Tips For Workshopping
Posted by Guest Writer in Uncategorized 
For those of you set to begin workshopping this coming Tuesday in Vero Beach, below are some tips we’ve provided to creative writing workshop groups in the past.
The beginning stages of a writing project, path or career can be frustrating. The desire to improve is strong, but the process is slow. Writing is like any other artform—music, fine art, etc.—in that practice and determination are the only means to the end: becoming truly great at what you do. Unfortunately, no one can give you any hard and fast answers about how to write better because it is such a personal process and wildly different for everyone. It is something you will discover on your own, using the workshop as a foundation and an inspiration. Here are some suggestions for how to get the most out of the workshop experience:
-Write every day. A few hours is best, but even a few minutes will do. It keeps you in the literary mindset and provides the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. So much of writing is trying and failing. You will throw away more pages than you keep, but the ones you do keep can be golden.
-Treat each writer’s workshop as if it is your own. There is a great deal to learn from others’ missteps and successes. When we’re discussing someone else’s work, ask yourself, what elements of this piece are similar to my own work? What feedback can be applied to my own writing? How can this particular workshop inform my project?
-Pay close attention to your reactions to/critiques of your fellow writers’ work. Part of the process of becoming a writer is learning when to listen to yourself and when not to. There’s a little editor inside each us of us when we write. Sometimes he’s helpful. Other times, he’s cruel. We all need to learn when to let him in and when to tune him out. You won’t always have a workshop at your disposal (this is part of the value of our meetings), but if you become familiar with your own reading/critiquing process, you’ll be a keen editor of your own work.
-Pay even closer attention to the way your fellow writers are reading and responding, not only to your work but to each others’. This small group is a representation of your audience. They will teach you how your work will be read.
-When you do get discouraged (which you will), don’t give up. Just keep on truckin’.
Happy workshopping, Vero Beachers. Let’s hope we can avoid more tornado watches next week!
Great tips. I hope you have a good workshop and avoid the tornadoes!