How To Participate in a Writing Workshop. Dos and Don'ts
S.R. Beaston
Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.
Writing workshops can seem intimidating to those who have never taken part in one. You may have even tried before and had a bad experience. There’s an art to getting the most out of a writing workshop, so let's break down the best (and worst) ways to participate.
What is a writing workshop?
A writing workshop is a structured event aimed at enhancing the writing experience. For the purpose of the typical writing workshop and this article, we are going to focus on peer group workshops.
Peer group workshops might be overseen by a teacher or moderator, but there are many writer-led groups. In these, it’s up you and your fellow writers to establish your own structure and rules.
A typical writing workshop
A typical workshop focuses on one particular piece of writing per meeting. You spend a predetermined length of time reading the piece (typically around one week) and writing your critique. When you meet, the group will share what they thought of the piece, both good and bad, to further discuss and work on with the writer.
A writing workshop might take place in person, at a cafe, library, or other appropriate establishment, but it is more common to see writing groups form in online communities.
General workshop guidelines
Here are some guidelines to apply to any format of writing workshop. These are general and likely expected in most spaces, unless determined otherwise by the group.
Follow the established rules
Make sure you know and are willing to follow the rules set by the workshop before going into it. If you are forming a group with other people, make sure everyone's desires are heard and considered while making your rules.
Designate leadership roles
Leadership may already be designated in an established group, but if you are forming a workshop, it's best if someone is leading the meetings. Depending on the dynamic of your group, there are a few options. You might elect one leader that will always guide the discussion, or a different a Workshop Leader each meeting.
I’d suggest a rotation, with a new leader every session. This allows for everyone to grow as a leader and a follower, as well as keeping a sense of balance in the group.
If you rotate leadership, make sure everyone understands the structure of the workshop. If someone suggests a change, feel free to edit your structure for that week. Leaders should be able to navigate and mediate when needed.
Be kind
There’s a plethora of ways to suggest, critique, and inform. It’s always best to do it with good intentions and kindness. People are far more receptive to information when met with respect.
This doesn’t mean misunderstandings won’t come about, but if they do, meet that with kindness as well.
Start positively
Regardless of the structure, style, or setup of your group, always start with the positives first.
What did you like about the piece? What are the strengths? What was your favorite scene? What sentences stuck out or punched you in the gut? It’s great to share those thoughts in your written critique to the writer, but starting with the positives is a great warm-up discussion. It can also help the writer into a receptive headspace, while the rest of the group gets into a kind critique frame of mind.
Critique with care
This one is important. Take care in how you critique someone's work. This is especially true if your peers are strangers. Keep jokes, banter, and irrelevant comments to a minimum until you build a rapport with your group.
You might be warmed up to the group after a single session, so don’t be stiff or afraid to laugh, just take care with the unknown dynamic.
When summing up the negatives (after expressing the positives) there is a balance between being kind and giving critique.
Always remember that opinions are subjective. Try to present critique as such. Writing is an art, so it's very common for workshop members to disagree on points. Instead of "this scene is irrelevant," you might say, "I think the overall piece might be stronger without this scene. I don't feel like it contributes to your goal with it. Did anyone read it differently?"
Asking the group to disagree with your negative statements is another great way to soften the blow, because it's likely that at least one person liked that scene. The overall takeaway will probably be that it should be cut, but presenting a more nuanced opinion can keep the writer from feeling hurt.
Tips for getting the most out of your workshop
Here are some tips to consider that can maximize not only your experience but that of your group as well.
- Use your first meeting to get to know your group. This can break the ice and allow for an easier and more relaxed workshop.
- Be on time.
- Express your goals and listen to your group's goals to make sure everyone is on the same page.
- Use question prompts if you don’t know how to start your critique. Were the characters likable? Did the pacing feel rushed? It could be helpful to provide a list of questions, so every member has the option of using it.
- Read the piece multiple times. I suggest three read throughs: Once for enjoyment, second for critique, third for refresher. When reading for the purpose of critique, it's easy to take off our reader hat and affix the editor hat. The reader opinion is important!
- Go in with an open mind and willingness to learn how to lead, follow, give and take critique, communicate, and participate, not spectate.
- Take notes during the session as conversation evolves. When the floor is open to the group, new ideas, realizations, and discussion can prompt new opinions.
- The writer being critiqued should not interject. It's common practice for the writer not to speak at all, until the initial discussion has concluded. Open the floor for the writer after the critique is over, letting them explain their intent, ask questions, and answer questions.
- Take a break. Designate a specific time in your rotation to take a week or two off. This will allow for the group to rest, write, and regain their social bar.
Overall, don't be afraid to experiment with your group and change things up. Every group is different! Just keep communications open and kind.
How to give constructive feedback
It’s important to learn how to critique and give the best feedback you can, regardless of genre or writer. Here are a few ways to keep yourself in check and ensure you are being productive with others' work.
Suggest, don’t demand
Your points will be received better if you make suggestions, rather than outright say someone is wrong.
If your group makes line edits, you might not directly edit their work and change their words, but make suggestions in a comment.
When in the meeting, voicing suggestions makes the writer more willing to accept the feedback and leaves the door open for the group to chime in and either agree with their own similar suggestions, or disagree.
Feel free to disagree
Voicing when you disagree with someone else's critique might feel uncomfortable, but it's an important skill to have. Just like giving critique, your disagreements should be voiced kindly and subjectively. The writer will benefit from hearing multiple perspectives on an issue, rather than everyone yes-manning each other.
It's rare that a whole writing group will agree on every aspect of one story, and that's a good thing! Give your perspective and suggestions, then let the writer decide which ones they would like to apply.
Be a good reader
It’s painfully obvious when someone critiques a story they didn't fully read. Good writing is nuanced and subtle, so demanding answers that are already in the text can make you look like a goober.
"Why did she do this?" It's answered in the next paragraph. Read the story.
It's fun to leave "first reactions" in a document, where you make comments as you read for the first time. But these should be more along the lines of anticipating where you think it will go (could be helpful for the writer to know), emotional reactions, and lines you loved. Giving actual critique on the first read is bad form.
It is also worth noting that a "live tweeting" format of comments isn't something every writer is into. Get a feel for your group before you get too funny with it.
Read the work multiple times. It’s fine to leave your first impressions, but always follow up on your second or third read through. My recommendation across the board is to read once for enjoyment. The second time you comb through critically, the third time is a refresher before the meeting.
Watch out for personal preference
It's important to judge a piece of writing for what it is and what it's trying to do. If you don't like present tense, first-person perspective makes you uncomfortable, you hate sci-fi, you never read experimental prose, etc, that's okay! It doesn't have to be suited to YOUR personal preferences in order for it to be a good piece.
Try to meet the writer where they're at, and try to give feedback that will get them closer to their goal. Their goal is probably not to write a story that you will love ever sentence of.
How to handle feedback you don’t like
Learning to accept critique, oddly enough, can be far more simple than learning to critique work. There’s bound to be some critiques that you don’t like, so it’s okay to expect it. Perhaps you get defensive, perhaps they didn’t understand. Whatever the reason, there are easy ways to navigate these emotions and see if the critique is worth consideration.
You might need to learn different processing skills for different types of critique. Here are some general categories of critique you will likely encounter and how to deal.
Valid critique
These are the comments you read where you immediately go, "Ah yes, I’m glad they pointed that out."
Even if that isn’t your first reaction, being open and honest with yourself really helps understand where your partners are coming from. More often than not, they make great points and deserve a deeper look. Start your revisions to-do list with the critique you 100% agree with.
Repeated critique
These are comments you’ve seen a few times from a few different people.
My favorite rule for receiving repeated critique is this: If the critique is unanimous, then it deserves a fair look.
Something you want to say is not translating. You may disagree with the critique, but that ultimately means you might be missing the mark and should revisit that section to better get your point across. This has certainly happened to me more than once.
If your instinct is to reject a certain critique, but you've heard the same critique from multiple sources, try to genuinely entertain the idea without your Artist Feelings involved. You might end up seeing their point.
Offensive critique
Sometimes a comment another writer makes can just rub us wrong. Our knee-jerk reaction is to be annoyed, hurt, or upset by what might be a harmless comment. We want to defend our work from this specific critique and we might feel personally attacked or offended. We are only human, after all.
You are not a horrible critique partner for feeling this. It hits suddenly and in the most random places. If this happens, you have two options: Let the workshop commence on the premise you can keep your emotions and attitude in check, or ask for a break because you are overwhelmed. Both are perfectly fine.
I had only one critique comment sneak up and blindside me like that, but I kept pushing through. By the end, I didn’t mind the critique, but I did allow some space between me and my work while I let that settle. Notice I said me and my work, not me and my writing partner. Try to keep in mind that your writing partners are here to help you. Unless someone is being actually aggressive, give them the benefit of the doubt and try to sort out those feelings on your own.
Invalid critique
Writing is art, and art is subjective. Sometimes one of your partners is just not gonna get it. Maybe they're having a bad reading day (happens to the best of us), they hate the genre, or they just don't find the story personally relatable. That's okay!
Sometimes a writing partner can be flat out wrong. You'll be wrong at some point, too. It happens! We're all here to learn, and you can't learn without making some mistakes along the way.
If critique is invalid, feel free to dismiss it. I don't mean interrupt workshop to say, "Actually, false," but if the discussion happens and you still feel the advice is completely irrelevant or off-base, you don't have to take it. Ultimately, your work is your work. You're never obligated to change anything about your piece or your writing based on someone else's opinion.
Writing workshop dos and don’ts
I’ve covered a majority of these points, so we’ll make a quick list:
Do
- Show up on time
- Follow the rules
- Read the piece multiple times
- Be kind
- Be prepared for feedback
- Be patient
- Have confidence
- Be supportive
- Have fun
Do NOT
- Be rude or defensive
- Have an ego
- Half-ass critique
- Regularly skip meetings
- Take things personally
- Critique things personally
- Rewrite people's writing in your own voice
Those are a few strong guidelines, but remember that workshops are what you make them! Foster a healthy, happy community of writers, keep communication open, and you'll be fine.
How to join NovelPad's Writing Workshop
Your NovelPad subscription now gets you way more than a stellar writing software. $ Join the Discord community$ to learn about NovelPad's Writing Workshops, where you can be sorted into groups of 4 - 6 writers in your genre.
With a supportive writing community, your workshop experience is sure to make your writing journey an enjoyable one.
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