA general fiction (fictional country, no magic)
Word Count: much higher than it should be (please help me chop scenes, I’m too emotionally involved)
More info: Swiftwing is a female Robin Hood retelling told from the povs of Robin Swiftwing, an outlaw protecting her people from their tyrant king, and Alex Marrenson, a boy on the run after killing his parents’ assassin. Though she allows him to join her band, Swiftwing resents his presence for reasons she refuses to admit to herself, but he quickly becomes an irreplaceable member of her team, proving his loyalty through great sacrifice. Through their eyes, the reader journeys throughout Illiad on missions of thievery and intrigue, complete with near-fatal captures and heart-pounding rescues. With tropes such as found family, fake-married, only one bed, touch him and die–all set against the backdrop of evergreen forests spotted with medieval villages—Swiftwing has a cozy, character-driven feel.
Would you like to do a swap? I write ya fantasy
Sure! I’ll message you!
Hi everyone,
My name is Kayla!
I'm currently working on project Mermaids
The genre is contemporary fantasy
It's an adult book, but sometimes it wants to be YA so I've got that going for me 😬
My word count is currently around 96k but this is changing as I'm working through revisions.
Right now I'm looking for someone who enjoys world building and magic systems (bonus points if you can be a sensitivity reader for Greek characters, language, and/or culture). The story is told from dual POV's so I'm looking for someone to check for inconsistencies and any issues with things like plot holes or really anything that you notice might need more attention. As for me, when I connect with someone's writing, I'm all in. I enjoy providing constructive feedback, asking questions, giving praise, and checking in on how you're feeling about your writing. I also love sprinting together when schedules align 😊
Blurb:
Met with the truth about his family's history after the Dreamweaver seeks Merrick out, he must decide if he'll make the dangerous journey into the depths to save her, or leave the island and distance himself from those he loves most, but who have kept everything about his family's past, hidden from him.
Themes: found family, sentient house, discovering heritage, war, finding a sense of belonging, inspiration from modern Greek culture and ancient Minoan and Greek culture.
Hi Kayla! Mermaids sounds awesome!! We may be a good fit for each other as I also write YA fantasy.
Hi Elisha! That sounds great! I'd love to connect. I tried to send you a message to talk more about our stories with each other but I don't know how to do that on Substack 😅🫣 Do you, by chance?
Just messaged you!!
Hi everyone! I'm Allison and I'm so excited to participate in the matchup again. I may need someone to do a gut check with my on my current WIP before I send it to the query trenches in June. But later this year I will need some alpha/beta readers for my next WIP.
WIP 1: (Almost finished editing)
Title: Galactic Bond
Genre: Sci-Fi (more of the space variety)
Reading level: YA
Word count: ~93k
What you’re looking for in a reader: gut check that everything feels good before sending out to agents.
Blurb: With her entire family stuck on a rapidly dying Earth, a determined but anxious Gigi Deckert is chosen to participate in a notorious reality competition in space, but when she realizes the boy she’s connected with could endanger the family she is trying to save, she must find a way to break their bond or risk losing the competition.
WIP 2: (Not yet drafted)
Title: Code name Time Traveling Groundhogs Day
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reading level: I think adult right now
Word count: 0 because I haven't started drafting yet.
What you’re looking for in a reader: Will be looking for beta readers. If the plot of Groundhogs Day appeals to you but they're actually time travelers trying to avoid nuclear war (and you know also having the worst work trip ever) then let me know because that's the idea as of now.
I am hoping to be on a similar timeline as you for sending off my 109k (still working to cut this down) Speculative Adult novel (sci-fi lite, no space). I'd love to read Galactic Bond and if it works out be each other's CP/ cheerleaders as we set forth on querying. I literally made a substack account for this post though, so feel free to email me if you'd like to swap! jaimeechoi@proton.me
This is the link to the post I made here: https://open.substack.com/pub/stdennard/p/the-great-critique-partner-meet-up-70a?r=3jj5aj&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=109779166
Hi Alison — I am cackling over your description of your time travel premise so I'm IN. Wanna be each other's writerly cheerleaders?
would you like to do a swap for WIP 1? I write ya fantasy
Hi everyone. I’m Mel.
Title-Sun and Moon
Genre/Fantasy
YA
99,000words
I’m looking for beta readers to look for inconsistencies, areas of confusing, big picture things (pacing, character arc, setting, world building), and also more specific things like all the ways to improve my manuscript
I’d love to swap chapters if you’d be willing to give some feedback on my own little beast of a story!
With a partnership in mind, I'd enjoy giving feedback on the written work and can stay with it until the end.
What are you writing?
Have you written anything before now?
My novel is mainstream, and about 20,000 words so far.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Wendy
kouklani@reagan.com
What do you write?
Hello, fellow writers! I'm hoping to find someone who is willing to do a read through of my 102k Adult, contemporary women's fiction with a heaping portion of magical realism novel.
I'd love someone who will give an overall vibe check, a cheerleader to remind me that my writing (hopefully) doesn't suck, and someone to look for any major plot holes. The title of my novel is Turn of the Wheel. It features two timelines; one of Zala Babiak who is a 26 year old woman living in 1920's Ukraine. She is set on a journey towards her own future which may or may not include lots of yearning and some mysterious tarot cards. The other is Zala’s great-granddaughter, Gabby. A selfish 30 year old determined to be the last psychic of her family.
I love a good dual POV and hope to dabble in women's lit with my next WIP. I would love to read your novel if you'd be open for a swap? I'm generally looking for the same type of read for my Adult Speculative novel at 109k. I actually had a plan for a sequel that would dabble in more magic realism/ psychic ability/ collective consciousness so would particularly love someone with your perspective to see how I can drop more hints of this to come in the first book.
This is the link to the post I made here: https://open.substack.com/pub/stdennard/p/the-great-critique-partner-meet-up-70a?r=3jj5aj&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=109779166
I made a substack account literally for this post, so feel free to email me if you'd like to swap! jaimeechoi@proton.me
Hi authors! I’ve been searching for a writing community/critique group for a while. I’m shy so this is a big step for me (even though it’s just a post haha).
Title: Witch Story (Placeholder title)
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Reading Level: YA/Adult
Word Count: 75k (ish)
I’m looking for a good critique, cheerleading, and honesty. Do I have the foundation for a great story? Is my delivery captivating (or not).
Pitch: 19 yo Adella just wants to live carefree.
Discovering she can use magic seemed like the solution—until she finds that her true inner gift makes her the most hunted witch by humans and her own kind. How many witches' lives will she destroy to save her own?
Hi. Your story sounds great. You would like to swap some chapters to see if we’re a good fit?
Sure!
Great. Send me your email so we can chat
Title: The Last Stop at Wishwater Creek (1912: An ambitious lawyer for an Appalachian railroad company arrives at a magical inn at the edge of the wilderness, hoping to seal the deal to force its owners out so that his company can bulldoze the place and build new rail lines. There’s just one problem…he didn’t expect the handsome son of the owners to open his eyes to a world he never could have dreamed existed in those East Tennessee mountains.)
Genre: Historical Fantasy (with a touch of whimsy, romance, and queer male leads; think TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, but a hundred years ago)
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: <10k drafted as of this comment, with plenty developed and ready for drafting
Looking For: Hi, all. I’m just beginning a draft after several months of working on background for a new story, so I’d love to connect with writers who are at similar stages. I mostly need a cheerleader and accountability partner in these early stages, and can be the same for someone else, with maybe more in the way of critique later on down the road.
This is an experimental genre for me, so I’d love to connect with other contemporary or low-stakes fantasy writers, but I’m also open to CP’ing for adult horror (my forte) and pretty much any young adult contemporary sub-genre (especially speculative contemporary - think Adam Silvera or C.G. Drews)
I look forward to connecting with you all!
Hello, I'm Katie. I would love to find a critique partner who writes in the realm of YA and fantasy/urban fantasy.
Title: Underground Providence
Genre: Urban fantasy/folklore/crossworlds fantasy with a romance b plot
Reading level: YA
Word count: 107k right now. It's almost done and then I will do another round of revisions to get it down to 100k (hopefully!)
What I'm looking for: Quick gut check/beta reader. At this point, it would be amazing to get another perspective on overall plot, character, world building, and magic.
Overview: On Ida's 17th birthday, she discovers she is able to see myths. Not the Greek gods or goddesses of Olympus, but the eerie local myths of her city and the creepy yet powerful American myths that shape our beliefs. Myths stalk the hallways of her school, influencing teachers and students. Ida follows a myth boy named Omar through a door in the school basement and discovers the world of myths, called the Underground. She soon finds that factions of myths are fighting for control of new territory: schools.
Themes: Control and power! Culture wars. And also: heritage, privilege, cultural assimilation, folklore, American myths (duh).
Hi Katie, I'm also Katie! And I also have an urban fantasy draft that could use big picture feedback. I love the idea of seeing folklore and of schools as a battleground of myths.
Take a look and let me know if you want to swap some early chapters!
Title: Tessa in Caerwild
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 105,000
Blurb: A year after her beloved grandmother’s death, sixteen-year-old Tessa Albright finds out that her adoptive family has been keeping a secret from her—she was adopted in the magical crossroads city of Caerwild, where mythical beings and regular people live side-by-side. She takes a summer job at Mythical Pet Care and Rescue, determined to find out more about her birth family. But in between taking care of a baby chimera and falling for her cute coworker Sharese, Tessa learns that the city and her past both have a darker side.
Please note: halfway through the novel, it turns into a heist plot! Tessa must liberate the (spoiler) from a sinister bureaucracy in order to meet her birth father.
What I’m looking for: I’ve finished a full first draft of Tessa in Caerwild, with all the messiness that entails, and I’m having a hard time getting started on revisions. I’d love someone willing to be a second pair of eyes and make suggestions for big structural edits, pacing, and the consistency of Tessa’s character arc.
Hi Katie. Sounds great. I also write ya fantasy. Would you be interested in doing a swap to see if we’re a good fit?
Hi! Yes, I'd love to exchange a few chapters to see if we're a good fit! I'll DM my email.
Hi! I found a wonderful critique partner from the last one of these, and I'd be happy to find more.
Title: The Executioner's Daughter
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Reading level: NA/Adult and YA crossover (Somewhat spicy)
Word count (current): 20800
Tropes: Grumpy girl/sunshine boy, annoyance to lovers, court politics, Necromancy, brothers at odds
Blurb: Feared and despised, Enid fights her inherent empathy, striving to become the feelingless Executioner her forefathers would be proud of. But her careful plan to prove herself goes awry when Bromithra's beloved prince is convicted of treason against his brother the king and sentenced to hang.
What I'm looking for in a reader: I'm really happy for whatever kind of feedback is easiest to supply. I'm currently nearing the end of a large cutting phase/gut edit, and I'm concerned it could have left some holes behind that my overly concentrated brain can't pick up on. I love being a cheerleader and offering whatever feedback I can.
Hi Yma,
I love stories with necromancy in it (huge Gideon the Ninth fan here) and your blurb sounds super interesting! I write High/Epic feminist Fantasy about smart and feral girls finding their place in a world that doesn’t necessarily want them, and about gods and monsters and old evils returning to wreck havoc. I’d love to see if we could click.
Sure! I'd be happy to. Is there a day that works best for you to try an exchange?
I‘m free over the weekend if that works for you. Just fyi, my story is still a WIP in its first draft, so I‘m only able to share snippets. I also don’t write in chapters, only in scenes. If that‘s still ok with you, you can reach me via email at: fabienne [dot] j [dot] seegler [at] gmail [dot] com.
Hey there! This totally piqued my interest and I'd love to give it a read!
Hi Bethany :) Sorry for the late reply, I didn't get any notifications. I'd be happy for you to read some chapters whenever you want!
Hi everyone! I'm Nadia and I write contemporary romance. I'm looking for a critique partner(s) who would be willing to work with me as I draft my new wip. I want to get a feel for how my initial chapters are landing and if there are areas for improvement with plot, pacing, character etc., so I'm throwing my hat in! I'm happy to do the same for you too.
Title: Untitled for now. Just known as my "adventure romance."
Genre: Contemporary romance
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 700 words and counting
You can find me on Instagram: @ncpersaudwritenow
Hi everyone! I love connecting with other writers, so hoping to make some more friends and beta readers here. :) I'm currently on my 2nd draft of the below project and am keen to swap feedback!
Title: Lessons In Corpsework
Genre: Dark academia fantasy
Reading level: Adult
Word count: Approx 112K
Blurb: No one cheats better than Kelz. A master of illegal shapeshifting, she takes on the appearances of university students and aces magic exams on their behalf. Should she ever be caught, the punishment is death. But after mastering a test for the wealthy and decidedly awful Sirelia, Kelz returns home
to find her murdered. Unable to report the crime without drawing attention to her own, Kelz has no choice but to shift back into Sirelia’s body and take her place at the university. For if "Sirelia" never goes missing, Kelz's secrets will never be revealed. But Sirelia’s killer now believes they failed, and they will stop at nothing to finish their task. If Kelz wants to keep her life, she must discover who murdered Sirelia, and stop them before they end her.
What I'm looking for in a reader: What is and isn't working - feedback on plot structure, characters, pacing, worldbuilding etc.
Let me know if you're interested, would love to hear from you!
Hi!
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi Cobalt, thanks so much for your lovely comment, so kind! You sound like a wonderful group but unfortunately I don't think I'd be able to commit to a writing group at the moment with my current commitments. If that changes I can definitely let you know! :) Thanks again
Hi! I'm also editing a dark academia fantasy. Let me know if you'd want to swap a few chapters and see if it's a fit.
Wow this sounds amazing! I’d be happy to read and give you some feedback!
Hi everyone! I participated in this critique partner meet-up last year, and I'm happy to be back. :)
My manuscript is called MOON BRIDE and it's an 86,000-word YA romantasy. After a really devastating war, a girl from the losing side—who also has the power to talk to the dead—is forced into an arranged marriage with a man from the winning side.
I would love some more beta readers for my query package and/or the ms itself, and would be super happy to trade critiques with someone who also needs a reader for either a query package or a manuscript! I've done a few critique swaps before and have experience interning for two literary agencies. Please feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to swap query packages and/or manuscripts! Would be happy to chat!
Hi! I don't have a manuscript polished enough for querying yet, but I would love to be a beta reader for your manuscript since the premise intrigued me!
Thank you so much! I'll DM you :)
This sounds so intriguing! Would love to trade pages if you're up for it!
I would love that! I'll DM you!
It sounds great. Would you like to do a swap?
Yes absolutely! I'll DM you :)
Hi everyone! I would love to meet new writer friends and trade support!
My manuscript is titled REJUVENATE and is a 90,000 word YA scifi/thriller mash-up. Not high scifi though- more speculative. Little blurb: The last thing Kweku wanted to do before graduation was donate a kidney to his younger brother. But when the organ grows back and he realizes he is part of a subgroup of humans called 'rejuvenates', his life is thrown upside down. Escaping and overthrowing a ring of illegal organ smugglers wasn't on his list of things to do the summer before college . . . but he'll give everything to outwit his captors, save his brother, and help the girl he met along the way.
I’d be interested in any support someone is willing to give but actively looking for alpha and beta readers along with a cheerleader that would like to read while I write my current WIP (working titled CAMP GOOD THOUGHTS) - a YA scifi/historical story about a summer camp for troubled teens in 1972, set in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.
Blurb about current WIP: Neither Austin or Molly have ever been to summer camp, so when it was jail time or a summer in the woods, both take the chance at a 6-week trip in the Ozarks. But they'll be faced with much more than just canoeing and capture the flag. The question at Camp Good Thoughts is simple. What makes you . . . you? And will you still be yourself if it's taken away?
Looking forward to meeting others and swapping our stories! Thanks!
Hi Lindsey! Your projects sound so interesting - I write in the horror/thriller space (adult and MG) and love anything with a spec twist! Would you be interested in chatting and potentially swapping first chapters to see if we’re a fit? ☺️
Yes! I'd love to! Feel free to email me and we can connect - I'll send it to you in a message. :)
Hi, I'm Kaz! I'm currently on Draft 2 of my WIP (it's actually more like Draft 7--I've been at this on and off for nearly five years!) and am looking for beta readers but would also appreciate some more experienced writerly advice.
Title: Damned Mortals
Genre: Fantasy with historical elements
Reading level: adult
Word Count: 147k, but I am parceling this down
What I'm looking for: for beta readers, a normal readthrough with feedback such as what you liked, what didn't sit so well, what you want to see more of, general feel of pacing. For excelled feedback (i.e., CP-lites) character development and pacing.
Extra info: themes of female empowerment, second chances, fate, queer/LGBTQIA+ themes, secrets, nature-based magic
For fans of Dungeons and Dragons and J.R.R. Tolkien.
This sounds really cool Kaz! I love all your themes and I've been really enjoying fantasy with DnD vibes lately.
I'm also a 'working on this for multiple years and have crazy word counts' kind of writer. Yay? The book I'm (trying to) focus on at the moment is a fantasy loosely based around a queer Sleeping Beauty retelling, with a pair of spies who develop conflicting loyalties while on a mission to figure out the cause of the curse on a neighbouring country. I originally drafted it as YA but I think it wants to be adult and am partway through that rewrite. I usually write fantasy with romantic elements but sometimes dabble in actual romantasy.
I'm looking for a CP rather than a straightforward beta reader, someone who doesn't mind reviewing the story in chunks to help me work out what is/isn't working, but I'm happy to do beta reading style feedback as well. Let me know if you're interested.
Thank you so much for the interest! It sounds like we have similar writing interests and crafting styles. Your WIP is so exciting, I'd love for the opportunity to work with you. Chunking is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to tackle a big project to prevent burnout. However, what does your crafting timeline look like? I want to make sure we both can put in as much effort as possible to maximize and expedite feedback with respect to scheduling.
Hi!
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi, so sorry to leave this hanging! I hope this offer is still available, I would be so happy to connect with like-minded people. Thanks again for reaching out!
We're still open to new members, if you're up to join! Here's a link: https://discord.gg/eM9RWSq3
Hello! I'm Karissa!
Looking for a beta reader for one project and just some light feedback and brainstorming on another.
#1
Title: Madhouse Island
Genre: Gothic horror, historical, romantic subplot
more info/vibes: inspired by a true story, deals with themes of women and insanity in the 19th century, for fans of Shirley Jackson, T. Kingfisher, & Mexican Gothic
Reading level: Adult
Content: supernatural scariness, very low spice
Word count: approx. 88k
What I'm looking for: beta reader, reading for broad-strokes (ready to read in a few weeks, with a preferred turnaround of about a month, but I'm flexible!)
..................................................................................................................................................
#2
Title: Wayward Magicians
Genre: contemporary fantasy (romantasy???)
more info/vibes: Romeo and Juliet in magical reform school--enemies/rivals to lovers, mystery, dark academia setting, for fans of The Atlas Six, The Magicians, and A Deadly Education.
Reading Level: Adult/YA crossover
Content: (WIP so uncertain) probably low spice, maybe some fantasy monsters
Word count: currently about 10k
What I'm looking for: just someone to swap a few chapters and brainstorm. There are a few plot things I am trying to hammer out before I keep writing.
These projects sound so cool! Let me know if you want to swap support/chapters. I'm currently editing a NA dark academia fantasy novel and brainstorming a new contemporary fantasy/romantasy project
Hi Karissa! I write in the adult horror space, too. Love the gothic tones and the comps mentioned here! Would you be interested in chatting and potentially swapping first chapters? ☺️
Your manuscripts sound so interesting! If you'd like to swap support, I'd love to. Mine are strictly YA and land in the sci-fi/speculative world. I love the brainstorming process and enjoy working out plot holes :)
Thank you for this opportunity, Susan!
Hi everyone, I’m Fabi 😊
My WIP, with the absolutely brilliant title of WIP 2024/2025, is a New Adult High/Epic (feminist) Fantasy about two young women being pushed to the precipice of desperation by a deeply patriarchal world and a dark, ancient force about to break free of its prison. The story tackles some heavy themes and includes some spicy scenes, and includes disability and LGBTQ+ rep.
(Please bear in mind, this is the first draft.) It’s initial word count was supposed to have capped at around 110k, but I’m at around 140k right now and a whole second act of a second character to go.
I’m looking for both a hype buddy and someone to brainstorm/bounce ideas off, preferably someone who reads and writes in the same genre as me. Sometimes writing gets a little lonely, and I’d love to have someone to talk to.
Hi Fabi! I loooooove your book premise and I am so down for deconstructing large-scale plots and being a hype woman.
I'm currently 15k into my "first novel" and it sounds like we're on the same wavelength.
The elevator pitch: All bow to Fate and its decrees, even the all-mighty Gods. Until Fate proclaims that a pair of mere mortals will unseat the Gods from their long-held positions of power. Over centuries, they create religion and rites all to shield their sacrifice of potential pairs and maintain their rule. But the will of Fate can only be held back, not countered... and Fate finds its way in the unsuspecting Nora and Leo.
It's very feminist and all of the "god" characters are non-binary because... they're gods haha. Let me know if you're interested in jamming sometime.
Hi Carmen, your blurb sounds absolutely intriguing! I’d love to swap some snippets if you’re up to it. Since it’s still a first draft, I can only share some of it and I only write in scenes, not chapters. But if that works for you, let me know! 😊
I'm getting ready to self-pub my first YA fantasy, and procrastinating by juggling other side projects haha, so would love to connect with someone interested in either swapping manuscripts, or sharing first draft chapters.
Title: Gwendolyn (YA Fantasy - 103k Complete)
Quick blurb: Magic guilds, flying ships, treasure rooms — it’s all part of a day in the life of Gale Corsair, amateur scholar and mage extraordinaire. Not yet seventeen, Gale is determined to make her mark on the world and rival the exploits of legendary heroes. But she and her band of friends will have to dig beneath familiar comforts to confront the conspiracies lurking in the city, as well as the storm of guilt which clouds her past and keeps her from the sky. (It's a little Seraphina meets Legend of Korra)
Title: Waymaker (Adult Fantasy - 130k in progress)
Quick Blurb: As one of an elite order of knights, Miri is supposed to guard against devils and monsters that sneak through the inter-planar portals, not make deals with them. However, with political tensions and disarray within the Ashen Order, her next routine journey is waylaid by a deal with a demiable (half-devil) and a grumpy new squire, and the secrets between them could threaten the stability of the entire realm. (It's a little Witcher, a little "what if Tamora Pierce's knights were in the struggling-young-professional phase of life". Slow burn, french-inspired world. Adult, content is YA appropriate.)
What you’re looking for in a reader: Editorial deep dive or quick reacts. Just looking to vibe with some new writers. :)
Sounds interesting. Would you be interested in doing a swap?
Sure! Do you have more info on your WIP? Adult or YA?
I write ya fantasy
Hi Rachel! These projects sound so cool. Let me know if you'd be interested in connecting and maybe swapping some chapters. :)
For sure! I think Wayward Magicians is most up my alley, but if you're down for a perspective that's a little outside the genre, Madhouse Island sounds super neat too.
Hi, Seth here.
I've written and edited a contemporary romcom, but I'm not sure it's strong enough to query yet. I'm looking for "big picture" thoughts on the plot, pacing, voice, etc.
English
Contemporary romantic comedy
Adult/New Adult
74000
Hey there. Don't know if you'd be interested because my WIP is YA. It's real/contemporary and "upper" YA, but still YA, so if you don't really read it, that's cool. 57k words, complete. If you want, we could exchange a couple of chapters and see where it takes us. If you're interested, feel free to message me. If not, no worries.
Hi, sorry for the slow response. YA isn't a problem for me. Can you give me more of a genre, however?
No worries, though I'm not entirely sure what you mean about "more of a genre" beyond real/contemporary YA. Comps would be something like William Sutcliffe's The Gifted, The Talented & Me, Blake Nelson's The New Rules of High School, and Jeff Zentner's In the Wild Light. Hope that helps.
I meant, is it a romance, adventure, horror, coming of age, etc. I just wanted to get more of an idea of the content, but the comps are good.
Do you want to try an exchange? I'm good with it if you are. Mine's a romcom, slow burn, hate to love, very low spice about two HS teachers in rural Virginia.
Sounds good. I'll message you my email address. The comps are definitely on point. There's a romance angle (similar to the books I mentioned), but it's not a romance or rom-com and doesn't lean into those tropes. There's also a coming-of-age element, but, I suppose, I consider coming-of-age books more like adult books with a teenage protagonist (also, past tense), while mine is first person/present like many YA novels. We can chat more over email. Looking forward to it.
Hello, Potential Partners!
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
(The first 500 words: https://johnrberkowitz.wordpress.com/the-first-500-words/).
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Hope to hear from other interested MG authors!
John Berkowitz
Hello! I'm looking for a critique partner to swap with! Details are below for this project.
• Duffy Sisters in the Way Back
• Contemporary MG, funny
• Middle Grade
• 51,000
* Description: Sisters Georgia, Caroline, and Maude have driven with their parents cross-country for Georgia's college orientation. The "vacation" has been a disaster and is about to get worse. When the family minivan dies in California, the family has to get creative on how to get back home to Pennsylvania with dwindling funds and a nationwide rental car shortage. The final plan is to rent a U-Haul, buy a used couch of Facebook marketplace for the sisters to ride on in the back of the truck, and head for home. What else could go wrong?
• I'm looking for general feedback on chapters, plot holes I may have missed, and general suggestions on what's working and what's not. The project is not polished, but has been through one round of revisions. Not looking for line edits, but big picture issues and suggestions.
In return, I write MG and YA fiction and I'm happy to read someone else's project. I prefer contemporary, romance, mystery, etc. I'm not a big reader of sci-fi or fantasy, so I'm probably not the best choice for those projects. I would love to read a 1-3 chapters a week and swap feedback. We could work primarily over email/track changes/comments, or have a call occasionally if necessary. My project is complete, but I am revising several chapters ahead. Would prefer to swap with someone's complete project, even if you are also still revising.
Thanks!
Hi Jamie! It looks like you might have some people set up already, but I also write MG contemporary and would love to swap with you. I really like the 1-3 chapters a week idea...because I have my idea outlined and ready to go, but I need to write it. I'd love to have feedback as I go.
So essentially my story is an upper MG romance, with characters who are 14 and just starting high school. They were BFFs growing up, but are finding themselves growing apart as they pursue different interests and are dealing with that. The FMC meets a popular boy while they're both babysitting their younger siblings and the two hit it off, so she's also dealing with that, but doesn't feel like she can tell her friends.
Let me know if you'd be interested?
Hey there. My WIP is also contemporary YA, 57k, complete, and fairly polished. If you're interested DM me and we can exchange a few chapters and take it from there.
Hi Bart,
Would you be interested in having a trio? John (below) is a MG author as well. Since there aren't many of us that are YA/MG, maybe the three of us could swap chapters and have double the eyeballs on the chapters.
See my reply to John below. Always happy to read others work, but I fear I'm hopeless when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi/speculative.
Hi, Jamie. It looks like you and I are currently the only MG authors on this thread (I posted directly above you). Ping me if you are interested in swapping chapters and seeing if we are compatible.
Hi John,
I don't see your post about your project on this thread. Will you post in the comments here. I would love to chat about how we could work together.
Hello, Potential Partners!
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage from the Anit-Fae League. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, Edison, Clank, and their fae-born friends fight back against those who demand all fae return to the war-torn Realm and leave Earth to the humans. BUMBLEBEE + BIG HERO SIX
(The first 500 words: https://johnrberkowitz.wordpress.com/the-first-500-words/).
It looks like virtually everybody who has posted before me is looking for feedback on Adult or New Adult. So I hope more MG authors will sign on. Here are the deets:
TITLE: Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard
GENRE: Fantasy; specifically Elf Punk. Pastoral post-apocalypse with fae refugees and S.T.E.M.
READING LEVEL: Middle Grade (MCs are 10yo)
WORD COUNT: Currently 32K with a target of 40K
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A READER: I always love a cheerleader to read as I write, but I really need CPs who are willing to read the whole thing and coach me on pacing, emotional arcs, plot structure, themes, etc. Hopefully someone who will stick with me until I finish the final 5 chapters.
Hope to hear from other interested MG authors!
John Berkowitz
Hi John,
Would you be interested in having a trio? Bart (above) is a YA author. Since there aren't many of us that are YA/MG, maybe the three of us could swap chapters and have double the eyeballs on the chapters.
If Bart is amenable, I'm happy to make it a trio.
Hey there. I'm happy to create a trio, but I have to be upfront and say that I'm not a great reader of fantasy/sci-fi/speculative. Also, my work is definitely upper-YA, obviously, not an industry standard term, but it's a bit removed from MG.
All of that said, I'm very happy to trade work, perhaps the first 3,000 words, and see where it takes us.
Hi everyone! I'm Jasmine and I'm looking for critique partners to swap chapters with.
I'm looking for anything from general feedback to a thorough editorial pass, whatever is your style of feedback, and also cheerleader/accountability buddy.
This is my first time jumping into one of these swaps, I've always been too nervous but I'm ready to put myself out there.
I'm currently doing rewrites of what will be my debut self-published novel Falling Star, and the rewrite is basically an entire overhaul so I want to know if I'm on the right track.
Title: Falling Star
Genre: Fantasy / Romantasy (with darker elements i.e. grief, leaving toxic relationships, etc.)
Reading level: New Adult / Adult
Word count: 95,000 - 97,000 (estimate)
About Falling Star:
The princess in my book is believed to be a reincarnated goddess, but she thinks there’s a darkness in her blood, and plans to go on the run with her new husband the night of their wedding, to spare her kingdom from the ruin she might bring.
But when the wedding party turns into a bloodbath, she’s forced on the run with her estranged best friend–now bodyguard–to find the scissors of fate before her newlywed husband catches her.
The book has:
Bisexual representation, Haunted FMC with a martyr complex, Sapphic princess x bodyguard, Found family, Soulmates gone wrong, Estranged best friends to lovers, Slow burn romance, "I'll love you in every lifetime", Magic/gods inspired by Greek mythology
Hi Jasmine, I love all that your book has! If you're up for it (I posted my WIP down in the chain) you can reply/send me a message :)
Hi everyone, I'm Alex.
I’m looking for a beta reader or two to give me their gut reactions—what’s confusing, cool, funny, didn’t work for you, or stood out in a bad way. I am willing to return the favor as well.
Here's my WIP:
Working Title: The Moons of Allumen
Genre: Epic Adventure Fantasy in a secondary world
Reading Level: New Adult
Content: mild gore; no sexual content; mild language.
Themes: Responsibility, family, violence, mercy, truth, and existence.
My story follows two characters: Sandham Toscundi is a talented ethersmith whose ambitious plans to end one war land him in the center of a second conflict against a mysterious shapeshifting enemy. Meanwhile, after Ennas Brandt begins her apprenticeship to her uncle—one of the greatest ethersmiths in the Five Moons—she discovers too late that his research into the Void between the moons is taking her to darker and deadlier places than she ever wanted to go.
Word Count: Currently at 45k, aiming for 120k total
Howdy! I really like the premise! Are you still looking four a critique partner or have you found one?
Hi!
Your book sounds like it would fit in great with a writing group I'm in, if you'd be interested! We're a group in our 20s and 30s, mostly queer, we do meetings every week, for critique and brainstorming alike. We've been around almost 5 years now, there's usually around 7 of us in chat, and we have mostly speculative works, but those range from webcomics to podcasts in addition to the usual novels and short stories. No written rules for critiquing, but common sense reciprocity is expected, we're a marathon group so we can get through around 20k a month.
We're based on discord, so if you're interested let me know and I can send you an invite!
Hi, everyone! My name is Madison. I'm finishing up a revision on a project I'm looking to query later this year. I'd like to get a beta reader or two since I've made some big changes in my revision. I'm happy to swap chapters in exchange.
Title (code word): haunted studio
Genre: horror comedy
Age: YA
Word count: 85K
Description: In an attempt to make two feuding actresses get along, a 17yo does a seance on her mom's TV set and accidentally uncovers a dark, supernatural secret that's been controlling Hollywood for the past 100 years.
Hi Madison! I write in the horror/dark comedy realm, too! Would you be interested in chatting and potentially swapping first chapters? ☺️
Hi Carly, yes! Let me send you a DM
Hi Madison! I won't lie to you I'm not normally a horror reader (typically fantasy and romance) BUT I'm really digging your description. I'm revising a sci-fi book so I understand if that's not a genre your interested in swapping in but let me know.
Hi Allison! I'd be interested to swap. Let me message you :)
Ok you had me at "horror comedy"! I am also in the revisions for a horror book and looking for a beta swap. Let me know if you are interested in connecting!
Hi Karissa! Yeah, I'm interested. Let me message you.
I'm Rosemary, writing the first draft of a space opera. Anyone know any critique groups in that genre? Thanks!
HI rosemary, want to do a space opera trade? I'm kris and I am looking for someone to do a critical read (not editing - just read and think) of my space opera. this is my 3rd pass at it.
* Title (The cat walks alone)
* Genre (Science Fiction, space opera, literary edge to it)
* Reading level (adult, YA)
* Word count ~110,000
* What you’re looking for in a reader (e.g. no edit, but a reader, with willingness to help me organize book, and see if it flows)
-Brief: a young monk stuck on a space station itrying to get back to their monastery accepts a lift on a passing ship - that turns out its headed the one place they can not return to.
Hi I'm Abbie Fine and I'm looking for a couple of critique partners to start swapping in mid-April/May as I'm finishing up a revision to my WIP. (I'm a working mom in Northern Virginia. I published one book with an indie press in 2018 (before kids) and I'm excited to get reactions for my quirky WIP!)
Working Title: "Romantasy IRL"
Genre: Adult Romantasy, Portal Fantasy (pretty spicy!)
85,000 words
Hook: This book explores, what if your favorite romantasy book hero were real and whisked you through a portal into an actual romantic fantasy adventure--and he needs your help!?
This round I'm looking for quick reactions and feedback--do you care about the characters? Is anything confusing or off-putting? Is it fun to read? thanks!!
Hi Abbie, this sounds awesome! I'd love to do a swap. I'm a new mom and just trying to pick my WIP back up. It's about pirates, necromancers, estranged sisters, and a deadbeat dad. Genre is fantasy adventure with some romance subplots. If you'd like to do a swap, send me a message!
Hi Abbie, I'd love to read this! Feel free to send me a message :)
Hi everyone! I’m traditionally published in my home country (one adult fantasy, one YA dark academia) and I’m now venturing into writing in English. I’m currently drafting a dark fantasy set in a frozen theocracy that involves a descent in an abandoned mine. I love writing psychologically unstable female MCs. I’d love feedback on my first chapters to help me find the best hook and develop my voice in English. Let me know :)
Hi Sacha, Dark fantasy and unstable MCs sounds perfect to me! I'm a native English speaker so happy to help with that and other feedback. Would love to swap chapters if you're interested? (My post with full blurb and info on my dark academia fantasy is in the wider comments!) :)
Sent you a MP :)
Hi everybody! I had great success with the last Meetup, looking forward to meeting new friends here :-)
I'm actively drafting an adult historical/supernatural called Death Meridian that takes place in Victorian-era Europe, about a priestess using holy necromancy to hunt a supernatural serial killer during a global scientific symposium. There's a full description here on Wattpad. I have a few chapters posted already if you want to check that you vibe with my writing: https://www.wattpad.com/1490763265-death-meridian-about
Basically looking for someone to read as I write and offer feedback. I'm a fast reader and I like to think I'm a good CP, happy to read chapters/full manuscripts, or help brainstorm!
His Savannah, this story sounds so up my alley and I'd love to read it if you're open to it. I hope you have a great week :)
Hi Savannah, your story sounds a bit darker than my current WIP but I cannot resist Victorian-era Europe (even as an European, ha). I think my WIP is further down, you can let me know if you're interested :)