Free Zoom Writers’ Critique Group
Tuesdays - 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Strengthen your writing through clear,
constructive feedback
The Free Zoom Writers’ Roundtable Critique Group is a weekly, two-hour session focused entirely on editing, clarity, structure, and craft that meets Tuesdays at 6:45 p.m. eastern time. Writers read short selections of their work and receive thoughtful critique from peers. You also learn by listening and analyzing others’ writing—an essential skill that improves your own writing.
Whether your draft is entirely original or shaped with AI tools, this group helps you refine it into stronger, more intentional writing.
Join us, it's open access—no registration needed to attend
Anyone may attend the free session. Here is the Zoom joining information, please read.
Welcome to the Writers’ Roundtable Critique Free Zoom Meeting, a weekly two-hour read-and-critique session. Every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. eastern time this meeting will be a virtual roundtable for writers to read and share their work with other writers.
This meeting is free and anyone can join, but the number of seats at the virtual table is limited to ten participants. More than that dilutes the effectiveness of the critique. As a result, access to the seats is on a first-come basis. The meeting is active beginning at 6:45. You can sign in anytime after 6:45 because I need to see the order which you signed in.
I will admit the first ten participants to the table based on that time and activate your cameras and microphones. If the table is full you will be a non-participating audience member. You will see and hear everything, but your cameras and microphones will be turned off.
If someone leaves the table before the end of the meeting, I’ll promote the next audience member to the vacant seat, turning on your camera and microphone.
Everyone will have full access to the chat feature during the meeting.
There’s no need to sign up, just use the meeting ID and passcode to join. This information will remain the same each week.
However, if you wish to share your writing with the group, you’ll need to contact me beforehand. This is a public forum, and I reserve the right to screen what will be shared with the group. Please read the information below for complete information, guidelines, and how to sign up if you want to read to the group.
The two hours are broken into roughly three blocks so that three people will share each meeting. The person reading will share their screen with the group and everyone, participants and audience will see the text in your window and hear you read.
I look forward to meeting all of you who join and participate in the Writers’ Roundtable Critique group.
Thanks,
Randy Koons
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Use the link below if you want to run your Zoom meeting in this web browser. If you have the Zoom app, then use just the Meeting ID and Passcode below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86704512186?pwd=pqmoanbC1O4lbxGTbJsFiOf0UjoSNI.1
Meeting ID: 867 0451 2186
Passcode: 123456
Join instructions
The Zoom link is open, and you’re welcome to join as an observer or critiquer without signing up.
If you only wish to listen, take notes, or participate in critique, you may join any week without prior registration.
If you want to share and read your writing aloud to the group
Registration is required only for those who want to read their work during the session.
By signing up with your email, you can:
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Submit the piece you want to read
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Enter the first-come, first-serve reading queue
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Receive relevant updates or reminders
Submitting your work will place you in the reading queue—but it does not automatically secure a reading seat for that night. See seating rules below.
How you will share your writing with the group
The reader will have their work as a Word document, PDF file, or Google Docs and when reading they will share their window enabling all participants (active and observer) to read along as the work is presented.
Moderator review
All submissions are reviewed by the moderator (that would be me), who makes the final determination on what may be read. This ensures all pieces:
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Fit the group’s purpose
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Follow content guidelines
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Are appropriate in tone, theme, and length
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Contribute to a productive critique environment
The moderator may decline, request revisions, or reschedule a piece to keep the session focused and constructive.
Seating: How the Roundtable works
There are two types of attendance:
1. Active Participant Seats (Limited)
A limited number of active participants (maximum of 10) form the “roundtable.”
These seats are filled on a first-to-log-in basis at the start of each Zoom session.
2. General Attendance Observers
Observers may join freely. Cameras may be on, however microphones remain muted unless the moderator invites you to become an active participant.
Important:
Even if you registered and have submitted your piece, you must still log in early to claim a seat at the table. If the table is full, your place in the reading queue automatically rolls forward to an upcoming session.
When a reader leaves the table before the session is finished, the next person in the queue is elevated to fill the open seat, and their microphone is enabled.
Only the moderator controls microphone permissions to maintain order.
Session format
Each two-hour session typically includes:
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A brief welcome and table confirmation
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2–3 writers reading (approx. 10 minutes each)
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20–30 minutes of focused critique per writer
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Group discussion centered on clarity, intent, pace, tone, logic, and craft
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All seats at the table can critique
There are no assignments, prompts, or coaching segments.
This is a true read-and-critique environment.
Reading length guidelines
To ensure fair participation, reading selections will be limited to:
1,200–1,500 words (Approximately 8–10 minutes of reading time)
Feel free to share an excerpt from a longer work
Content guidelines
As this is an open public forum, to keep the environment safe and respectful, submissions must avoid:
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Graphic or gratuitous violence
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Any sexual content involving minors
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Explicit sexual scenes of any kind
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Hate speech or targeted harassment
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Extremist or inflammatory political content
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Graphic depictions of self-harm or suicide
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Shock material presented without narrative purpose
Allowed categories include fiction, memoir, essays, creative nonfiction, scripts, and AI-assisted drafts.
The moderator has final approval on all content.
Camera & microphone policy
Cameras: All participants may keep cameras on to support a connected environment.
Microphones:
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Active participants have microphones enabled.
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Observers remain muted unless invited to speak.
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Moderator controls all microphone transitions.
If an active participant seat opens, the next person in the queue receives the open seat and microphone access.
Participation levels
You may join each session in the way that suits you:
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Reader — reads and receives critique (registration + early login required)
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Critiquer — offers verbal feedback
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Observer — listens, learns, and observes
Switch roles as needed from week to week.
Recording & privacy
Sessions are not recorded.
Writers retain full ownership of their work.
Participants may not copy, distribute, or reproduce any material read in the group.
This keeps the environment private and safe for developing writers.
What this group is not
To avoid misunderstood expectations this is not a:
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Writing class
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Coaching program
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Therapy group
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Workshop with assignments
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Venue for line editing or rewriting your piece
The focus is critique, clarity, and craft.
Conduct
As the moderator I reserve the right to ban anyone from the group who fails to follow the guidelines or makes themselves a nuisance or distraction to the groups operation. By joining or signing up, you agree to these terms and conditions. My goal is to make each session as productive, friendly, and safe as possible for all participants.
How to join
Attend Anytime:
Use the open Zoom link information above to observe or critique. Remember, this is a first-come-first-serve group. The maximum of 10 active participants will be determined by the order in which you log onto the Zoom session.
Register to read:
If you wish to share your work and read to the group you will need to use the registration form to submit your piece and enter the reading queue.
It's your story
Given the group members have different opinions, the feedback can be all over the place. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the critique and you may want to throw up your hands. Don't. In the end it's your story and you'll choose what critique to accept and what to ignore.
I work to keep the discussion flowing and make sure everyone is heard. While the object is to improve your critiquing and editing skills while getting input on your writing, having fun being able to talk with other writers is a big part of free WRC group. If this format sounds right for you, please select one of the buttons below. By selecting either option, you agree to the terms and guidelines listed above.