Private Critique Cabins
Small, guided groups with private Google Drive workspaces for manuscripts and thoughtful feedback.
Summer Writing Camp 2026
Camp
Speedy Pen
Where Writers Build Better Stories
Write and revise an original speculative short story for the Writers of the Future contest.
August 17–September 20, 2026 $15 one-time
No recurring subscription.
Live Campfires
Cabin meetups plus camp-wide kickoff, midpoint, and closing gatherings to keep your story moving.
Challenges & Awards
Friendly milestones, writing challenges, recognition, and a finish line worth celebrating.
Free Writing OS
A contest-safe planning system that helps organize your process while every word remains yours.
A month with a mission
Come with an idea. Leave with a story ready to submit.
Camp Speedy Pen is an adult summer writing experience for emerging speculative-fiction writers. You’ll have structure, deadlines, community, private critique support, and enough whimsy to make finishing feel like an adventure.
Reserve your cabin
Register for camp with one transparent $15 payment. There is no automatic monthly subscription.
Meet your cabin
Join a small private critique group led by a cabin leader and receive your secure workspace.
Build your story
Draft, revise, exchange feedback, and prepare an original speculative story for submission.
Your private workroom
A small cabin—not one enormous critique pool.
Each camper is assigned to a private cabin led by a dedicated cabin leader. Your group receives its own secure Google Drive workspace for manuscript sharing and critique, plus private cabin meetings.
- Your own manuscript folder
- Critique partners who know your project
- Private Zoom cabin campfires
- Guidance from a cabin leader
The destination
Write toward a real opportunity.
The camp is designed to help eligible writers prepare an original science fiction, fantasy, or dark fantasy entry for the quarterly Writers of the Future Contest.
Your story. Your tools. Your responsibility.
Writers attending simply to complete a short story may choose their own level of AI collaboration. Writers choosing to enter a contest must follow that contest’s rules. The standard Speedy Pen Writing OS is designed for planning and organization, not prose generation; each participant is solely responsible for how they use or modify it and for the eligibility of any submission.
Camp Speedy Pen and The Speedy Pen are independent and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Writers of the Future or Author Services, Inc.
Read the official contest rules →
Experienced with critique groups?
Help a small group of writers reach the finish line as a volunteer Camp Speedy Pen Cabin Leader.
Cabin Leaders welcome their campers, help the group stay on schedule, encourage respectful and useful feedback, and host or coordinate private cabin check-ins. Approved Cabin Leaders attend Camp Speedy Pen at no charge.
Apply to Lead a Cabin →Applications are reviewed before placement. Applying does not guarantee a Cabin Leader position. If you are not selected, you may still reserve a cabin as a paid camper.
Before you pack your pen
Frequently asked questions
Is the $15 charge a subscription?+
No. Camp registration is a one-time $15 payment. It does not begin a recurring Speedy Pen membership.
Will everyone see my manuscript?+
No. Manuscripts and critiques live in private Google Drive cabin workspaces, shared only with your cabin members and leader.
Does the Writing OS generate my story?+
No. Writers of the Future requires the entry to be created entirely by the entrant. The Speedy Pen Writing OS supports planning and organization; you write every word.
What kind of story will I write?+
An original science fiction, fantasy, or dark fantasy short story or novelette that follows the current Writers of the Future rules.
What does a Cabin Leader do?+
Cabin Leaders guide a small private critique group, help campers follow the schedule and feedback guidelines, and host or coordinate cabin check-ins. Approved volunteer Cabin Leaders have their $15 camp fee waived and receive orientation, meeting agendas, and support materials.
Do I have to join the monthly community afterward?+
No. Ongoing Speedy Pen membership is a separate, optional offer. Camp never converts automatically into a subscription.
Cabin assignments are limited
Ready to finish your story?
August 17–September 20, 2026 · $15 one-time · No recurring subscription
Reserve My Cabin — $15 →Registration checkout is coming soon. Join the list and we’ll send you the link first.