The Word Cellar Writing Workshops: Why Get Feedback?

In this video I talk about The Word Cellar Writing Workshops, which are my new small-group, intensive sessions for writers who want feedback on their work and mature community with other writers. It's a rather long video; I basically pretended that I was sitting down to talk with you about why workshopping can be valuable. I may write a more streamlined essay about this someday; there is a lot more to say about the topic. But this is a good start for our current purposes.

Here are some of the key points from the video and about the workshops.

• Each workshop will be a very small group, only four people per session.
• The first session is slated to start February 1. This workshop experience includes a private group blog and five group phone calls. The dates for the calls are listed over here, but there is some flexibility based on the group's needs. So if you are interested in participating but can't make those dates, just email me and we'll figure out what to do.
• Each participant will submit 10-30 pages of writing (prose only, please) to the group. You'll receive feedback from the other participants and from me.
• This is an MFA-style workshop, which just means that I'm using the word "workshop" in the sense that it's used in MFA in writing programs. BUT, no grad school or previous workshopping experience is necessary! Really, this will be accessible whether or not you've been to grad school or done this kind of workshop before.
• I'll be providing a workshop tutorial with some instruction on how to give and how to receive feedback. I'll also help you figure out how to integrate the feedback you receive with your own vision.
• This will be an experience in which we create a kind and respectful environment where we support each other.

And the big questions: Why workshop? Why get feedback on your work?

• First of all, it's not about changing your creative vision based on everyone else's opinions.
• Sometimes you'll get conflicting feedback, and this is a gift! It helps you to clarify your own creative vision. (I've written about my own experience with this over here.)
• Getting feedback on your work helps you to see your blindspots.
• Writing is a tricky business because it forces two competing elements of language to co-exist. On one hand there's the useful side of everyday communication. On the other is the artistic use of language. When the overly useful invades the artistic, things can feel flat on the page. When the creative overtakes clarity, readers may be confused. Having "test" readers helps you to find out if either of these is happening so you can recalibrate.
• Something I don't say in the video, but an important element in sharing our work: Courage. Getting feedback from people you can trust is a good exercise in courage. It can be frightening to share our work for the first time. Practicing it in small group is a good way to start.
• Any questions at all? Please email me. I'm happy to help you decide if this is the right kind of group for you right now.