Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Critique.
Nuanced Shades. Top Story - March 2025.
I literally stink at delving into the personal sides of myself where others can see the real me. I don't think that I can actually put pen to paper and let the monster out. Although I believe the liberation would be great for my creativity.
By Antoni De'Leon10 months ago in Critique
Unconscious bias… uncomfortable prejudice: a character study
I wrote this short story four years ago. Here is the link to the original story. I have chosen this particular story because it has been one of my least popular, most criticized and more controversial.
By Melissa Ingoldsby10 months ago in Critique
The Self-Editing Epiphany That Transformed My Writing
For the longest time, I believed that writing was all about inspiration. A spark of an idea would come to me, I’d put it down on paper, and the story would be born. Simple, right? But no matter how much I wrote, something always felt off. My prose felt clunky, my pacing inconsistent, and my dialogue unnatural. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong, but I knew deep down that my writing was missing something.
By GoldenSpeech10 months ago in Critique
Getting Legless With Drunk Aliens - Editing A Winning Poem
For this entry into the Self-Editing Epiphany, I wanted to do something a little strange. It’s easy, in some ways, to look back at pieces we know were flawed because they didn’t get well received or didn’t place in a challenge or competition. But what about those pieces that did have success—ones that not only placed in a challenge but came first place? Could any editing, especially with time passed and experience gained since the piece was published, improve upon a winning poem?
By Paul Stewart10 months ago in Critique
Filtering Free Verse Poems Through Form. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Mainly writing in free verse, can make you think you are so much more free than writing in strict forms. But I have found that when under constraints of rhymes and rhythm, magic can happen. Imagery you would never have come up with yourself, lyrical music that makes reading a pleasure and a challenge to cut out the excess to find the true meaning you want to say.
By Dark Constellations10 months ago in Critique
🏛️ The Convention of States: A Legal Path to Reclaim Constitutional Balance
Introduction: Imagine if the states had the constitutional power to propose reforms that could restrain federal overreach, mandate fiscal responsibility, and return authority back to local governments. Sounds like political fiction, right? But it's not — it's Article V of the U.S. Constitution, and it's gaining traction through the Convention of States movement.
By Karl Jackson10 months ago in Critique
Optimizing Your Content for Website Accessibility
Website accessibility isn't just about meeting standards—it's about creating an inclusive, seamless experience that benefits every visitor. A well-designed website allows people of all abilities to navigate, engage with, and understand your content, improving usability for everyone while expanding your audience.
By myheartcreative10 months ago in Critique
My Own Worst Critic
The critiquing of myself has been the most challenging part of my writing. I always have more difficulty with the quality and flow of the work. I enjoy fiction best since I can use my imagination, not real things. There are writing challenges that reflect my personal experiences. I struggle to explain my feelings but try not to sound too frustrated. My life is boring, and I have been a failure in most of it. I do try, of course, to improve, but still, openings are more difficult to find. The positivity of everyday life was never my strong suit. So, I entered the challenge with several stories about my mother, father, great-aunt, grandparents, and great-grandfather. My stories always seemed flat, and I hated talking about my life because it often felt like a series of failures and disappointments. For this critique, I wanted something I wrote that could never sound right. It is a section of my story named Switching Schools. This was about a time that was rather difficult but never came out in the emotion that I did not want. It was not my most outstanding work, but I put it out there to only be read by so little. I do not mind that no one reads it, though. Here is the section of that work.
By Sarah Danaher10 months ago in Critique
The Flirtation of Eve. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Writing about a crochet hook led me to the original sin. When my brother asked me to write a magical realism story starting with a single object, I picked the tool currently in my obsessive everyday use: a crochet hook.
By Ariana GonBon10 months ago in Critique
My Editing Voices. Honorable Mention in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
—So the prompt says: Tell us your story and explain why you deserve a hygge-desk the most. —First of all, reintroduce me to hygge, I remember the Norwegian expression “Hyggelig å møte deg” sort of the equivalent to “Nice to meet you”, but hyggelig is deeper ?
By Laura Rodben10 months ago in Critique
