Should I join a writing workshop group? | Pros and Cons
S.R. Beaston
Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.
What is a writing workshop?
A writing workshop is a structured gathering of writers who come together to improve their writing skills, receive feedback, and engage in discussions about the craft of writing. It is typically led by an experienced writer or instructor who guides the participants through various writing exercises, prompts, and critiques, but there are many writer-led groups where everyone is at roughly the same skill level.
In a writing workshop, participants often share their written work, such as poems, short stories, essays, or novel excerpts, with the group. The group then provides constructive feedback, offering suggestions for improvement, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the piece, and offering insights on the overall effectiveness of the writing.
Writing workshops can take various formats, ranging from small informal groups to larger, more structured classes or seminars. They may be conducted in-person, where participants physically meet in a designated location, or they can take place online through virtual platforms or forums.
Like with anything else, there’s a benefit and detriment to joining a writing group. Like critiquing a piece of writing, I’ll give you the good first, but we don’t sugarcoat the potential downside. That being said, I think the good outweighs the bad.
Benefits of writing workshops
There are many reasons a writer might be interested in participating in a regular workshop group. Here are some of the biggest pros to consider.
Different perspectives
One of my favorite pros of workshops is getting the perspective of vastly different people. It’s good to have a mix of interests that don't necessarily align with your own. Though my current group is all some form of fantasy or supernatural writers, some of my partners are not familiar with the High Fantasy genre.
Because of this, I get to see how my story works (or doesn’t) in the eyes of those who are less familiar with the genre. I’m not looking for high fantasy yes-men. It takes different people from different walks of life to point out aspects of your you might never see by yourself, and I find those perspectives some of the most valuable.
The feedback
Feedback doesn’t have to be scary. I actually love getting feedback. The more red ink, the better. At best, I learn something new. I don’t use passive voice as much. I stopped repeating crutch words. At worst, I decide their point is invalid, but that means I didn’t get MY point across effectively. That’s still great feedback.
The beauty of what someone thinks about your piece is that ultimately, you can ignore it. I wouldn’t recommend going into a workshop with that attitude, but you can absolutely disagree with a point someone makes. That point, however, may save your story.
Be open to any angle that’s presented to you, especially if it’s presented multiple times. I generally follow a rule of "the more people point the same thing out, the more substance that point has."
The price of Free
Workshops can be free! Get a small group of interested people together and make a plan, and there’s your workshop.
Seminars and classes can also be on the cheaper side, but depending on the lecture and the teacher, the price can be overbearing and not worth it. The prolific author is not your target audience. Your peers, most likely, are.
Even platforms like $ NovelPad$ offer free workshops for their users, which can be an amazing tool to utilize.
Accountability
This is a big bonus for a lot of writers I talk to, and I echo their sentiment. Nothing says "I have to get this chapter done" like four eager partners waiting to read said chapter.
Writers need moral support and focus. They need the hype of those who are interested in their story and willing to make it better. It’s a great feeling to share the excitement of project progress with others.
Editing content
Don’t forget, you are also critiquing others' work. This is a give and take. If you don’t feel any good at critiquing or content editing, this is the perfect way to learn.
Writers are often readers, and readers can (generally) see when something is off. Telling someone that something fundamentally doesn’t work in their story can be nerve-racking at first, but there’s an art to gentle and effective feedback. A writing workshop is the perfect place to hone that skill.
Making connections
You never know who has a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips when it comes to writing and publishing. You never know who’s going to be your cheerleader, your back support.
You can never tell when you will make lifelong friends and companions in an ever-evolving, weird industry. Connections of any kind are worth their weight in gold.
Thick skin
You certainly learn not to take things personally in a writing workshop. I have seen firsthand the fear people have when starting a workshop, when it’s their turn for the first time. But as you develop your voice and get a few things critiqued, it’s easy to see that there is nothing personal about the feedback you are given, and receiving negative feedback loses its sting.
Potential downfalls of writing workshops
Those benefits in mind, writing workshops might not be suitable for every writer. Here are a few things you might want to consider before committing to a workshop.
Vulnerability
You are putting out unfinished, unpolished, unedited work for people to see! As someone who is extremely reserved with sharing anything unless it’s at its best, this was particularly hard for me. I don’t fear what my partners have to say, but perfectionism is one hell of a mountain to climb when having to show something that isn’t (and will never be) perfect.
But the fear of vulnerability doesn't help anyone, so facing it head-on is often the most effective way to manage it.
"Class clowns"
Some members of the group may not take the workshop as seriously as you. Some may be disruptive, talkative, or try to railroad every session.
If you are taking a workshop in a college class or seminar, you likely didn’t seek your peers. College classes are especially hard to navigate, as some students find classes in the arts an "easy A".
That's the great thing about writing workshops outside of a school setting: You can always dip. Or arrange a coup to kick the problem member—whatever ya gotta do.
Opinions
Unfortunately, everyone has an opinion. Sometimes, they are not good. The problem with opinions versus a more objective critique is twofold. Some of your partners may have a harder time expressing what truly doesn’t work in your piece rather than why they don’t like it on a personal, subjective level.
It can also be hard as the author to navigate that information, especially if that critique was not expressed as a matter of taste or preference.
"I don’t like 3rd person" is not a critique and should ultimately not be considered in your revision process. However, "I think 1st person might benefit this piece, because this is a character-driven story and your MC is so extremely complex I’d love to see the internal struggles," is a sturdier critique that you might consider.
Time constraints
Depending on the workshop, there are time constraints. Seminars and lectures only last a couple weeks or months, and that’s just not enough time to share work in full or have some quality one-on-one time with your piece. That doesn't mean a short-lived workshops is useless—it just means you might want to make plans for after the workshop ends.
You also critique work
It should come to no surprise that you also have to be the one critiquing others' work. People who have never offered feedback before might feel awkward at first, but don't be afraid to do some research on format and etiquette in this kind of setting. The only way to get better at something is to do it!
Should you join a writing workshop?
Writing workshops can be incredibly beneficial for most writers! If you are a brand new writer, it might intimidate you to get feedback so early on, so you might be better off growing and exploring your skills on your own first. But if you're ready to take your writing to the next level, expand your writer network, and get some fresh perspectives on your work, workshops might be for you!
NovelPad offers an ongoing $ writing workshop$ where they match you up with other authors in your genre. The best part is that it's included with your NovelPad membership! Check the $ Discord$ to learn more.
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