Workshop Guide

As the Writer:

Include questions about your draft if you like. This helps to direct the critique, and hopefully will mean the workshop is more valuable to you. You can ask if a character’s action makes sense, for example, or if an aspect of the world was confusing. You can say, “this is an early draft and I’m not sure where to go after page 10,” or, “this is close to done but I don’t know if the ending is satisfying.”

I ask that the writer remain silent for the duration of their workshop. If you have additional questions/responses or you have any concerns, please private chat or email me.***

Note: Be genuinely open to criticism, but not blind. Try out the suggestions that make sense to you. Accepting every comment your classmates say and trying to incorporate them into the next draft will usually leave you will a terrible second draft. In fact, sometimes the facets that don’t work in draft one end up becoming the best parts of the finished piece. Basically: It is important to identify what isn’t working now, yet that might suggest further drafting instead of deletion.

Similarly, workshop criticism won’t expose all the ways in which your piece can improve; just because something didn’t come up doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try in the next draft. And just because an element works now doesn’t mean it should stay in the finished piece.

Most importantly, keep writing.

As the Reader:

I find it helps to have ready for the discussion:

  1. Something memorable about the piece

  2. Something to put up for discussion

Both of those things can be short. You can “second” what other people comment or you can disagree, all is good! Avoid sweating the small stuff, unless you think it contributes to something larger. Avoid focusing on grammar. Telling people what their strengths are is helpful—it may seem obvious to you, but it isn’t always to the writer.

Make suggestions in line with what the piece wants to be (this is probably not be the same as how you personally would write the story). Explain what you mean with examples/quotes from the piece. Questions are often the most valuable thing you can provide.

If you get stuck:

  • Ask yourself, what is the purpose of this piece—what emotions, ideas, themes is it navigating?

  • Did you know what the writer/main character(s) wants? Cares about? Fears? Did you understand their motivations?

  • Did anything strike you as distractingly unbelievable?

  • Were you confused at any point in the piece? 

  • If there was a science fiction/fantasy/surreal element, did you buy it? Did it feel fresh, or played out? How was the exposition/backstory integrated into the story? Any unwelcome “info dumps?”

  • If the setting was another world/ very different from our own, did it feel real? Did anything feel out of place, or underdeveloped?

  • Any cliched lines/metaphors, characters, or situations?

  • Was the dialogue realistic and interesting? 

  • What emotions did the piece evoke? Did it do so effectively—why or why not?

  • Were the main characters/narrator rounded and the supporting cast differentiated? Did you have a hard time telling characters apart, or remembering who they were? Could any characters get combined or thrown out?

  • Did the piece paint vivid images in your mind? Did you understand where the characters were in space? 

  • How was the pacing? Did it ever sag or feel rushed?

  • Were scenes engaging? Did they go on too long, or cut away too soon?

  • Did the narrative voice feel alive?

  • Was the ending satisfying?

  • Were there parts of the piece that you wanted more of?

  • What was your favorite part or element in the story?