DeScribe

This is about class workshopping, but there's some good points:

"Well, you can expect to write two or three stories in a semester. You can expect to have your stories distributed to your classmates to read and critique. You can expect to be mortified during the first workshop of the class, and again when it is YOUR first workshop. It is a nerve-wracking process. I still go through a sort of tightening of every muscle, starting in my stomach, and working its way to my extremities, the day before every workshop I have, even as a seasoned pro. You can expect to walk away feeling humbled by the experience. You can expect to learn a lot if you are open to new ideas and don't get stuck believing your first attempts at writing must remain the same no matter how many people tell you it isn't working. You must also be careful you don't get stuck believing you are so bad that you will never be any good, so why bother to try. If you aren't willing to try new things and work hard, no teacher or workshop will ever improve your writing.

I have found that the general rule in workshops is that you can't speak or give that tempting apology before the class begins. You know the apologies I'm speaking of: I didn't have time to finish the last part the way I wanted to; my computer died and I had to rewrite the beginning but it isn't the way I want it to be yet...or just the basic, I'm new at this, so I know it needs a lot of work. Just accept that you are in the same boat as everyone else, and swallow those sorry's before you walk through the door.

That is not to say that there won't be better writers than you. There will be. Accept that too. Because the embarrassment and competition become part of the learning process. If you didn't have another writer there who was already at the place you want to be, then how would you have a clue how to get there? A good workshop teacher will break down stories to the point that you can truly see why a story works or doesn't work. It most definitely IS embarrassing when you make dumb mistakes, but that embarrassment will be the catalyst to being more careful and trying harder on your next piece.

So how do you get the most of it? Don't get defensive when you hear critical things. Even if the criticism is completely missing the point of your work, or you already know you don't respect a classmate's writing. One thing I have learned is that it is easier for many students to see the flaws or positive aspects of a story than it is for them to write one themselves. In fact, I've had teachers like that too. They are better teachers of writing than they are writers. So listen to everything they say. I write down every little comment in workshop. It's even better to record it. Follow along with your story and make comments directly on the page so you know exactly what they are talking about. Believe me, you will forget it all after you walk out the door because the whole process pumps you full of adrenaline. Recording it one way or another is an absolute must if you want to improve your story.

My professors usually have the students write out a short response to the story to be handed to the writer on the day of their workshop, along with the oral critique. Read these responses and take note of the similarities. If you have ten people telling you they were confused by your ending, that's a pretty good indication that you need to work on your ending some more.

Even though I do recommend you listen to all the criticism, I also think it is a good idea to pick out a few people in class that you really admire and respect, and pay special attention to them. This will most likely include your teacher. For this reason, I would highly recommend finding a workshop that is taught by a writer whose work you love to read. Really listen to what they are saying and be open to suggestions they make. It is not stealing or plagiarism to use other people's ideas in workshop. That is what the workshop is there for. They are not writing the story, you are. The help they give you is the same help that even the world's most successful novelists use from their close friends and peers as they are writing. Bouncing ideas around is part of the process.

Another part of accepting criticism is letting go of the idea that you have some kind of innate talent that doesn't require a lot of work. I'll admit that I started college with these notions. I received so much praise for work I'd done in high school, and rarely, if ever, wrote more than a single draft of things I was working on, whether they were essay papers or stories. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn't even close to having something that other people should look at until I was on my third draft. And by draft, I don't mean just fixing awkward sentences or grammatical errors. I mean fully reworking the story three different times. Looking at it each time and realizing which parts were making it slow or needed more explanation, or just plain didn't work. After you've done that, then you can go back and check grammar and spelling. If you follow this advice, you will find you are significantly less embarrassed when it comes time to workshop.

Some general writing advice I can give is to not be afraid to imitate other people's style until you have found your own. If you really like the way that Faulkner or Salinger wrote, try your own descriptive drama about the South or first-person story about a troubled teenager. If you like historical romances, try your own, about a time in history that grabs you. Making these decisions is the easy part. The key to learning something from imitating your heroes is to do a microscopically close reading of their work to find out what, specifically, makes it work for you. Is it their use of dialogue? Their long, detailed descriptions? Their sarcasm? Whatever it is, you can do that too. Eventually you will naturally want to break off into your own style, but as a beginner, it is a great way to start.

If you like a certain novel, try researching some short stories by the same author and actually count how many paragraphs are in the story, and where they insert dialogue and so forth. Copy their formula and you will have a much better clue on how to write a story. Please note, I am not saying you should copy their words or specific ideas. I am not advocating plagiarism by any means. I am simply saying that learning by example is often the fastest way to getting on the right path in writing.

Writing is work. People don't realize how much work it really is. If you want to be a professional writer, you have to start thinking of it as a job. That doesn't mean it has to be a job that you hate. It is possible to love your job. The important thing is that you realize it requires a lot of effort and time. Getting the most out of a workshop is the same as most things-the old saying that, "you get out of it what you put into it." Think of everyone and everything around you as resources to help you towards your goal, and then work diligently towards it. If you put enough into it and have some good teachers to help guide you on your way, you absolutely could be a professional writer. Or at least a much more successful one than you were when you walked in the writing workshop door. Just don't forget to blow off some steam when your workshop is over-you deserve it!"

Source: http://www.helium.com/tm/122734/there-r ... rson-would