First Workshop

Workshops are a great thing for writers and for all artists.  I have found that I have learned a lot about myself as a writer while participating in various styles of workshops.  Even if we aren’t working on a piece that I have written, I am able to see what most readers appreciate and what they don’t and try to incorporate that into my on work.

I think that the first workshop we had on Thursday was probably one of the most helpful I have ever participated in.  I really appreciated the structure.  In previous workshops there was a serious lack of structure.  Each person involved was trying to talk at once, and it was very difficult to get anything constructive out of it.  By giving each person five minutes to speak and then allowing the discussion to continue was the biggest thing for me.  I was able to listen to what other people had to say.  A lot of times, I found that I agreed with what they had to say even though I didn’t realize it in my own analysis.

One thing that I have found to be a big problem for me in previous workshops is that most people are afraid to give constructive criticism.  Often times they simply say that a piece was ‘good’.  Well that is all fine and great.  You might really think the piece is good.  However, if you can’t back up your reasoning then it does nothing to help the writer improve not only the piece but their craft.   

I do not think this was a problem with this workshop. 

Everyone was willing to give true constructive criticism.  They were able to articulate their initial feelings about the piece well, and give reasons behind why.   The why is always the most important part, at least for me.   I was very impressed with the fact that people within the workshop did not hesitate to talk about the problems with the piece.  Even though it is important to remember to do it in a polite and constructive way, we as writers have to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to like what we write.  Each piece is not perfect simply because it is put down on the page.    We have to be able to listen to constructive criticism and not let it affect our egos, so to speak.    I think that this was accomplished.

As mentioned in class, the average amount of time that people spoke about the piece was around three minutes.  I do not think that it should be shortened from five minutes.  I felt I had to rush through all the things I wanted to say to stay within the five minute limitation (Okay, I admit that I do speak a lot so this is probably not how most people felt).    Of course the time we are expected to give feedback is going to be reflected in the length of the piece we are critiquing, I think that five minutes is a perfect time.  I would really hate to see that change. 

In short, I got a lot of out the workshop on Thursday.  I would like to see this structure continue.  I would like to see people be even more willing to give constructive criticism.  I treat other writers the way I want them to treat me.  I think that it is important for us to remember that we are not attacking the person, but simply giving feedback.  This feedback is not given to be mean or cruel, but to help.  Art is something that we can always improve on.  Workshops are a way for artists to do that.   I think that the environment set up within the classroom gave a safe and constructive outlet for that.