What is Worldsmiths all about?
Worldsmiths is an online group of speculative fiction writers who are helping each other become the best writers we can be. We critique up to six
manuscripts per month with a maximum of 10,000 words each (or in the case of scripts, 120 pages). The manuscripts are speculative fiction. That means
they must fall under one of the following genres:
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Horror
- Theological (exploration of a specific theology with the assumptiom
that it represents reality)
We critique:
- Novels
- Short stories
- Screenplays
- Teleplays
- Radio dramas
- Theater scripts
We do not critique comic books, graphic novels, or poetry.
Do I have to be published to join?
No, but we expect you to have a basic knowledge of what good writing and storytelling are. We are not a beginner's class.
Do I have to write only speculative fiction?
Absolutely! We are a speculative fiction writing group. Those are the kinds of stories we're interested in, and the genres we're knowledgeable about.
Where does the name "Worldsmiths" come from?
Speculative authors are in the business of creating universes where their story takes place. Therefore we call ourselves "world smiths."
What does "speculative fiction" mean?
Speculative fiction is a group of related genres that ask the question "What if?" If such-and-such were true, what would be the results? Science fiction assumes
scientific laws and technology that are currently unknown or not invented and asks, "What if this were real?" Fantasy assumes magical or supernatural
things are real and asks, "What if they wer possible?" Supernatural horror is fantasy of a dark, frightening nature. Speculative theological fiction assumes a
certain theology is true and explores the implications of it beyond what its believers may have considered.
There is a lot of overlap among these related genres.
What genres of writing do you accept?
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Horror
- Theological (exploration of a specific theology with the assumptiom
that it represents reality)
- Any other genre that you can argue speculates on things that are not known to be true
Do you restrict content in any way?
We are not so arrogant as to believe we should decide for our writers what is appropriate content. We treat our writers as responsible adults who are capable of deciding for themselves
what is appropriate in their stories. Members of Worldsmiths need to be prepared to read manuscripts that may not agree with their personal standards of
appropriateness. However, stories that contain edgy material which is gratuitous (unnecessary to the story) are not likely to be critiqued favorably.
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