What makes a good critique in a writers group? How do you workshop fiction without destroying a writer’s confidence? In this episode of Write Your Heart Out, Kayla Ogden and Rachel Cyr dive deep into creative writing critiques, writing workshops, querying literary agents, revising fiction, and the emotional experience of sharing your work out loud.

Kayla shares what happened when she submitted the opening chapter of her novel The Cherry Tree (formerly Pillow Forts Down) to a large critique group led by published authors, including surprising feedback about character behavior, realism, scene details, and reader expectations. Rachel discusses receiving revision notes on her own novel Dinner for Eight and why constructive criticism can completely transform a manuscript.

The conversation explores:

• how to critique creative writing constructively
• what makes a good writers group
• giving and receiving feedback as a novelist
• common workshop mistakes
• genre expectations in speculative fiction and literary fiction
• querying literary agents
• revising first chapters
• writing believable characters
• AI and speculative fiction concepts
• overcoming fear of sharing your writing

They also discuss ketamine therapy, old “storybook homes,” Silicon Valley creative culture, AI romance story ideas, and why writers should stop creating rules that prevent them from writing.

If you’re an aspiring author, novelist, screenwriter, MFA student, or creative writer looking for honest conversations about the writing life, this episode is for you.

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