• contact:  workshop@wiscon.net
• Deadline to suggest a special session: March 1
• Deadline for critique session application:  May 1

WisCon is a great place to take some time to focus on your writing, art, and other post-apocalypse skills with our WisCon Workshops sessions. With a schedule beginning before the convention starts, you can even take advantage without missing any panels. And all workshops are open to any registered member of the convention.

In 2023, some of the workshops and critique sessions will be offered online.

Have an idea for a session you’d like to see as part of the Workshops? Email us at the address at the top of the page at any time!

Special sessions

We strive to offer a variety of special workshop sessions. Sometimes these sessions follow the same workshop format as our critique sessions but with a special focus on a certain area — poetry, for example, or romance/erotica. Other times, these sessions move away from the critique format to present material in a different way or to cover more ground — we’ve had special sections about comics and video games that covered the overall process. We are also proud to offer workshops that address skills that range from life drawing to handspinning. As with our regular sessions, all special sessions are led by established facilitators currently working or practicing in their area.

Special sessions tend to change every year depending upon availability of workshop facilitators, and they may have unique submission requirements. We announce our slate of special sessions, facilitators, and submission details each spring. Keep an eye on our blog for the announcement!

Are you interested in leading a special session? We would love to hear from you! Please contact our WisCon Workshops coordinator at the email address at the top of the page. It’s best if we hear from you by February 28 so that we can finalize our sections well in advance of the convention.

Interested in writing workshops for teens? When we’re able to offer those, they’re coordinated through Teen Programming. Please visit that page to check for more information!

Critique sessions

The critique sessions, offered on Friday morning before WisCon officially begins, focus on review of original fiction — ranging from short stories to novels — in a collegial, small group environment of only four people. Participants submit their material (details below) to the workshop coordinator ahead of the convention. The coordinator sorts everyone into groups facilitated by an established writer or editor currently active in the field. Each member of the group gets a copy of all submitted material and writes a critique to present during the session. The groups meet for about two hours to discuss everyone’s work under the guidance of the workshop facilitator. Each participant leaves the session with the notes and critiques on their manuscript from all their fellow workshoppers.

We announce our slate of workshop facilitators each spring so that you can request a specific session when you send in your submission.

Submission details for critique sessions

Joining a WisCon Workshops critique session is as simple as emailing your submission to the workshop coordinator by the deadline advertised at the top of the page. Our workshop welcomes any material that you would submit to a typical speculative fiction market. Your work need not be explicitly feminist. However, your work is unlikely to receive an ideal response if it is misogynist or otherwise offensive in its content or execution.

Your submission should include:

1. Cover letter. The letter will be shared with everyone in your workshop group including the workshop leader. Your letter should include: a thumbnail description of your manuscript (e.g.: lesbian vampire novel, slipstream space opera story, et cetera), any particular elements of the manuscript that you want your fellow group members to pay attention to during the critique, any preference you have for a workshop leader, a brief statement of your writing credits if any, and any other information that will help us get to know you. The cover letter should be no more than one page.
2. Your manuscript. You may submit a work up to 10,000 words in length — either a short story or the first few chapters of a novel. More detailed discussions on length are below. Please follow standard manuscript format guidelines when preparing your material. You can find guidance for formatting your manuscript in the resources section at the bottom of this page.
3. Whether you would prefer an in-person or online session.

Your materials must be submitted as attachments to your email please do not copy/paste your submission into the email itself. Attachments should be either RTF or MS Word documents. Once you’ve been assigned to a workshop group, you will receive materials to critique in similar email attachment format, so we strongly encourage you to use an email address for the workshop that can accept large attachments without filling up your inbox.

In the email itself, please confirm that you are registered for WisCon. If you are not registered for the convention by the deadline for workshop submissions, you will not be eligible to participate in the workshop.

Novels

You will be submitting the first chapter (or more) of your novel. Do not submit chapters out of sequence — it’s difficult for people to critique a later chapter of a work they’ve never seen. Your total manuscript should be no longer than 10,000 words.

If your chapters are short, you may submit more than one, but the total word count should not exceed 10,000 words. If your first chapter is longer than the word limit, you may submit the whole thing, but your group members are responsible for critiquing only the first 10,000 words. Do not submit the whole novel.

You may also submit a synopsis (not part of the 10,000-word limit). However, the synopsis is an optional read for the members of your group. They will not be expected to critique this portion of your submission.

Short stories

You will be submitting a short story manuscript. The story must be a complete draft, with an ending. Your manuscript should be no longer than 10,000 words.

If you have a novellette or novella which is longer than 10,000 words, you may submit the whole thing, but your fellow group members are responsible for critiquing only the first 10,000 words.

If your manuscript is longer than 50,000 words, please see the guidelines above for novels.

Flash fiction

If you wish to submit flash fiction (complete stories under 1000 words), you may submit more than one.

The total word count must be no more than 7,500 words. Do keep in mind that it can often be more work to critique multiple short pieces so the word limit is more stringent.

The critique — before and during the session

Our critique sessions are built around the idea that everyone reviews everyone’s work. Your critique should be ready when the session starts, so be sure you can set aside some time before the convention to read and comment on the manuscripts from your fellow workshoppers! During the session itself you’ll give a five-minute summation of your critique on each manuscript.

Before the workshop

You must do a complete read and critique of each manuscript in your group before the convention. The author may ask you to look at particular elements of the manuscript; this will be noted in the cover letter. At minimum, critiques should focus on “hook,” characterization, and plot/pacing.

Prepare a summary or overall critique for each manuscript. The clearest critiques are typed and use complete sentences — this makes it easiest for authors to review and consider your critique after the session. You will bring printed copies of your critiques to the session to give to each of your fellow authors. Printers are available in the Concourse’s business center if you would like to print your critiques once you arrive at the convention.

If you like, you may also make comments in the body of the manuscript — either electronically or on hard copy (i.e., a printout with handwritten notes). If you do make comments directly in the manuscript, you must return the manuscript with commentary to the author along with your summary critique.

If this is your first time offering a critique on someone else’s writing, the resources section at the bottom of this page provides links where you can read up on the fine art of critiquing.

During the workshop

Workshops typically last about two hours, although they may run longer at the discretion of the facilitator. Usually groups critique each author’s work in turn — everyone offers their five-minute critique, with the facilitator going last. At the end of this, the author may offer a short response of about five minutes. Then the group moves on to the next member’s manuscript, and so on.

Each workshopper should walk away with a marked-up manuscript, a bruised-but-optimistic ego, several useful new contacts for their professional network, and copious notes on how to improve their work.

Resources

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) website features many resources on critiquing, standard manuscript preparation, synopsis writing, and more.

Critters is an online writing workshop that contains many articles on how to critique. Also great practice if you’ve never participated in a crit workshop before!

The Online Writing Workshop is another place to get critique practice ahead of WisCon. A small fee is required for participation.