critchat: Story Critique
A writing podcast that critiques short stories, books, and other media.
Evildoers Anonymous; or, Writing a Sympathetic Villain
May 31, 2022A reading and critique of “Lost Road” by Potato.
Emdashed Hopes; or, Capturing Nuanced Emotion
May 16, 2022A reading and critique of “The Mighty Fallen, the Weapons of War Perished” by Maggie.
Abandonment Issues; or, Delivering on the Opening
Apr 25, 2022A reading and critique of “Abandoned” by Trashtalk.
Taste the Rainbow; or, A Diamond in the KDP Rough
Apr 11, 2022In today’s episode, awk and Brady grapple with their roles as primary witnesses to the book “Mawing Rainbows.”
Call for Submissions: Möbius
Apr 4, 2022Send in your response to this prompt for a chance at having your writing read on the show!
All Sci-Fi, No Character; or, Tat Hackers
Mar 28, 2022In today’s episode, awk and Brady dive into the raw bits and bytes of a book called “Data Mine.” They discover magic tattoos, elite hackers, and a crazed axe murderer with a fetish for explosions.
Cartomancy; or, Writing a Strong Theme
Mar 21, 2022A reading and critique of “Blankbird” by Laura Dalton.
Using Dialogue to Drive the Story; or, Taking Shots
Feb 28, 2022A reading and critique of “Shot for Shot” by Pinkot.
Writing from an Alien Perspective; or, A Fresh Start
May 3, 2021A reading and critique of “Sense of Scale” by MeatballMassacre.
Zombie Pigeons; or, Lost in Allegory
Mar 8, 2021A reading and critique of “It’s Always Sunny on Sunday(s)” by BBSpoons.
Call for Submissions: Negative Space
Feb 15, 2021Send in your response to this prompt for a chance at having your writing read on the show!
Un-Lightning in a Bottle; or, Misplaced in Time
Feb 8, 2021A reading of “Thunder” by kilozombie.
Excess Violence; or, How to Write a Tragic Flaw
Feb 1, 2021A reading and critique of “Excess” by Shain.
Tangled Up; or, First Chapter Syndrome
Dec 28, 2020Some villagers hang around in today’s episode.
An Overwrought Opening; or, Loitering At Death’s Door
Jan 25, 2020In today’s story, a man dies, a rosary is beheld, and fish guts are ruined forever.
Breathtaking; or, An Example of Blending Humor with Character
Dec 29, 2019Today’s episode features a wholesome story about a ghost and his newfound hobby.
Any% No Context; or, An Incoherent Story
Dec 8, 2019Gratuitous Latin, an incomprehensible plot, and the tragic death of a teacup feature in this first submission to “Return.”
Call for Submissions: Return
Nov 23, 2019Send in your response to this prompt for a chance at having your writing read on the show!
Idealizing Ideas
Nov 17, 2019Story ideas get talked about a lot. But do they deserve the attention? Today we’ll chat about idea-focused writers, the obsession with “originality,” and what to do if you don’t have anything to write about.
The Evil Perspective; or, He Who Writes Monsters
Sep 2, 2019Some chat about perspective and monsters and the final submission to “Speechless.”
Characterization Through Description; or, A Sneeze of Surprise
Jun 17, 2019In today’s submission to “Speechless,” a rat’s hoarding obsession gets out of control. As does the length of the introductory paragraph.
Excessive Punctuation; or, Signed, The Peasants
May 10, 2019In this first submission to “Speechless,” a king faces the toughest challenge of his entire rule: some really nice penmanship.
An Introduction; or, Much Ado About Writing
Apr 28, 2019A short introduction to the podcast and some chatting about the strange aura that envelopes all things writing.
