The Academy

One of the foundational reasons for Round Table Writers is the betterment of humanity. A lofty goal for a writer's group? Not at all, say we: writing is one of the most powerful tools for constructing our reality. With words, we can change worlds. The Academy, in its current form, is an invite-only peer-to-peer critique group organized through our Discord server. Trusted members may share their work and critique the work of others, all in a spirit of friendly betterment. 

Introduction to the Academy

“Inklings followed a simple structure, and their opening ritual was always the same. When half a dozen members had arrived, Warren Lewis would produce a pot of very strong tea, the men would light their pipes, and C. S. Lewis would call out, “Well, has nobody got anything to read us?” Then “out would come a manuscript,” and they would “settle down to sit in judgement upon it.” - Diana Pavlac Glyer, Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings 

Layout of the Academy

The Academy is split into two main sections. The Academy Entrance Hall is a place where any member of RTW can ask questions, post something they hope others will read, or comment on the work others have posted there. All the following guidelines still apply, but this area is essentially public (to anyone who has joined the group).

Critiques in the Entrance Hall are liable to be shorter, simpler, and might come in the form of a simple letter of response rather than any sort of detailed critique or line-by-line edit. 

The other part of the Academy is invite-only and allows for a deeper level of dialogue. Only members of higher rank will be able to see these posts, making the work submitted at this level essentially private (or at least limited in visibility). There, we have three areas: 

What we do and how we do it

The primary goal of the Academy is to make better writers of our members. We critique, we copy edit, we explore the larger structural and thematic concepts of the pieces posted for workshopping. One of the things that makes a writer's writing better, too, is the broadening of their philosophical mind, their ability to introspect and explore their beliefs self-reflexively. The more are of ourselves, as writers, that we can be, the more we will be able to  improve our writing. 

To better our writing we must better ourselves

While the group as a whole primarily concentrates on those aspects typically found within writing workshopping groups, the emphasis remains on an active philosophical exploration of ourselves and the reasons why we are writing. 

Formatting of submissions

Stick to standard manuscript format as exampled by William Shunn in Modern Manuscript Format. You do not need to include contact information, but your name should appear in the upper left. 

Double spacing, Times New Roman, proper indentations, the works. We will be increasingly strict in this regard and will eventually remove, out of hand, submissions to the Academy which do not follow proper formatting.

If you're writing something which intentionally breaks this formatting, please let us know as part of your preface to the piece.

Asking for critiques

Reposting a piece that's already been critiqued?

Offering critiques

Receiving critiques