Open Mind, Better Workshop
Hey Emerson writers!
Welcome to the first month of a new blog written just for you. Each month we’ll
offer a new article filled with writing tips and workshop etiquette. This time
around, we have some suggestions meant to help you get the most of your writing
workshop. I believe in a few necessities that everyone should keep in mind in
order to foster a positive workshop environment. The following recommendations
should help make workshop experiences more satisfying and worthwhile for both
you and your peers.
#1: Always go into every
workshop with an open mind. Close mindedness will only dampen the experience
for you. I can’t emphasize this enough: every opinion is one to be valued and
appreciated, even if you don’t necessarily agree with it. And you don’t have
to. But it’s important to respect the advice others are trying to give to you.
Being able to take
criticism with humility is crucial for any writer. It shows character when you
can listen to someone’s suggestions and critiques with an understanding smile
rather than responding with a wave of the hand and the famous line: “Well,
that’s just how I write.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this line.
Of course we all write differently, have our own specific style, feel, and
general aim in our pieces, but this doesn’t mean you should shut your mind to
suggestions. Any advice at all is to be valued. It helps you to see your work
in a new way, from another perspective.
So don’t let your ego hold
you back! Open up your mind and be positive. I promise, with this attitude,
you’ll get far more from your workshop than you will have ever imagined.
#2: Try to find the
balance between kindness and honesty. In my own experiences, I’ve always found
myself leaning a bit toward the “too nice” end of the spectrum, in an effort to
encourage rather than discourage. But I’d say it is best to be honest in your
critiques. Don’t sugarcoat. You want to help everyone as much as possible, and the
easiest way to do this is to be truthful and constructive. However, be careful
of being unnecessarily harsh. Very few people out there in your workshops are
inherently “bad writers,” so why make anyone feel like one? Make sure you harp
on what is working in their writing just as much as what is not working. This
is positive, constructive criticism.
Here’s an example. You
want to tell fellow writer Tom that he always mixes up his use of the words
“there” and “their.” It’s so distracting throughout his work that you just want
to flat out tell him, “You need to work on your grammar, man. It stinks!” Leave
that to the teacher. You are Tom’s peer, a fellow writer. Be understanding and
helpful. Instead, try something like, “Tom, you really allow so much feeling to
come through your writing, and that’s great. My biggest critique here, though,
is that you mix up the words “there” and “their” quite a bit. Try to pay
attention to that so you don’t let those little things distract from the rest
of your writing, which is quite good.”
Even if your critique is a
big one, you soften the blow by reinforcing the positive first and
simultaneously help to open the writer’s mind to your suggestions.
#3: Give every suggestion a real chance. I know
I’ve harped a lot on open-mindedness today, but I’d like to suggest taking that
one more step forward. In every workshop you encounter, you’re going to hear
things you agree and disagree with. As I mentioned earlier, you are always
welcome to a “take it or leave it” approach. But I’d wager to say there is
little that could go wrong with giving each recommendation a real shot. No matter how out-there the
suggestion may seem at first, try it.
Say you write a story
about a boy and his dog, from the boy’s perspective. During your workshop, one
of your classmates suggests that you try to write it from the dog’s
point-of-view. Your first thought? Funny, but that’s crazy; no way. But where’s
the harm in giving it a shot? As we all know, constant revision is a part of
our daily lives. One story or poem may be tweaked one hundred times (and come
out totally different with each draft) before you are satisfied with a final
draft. Now, imagine you try it; you take some free time and develop a draft
from the dog’s perspective. At first, you can’t help but laugh, still thinking
it’s ridiculous. But next thing you know, you have a totally different story on
your hands, and potentially one you are surprised you actually like! (The Art of Racing in the Rain, anyone?)
Of course nothing can be
guaranteed. But now you’ve got an open mind, and most importantly, you’re open
to surprising yourself.
#4: Be friendly and have fun! Writing workshops
always seem to carry this stigma of negativity with them. Some writers will
show up dreading the workshop of their story, terrified of their classmates’
reactions; others will count down the minutes until they are free from the
criticism. Workshops become less of a positive learning experience and more of
a critical, competitive time waster. But the fact of the matter is, workshops
(despite having “work” in the name) are meant to be fun. Think about it this
way: you’re a writer, this part of the day is the one where you are allowed to
be yourself, do what you love, and learn as much as you can. This is the place
that is driven toward helping you and your peers grow as writers. Try to take
the criticism in stride; simply remember that the written word and the
processes of editing that come with it are your passions. They need to be
cultivated, so why not try to enjoy it?
Part of making the
experience fun depends on your interactions with others. If you are driven
solely by competition, you forget that the writers around you are people, too;
they are people who share your interests and want to learn as much as you do.
The friendlier you are with them, the more you can learn and benefit from them,
as they’ll grow more and more comfortable and open with you. And soon you’ll
find that you can rely on each other. You’ll be there to support, encourage,
and praise one another through the best and worst days. You’ll grow as a
community and then as individuals, learning from each other and helping one
another. The workshop can become a place where you find comfort and
understanding in your peers, a place where you can relax, have fun, and get
better at what you love.
The clear-headedness with
which you approach a workshop really has an effect on your writing. A positive
attitude and approach promises a positive experience in almost any workshop
setting. So again, open up your mind and get ready for your writing to improve
and transform. And let yourself have fun!
By Kim Lester
