Share Your Writing, Give Critiques, Receive Feedback from your Peers
Writing is not an individual endeavor. Sharing our writing and commenting on others’ is helpful and encouraging to everyone involved.
This is critique group is for all writers, but it was originally started specially for teen writers, so please be aware that many of the commentators will be young adults. And if you are a teen, I know how hard it is to find critiques from other teens, so here is your chance. The submission form is at the bottom of this page, but I would appreciate it if you read the rules first.
My Open Pen was inspired by my fellow blogger’s, Bryce’s, own version on his blog. Please check his blog out, and you can get a second critique there, if you would like: The Art of Uncouth: Open Pen
The rules are very simple:
- Your excerpt may be no longer than 1,500 words or forty lines of a poem.
- You must post a constructive comment on the work of someone else who has submitted. Your comment can be short and be about only one thing if you don’t have much time, but please make it constructive (aka you must offer a suggestion and not just a compliment.) Also you are more than welcome to comment on the whole work or multiple submissions.
- Your excerpt must not include anything sexual (even innuendo), excess violence, or swearing. If your excerpt does contain swearing please star it out completely. Also please note that I am relatively lenient on the violence rule.
- Please only submit one piece a month. I would encourage you to come back and keep asking for help (even on the same piece if you want), but I can’t have one person spamming the list. Thank you for considering others.
- This is not a solid rule but a suggestion. If you have a blog, it might be helpful if you re-blogged your critique once I post it. This way your followers know to come over and critique your work, too. Also if you find Open Pen helpful, I would love it if you spread the word around your website.
I will be posting an excerpt on my website each Friday with my critique either sent to you via e-mail. On my blog, others will be able critique your work, too. If your critique is posted on the website, I will link to it in the comments below and notify you. However, I understand that some of you might not want your writing posted. If that is the case, just let me know in the “Anything Else?” Portion of the submission form, and I will send your critique back to your e-mail address (however, I will be the only person critiquing your work.)
Please fill out this comment form if you would like to have your work critiqued. The required fields are marked. Thank you!
List of Posted Open Pen Submissions (Ordered Oldest to Newest):
- The Hospital
- A Good Bet
- Welcome Home
- Untitled: A lyric fiction
- Untitled Fantasy Excerpt
- My Pen on Paper
- Snowfall (a poem)
- The Strange Case of Siri and Iris
- Twinpathy
- That One Moment
- 3 a.m. Thoughts
- Oliver/Jemma/Katrina
- Dragon Rising Coffee
- Serpentine
- Untitled Middle Grade Fiction
- Sunshine and Fog
- Don’t Believe Us (Dramatic Non-fiction)
- Untitled Fantasy Excerpt: Taria Cairo
- Thirty Forty Five
- The Wings of Fury
- Starlight
- Kameradschaft
- The River Flows
- The Lark
- Science as Art
- Myra Jaynes
- Out of Darkness
- A Discovery
- To Khalgena
- Untitled Novel Excerpt by C. Potter
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Did you find Open Pen useful? Here is the code for a button if you would like to spread the word.
Formatting doesn’t seem to go through on this…
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Oh, it doesn’t? I got your submission through the form though. I will be posting your excerpt this Saturday (I couldn’t post it last Saturday because I was at camp.) Sorry!
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I’m not sure if the paragraphs and everything came through to you, but it didn’t show when it said what I’d sent.
It’s fine. 🙂 This Saturday was actually sooner than I expected. 😀
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Are you still doing critiques? Can I join this group? One thing I really have trouble with is finding someone to critique my writing, because no one in my family is really interested in the genres I typically write in. Not that they wouldn’t help out, but it’s not something they would, or even can do periodically.
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I am definitely still doing critiques; I just haven’t received any excerpts in a few months 😉
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May I send one of my excerpts tomorrow (hopefully)?
(Just to warn you: One of my biggest problems with writing is grammar. Then again, most of my characters don’t speak polished English.)
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I just got your critique, and I will post it next Saturday. I have special Open Pen Posts at the beginning and end of the month, so I hope you don’t mind waiting another week.
That is okay! I know some grammar freaks who would love to help you 😉
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Thanks! And no, I don’t mind waiting. I’m just glad I’ll get some help! 🙂
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Hey can I leave my excerpt? It is a 2601 words but I don’t want to cut anything cause it is all essential to the story. Would it be be okayy if it is over?
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Yes, that would be fine! I know how hard it is to cut words to find a word limit, and having a full scene makes critiquing easier.
I’ve got a few people ahead of you for critiques, so it might be a few weeks before I post yours. I hope you don’t mind. I will make sure to let you know when I post yours.
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Hey yes thank you so much! I sent you an excerpt from another chapter since I wanted descriptive advice right now. If I can then Next month, maybe I can send another piece? It’s alright take all the time you need. I will wait. I think it’s great that you are doing this. I would love to something similar for other people.
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Of course! Feel free to send in another excerpt next month (or just wait until I post your piece to submit a new piece– technically, it might have been a month since you submitted your first excerpt.)
Please, go ahead and copy Open Pen if you would like. This actually wasn’t my original idea– I saw it on another writing blog and got permission to start it on mine, and I’ve had a couple other people start Open Pen on their blogs. So feel free to copy anything from my website (that is related to Open Pen) and use it if you would like.
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Thats great! I would love to do it too!
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Gabrielle, thank you SO MUCH for adding Open Pen Critiques to your blog! I really look forward to sending you (in written form) all the random ideas floating in my head. 😀
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You’re welcome! I just got your second submission, and hopefully, I will post your first one next week.
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Hey I want to post another of one my pieces. Unfortunately it’s very depressing and sad. I have been exploring the dark side of writing due to certain problems in life. It’s a mood piece. Would it be okay to submit or would it be too depressing?
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I would not object to that at all! I think the best writing explores the harder sides of life, and I personally like to write about really strong and often depressing emotions.
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Hey I sent you the piece a few days back! Hope you got it!
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Yep! I did. Sorry that I am running behind schedule again. I had a bunch of family in town last week for my high school graduation and also was really busy applying for jobs. I don’t even know if I dare to say that I am back to posting.
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That’s alright! Take your time love
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Thanks. If you check my latest Open Pen post, you can see the current queue. I think you are third, so if everything goes as planned, I should post your piece on the 25th.
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Perfect! Thank you 🙂
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I believe I sent you a story a few weeks ago, and I was just wondering how soon it will be posted?
Thanks! God Bless!
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I just checked, and it will be up this Saturday. If you submit another piece, you can find out where you are on the list by checking the most recent Open Pen post. I’ve started to put the queue up there.
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Thank you very much!
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Hey I believe I had posted a story a few weeks back. When would you be posting it? Just wanted to check since it had been long.
Thanks! Have a good day!
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Hello, I was wondering if you are still doing critiques, since I see there hasn’t been one for a few months? I’m struggling to get feedback for my writing (partly because I don’t know many people who like fantasy, and partly because I am shy about sharing it with people who know me) so this would be really helpful for me.
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Hi, I tried replying back to the email you sent me but it was refusing to send so I am just going to send you another one from here 🙂
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Okay. I am sorry that the e-mail did not work. This will work fine!
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Hii, I’m so sorry, thank you for the critique. However I am unable to open the document and I am unable to send you an email. I am unable to reply to your email. Would it be possible for you to send it to me again?
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Okay hey, thank you the file opened. Thank you for your critique, it really means a lot to me 🙂
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I am glad it opened! You’re welcome.
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I just realised I automatically typed the name of my novel instead of naming the piece, so if the title doesn’t seem to fit with the scene, that’s why…
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Okay. That is fine. Let me know if you want to change the title or not.
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I’m fine with it if it’s not a problem 🙂
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I’ve sent in a piece to critique. Around when do you post the open-pen critiques?
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I post the critiques on Fridays. The wait depends on the current queue and sometimes my school schedule. I have one critique ahead of yours, and I won’t be posting this Friday because of some big exams. So it looks like yours will be posted on the 21st. I hope that is okay.
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That’s absolutely fine. Good luck with your exams!
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Well, how did your exams go?
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My finals are not for another two weeks. Most of my exams have gone very well, but I took one this morning that a good result is doubtful. Thanks for asking! Also I think I have a critique to send you. So keep an eye out for that.
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Hi Gabrielle, are you still doing open pen critiques?
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I’m sorry, but I am not right now. I had to take a break from writing, and now, as I am just getting back in, I want to find a schedule and rhythm for novel writing, blog writing, and then finally critiquing. When/if I get back to Open Pen critiques, there will be a post on the blog announcing it– so you shouldn’t miss it 😉 In the mean time, I hope you can get some good feedback on your work elsewhere!
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Oh no worries! I was just curious. I read the last critiques and they were from a year ago so I thought maybe people just hadn’t sent you stuff. But now I understand. 🙂
Have fun writing!
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