Windycon Writers Workshop
For the twentieth straight year, Windycon will be hosting the Windycon Writers Workshop. These are critique-session workshops, for
short fiction or novel excerpts up to 7,500 words. The sessions include two other entrants, a moderator and three pros. The sessions
take place in the hotel, but away from the fray of other con activity.
The workshop is coordinated by Nebula Award-winning author and teacher Richard Chwedyk. The pros in past years have included Sue Burke,
John O’Neill, E. E. Knight, Jody Lynn Nye, Bill Fawcett, Betty Anne Hull, Richard Garfinkle, among many others. We don’t know precisely
who’s available this year, but they’ll be experienced, published authors and editors in the field.
You’ll need a con registration and a $20.00 fee. Make checks payable to Windycon. You can also use PayPal
to rchwedyk@gmail.com (payment should be indicated as for the Windycon Writers Workshop).
Manuscripts should be submitted in a standard format. Email your submission to rchwedyk@gmail.com (.pdf,
Word or .doc; preferred), or if you prefer postal mail, to the address below.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, October 16, 2020. We reserve the right to reject any story or chapter that doesn’t meet the format
standards. Session slots are limited, so get your work in soon. Questions? Email the coordinator at rchwedyk@gmail.com.
The mailing address for submissions and fees is:
-
Richard Chwedyk
Windycon Writers Workshop Coordinator
7538 N. Bell Avenue, #3A
Chicago IL 60645-1962
Former entrants have said…
“The Windycon Writers Workshop is a unique opportunity to get real, honest, professional feedback on your work from real,
honest, professionals. Not only is it a fantastic experience to improve your writing, it’s a great way to meet fellow
writers. If you’re serious about your writing, do not pass this up.”
“I’ve attended the Windycon Writers Workshop almost every year for the last five years and have never been disappointed.
I’ve gotten great feedback every time.”
“The writing workshops at Windycon give aspiring writers a chance to participate in a dialog/critique with creators
like themselves and writing/publishing professionals. Don't miss this magnificent opportunity!”
“The constructive feedback that I received from it convinced me of the importance of continually sharing and getting
feedback on my work, even if I didn’t have to for class. It also left me feeling inspired to keep working, no matter
what. I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite being nervous about critiquing other people’s work outside of class for the
first time.”
“The bad news is nothing I ran through the workshop ever got published. The good news is I was shown why it didn’t get
published, and that information allowed me to actually get a book deal. You may have to turn off your internal editor
to get the manuscript finished, but to sell it you need to turn it back on. More importantly, you need a good internal
editor - and that’s what I got at Windycon's workshop.”
“I was able to get a chapter of my novel to a variety of people to read and get their feedback on and that was really
helpful, because it pointed out things, good and bad, that I missed. I also enjoyed being the one giving the feedback.
I wasn’t sure I would at first (I wasn’t sure I could do it), but the more I read the stories sent to me, the more I got
into it. It led me to think as an editor, which was interesting. I think it’s a valuable program for people breaking
into the field or even for those already in it (who may need a bit of tune-up).”
“… I’m helping put together a critique workshop for another con. I’ll definitely be applying things I learned in your
workshops to that!”
Other recent workshop participants have included:
Robert Hobson, Guild Literary Complex Award winner, Columbia College MFA candidate, published in Hair Trigger 35
and Stupefying Stories.
Elizabeth Shack, published in Daily Science Fiction, Plasma Frequency, and The Crimson Pact volumes
Two and Four.
Alex Collier, fiction and poetry published in Cicada, Ideomancer, and on the Tales to Terrify podcast;
Second Prize Winner of the 2014 Tamale Hut Café Writing Competition.