How to Critique Creative Writing | Writers Groups, Workshops & Feedback

What makes a good critique in a writers group? How do you workshop fiction without destroying a writer’s confidence? In this episode of Write Your Heart Out, Kayla Ogden and Rachel Cyr dive deep into creative writing critiques, writing workshops, querying literary agents, revising fiction, and the emotional experience of sharing your work out loud.Kayla shares what happened when she submitted the opening chapter of her novel The Cherry Tree (formerly Pillow Forts Down) to a large critique group led by published authors, including surprising feedback about character behavior, realism, scene details, and reader expectations. Rachel discusses receiving revision notes on her own novel Dinner for Eight and why constructive criticism can completely transform a manuscript.The conversation explores: how to critique creative writing constructively  what makes a good writers group  giving and receiving feedback as a novelist  common workshop mistakes  genre expectations in speculative fiction and literary fiction  querying literary agents  revising first chapters  writing believable characters  AI and speculative fiction concepts  overcoming fear of sharing your writing They also discuss ketamine therapy, old “storybook homes,” Silicon Valley creative culture, AI romance story ideas, and why writers should stop creating rules that prevent them from writing.If you’re an aspiring author, novelist, screenwriter, MFA student, or creative writer looking for honest conversations about the writing life, this episode is for you.Please subscribe, rate and review! New episodes every other Wednesday.E-mail us your short story at [email protected] us on instagram @writeyourheartoutpod Leave us a message at 650-260-4885