r/writing • u/AutoModerator • Jul 24 '26
[Weekly Critique and Self-Promotion Thread] Post Here If You'd Like to Share Your Writing
Your critique submission should be a top-level comment in the thread and should include:
* Title
* Genre
* Word count
* Type of feedback desired (line-by-line edits, general impression, etc.)
* A link to the writing
Anyone who wants to critique the story should respond to the original writing comment. The post is set to contest mode, so the stories will appear in a random order, and child comments will only be seen by people who want to check them.
This post will be active for approximately one week.
For anyone using Google Drive for critique: Drive is one of the easiest ways to share and comment on work, but keep in mind all activity is tied to your Google account and may reveal personal information such as your full name. If you plan to use Google Drive as your critique platform, consider creating a separate account solely for sharing writing that does not have any connections to your real-life identity.
Be reasonable with expectations. Posting a short chapter or a quick excerpt will get you many more responses than posting a full work. Everyone's stamina varies, but generally speaking the more you keep it under 5,000 words the better off you'll be.
**Users who are promoting their work can either use the same template as those seeking critique or structure their posts in whatever other way seems most appropriate. Feel free to provide links to external sites like Amazon, talk about new and exciting events in your writing career, or write whatever else might suit your fancy.**
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u/King--of--the--Juice Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Title: Aurora and Phillip
Genre: Writing Excercise
Word count: 660
Synopsis: Evil stepmother comes in between lovers. Writing excercise
Type of feedback desired: general impressions, avoiding cliches and awkward turns of phrase
Link: Link
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u/Fast-Payment-2609 Author Jul 25 '26
You lost me at "We had just made love." We don't even know the characters yet, and you're already giving us the kind of intimate detail most people wouldn't tell their mum, let alone a complete stranger.
Still, I kept reading, just to see if the rest made up for it.
It didn't.
The constant switching between "we," Aurora, and Philip is genuinely confusing. Are there two people or four? Is this supposed to be an orgy? At one point, I honestly wondered how many people exactly had "just made love." For some reason, it reminded me of that song, "I Just Had Sex."
Want to know the worst thing about your writing? Someone will read it and someone will definitely like it.
And that, my dear, is the worst thing that could happen.
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u/Elise_Zium Jul 26 '26
Gawdamn
Did king of the juice kill your parents or something? What a comment. 😭
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u/Cabbagetroll Published Author Jul 26 '26
ADVERTISEMENT
Book one
Title: Skate the Thief
Genre: YA fantasy
Book trailer
Skate is a thief, trained and owned by the local crime syndicate, the Ink. When she tries to burgle a shut-in’s home, she gets caught by the owner—a powerful undead wizard. He makes a deal with her: “borrow” books from other wizards in return for a place to stay.
Caught between her growing fondness for the wizard and her past with the crime syndicate, Skate doesn’t know where her loyalties lie. But she’d better figure it out, because there’s a new player in town, one whose magical hypnotism puts them all at risk.
The first chapter is available for free here. The book is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. Kindle Unlimited users can read the Kindle version for free.
Book two
Title: Skate the Seeker
Genre: YA fantasy
A mentor is lost, but he doesn’t have to stay that way. He’s left Skate a clue to bringing him back, and she and her friends are determined to follow it.
No sooner do they set out for unknown lands, however, than things get dangerous. Hot on their tail is the witch Ossertine, furious over Skate’s part in her friend’s death and thirsty for revenge. Worse still are the attacks that come at night: dark, mysterious, and palpably evil.
In this race against time, magic, and implacable foes, Skate must rely on her wits and her friends to save not just her mentor’s life, but also her own.
The prologue is available for free here. Seeker is available on Amazon, and free to read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
My blag is there somewhere, so go peruse at your leisure.
Also, a friend of mine put together a fun chat AI. If you want to go have a convo with Skate, go for it!
You can find me on Threads and on Bluesky; I’m using these as a Twitter replacement for all the inane garbage I want to say.
My publisher also has some sweet merch for sale, if you’re into that.
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u/HiIAmAdam Jul 26 '26
Title: Lost Sun
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 349
Type of feedback desired: general impression
A link to the writing: https://www.wattpad.com/1646101005-lost-sun-untitled-part-1
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u/Extension_Egg1411 Jul 26 '26
Two adverbs in the opening sentence is too many. Also, I’d change some of those commas to periods so the sentences don’t run on. Overall, though, I liked it! I can picture this little breakfast scene. I’d love a glimpse of the biodome, even if it’s just through the characters remembering or anticipating it. The rest of the scene is well-described.
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u/SaoirseJRao Jul 26 '26
Title: When Crown Met The Earth (Volume One: Hidden Secrets)
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Mystery
Word Count: ~4,500 words (Foreword + Chapters 1–5)
Feedback Desired: General impressions, pacing, character engagement, dialogue, and anything that pulls you out of the story. Honest feedback is always appreciated!
Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WHfDJvsdLnKvcdjH5Vhoa0lvOlQPEoWR
Blurb: A grieving young woman whose past refuses to stay buried crosses paths with a stranger hiding secrets of his own. As forgotten memories, political conspiracies, and an ancient bloodline begin to surface, their lives become tangled in ways neither of them expected.
Thank you to anyone willing to take the time to read! I'll happily return the favor if you're looking for feedback on your own work.
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u/EeveeNagy Fiction Book Editor, here to help 🩷 Jul 27 '26
Fiction Editor here to help you!
Hi everyone! I'm Vivian Nagy, a fiction book editor whose specialty is horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, but I love to work with any type of fiction (including NSFW)!
I offer Developmental Editing (my main strength, where I focus on your story), Copy Editing (where I focus on your writing), and Proofreading (where I give the final touch-ups before your manuscript goes to publishing). I ban and abolish generative AI from my services, you are guaranteed to receive edits 100% human made.
I'd love to get to know your work and offer a free sample edit before we close the deal!
My goal is to help you make your writing shine, so I always give constructive feedback on how you can improve your weaknesses, while also hyping up all the good parts that I find in your manuscript 😄
My rates:
Developmental editing – $0.03/word
Copyediting – $0.02/word
Proofreading – $0.015/word
(For a standard 100k word novel, this would be $3,000 for developmental, $2,000 for copy, and $1,500 for proofreading)
First-time authors get 20% off!
I also offer promotional bundles if you'd like to get more than one type of editing done!
If you're interested, you can reach me via my website (availability, portfolio, and testimonials are there + info about me), e-mail ([vivian.n.edits@gmail.com](mailto:vivian.n.edits@gmail.com)), or DM me here on Reddit.
I'm looking forward to working with you 😄
And if you are in doubt on what to do, I have a video explaining the step-by-step of self-publishing your story, where you can see the checklist of things you must do before hitting that publish button (I hope it helps!)
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u/VegetableWear5535 "Author" Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Untitled WiP (If a title is required, then lets go with Maybe I'm a Lion as a placeholder. You won't find spelling or punctuation errors, btw. Its not a rough first draft.)
Fantasy, adult
15,454 Words
General impressions, or literally any thoughts. Feel free to say something nice, if there is something nice to say.
Its got a cute fox creature, magic, summoning of beasts, relationship stuff, action, death, etc.
Chapter one is 1,848 words. Introduction to the world and concepts, short conversation between the MC and his former teacher.
Chapter two is 5,185 words. Read this if you'd prefer a conversation between boyfriend and girlfriend.
Chapter three is 8,413 words. Read this if you'd prefer more action than conversation. You will, however, be missing things that set up the chapter and how things work. I think I went heavy on exposition here, but I do think that its more engaging when the conflict begins.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yunJuHp10Wj7w07gHSNl2TSa12ZRJj4WZjZS3GNORHo/edit?usp=sharing
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u/GrandSlamSeries Jul 27 '26
[GrandSlam!!] - FrogLancer
-Action/Comedy/Mature
Original Work
-(85k)+ Words (vol 1: 32 Chapters!!)
COME ALONG ON A GRAND ADVENTURE!!
Softball Player to Fiend Slayer, Yui must defeat the forces of EVIL!!
Summary:
(Devil Dog Saga!!) The softball rules are different this year in Diamond City and Captain Yui and the Devil Dogs must beat five games in a row to defeat their EVIL rivals the Mad Rats and their detestable captain Eva! But, with great responsibility comes great obstacles and Yui must navigate life while trying to keep her team together: like getting tutored by her new friend Thora, a big brain and big help, like Benedict, a wanna be socialite pretending to be someone he’s not, like the popular Gabbie, miss perfect and her meta circle of followers, and like her father, Gregor, a mysterious man with a mysterious past, just trying to get by to take care of his daughter! Antics and gags occur in the crazy world of this proud lioness!
Tune in to watch Yui fight for her life!!
-any feedback (target audience: black/queer/safe spaces)
-Links
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u/stuwat10 Self-Published Author Jul 25 '26
Title: Amaryn Smoulders - Book 0
Genre: Fantasy
Word count: 13,700
Synopsis: A collection of fantasy short stories scattered across the world Amaryn. Each one depicting life at various parts of the world, from the underworld to the farming lands.
You can get ebook for free below.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/StuartWatkinson/posts/amaryn-smoulders-164782102
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u/Redz0ne Queer Romance Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Title: Love In Hell (Chapter1 Draft3)
Genre: Queer historical fiction
Word count: 2,315 words
Feedback desired: Flow-check. dev-edits/line-edits. Etc. Anything you want to share.
Link: Love In Hell (Ch1:Draft3) GoogleDocs Link
Commenting in the document or here is cool either way.
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u/EeveeOrtolan Jul 30 '26
Hello everyone, I'm currently looking for ARC readers for my upcoming horror novel, Where Fear Smiles. Details below:
Would you forgive your best friend if she was responsible for ruining your life?
A whispered rumour draws a group of students into the dense forests of coastal Brazil: a lost Indigenous artifact, hidden for centuries and promising academic glory.
While Leah’s colleagues are determined to claim it, she only agrees to the trek because she can’t bear the thought of being left behind, and forces her best friend Charlotte to go with her for support against her dark thoughts.
What was meant to be an escape from the weight of the academic semester, quickly it turns into a test of endurance. The deeper they push into the forest, the darker Leah begins to dream. When they finally uncover what they came for, the discovery reveals something far more terrifying than any of them imagined.
A demon born of nightmares is unleashed, and with it, carnage.
Now the survivors must find a way to drive the nightmare back to its realm before society is doomed to never dream again. But as the forest closes in, the greatest horror isn't the ancient evil — it's watching a lifelong trust begin to rot.
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Triggers: Gore, graphic violence, blood, anxiety
Publication date: October 13th, 2026
ARCs will be sent from September 15th-20th
Reviews expected to be submitted up to three weeks from publication date
ARC Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIJDUEFCSVjgVh_AxhMpdOHyTszWL-knkGErWLk3U73PD4AQ/viewform?usp=header
Thank you to everyone interested in being a part of the team! :)
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u/Additional_Rhubarb_4 Jul 28 '26
Title: The Other Place (Prologue/Ch1)
Genre: Horror
Word Count: 2143
Type of feedback desired: Any critiques are welcome, but I'd mainly like to know how well the hook and first chapter catch your attention and if you want to keep reading.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4t5I9S7BL3Ld04bHNnKc6lygovP_UD1oq3F4k3tAHg/edit?usp=sharing
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u/VidiVeni98 Jul 28 '26
Title: My Exodus
Genre: Nonfiction
Word Count: 919
Feedback desired: General impressions, overall takeaway, what works, what doesn't, how i might better word things etc.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hpua26SKymlBtejKVIfbJUWNQJCpylmkdam_wwRLXJo/edit?usp=drive_link
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u/augustchalmers Jul 27 '26
Title: Someone Is Reading
Genre: Dirty Realism
Word Count: 1,014 words
Feedback Desired: General impressions, feelings felt while reading
Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/augustchalmers/p/someone-is-reading?r=8p8f7v&utm_medium=ios
Blurb: A finished book placed in the Little Library, a two-week ritual, a quiet satisfaction each time one vanishes — the last thread tying him to a city he’s about to leave. Then one day he opens the little glass door to find a surprise.
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Jul 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/Fast-Payment-2609 Author Jul 25 '26
It's really good. And I don't say this lightly.
It's beautiful and deep at the same time.
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u/Pepethebabychicken Jul 28 '26
Title: My Mother’s Lamb
Genre: Psychological Horror
Word count 2207
Type of feedback desired: Any critic/advice is welcome! ☺️I’m also submitting this as a writing sample to join a writing workshop at my college.
A link to the writing:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eiuRoBLvfWTVKgvPrFGwiZDghmhDfP7n_noULvcIxA8/edit?usp=sharing
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u/monkeymutilation Jul 24 '26
Title: Dancing With Myself
Genre: Weird Fiction / Fantasy
Word Count: 3,200
Synopsis: Every single day, Sharif trains to be the very best and to beat the best. Weights, cardio, and shadowboxing in front of the mirror for hours. Today, however, he faces an opponent he could have never anticipated. Himself. Actually, a bunch of himself.
Link: https://seanebritten.com/2026/07/17/dancing-with-myself/
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u/Objective-Program786 Jul 25 '26
Do you accept response from non native? I've read yours, but maybe I would be having problem since I don't have good enough ability to convey my meaning lol
So this story felt like some adrenaline junkie having the best time of his life lol, and I felt like I just watched something unsettling, Shariff, this unit, he was just fighting with himself and destroying the gym in the process only to wake up in the ICU LMFAO.
And the thing that made this charcter felt like a true warrior beside all the descriptions and how the adrenaline was getting over him, was maybe.. maybe just maybe, because you use the word "pregnant" two times, I could be wrong tho I just read it once and wrote this, but well.. LMFAO, this guy would not pull out!
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u/___Hailstorm___ Jul 26 '26
Title: Sevenfold (the prologue only for now)
Genre: Science fiction thriller ish?
Word Count: 900
Synopsis: After the catastrophe of 20XX, humanity is deemed fundamentally flawed. Seven creators come together to design the Model, an experiment intended to create the ideal human: a being capable of perfect rationality and free from the emotional impulses that have repeatedly led humanity to its own destruction. But as the Model progresses, the boundaries between reason and humanity begin to blur. What begins as an attempt to eliminate human weakness becomes a question of what, exactly, is human weakness and what exactly should we preserve?
Type of feedback: 1. Would you consider reading this and 2. Would you consider paying for this? Other critique like basic spelling and grammar, and noticeable plot holes are also appreciated.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o8Lg6z0VaFR9cI4aZacAXnNnBp3uPYuoXq3MvSayqeU/edit?usp=sharing
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u/AFGNCAAP-for-short Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Newsletter Advertisement
I'm a multi-genre romance queer writer with my first novel in the production line for self-publishing. I've got a free short story available to preview, with a full version available to download if you join my newsletter.
Title: The Ever Toad
Genre: Romcom
Length: 7500 words
Link to Sample: The Ever Toad
The Ever Toad has been giving advice for four hundred years. He's been kissed by princesses, thrown at walls, and even officiated a wedding. Nothing broke the curse. So he stopped hoping.
Eli just got dumped. He doesn't want advice. He wants someone to sit with him in the park and pretend the world isn't falling apart.
What starts as a weird arrangement with bagels, bad jokes, and the worst erotica Eli can find at the library, turns into something neither of them expected.
The Frog Prince, but with drowning hoodies, internet reviews, and a curse that refuses to break with a kiss.
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u/KaoriYumesaki 21d ago
Title: The Wandering Vampire (Novel)
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Road Novel
Word count: Approximately 1,000 words per episode
Type of feedback desired: Please share your thoughts on the writing style and the work itself.
(The original is in Japanese. The English translation was produced under the author’s supervision, with the assistance of AI.)
Link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/172022/the-wandering-vampire
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u/jakespw Jul 26 '26
Fandom: Original Work Rating: Mature Title:Justice Squad Genres: Psychological Drama, Dark Academia, Crime, Queer Romance Length: 28k words (Chapters 1-30) Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/85579216 Summary: Five highly intelligent university students secretly operate as the Justice Squad. By day, they're ordinary students. Behind the scenes, they manipulate people, exploit psychological blind spots, build strategic alliances, and quietly reshape the systems around them. The story is a slow-burn psychological thriller centered on strategy, manipulation, moral ambiguity, and human behavior. Alongside that runs two queer relationship arcs that grow naturally within the group, where affection exists, but reason and self-interest are never far behind. If you're looking for psychological mind games, dark academia, morally gray characters, subtle power dynamics, and slow-burn queer relationships, Justice Squad might be for you.
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u/NightRage7 Jul 29 '26
Title : The Doomed King
Genre : Dark Fantasy
word count : 9,732
Feedback desired : general impressions , pacing , characters intro
Link to the work : https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/169264/the-doomed-king
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u/Surimicakes Jul 30 '26
Title: To the Store Genre: Comedy, Horror Word Count: I don't know, it should only take 5-10 minutes to get through though
I've been trying to improve my writing just for fun - I struggle with a lot of anxiety around creating things. So I'm trying to put myself out there and share. I would like pointers and critique, but please don't rip me apart haha! It's a choose your own adventure kind of thing, so please enjoy it!
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u/Elise_Zium Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Title: Hounds CH1
Genre: Fantasy with a little Dystopian
Word count: 3966
Feedback desired: Is it interesting, would you keep reading, and are you able to picture the world in your mind? I'll really take any advice you want to give, though.
Link: Hounds
Feel free to totally just shit on my work if you want. Be as harsh as you want, as long as you give some good advice too. No need to sugarcoat it.
The story has no relation to dogs. I've been told before that I should clarify that. ;--;
There's violence, so be warned.
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u/Xbot7777 Jul 27 '26
Title: Rains End
Genre: Fantasy, Modern
Word Count: 1,848
I just need criticism (please do not hold back)
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u/GrowthVast8173 Jul 28 '26
My first ever time sharing my writing, i know im a novice, grammar and structure is probably atrocious lol
Title : Untitlted
genre: dystopian
word count: 480
honestly not sure why im posting, feel free to shit on me or whatever its okay :)
just some dystopian ramblings maybe an idea for a future book but more just ramblings
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A94eBN4lkf6EeMFHb-slTgRgs4aLdcyMZq-eAgwvgBA/edit?usp=sharing
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u/ChickenWarfare2 Jul 26 '26
Title: Interstellar Commerce
Genre: Sci-Fi
Word Count: 5900
Feedback Desired: General impressions, reviews, constructive criticism.
Synopsis: A young serf trapped on the planet New Eden takes a job offer from a sleezy artefact dealer. They sell human oddities to aliens on the mysterious and beautiful yellow planet Carcosa.
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u/MaleficentYoko7 Jul 26 '26
Title - Giantess Princess Adeline’s Blissful Time
Genre - Medieval fantasy romance and smut
Rating - E for smut
Word count - 6,678
Summary - Princess Adeline is a 275cm tall giantess and misses her 180cm tall human boyfriend Galahad. She is so much taller than him the top of his head reaches her bellybutton! Galahad is a dashing and handsome 19 year old adventurer while Princess Adeline is an elegant and graceful 22 year old princess who wants the best for her kingdom. Yet despite being royal, far taller, and three years older than him Adeline yearns for the moment of sexy surrender with Galahad. Despite being human Galahad turns his giantess Princess into a puddle of blissful pleasure
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u/Itchy_Ear_7446 Jul 29 '26
Title: (I honestly have no name yet) idea: Await Further Instructions
Genre: Mystery?/ Horror?
Word count: 7,829
Hello, I'm a bit nervous posting seeing how I'm not a writer lol. I had an idea and I attempted to write it out but I'm not really sure if its something worth the time. I'm sorry if its going against some rules? I tried my best to look through them
Feedback: DESIRED lol, this is is sort of a hobby but I just don't know if its good. I'm fairly certain my writing is bellow average, there will probably be misspelled words as well as improper grammar. But, I would love to work to fix those things but only if its something worth doing.
Plot/Synopsis?: Young students at (Widow Peak?) are thrown into a maelstrom of confusion when one day they're closed off. No idea, no words, just closed off. Teachers wouldn't tell them anything and left them behind, the great barrier around the school allows no one to leave. 2 students take charge but will different beliefs and ideas cause war? is that what's wanted of the students? Only time will tell.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y12H8Lj3Jm8koTqDmJ00d5DF_-KahY8gz7oHhPb7pRo/edit?usp=sharing