Charlottesville Writers Critique Circle

Come find your Cville/Albemarle writing community!

Meet with your fellow wordsmiths to offer and receive feedback on short stories or manuscript chapters. New members are always welcome. We meet in the Madison Room of the JMRL Central Library on Market St.

Scheduled presenters and our backup presenter should bring a printed copy of their work for each attendee, in the following format:

-strictly between 1,000-2,000 words (please note wordcount on page 1)

-1.5 line spacing

-line numbers noted on pages

-stapled or clipped together

If your writing tends towards short stories/flash fiction of fewer than 1,000 words, please bring two pieces (no more than two) that combine to fall within our wordcount range.

After a first observer-only meeting, new members will be allowed to participate as regular members in subsequent meetings, and will be invited to present their own work for critique after their third meeting.

To help cover fees charged by Meetup, an annual contribution of $15 will come due on your third meeting.

Attendance is capped at 13 critiquing members for each meeting, so please don't RSVP unless you have every intention of attending. If you find you won't be able to attend a meeting after having already RSVP'd, please remove your RSVP as soon as possible, but no later than 1pm the day of the meetup. Late RSVP changes may get you barred from the following meeting. Two No-Shows will result in removal from the group. Feel free to message James B with any special circumstances.

IMPORTANT: If you are waitlisted, you may still attend but won't get to participate fully. If you're not planning to attend please change your RSVP, so presenters have a good idea of how many copies to print. If you're waitlisted, don't change your RSVP and don't show, that counts as a No-Show.

After the meetup, we'll continue the conversation over a beverage of your choice at an establishment on the downtown mall.

And continue the conversation further online in our Discord Server. Contact James B for an invitation link.

While our group meets at JMRL, we are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the library.

That's about it... see you at the Circle!

We're meeting one time only at the CROZET LIBRARY!

Meet with your fellow wordsmiths to offer and receive feedback on short stories or manuscript chapters. New members are always welcome.

Presenters: TBA

Backup: TBA

Scheduled presenters and our backup presenter should bring a printed copy of their work for each attendee, in the following format:

-strictly between 1,000-2,000 words (please note wordcount on page 1)

-1.5 line spacing

-line numbers noted on pages

If your writing tends towards short stories/flash fiction of fewer than 1,000 words, please bring two pieces (no more than two) that combine to fall within our wordcount range.

After a first observer-only meeting, new members will be allowed to participate as regular members in subsequent meetings, and will be invited to present their own work for critique after their third meeting.

To help cover fees charged by Meetup, an annual contribution of $15 will come due on your third meeting.

Attendance is capped at 13 critiquing members for each meeting, so please don't RSVP unless you have every intention of attending. If you find you won't be able to attend a meeting after having already RSVP'd, please remove your RSVP as soon as possible, but no later than 1pm the day of the meetup. Late RSVP changes may get you barred from the following meeting. Two No-Shows will result in removal from the group. Feel free to message James B with any special circumstances.

IMPORTANT: If you are waitlisted, you may still attend but won't get to participate fully. If you're not planning to attend please change your RSVP, so presenters have a good idea of how many copies to print. If you're waitlisted, don't change your RSVP and don't show, that counts as a No-Show.

After the meetup, we'll continue the conversation over a beverage of your choice at an establishment on the downtown mall.

And continue the conversation further online in our Discord Server. Contact James B for an invitation link.

While our group meets at JMRL, we are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the library.

That's about it... see you at the Circle!

Contests! Workshops! Prizes! Badminton! Ping Pong! Billiards! Fishing! Midnight Hikes! S'Mores! Grills! Cold drinks! Hot drinks! Your erudite, articulate, and helpful writing colleagues!!!!!

Wordsmith, what more could you ask for in the CWCC's 5th Annual Fall Retreat?!?

It's all taking place at Brian's beautiful home (Near Palmyra - 15 minutes south of I-64 Exit 129). Plan to stay the night if you like, either camping, or inside member Brian's spacious guesthouse. Pets, friends, kids, and significant others are welcome.

RSVPing early will help us plan the event.

The price of admission is participating in the writing contest and presenting a mininar. This requirement applies only to CWCC members. Family, friends, and guests may participate, but are not required.

This retreat is a special reward for those who have consistently contributed to our community. Your dedication through active participation in our critique sessions has helped make CWCC the vibrant, supportive, and inspiring group it is today. As we strive to be the most worthwhile and best writing group in Charlottesville and beyond, we’re starting with everyone on the waitlist, giving priority to regular attendees whose commitment has shaped our success, ensuring this retreat remains a meaningful milestone for our most engaged members.

Brian does an excellent job of feeding the attendees, but consider bringing a tempting dessert or bottle of your favorite adult beverage to share with the group. If you have special dietary requirements, please let Brian know.

The Writing Contest

Write a well-crafted 200-250 word story.
Prompt: FALLING OR FALLEN LEAVES
1.5 spacing
Garamond or Calibri font
A title
NO IDENTIFYING INFO/NAME.

Email your story to James (jamesblakey1965@gmail.com) by 11:59pm Tuesday, October 7th to have it included in the contest.

We will vote for our favorite story, and we will try to guess which of our fellow wordsmiths wrote which stories. Prizes for best story, the person who read the best story, and most correct guesses!

The Mininars

Member attendees should come prepared to present an 8-minute seminar (we’re calling them "mininars"!) on any writing-related topic of their choice.

Past examples include use of color, creating a believable villain, social media for authors, hot publishing genres, method writing, or words to use sparingly in a manuscript.

Let your creativity guide you! Ideally, presenters will bring a concise, one-page (JUST ONE) handout for all attendees.

Please avoid presentations that require extended audience participation or dead time (e.g., attendees writing during the session), as these can create lulls, sapping the energy from the event.

Come ready to teach us something valuable and keep the momentum going!

RSVPs will receive directions to Brian's forest retreat via direct message, as we draw closer to the event. Feel free to message me or him with questions.

We're meeting one time only on MONDAY!

Meet with your fellow wordsmiths to offer and receive feedback on short stories or manuscript chapters. New members are always welcome.

Presenters: TBA

Backup: TBA

Scheduled presenters and our backup presenter should bring a printed copy of their work for each attendee, in the following format:

-strictly between 1,000-2,000 words (please note wordcount on page 1)

-1.5 line spacing

-line numbers noted on pages

If your writing tends towards short stories/flash fiction of fewer than 1,000 words, please bring two pieces (no more than two) that combine to fall within our wordcount range.

After a first observer-only meeting, new members will be allowed to participate as regular members in subsequent meetings, and will be invited to present their own work for critique after their third meeting.

To help cover fees charged by Meetup, an annual contribution of $15 will come due on your third meeting.

Attendance is capped at 13 critiquing members for each meeting, so please don't RSVP unless you have every intention of attending. If you find you won't be able to attend a meeting after having already RSVP'd, please remove your RSVP as soon as possible, but no later than 1pm the day of the meetup. Late RSVP changes may get you barred from the following meeting. Two No-Shows will result in removal from the group. Feel free to message James B with any special circumstances.

IMPORTANT: If you are waitlisted, you may still attend but won't get to participate fully. If you're not planning to attend please change your RSVP, so presenters have a good idea of how many copies to print. If you're waitlisted, don't change your RSVP and don't show, that counts as a No-Show.

After the meetup, we'll continue the conversation over a beverage of your choice at an establishment on the downtown mall.

And continue the conversation further online in our Discord Server. Contact James B for an invitation link.

While our group meets at JMRL, we are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the library.

That's about it... see you at the Circle!