September 2, 2026 Workshop: “Temperature: Why Some Scenes Run Hot, and Others Go Flat” 

Ever finish a scene you built carefully and feel it just… sitting there? This session is about heat, the tension that should rise and fall across a chapter, and the quiet habit that flattens it: narration that does the reader’s feeling for them.

We’ll work from real pages, mapping temperature scene by scene, and run some exercises that’ll have you feeling the heat or not. 

If you would like our group to analyze one of your pieces during this workshop, please submit it to critique@tampawriters.org by Saturday, August 29. Please limit submissions to roughly 500 words; excerpts are fine.

Hosted by Brian, a TWA member who does “close-in work”.

(Note from TWA president Jim: I think “close-in work” implies that Brian is an assassin…?)

To Connect via Zoom, Click This Link at 6:15pm:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83696303510

Check Out Ricardo Romeu’s Books!

Longtime TWA member Ricardo Romeu published a book called “In the Wake of Dreams”!

Here’s the blurb:

“What else could I do to settle my turbulent feelings for Jay and Lily, in the wake of their star-crossed dreams, but write it all down?”

After a friend’s mother dies, one last party is thrown to celebrate the house so pregnant with meaning and memories, and all the high school friends are invited. The party is the perfect catalyst for Nick to reconnect with Jay, his beloved best friend, and Lily, Jay’s adored ex-girlfriend from a bygone era. But with Lily’s tearing up at the first mention of her husband, and married Jay’s wondering if Lily will come alone, Nick is left with an uneasy feeling he can’t understand.

On the night of the party, Nick is teased about a rumored fling he once had, and this ignites a flurry of passions within Lily, who seems prepared and yearning for something.

Enter Jay, at last, who’s greeted at the party like Julius Caesar returning to Rome.

As they become ensnared in requited nostalgia, Jay and Lily flirt with the chance to relive an old love on the sly—but how far are they willing to go to chase that chance? And what will Nick do with the secrets he catches among the scant disco lighting and smokey air of that house party?

Come join the party with Nick, Jay, and Lily through this ironic and literary romance, one so full of lust and longing and that dizzying drunkenness of nostalgia.

Head on over to Amazon to read more!

Check Out Alder Allensworth’s Books!

Longtime TWA member Alder Allensworth has a few books she’s written on the Camigas. Check them out!

Here’s a blurb for the trilogy:

A single scarf. One ancient road that changes everything.

Inspired by a real scarf carried along the Camino de Santiago, The Camigas Scarf Trilogy weaves together story, history, and myth through three powerful voices: the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone.

Each book follows a woman walking a different Camino route—the Mother on the Camino Francés, the Maiden on the Camino del Norte, and the Crone on the Portuguese Way—carrying not only the scarf, but the weight of her own questions, griefs, longings, and transformation. As her journey unfolds, so too does a deeper thread connecting her to the women who came before: seekers, rebels, mystics, and pilgrims whose stories echo across time.

Each route is authentically rendered from paths walked by the author, grounding these fictional stories in the lived experience of pilgrimage.
Set against the sacred landscape of the Camino, this trilogy explores what it means to move forward while carrying the past—and how women, across centuries, find strength, healing, and belonging on the Way.

More than a journey across Spain,
it is a passage through the soul.

The Camigas Scarf Trilogy.

Prevail: Celebrate the Journey.

Check Out Marggie Rassler’s Children’s Books!

Long-time TWA member Marggie Rassler published a pair of children’s books. 

Here’s a review of “Wanting More” taken from Amazon: “Such a cute story of a mouse hiding in the stable on the night of Jesus’ birth. This faithful little mouse who prays for guidance, purpose, and love reminds us that no one is too small to receive God’s gifts. The beautifully illustrated story is peppered with humor and sweetness. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift!!”

Here’s what a reviewer on Amazon had to say about “Behind the Scenes”: “It does not surprise me that Amarilys Gacio Rassler has gifted us with another fine book. The easy reading and story line are ideal for the younger generation who are beginning to learn about the Bible and the birth of Christ. Even older folks like myself (Medicare generation) can appreciate the author’s work of art. Thank you Amarilys and many blessings!”

Click on the images and you can check them out on Amazon!

Help a TWA Member Crack the Amazon Bestseller List!

Chet Meisner, who’s been a member of the Tampa Writers Alliance for 134 years, is publishing his second book on Amazon–let’s help him crack the Amazon bestseller list!

The Whispering Chamber received the RPLA Gold award for Science Fiction and was named First-Runner-Up for Book of the Year. The paperback and eBook are scheduled for release March 15, 2025, on Amazon and other online outlets. Until then, the eBook is available on pre-order by clicking here.

The Whispering Chamber follows D.I.T.TO. as the second installment in Chet’s DI.T.T.O. Chronicles series. It’s a tale that Kirkus Reviews calls “an engaging biotech thriller with a compelling plot and horrifying premise.”

Congratulations to Two of Our TWA Authors!

Two long-time members of the Tampa Writers Alliance were each awarded First Place Gold Awards for their literary achievements at the 2024 Royal Palm Literary Awards banquet in Orlando, Florida. 

Amarilys Gacio Rassler’s heartwarming tale, The Shoe, a Cuban Girl’s First Days in the U.S.A., received the RPLA Gold award for Creative Nonfiction. 

The Shoe is a deeply touching and heartwarming story that relates the true tale of an eleven-year-old girl who escapes Cuba without her parents and finds her first days very hard. Thankfully, a much-disliked shoe provides a new perspective. 

Amarilys is also the author of the book, Cuban-American, Dancing On The Hyphen which is available online at Amazon.

Click here to check it out!

Chet Meisner’s novel, The Whispering Chamber received the RPLA Gold award for Science Fiction and was named First-Runner-Up for Book of the Year. 

In this action-packed sequel to Chet’s first book, D.I.T.TO., the world’s foremost expert in artificial intelligence and his ex-Marine wife are wrongly hunted as terrorists in a near-future world where technology blurs the distinctions between normal humans, biogenetically enhanced people, and sentient computer systems.  

The Whispering Chamber is scheduled for release in February 2025.

D.I.T.T.O. is available now online at Amazon. Click here to check it out! 

Stay In Touch with Our May Speaker, Johnae De Felicis

Johnaé De Felicis is a multi-passionate writer and journalist, mainly covering health, travel, and culture-related topics. Her editorial work can be seen in various media outlets, including Forbes, Condé Nast Traveler, and U.S. News & World Report. She is also a mental health musician and advocate, writing music that’s primarily centered around the subject. Writers Who Wander, a community that Johnaé started in 2023, is a remote writers’ co-working and travel community that aims to connect writers globally.

Tampa’s Longest-Running Critique Group Meets Three Times a Month. All Are Welcome!

Critique groups are on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.

Meetings for 2024 will be conducted via Zoom and maybe–maybe–in person as well. We’re trying to iron that out.

The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83696303510

Guest Speakers are on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.

These meetings are conducted via Zoom. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83696303510

Click Here to Join the Tampa Writers Alliance!

FAQs

To Connect to the Critique Meetings via ZOOM, click this link at 6:15 p.m.:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83696303510

How Do I Participate In a Critique?

1. Download and critique the submissions found on this website at GROUPS>CRITIQUE GROUP>CRITIQUE GROUP DOWNLOADS approximately one week in advance of the meeting date. Entry requires the password “Critic”.
2. On Wednesday, connect via video call or in person to share your critiques. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.
3. Email your comments directly to the author after the critique. The author’s email address will be included in their submission. 
4. Membership is not required to download the submissions and attend meetings, but only members may submit work for critique.

Can I mail my critiques to the author? 

No. We are not providing home addresses of the authors. Please send your comments via email. 

I hate technology and I don’t want to do this. 

That’s okay. You are welcome to download the submissions and email your comments directly to the author. No need to attempt the video call. Or, you can wait for the live group to resume. 

Is this free? 

Using the Zoom software to join this call is free. TWA is paying for a Zoom Pro membership to make this work. Your annual dues are covering this cost. Thanks for being a member and making this possible! 

What other questions do you have?

Email them to critique@tampawriters.org. 

Anatomy of a Good Fiction Critique

By Jim Genia

If you’re reading this, you’re either contemplating taking the writing group plunge, or you’ve been reviewing other people’s writing for a while (and they’ve been reviewing yours) and you want to get better at it. Whatever your motivations, congratulations! You’re making a conscious effort to improve your writing, and you’re taking a step closer to mastering the craft. 

So what goes into a good critique of a fiction submission? First and foremost, a good critique is a respectful critique. 

Don’t like the subject matter? Don’t like the characters? Don’t like the author? That’s fine. But as we’re here to improve as writers and help others improve, that means sticking to what was put down on paper and viewing it through the lens of storytelling technique and assorted necessary story elements. It means ignoring the prejudices we may harbor, narrowing our vision so we see only the spinning gears (or gears stuck in place) of a piece, and focusing only on that. 

Imagine a skilled car mechanic distracted by his burning hatred for the transmissions of Hyundais. Imagine a talented surgeon blinded by how much he dislikes spleens. How good can that car mechanic and that surgeon truly be? More importantly, how much of a help to others can they be?

Of course, if a submission offends, you have every right to pass on reading it. But the path to becoming a better writer is paved by stones of understanding. Figuring out why something rubs you the wrong way, and what edges can be sanded so that rubbing isn’t so wrong, can only help.

What Matters Most

No one is born knowing the craft of writing. Like most worthwhile endeavors, it takes years of learning and years of practice to gain even a modicum of mastery. And that’s okay! You don’t have to have an MFA in creative writing or publishing credits to have worthwhile insight. Sometimes the most valuable feedback you can give an author is the one bit of knowledge only you know: how their writing made you feel.

Just as focus groups are used to gauge reactions and iron out the most effective messaging for products and people, so too are writing groups used to gauge reactions–which makes how you feel about a particular piece of writing the most valuable bit of information you can give an author. 

Often, those emotions you felt reading a submission, including any gut reactions, visceral feelings and the taste the ending left in your mouth, are what the author truly needs to hear. For it is within these reactions, feelings and tastes that a submission’s successes and shortcomings can be measured. 

A Checklist

Here’s a checklist of what to look at when critiquing. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it’s a good start. Entire classes can be taught on nearly every one of these story elements, but as long as you have a basic understanding of what they mean, you have enough to know what to look for in a submission.

• Plot and Story Arc
  • Is there a plot? Is the reader propelled along by a desire to turn the page to find out what happens next?
  • Does the story have a beginning, middle and end? 
• Characters
  • Are the characters “real” and believable? Are they three-dimensional?
• Conflict
  • Does the main character have a goal or intentions? 
  • Are there obstacles in the way?
  • Are there palpable stakes?
• Opening and Ending
  • Did the opening draw the reader in?
  • Was the ending satisfying?
• Setting
  • Does the story take place somewhere that feels real?
• Grammar
  • Did it feel like the author checked for typos and other mistakes?
• What worked?
  • An author always does at least something right–what was done right in this submission? What worked?

Why We Do It

Ultimately, one of the greatest returns on the investment of critiquing other writers’ submission is the deeper understanding of the craft that inevitably comes. After all, if you put someone else’s work under a magnifying glass and identify the moving parts that make it tick, you will gain valuable insight on what works and what doesn’t–insight you can use for your own writing.  

Remember: getting better, and helping others get better, is why we do it.

Click Here to Join the Tampa Writers Alliance!