We recently revamped our private groups to meet the needs of writing classes and traditional writing groups. The private groups are essentially a miniature version of Review Fuse. We think the changes we have made to the navigation and structure of the private groups should be incorporated into the general community. Please experiment freely with the beta group and let us know what you think.

1. Go to the Beta group homepage
2. Log in in as either beta1, beta2, beta3, beta4, or beta5
3. Password for all beta users is letmein

All work will be removed from the beta group weekly, so please don’t upload anything you care about to this group.

If you are interested in using a private group to streamline the critique process for a course you teach or for your traditional writing group please contact us to arrange a trial or for more details.

Jacob

There where a lot of great poems submitted to the April poetry contest. It was really hard to select a winner. The top 5 poems were read, reread, and argued over during the final round of judging. In the end we selected “Public Speaking” by  Kayla Shirley (Review Fuse user tink123) as the winner of the poetry contest. Kayla gave us permission to publish the poem as part of this post.

Second place was “Palmer’s Peak” by deanooo88 and third place was “Journeyman” by streetpoet.

Public Speaking

by Kayla Shirley

I stand in a room
with hundreds of chairs
everyone sits
everyone stares

I open my mouth
but nothing comes out
my voice is silenced
my sanity doubt

My heart is pounding
palms with sweat
my mind is racing
with thoughts of regret

What was I thinking
when I raised my hand
I can’t go through with this
I’m falling in quicksand

The light is dimming
the room is blurred
I hear people whispering
what’s wrong with her

Last thing I see
before it goes black
is the disapointment on his face
I wish I hadn’t seen that

I close my eyes
and lose my grip
I fall to the floor
and then that’s it

Jacob

Beginning your story in the right way is essential. Before you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard make sure you have:

1. A plot that interests you. If you don’t think your idea is the best one out there no one else with either.
2. Spent time inventing characters that you are passionate about.
3. Developed detailed character profile.
4. Written a detailed and believable storyline that is not predictable.
5. Start writing.

Openings need to be engaging from the first word. Don’t start by spewing background info all over your audience. Focus on exciting the reader and making them want more.

Start in the middle of a problem or in an unusual environment. The problem or environment should be part of that turning point for the main character and introduce the problem the protagonist has to solve. The hero’s life should change because during the opening scene.

The problem should contain a healthy dose of mystery or intrigue that kicks the readers’ brain into puzzle solving mode. People love trying to puzzles out what’s going to happen next so provide clues about the coming conflict that engage their mind.

Do you want to know if your story has a good start? Join our writing group and let us critique your work.

Jacob

The writing contests we are hosting have invaded my mind and rudely intruded upon my dreams. Last night I dreamed that a Presidential order mandated that everything be written in iambic pentameter.

In order to avoid arrest I demanded that Steve, the lead programmer at Review Fuse, rewrite all of our systems so the content of our site and the programming code would read in iambic pentameter. As Steve typically does with absurd requests he refused. Cold and clammy I awoke wondering if my wife and kids would wait for me while I served 10 years in prison because of the Review Fuse rebellion against iambic pentameter.

Do your stories, books, or poems ever disturb your slumber?

Jacob

*See all of our writing contests

Purpose: Have fun, enjoy the competition, and become a better author by participating in the peer critique process portion of this contest.

Who Can Enter: This contest is open to all authors. All submissions must be posted and assigned critiques completed by June 27, 2009. Stories must be 10,000 words or fewer. You may post additional stories to this site for critique, but only one story  will be eligible for the contest.

Subject Matter: You choose. The short story should adhere to our content policy.

Prizes: The winner of this contest will receive $50.

How to Enter: It’s pretty easy

1. Create a free account or sign in for existing members.
2. Upload your story; make sure you select “Short Story Writing Contest” as the category.
3. Submit your work for peer critique.
4. Complete your assigned reviews, this is discussed more below.

Decisions: There will be 2 rounds of judging.

1. Authors from the Review Fuse staff will select the 3 best works for Round 2.
2. Of these 3 works selected, Review Fuse management will select the winning authors based on who gave the most detailed and well thought out critiques to their peer’s.

Entry Fee: There are no entry fees or purchases of any kind required to enter and win the contest. After you submit your work to the contest you will be required to complete assigned critiques of other authors (4 for free members and 3 for premium members). You will receive 3 critiques of your work in return. Those who do not complete their critiques will not be eligible to win the contest.

Rights: All stories remain the sole property of the author. After we have selected the winner we will seek permission from the author to publish the winning work on our blog. The author is under no obligation to allow this.

Notification: The prize winner will be notified by email on July 4, 2009. We will announce the prize winner on our blog on July 6, 2009.

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.” - Jack Handey


Working online unfortunately provides an easy venue to criticize from miles away with virtually no repercussion. It is easy to tear someone down without providing encouragement or justification.

Fortunately, Review Fuse members tend to give detailed critiques that point out weaknesses in the writing while also providing encouragement. Thank you.

I hope everyone who critiques on Review Fuse can use the brief critique sessions to leave positive impressions. None of us will truly understand the extent of our influence as we interact. Every critique we write exerts influence that can either lift and inspire or depress and destroy an author.

We receive messages every week from authors thanking us for the positive and educational experiences they have using Review Fuse. These thank you notes really belong to the members who give critiques that both build up and show how to improve.

We also, unfortunately, receive occasional emails from members telling us we helped them discover that they have no business trying to write. Every one of these authors has been the unfortunate recipient of critiques that tear down without building up.

I am not saying you should shower someone with endless praise during a critique. That would be a useless critique. I am asking that you please start each critique by telling the author what they did well and then point out ways they can improve. Starting with something positive helps builds rapport and trust. Trust enables your peers to learn from your critiques. If this sounds like too much work take a moment to think about what you expect from the critiques receive. Do you really want someone to run away with your shoes?

Jacob

The famed Jedi Master Yoda taught a powerful lesson about writing good sentences when he said “Do or do not, there is no try.” I have found five ways to not write a decent sentence.

1. Slow starting sentences delay getting to the point by sticking an “it is” or a “there are” in the way. Why would you ever write or say “It would be appreciated if you could pass the yams,” when you can clearly and concisely write “Please pass the yams.”
2. Cramped sentences are formed when writers connect a series of related sentences instead of just ending with a period. Shorten cramped sentences by focusing on one subject.
3. Overloaded sentences are riddled with excess words. Passive voice or redundancy is almost always the culprit. Be concise.
4. Pompous sentences are filled with big words and trite expressions. Take time to prove how smart you are by selecting a well-chosen verb rather than a clause.
5. Run-on sentences drag on and on, packing an entire paragraph of detail into one sentence. Short sentences are easier to understand than long ones. Readers prefer to chew on bits and pieces of information instead of an entire cow. Varying sentence length will make your writing more interesting to read. The best authors us long and short sentences.

Jacob

Free verse is wonderful because it has very few distinct rules and boundaries. Instead of fitting content to form the content shapes the form. The rhythm of can vary throughout the poem as the poet changes line length and meter to emphasize words and sounds. Though the words often do not rhyme, they flow along in their own uneven pattern.

Free verse is patterned after speech and images rather than by strict metrical schemes and rhyme, yet it is poetry because it contains complex patters that weave into a coherent whole. Readers should be able to determine the rules and boundaries the author has established for the poem. You cannot create poetry without rules. Like all poetry free verse should embrace basic poetic precepts and be concise.

Walt Whitman provides numerous examples of how to write free verse in his signature collection, Leaves of Grass. “Aboard at a Ship’s Helm” is one of my favorites.

ABOARD, at a ship’s helm,
A young steersman, steering with care.

A bell through fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing,
An ocean-bell-O a warning bell, rock’d by the waves.

O you give good notice indeed, you bell by the sea-reefs ringing,
Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship from its wreck-place.

For, as on the alert, O steersman, you mind the bell’s admonition,
The bows turn,-the freighted ship, tacking, speeds away under her gray sails,
The beautiful and noble ship, with all her precious wealth, speeds away gaily and safe.

But O the ship, the immortal ship! O ship aboard the ship!
O ship of the body-ship of the soul-voyaging, voyaging, voyaging.

Jacob

You can update your work anytime on Review Fuse. You can even update your work after you have submitted it for critique. If you receive your first critique and want to make changes before you receive your next critique, go ahead. When we assign your work for the next critique we will assign the newest version.

Jacob

*See all of our writing contests

Purpose: Have fun, enjoy the competition, and become a better author by participating in the peer critique process portion of this contest. Learn more about flash fiction.

Who Can Enter: This contest is open to all authors. All submissions must be posted and assigned critiques completed by May 25, 2009. Stories must be 1000 words or fewer. You may post additional stories to this site for critique, but only one story  will be eligible for the contest.

Subject Matter: You choose. The flash fiction should adhere to our content policy.

Prizes: The winner of this contest will receive $50.

How to Enter: It’s pretty easy

1. Create a free account or sign in for existing members.
2. Upload your story; make sure you select “Flash Fiction Writing Contest” as the category.
3. Submit your work for peer critique.
4. Complete your assigned reviews, this is discussed more below.

Decisions: There will be 2 rounds of judging.

1. Authors from the Review Fuse staff will select the 3 best works for Round 2.
2. Of these 3 works selected, Review Fuse management will select the winning authors based on who gave the most detailed and well thought out critiques to their peer’s.

Entry Fee: There are no entry fees or purchases of any kind required to enter and win the contest. After you submit your work to the contest you will be required to complete assigned critiques of other authors (4 for free members and 3 for premium members). You will receive 3 critiques of your work in return. Those who do not complete their critiques will not be eligible to win the contest.

Rights: All stories remain the sole property of the author. After we have selected the winner we will seek permission from the author to publish the winning work on our blog. The author is under no obligation to allow this.

Notification: The prize winner will be notified by email on May 30, 2009. We will announce the prize winner on our blog on June 1, 2009.