if you are going to be part of a writing workshop you might…

want to be a tiny bit open-minded about feedback you receive on your work.

I’m part of a novel in progress workshop right now and apparently while I was last week out, I missed a bit of subtle drama that took place. One of the workshop members read a chunk of her work in the class for the first time and feedback was given–except that she didn’t want any of it. She even said that she wasn’t going to change anything despite the 20 minutes of constructive criticism she received. She didn’t agree with anyone and refused to consider modifying her piece. Now keep in mind, this workshop consists of smart, kind people who have reasonable feedback--seriously, not a mean group, not nit-picky, just intelligent ideas and helpful comments presented in a way that doesn’t tear apart the writing negatively, but instead offers suggestions on clarifying, strengthening, building.

I don’t understand.

Now personally, the reason I take part in a workshop is precisely because I WANT someone to shred my work and tell me where the holes are, tell me where things don’t make sense and help me figure out how to make my book better. I don’t always agree and I may not change everything that is mentioned, but having 20 minutes of feedback from other writers in progress, to me, is invaluable. If I want an ego boost I’ll give it to my friends and family or hell, even Friday Snippet it on my writing blog because those are appropriate forums where I can share and get some Ra! Ra! Ra! time. But to really find out how to improve what I’m writing, I have to bare my soul a little and let people give me their true impressions, positive and negative, and be willing to at least consider new ideas and directions.

Maybe that was the problem. Perhaps the only people who had read her writing before were friends and family, people who lauded and applauded. Maybe she was shocked when people had feedback to the contrary. I don’t know what she read, as I wasn’t there, but it’s amazing to me that she wouldn’t even consider revising. Every writer, regardless of their expertise, can take advantage of constructive criticism. Gaining perspective on your own work can help you make it stronger, figure out where it is weak and in many cases, may just validate that you have achieved what you were attempting.

Why take a workshop if you don’t want feedback on your writing????

It’s hard to hear people say things about your writing that you might not want to hear. However, if you want to be a writer you better figure out where to find a thick, sturdy tortoiseshell to cover up with. You need to be able to withstand the slings and arrows, the needle-thin comments that might slice you open if you aren’t careful, the hammering of a negative review or the rejection from publishers. Few writers get a free pass into stardom. A very precious few and if you plan on writing it’s safer to believe that you might not get that free pass. Protect yourself and arm yourself. Find ways to hold back the onslaught but to learn from the challenge and improve so next time you have to break through you have the tools to do so.

I understand though, that some writing groups may not gel well. There might be people you don’t get along with or can’t relate to. That’s when you should employ a bit of critical thinking and consider what else you can get out of the situation. Maybe they can’t quite figure out your own writing but what can you learn from the writing of the others in the group? There is a lot to be said for listening to how other people present their characters, their plots, settings, etc. Can you see what has been done well and find ways to employ the same craft ideas in your own writing? Or can you see things that just plain don’t work and realize that you want to avoid, at all costs, including that sort of failed strategy in your own book? If you can do that, then regardless of the writing group (well, if it’s annoying v.s. toxic and volatile), you might still be able to salvage some good learning.

But really, if you think your writing is a bed of fragrant roses, don’t join a writing workshop. You’ll get fertilizer that is bound to be wrong for your flowers.