“The discipline of a writing group kept me going to finish my first novel. Their constructive criticism helped me polish it enough to get an agent pretty quickly. When I picked a tough structure for my fourth novel—multiple protagonists—the group helped me work through sticky issues of plot, pacing, voice, and character development. It’s not always easy to hear the critiques, but it ALWAYS helps.”

Pamela Schoenewaldt

“The feedback I receive in my KWG workshop gets me out of my tunnel vision and helps me to see ways forward. Just talking about my writing and seeing how others react to it opens up new perspectives, and it’s nice to have camaraderie and feel I’m not going it alone.”

Gerhard Schneibel

 My experience with the Fiction and More writing group made me a better critiquer of others’ work, and as a result, a better editor of my own.  The feedback I received ultimately helped me hone my craft as I wrote and/or revised and published six short stories following my involvement with the group — in Appalachian Heritage, Still, The Madison Review, and other journals.  One of those stories — written years earlier, but I had had trouble placing it — ended up being a Judges’ Selection in the 2013 Literary Contests at Still.  My writing group’s invaluable input also helped me revise an old novel manuscript that was published as The Dead Shall Rise by Celtic Cat Publishing in September 2016.  Best of all, I discovered lifelong friends in Fiction and More.

Melanie Hutsell