Tonight’s guest blog post is brought to you by author and tutor Tad Wojnicki.
Who Needs A Writing Workshop?
Every local newspaper lists free opportunities for self-improvement — art classes, aerobic workouts, meditation zazens, book schmooze-fests – and, of course, writing workshops. We’re on a constant overload.
So when a well-known writing workshop leader shot at me, “Why don’t you teach your own writing workshop?” I was dumbstruck.
“Who needs another writing workshop?” I asked.
Today, having taught a creative writing workshop for almost twenty years, I don’t ask anymore. I know now there’s plenty of room for self-improvement.
But throughout all these years I haven’t stopped asking myself: What makes one come? What makes one stay? What makes a workshop a learning experience?
Teaching the workshop afforded me a close look into myself — the reasons my workshoppers come, it turned out, are the same reasons that made me always come:
1. Pregnant with a story.
Bad things happen to all of us. We have to exteriorize the experiences in order to become stabilized — “Everybody has a story to tell,” the saying goes. We need to unload the burden. To unload the burden writers need to write it, unload it in writing.
Sometimes, the burden is happiness. Recently, a story written in the workshop placed second in The Heartlight Journal’s Childhood Memories Contest. For the Author, John, it was the first publishing credit and first cash won for writing. Traditionally, we threw a party for the winner. What’s fascinating, for John, 75, the workshop exercise was a part of his reconciliation with his family — a happiness he could hardly wait to unload. Most of the times, alas, the burdens haven’t been happiness.
Some of my workshoppers have shared stories of child abuse, rape, heart-attacks, homophobia and anti-Semitism. We listen, let the writer relieve the past, offer a hug, sometimes a glass of wine. We sympathize. We identify. We suffer all.
However, writers get a terrific break: why other people cry sharing their misfortunes, writers laugh all the way to the bank.
2. Community of writers.
I have known a party animal or two among my writing friends, but writing is the loneliest business. Must be. Writing is expressing one’s crazy vision — can’t be done in company. On the other hand, we need the community of other crazy people to stay sane.
Teaching the workshop made me also realize why workshoppers stay. They stay for the same reason I have always stayed in any workshop:
3. Workshoppers keep working.
There’s no ersatz for the joy of the act of jotting words down on paper. Without writing a writer is not a writer. The highways to success are littered with wanna-be’s.
But distractions and discouragements are aplenty and it takes a true aficionado to never stop. Therefore most people need the sound of pen scratching the paper to keep going. A workshop provides just that.
You forget the chores, bores, and worries, and happily go on, writing for your life.
4. Feedback.
I mean real feedback — an ongoing, knowledgeable critique of your work in progress — not a “kiss” you get from your Mommy, or a dismissing shrug from an ignoramus. I teach my workshoppers the basics of literary criticism. They learn fast. In turn, they give each other incisive, zingy, caring critiques. “Never show a fool half-completed work,” I use a Jewish axiom. Resource Box
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Tad Wojnicki is the author of a novel, Lie Under the Fig Trees, and a hybrid work, Typhoon: A Haibunette with Life Drawings.
His poetry chapbook, Haiku On the Road is forthcoming from the Writers and Lovers Studio / www.writers-and-lovers.com.
Morgen: My mum’s the harshest critic of all. 🙂 Thank you, Tad!
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If there isn’t a writing group near you or you’d like some extra feedback, take a look at the following groups:
- Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)
- Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
- Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
- Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
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If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please”.
The blog interviews return as normal tomorrow morning with multi-genre author Carmen Anthony Fiore – the six hundred and sixteenth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.
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As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do, and a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words (and post stories of up to 3,000 words), or posted for others to critique (up to 5,000 words) on the new Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me posting it online in my new Red Pen Critique Sunday night posts, then do email me. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry and Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group.
Four new online writing groups:
- Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
- Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
- Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
- Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)
We look forward to hearing your comments.