Welcome to the Winter 26 workshop!
It is nearly time for the Winter 26 Workshop to begin! For this workshop we are going to use the model that will allow more time for you to create and more time for you to offer thoughtful, constructive feedback for your fellow writers. The new model looks like this:
Week 1: All writers submit up to 10 pages of work (single or mixed genre) by Mon 1-26
Week 2: ALL writers offer feedback on ALL work from the previous week by Sun 2-8
Week 3: All writers submit up to 10 pages of work (single or mixed genre) by Weds 2-11
Week 4: ALL writers offer feedback on ALL work from the previous week by Sun 2-22
Week 5: All writers submit up to 10 pages of work (single or mixed genre) by Weds 2-25
Week 6: ALL writers offer feedback on ALL work from the previous week by Sun 3-8
Week 7: All writers submit up to 10 pages of work (single or mixed genre) by Weds 3-11
Week 8: ALL writers offer feedback on ALL work from the previous week by Sun 3-22
After the final week, we will have a Zoom reading. This model takes into consideration that good feedback takes time and is CRITICAL for a workshop to function. With an almost two-week window, you will be able to read, think about, and then submit feedback for everyone in a timeframe that is manageable and less stressful (we are all busy animals). This also allows you to take advantage of the full 10-page space with each of your own submission. The new workshop will begin January 26. I would LOVE to have your faces and words in this new space and would LOVE to welcome back those of you who delighted us with your work in previous workshops. PLEASE let me know if you are IN as soon as you are able so that I have an idea of what is possible this time around with a few additional “assignments” such recording readings and a mid-workshop Zoom check-in (which was awesome for the few who did this!)
As we begin, remember: Titles are EXTREMELY important and are the entry-way into your piece—make them count!
Workshop Rules:
A workshop session allows an author to be a fly on the wall—to read objective responses and insights that can be enlightening and useful for the author’s revision process. As the author, it is important to remember that once your work has been handed to us, it is now something separate from you, and we as readers will look at it in this way. We will respond to the way it is written, the language, the structure, how this particular piece works as a story, poem, or piece of nonfiction. Workshoppers will work to illuminate areas for revision that authors may not have been able to see on their own. Authors being workshopped will have a clear picture of how others see their work—a useful, rare thing—and will take this feedback into consideration as they decide what revisions best fit the original intention of the piece.
Role of the author during workshop:
The author should not explain the piece, apologize in any way for the piece, or otherwise comment about the piece in the first day or two after posting. After this brief period of quiet, authors may feel free to engage in back-and-forth regarding the work/comments/clarification, etc. The conversations around the work may be as long or brief as YOU choose. How much time you devote to one another is your choice as there are no grades here—just the pleasure of discourse and shaping. I will keep my comments largely private so as to not influence anyone one way or another. That said, if you want me to post my individual edits and comments (that I send you privately) to the Forum, I will do so. =)
Things to Consider as a Workshopper:
Look for strong word choices, interesting language usage, or vivid images that stand out while during your first read-through.
How does the piece works as a whole: Is there a clear turn—a reason a certain moment needed to be shown to us? Are readers pulled in immediately to the world of the story/poem through a distinctive voice, a well-developed character, a clear setting? Are we surprised throughout the story/poem by exciting uses of language and unexpected-but-believable turns? Are we moved by the work?
Only turn to line-level critique once you have considered a piece as a whole: What sentences/lines need to be tightened? What words are unnecessary? Which images are the strongest and should be kept? What needs to be removed from the work to make every word matter? What needs to be added to the story—sensory descriptions, specific details, clear setting, concrete images—to create a full, impactful work in this small space? While our goal is not to rewrite the story/poem, we will all look at the work with an editor’s eye.
Workshop Etiquette:
As a participant in workshop discussions, strive for balance—do not sit quietly behind your screen without offering your thoughts, and do not monopolize the forum or type over the comments of others. When you see an area that needs revision, phrase your comment thoughtfully without being rude or disrespectful. Remember that you are participating for the benefit of the author and this piece of writing—not to read your own brilliant critiques, not to impress the other authors, or the workshop leader, with your insights. Focus on the work because as you dig into each piece in an effort to make it tighter and stronger you will stretch and grow as an editor and as a writer. The goal is that you will then be able to use these editing skills on your own drafts, polish your own writing, to make every word count in future stories and poems you write.
Above all: Do not be assholes. Be compassionate and firm and use this space for both grace and good humor. GIFs welcome.