Archive - MacAllen's Theater GUide

Workshops

The most important part of writing is the re-writing. The all too common catch phrase thrown around among circles of writers is the absolute bottom line. But sometimes simply re-working a story or a poem is not enough since then the only person really involved is the same writer of the story. Many times, a writer is so familiar with his or her creation that determining the weakest points or holes in the plot or confusing points that the only solution is for other people to read the story.

Having a spouse or sister or mother read a story or poem is not always the most effective means of getting feedback. After all, these people love you, and may not be as critical as they need to, or they simply may not be familiar with what you are expecting. Of course it never hurts to have other people read a story, but there is a better way.

Attending a workshop where other literary minded individuals meet and discuss their writing can cause substantial improvements for writers. Begin by looking for workshops in your area either online, in the classifieds section of your newspaper or in public announcement locations like public access cable, coffee shop bulletin boards or college campuses.

If you still can’t find a workshop, then start one yourself. Begin by advertising in the same places you look; classifieds, online listing sites, and flyers at coffee shops and university campuses. Choose a contact method—telephone or email are both viable. Interested candidates will contact you. Choose a location—a public setting is often best to provide the security to people who are otherwise strangers. Set guidelines for participants about what to expect: fiction or poetry or both; everyone must critique as well as be critiqued; determine ahead of time if there are any criteria for joining the group such as age, education, experience, or references. Meet regularly, even if not often.

Once a small group of people has responded, agree to assemble with enough copies of the work for each member. More than five or six begins to become unmanageable and after seven consider forming two independent groups (as the founder, you by default have the right to attend both if you choose). Decide if members are going to read the material ahead of time or if it is going to be read in session. Poetry tends to lend itself to be read there and then, while prose, particularly longer prose, is often best read ahead of time.

Reading a small portion of the prose or poetry aloud can aid in starting off the criticism. A great deal of poetry is meant to be oratory anyway, and this will help set the mood.

The best way to improve as a member of a workshop is to practice. A large literary background, or English background, is not a requirement (though it does help). As a critic, you are not looking to tear apart of the work in question, nor are you an editor. The goal is to guide the writer along the path they were headed without dramatically influencing the style of the work.

Questions to ask:

Is the language used correctly, and how does the diction reflect the mood of the piece?

Are there contradictions in the plot, and are there elements that are not congruous?

Are any of the characters out of place, or do any of their actions reflect personalities that otherwise are not them?

Does every paragraph progress the plot, and if not, what purpose does it serve?

Another approach is for the author of the piece to ask questions of the group. Sometimes thinking about your own work critically will help develop ideas further. All material brought to a workshop should be a near finished stage; members of the group should not be responsible for finding typographical errors or grammatical mistakes. The author should have prepared a draft of the work as best they could.

Before the session is finished, be sure that every member of the group has had a chance to have their work critiqued if they have brought something. A group that meets regularly does not necessarily have the same obligation to complete the entire portfolio that evening, but expecting members to return to session after session without benefiting their own work is unreasonable. Likewise, everyone should be expected to attend even if their own work is not going to be reviewed.

Workshop groups that meet regularly also have a social element to them, but do not let personal feelings interfere with a critique, and try to stay focused on the subject at hand. After all, everyone involved wants their writing to benefit.