tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post7784042716062005911..comments2024-03-28T06:59:34.982-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Components of a Good Writing WorkshopDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-52078765783289466512010-04-14T13:43:22.230-06:002010-04-14T13:43:22.230-06:00I was lucky enough to attend a Donald Maass 50-min...I was lucky enough to attend a Donald Maass 50-minute 'workshop' at the BEA NY, back in '07.<br /><br />He's excellent :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-52676499268358051912010-04-12T14:15:35.500-06:002010-04-12T14:15:35.500-06:00The most exciting workshop I attended last year wa...The most exciting workshop I attended last year was the Donald Maass all afternoon event sponsored by Sisters in Crime the day before Bouchercon. Donald was more speaker/lecturer than moderator, but he paused from time to time and gave us writing prompts, asked for questions and feedback. I would highly recommend his programs to anyone who has a chance to attend.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-13702403561798615572010-04-12T11:43:06.996-06:002010-04-12T11:43:06.996-06:00Hey there, Kathryn.
That's exactly what I tho...Hey there, Kathryn.<br /><br />That's exactly what I thought about when writing of workshops.<br /><br />"What can we learn from this?" is a great question for any writing workshop. Though I did learn by having my work critiqued within the MFA program workshop [@ McNeese State U. in Louisiana], I think I learned just as much, if not more, from having to critique others' works and actually think about the craft of writing.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-10446121062875782202010-04-12T09:55:45.101-06:002010-04-12T09:55:45.101-06:00I was a student at The University of East Anglia (...I was a student at The University of East Anglia (UK) on the BA Creative Writing degree, and this sounds very much the same as our workshops! (Ah, how I miss them!)<br /><br />Totally agree about the writing keeping quiet throughout the discussion. Sometimes that didn't happen in our workshops and it got a little strange.Sophie Playlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14937622260333202138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-65033757760575121952010-04-12T09:23:02.296-06:002010-04-12T09:23:02.296-06:00This kind of sounds like our critique sessions at ...This kind of sounds like our critique sessions at Chicago-North RWA. A person brings 20 pages, with copies for everyone. That person reads the pages out loud, then everyone writes down the good points and points that need to be improved. Then the pages are discussed. The writer might be asked questions about the work, but make some explanations, but not defend the choices.<br /><br />It works very well. We have many published authors in our group that didn't start out that way!<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77777104649037198712010-04-12T07:57:34.360-06:002010-04-12T07:57:34.360-06:00I just want to point out how critical that "k...I just want to point out how critical that "kind but firm" moderator is. I went to Sewanee Writers' Conference one year, and in my workshop each manuscript was pounced upon like a slab of meat thrown to the lions. This kind of unruly free-for-all builds on a gang mentality and does no one any good. <br /><br />Many writers have stopped writing forever after such an experience. What did our moderator do? Stood there watching the melee with a quiet smile on her face--and did nothing but check her watch for when it was time to move to the next "critique." Leaving me thinking, THIS is what I paid so much for?<br /><br />Our workshops were every other day (for 12 days) and we were allowed to audit workshops run by other moderators on our days off. I stopped in to Alice McDermott's workshop to see how it went. Alice was the epitome of "kind but firm"--and extremely knowledgeable, to boot. She reined in the comments when they went astray or became too biting, reiterated cogent points we all could learn from, and amplified these lessons with anecdotes from her own experience. Her constant emphasis: "What can we all learn from this?"<br /><br />I left with pages upon pages of notes from her workshop, to which I had not been assigned, to which I hadn't submitted, and the work for which I had not read. I still reference and pass along brilliant tidbits learned in Alice's workshop. <br /><br />From mine, I took away no notes at all.<br /><br />THAT is the importance of a good moderator.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-61756155452512698002010-04-12T07:44:16.255-06:002010-04-12T07:44:16.255-06:00It might be worth pointing our that the word "...It might be worth pointing our that the word "workshop" is bandied about a lot in the writing community, and has several meanings. I belong to one writing group which offers workshops, but that simply means a teaching session in which some hands-on writing will be done. The James Frey workshop Jon mentioned in an example of this. <br /><br />The Philadelphia Writers' Conference says it offers workshops, for instance, which is a constant source of confusion for the presenters, who think that people will be bringing in work for critique and discussion. These are really conference "sessions" in which the main focus is lecturing.<br /><br />I believe the meaning Shon was shooting for here is a workshop in which the main focus is the presentation of material for discussion and critique. It is different than a critique group because it is led by an experienced author/writing teacher who can keep the critique on track and hammer home the lessons learned. Such programs are found at the Sewanee Writers' Conference in TN and Bread Loaf in VT, but it could also be an ongoing program. You often must provide a sample of your work to get in.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-29365584195291568762010-04-12T07:37:35.715-06:002010-04-12T07:37:35.715-06:00Wow, Linda. Qualifications definitely matter. If y...Wow, Linda. Qualifications definitely matter. If you're paying money to attend a workshop, you at least want the people presenting to have credible qualifications.<br /><br />Jon, that sounds like a BIG workshop. I guess I always saw workshops as more personal, intimate than 50 of your closest friends, :-) What did you take notes of? Frey? What was going on around you with the other participants? Was it more like a seminar atmosphere?Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-84427167479191549742010-04-12T06:04:21.177-06:002010-04-12T06:04:21.177-06:00I attended a 2-day workshop on plotting a novel, w...I attended a 2-day workshop on plotting a novel, with James N. Frey (the How to Write a Damn Good Novel one, not the Oprah one).<br /><br />We had about fifty people there, but of those, I'd say only about twenty seemed to want to get involved in a hands-on way, the rest took copius notes.<br /><br />I think I learned more in those two days than I'd learned in the previous five years. I can't wait for the next one.Jon Gibbshttp://jongibbs.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-13020434878251270582010-04-12T04:34:54.578-06:002010-04-12T04:34:54.578-06:00There's one more element to a good workshop--q...There's one more element to a good workshop--qualifications in relation to subject matter. I ran across a site for a regional writing organization in my area that was over 80 years old. I was impressed with the time they'd existed and figured they'd have some prestigious members. They were offering workshops, so I took a look. The topics were along the lines of how the publishing business works. Checked the credentials of the people giving the workshop--all published by a POD company poorly regarded in the industry. This, after I'd been to ones where the authors were making six figures freelancing or an editor of a major magazine!<br /><br />I've not had much luck with fiction workshops--tough topic when you don't have even a remotely similar writing process to everyone else.Linda Maye Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07203020058437093901noreply@blogger.com