The NYC Writers Critique Group will present two critique sessions at the McKee Story Expo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on June 11 and 12, 2022!

Click here to download notes from our sessions.

Click here to download reading materials for Saturday, June 11

Click here to download reading materials for Sunday, June 12

Both sessions will last 90 minutes and begin at 11:00 AM. At each session, the group will join Expo attendees in critiquing submissions, and offer tips and advice for attendees to run their own critique group.

Have your work critiqued!

Expo attendees are invited to submit their work for critique! Each session will include two critiques, for a total of four across both days. If we receive more than four submissions, we will choose four at random.

Submissions must meet the following guidelines:

  • Your submission should be in Word .DOC or .PDF format.
  • Prose must be 4,000 words or less. Scripts and screenplays must be 20 pages or less. You can go a tiny bit over (~50-100 words) if you need it to finish a paragraph or scene. Submissions that significantly exceed the limit will not be considered.
  • Submissions with explicit sex or violence should include a statement to that fact at the top of the first page. We do not censor work, and we will consider any content, but please let us know up front, out of respect for sensitive readers.
  • Include your name (a pen name is fine) on the first page. You may also choose to include your email address, and some participants may choose to email you comments.

To submit your work, please use this form.

Before you send in your work:

Please note that by submitting, you consent to have your submission shared via email and web with participants in the critique, which will include ten members of the NYC Writers Critique Group and a to-be-determined number of Expo attendees. Your work will be available to read and download in advance of the critique session and during the session, but will be taken down from the web at the conclusion of the session.

Occasionally, people express concern about copyright. This is reasonable, but please bear in mind that many thousands of critiques like these have been going on for decades in colleges and workshops, and plagiarism is almost unheard of. Also bear in mind that in the United States your work is automatically protected under copyright law, with or without formal registration. On the outside chance someone were to steal your writing, you would only have to prove in court that you wrote it first–and having submitted it for critique at this Expo would be pretty compelling proof.

That said, it’s also important to note that ideas and concepts cannot be copyrighted. That’s why there are hundreds of alien invasion stories, and not just one. If your work includes some absolutely brilliant idea or concept that no one has ever seen before, you may just want to keep that to yourself.