Mythic Scribes

Mythic Scribes is a dedicated online community for fantasy fiction writers, founded in 2010 by Dr. Antonio del Drago — a writer, philosopher, and professor. Running on XenForo forum software, it hosts over 7,800 registered members and 370,000+ posts across 25,000+ threads. The community is structured around writing discussion, worldbuilding, critique exchange, and genre media — making it one of the few purpose-built, genre-specific writing communities that is not a general Reddit or Discord channel.

Forum Structure#

The forums are organized into five main sections:

Fantasy Writing — The core of the community. Includes:

• Writing Discussions (5,000+ threads, 94,000+ posts)
• World Building (3,000+ threads, 47,000+ posts) — covering magic systems, culture, religion, history, and physical world design
• Research (1,200+ threads, 16,000+ posts) — for fact-checking historical and technical details in fantasy settings
• Writing Resources (356 threads)
• The Dreamscape — abstract and experimental creative exercises
• Brainstorming & Planning, Critique Requests, Story Showcase, Character Q&A, and Writing Challenges are gated: only accessible to members with 5 or more posts

Publication & Promotion — Notably relevant for indie authors:

• Publishing (650+ threads, 9,000+ posts)
• Marketing (366+ threads, 4,600+ posts)
• Cover Design (185+ threads)
• Writers on the Web and Self-Promotion sections

Fantasy Media — Discussion of novels and stories, fantasy art, film and television, and games

Community — Writing Groups, NaNoWriMo threads, Notice Board

General Discussion — Introductions and Chit Chat

Gated Critique Access#

The most valuable critique-oriented subforums — Critique Requests, Story Showcase, Character Q&A, and Writing Challenges — require a minimum of 5 posts before they become visible. This is a light anti-spam measure that requires minimal engagement to bypass, not a meaningful barrier.

Key Features for Fantasy Writers#

• Genre-specific focus: Unlike general writing communities, every discussion is oriented toward fantasy, speculative fiction, and SFF-adjacent topics. The worldbuilding subforum alone has 3,000+ threads and 47,000+ posts.
• Showcase and Critique forums: Members can post novel excerpts for casual feedback (Showcase) or structured detailed critique (Critique Requests) — mirroring the beta reader / critique partner distinction.
• Research subforum: Dedicated area for fact-checking historical, cultural, scientific, and technical details that fantasy writers need to ground their world-building.
• Member Portfolios: Each member can maintain a personal portfolio to showcase published and in-progress work — useful for establishing credibility and connecting with other authors.
• Articles library: The main Mythic Scribes site (mythicscribes.com) publishes craft articles organized by World Building, Character Development, Writing Craft, and more — free and accessible without registration.
• Publishing and Marketing subforums: Active discussion of self-publishing, cover design, and marketing from a fantasy-genre perspective.
• Writing Groups: Subforums for members to organize private writing groups.

Activity and Health (verified June 2026)#

The community shows consistent activity: recent posts appear within minutes to a day in the World Building and Writing Discussions subforums. As of June 2026 the forum reports 7,968 members, 25,455 threads, and 372,680 posts — steady growth since early 2026. The World Building forum spans 152 pages of threads. Older threads attract ongoing engagement — one 2012 thread ("Master List of Stock Fantasy Races") has 86,000+ views. Activity is steady rather than explosive; this is a specialized niche community, not a high-volume general forum.

Founder and Leadership#

Dr. Antonio del Drago founded Mythic Scribes in fall 2010. His LinkedIn lists him as Editor-in-Chief. He has authored The Mythic Guide to Characters: Writing Characters Who Enchant and Inspire (published under the Mythic Scribes imprint) and has been interviewed on the Roundtable Podcast. The forum is moderated by a staff team; a moderator named Devor has been involved since at least 2017. No current staff list is publicly displayed.

Registration and Rules#

• Free to join; no premium tier exists
• Age minimum: 13 years
• Gated subforums require 5 posts before access is granted
• No AI-generated content policy: moderators have stated that AI-written posts should not be submitted, and the staff monitors and addresses AI-generated content on a case-by-case basis (accounts are checked, users are spoken to; it is not a zero-tolerance blanket ban at the level of Scribophile, but AI writing is explicitly unwelcome)
• Content may be reviewed by staff; the platform retains a license to republish content, though authors retain copyright
• No ads, no paid tiers, no upsells — a clean, community-run environment

AI Policy Note#

Unlike Scribophile's formal zero-tolerance AI ban, Mythic Scribes addresses AI-generated writing on a case-by-case basis. Moderators have publicly stated: "please do not post fantasy writing written by AI." This is an evolving community position rather than a published formal policy (as of early 2026).

Who It's For#

• Fantasy and speculative fiction writers who want a genre-native space rather than a general writing community
• Worldbuilders who want to discuss magic systems, cultures, and settings with readers who understand the genre conventions
• Debut and indie authors looking for craft feedback and self-publishing discussion from a fantasy community
• Writers seeking a quieter, more focused alternative to Reddit — the community culture is described as welcoming and less combative than large subreddits

Considerations#

• The community is smaller than r/fantasywriters (876,000 Reddit subscribers), but significantly more focused — forum depth and quality of discussion generally exceeds Reddit's pace
• World Anvil is a different product entirely (worldbuilding software/database), not a direct competitor for community discussion
• No independent review sites have rated Mythic Scribes; community reputation appears positive based on author blog endorsements (Andy Peloquin, Goodwall) and continued activity
• The Goodreads group for Mythic Scribes has only 202 members, suggesting most community activity stays on the main forum
• Feedspot listed Mythic Scribes in its Top 25 Writing Forums for 2026

Alternatives#

r/fantasywriters — Much larger (876K members) but shallower threads; structured discussion harder to sustain. Scribophile — Stronger critique structure with karma system and formal AI ban, but genre-agnostic. Critique Circle — Older, credits-based critique forum; less fantasy-specific culture.