Why I don’t believe in traditional, MFA-style critique workshops + A detailed, step-by-step method writers can use to effectively refine, develop, improve, and illuminate work-in-progress
Thanks again for this kind space. Kindness and curiosity as a workshop approach is so generative for everyone-- commenters and readers alike. An environment like that allows me to take risks as a writer, and as a reader. Being open to connection with others is a different state of mind than a toxic one of worrying about impressing the workshop, or, as happened once to me, someone questioning the life choices I was attempting to describe in an essay instead of my word choice.
Coaxing an elusive inner voice onto the page and into the world requires courage and a touch of audacity-the same spirit as playing dress up as a kid-- feeling beautiful in that falling down dress and floppy hat because you see things with a gaze of possibility instead of judgement. You know those shoes don’t fit (yet) but won’t they be incredible when they do? And then tapping into the way they make you feel taller standing in them right now! Your playmates should celebrate that rather than shut it down because otherwise, they should just go play chess. It’s a different game altogether ( Ha-this seems to have hit a nerve-- you got my outrage metaphors flowing!)
Creativity is such a paradox -- it's both deeply sacred AND ALSO so playful, shy, irreverent, and silly. A safe and rigorous creative space needs to honor and nurture both of these truths. You just keep those metaphors flowing, Emily! I love it!
Thank you for this clarity in workshopping with others, but I especially appreciate this amazing guideline for assessing your own work, as right now I’m working alone. I love this, thank you so much! ❤️
Yes! I'm so glad. I think it's actually MOST helpful for working alone, but, some writers (maybe most?) are able to best learn these methods in a group with a skilled facilitator first. However, that's not always an option for people, and slow practice with close reading and applying these methods with enough patience will get you very, very far, and much farther than careless "feedback" that comes in settings and/or at times that are just not useful!
In all honesty this makes me want to enroll in one of your workshops all the more, but so grateful for all your resources you so graciously supply until I can get there. ❤️
This resonates, because in fact curiosity is the root of empathy, so, we cannot be caring if we are not curious. Therefore, it must truly begin with curiosity!
Thank you so much for letting me know what I've been missing. I love how you include clapping and encouragement along with careful, caring, and useful feedback. Feedback that is spacious enough for a writer to look at their work though another's eyes but not second-guess themselves too much. I know you're talking about MFA-style workshops, but I've been in mostly peer-led groups. I've finally realized they're not helpful for me because they're either 100% "oh, that's wonderful!" or the feedback is all over the place. I hope you and Billie and Z have crawled out of the shadow of COVID. And thank you for always reminding us of the importance of love. ❤️
I have heard/seen so much harm to writers from peer workshops w/feedback that is all over the place. What George Saunders says is true! We really have to develop first a very strong and trusting dialogue with our own subconscious mind. But sometimes people need a guide to help them to do that. If that were not true, Saunders would not be teaching at Syracuse! And I know that his teaching methods are similar to mine, both from reading him describe them in A Swim in the Pond in the Rain and also from reading his Substack. But I think I, maybe due to being not famous and therefore very accessible to writers at all levels, am a bit more concrete about my methods in terms of how to adapt and use them on your own. Or, maybe Saunders is just as concrete! What I know, though, is that I teach a lot of nonfiction writers (more than fiction writers) and this becomes much (much, much) more important with nonfiction. So, I take it super seriously. I used to tell my friend Tyler: "No one will be harmed in a workshop on my watch." It doesn't mean no one will ever feel confused or unsure about what to make of something that comes up in workshop, but if something needs addressing, I will address it. I'm a trauma-informed writer and teacher, and I think that matters to me as much as craft. It's equal. Because that's what makes art art!! And thank you for your well wishes! We're all still tired but we're COVID negative and tomorrow is Z's third birthday party!!! A dance party at the park community center, with 40 people (15 of his little friends and their parents) coming to celebrate this beautiful boy making three whole trips around the sun!!
Oh this is such an unnerving post because, as a teacher, I workshop with writers every week and I love it, and believe there is so much value in the process, but workshopping is (in my humble opinion) the weak link where a writer will get hurt (usually unintentionally). We spend a full year prepping writers to give appropriate feedback, to be part of a community that always starts with caring and ends with instructions to be easy, kind, gentle with those who struggle, but still there are issues...your post reminds me to be diligent in the prep work. TY!
Workshopping is for sure the weak link -- or at least, I felt that way until I started workshopping using the same method we use for close reading. It really has changed everything. There is a possibility--it happens sometimes--that people are afraid to ask questions or identify aboutness/opportunity because they're nervous about being critical or doing it wrong. But I can generally coax that along, and I find that preferable to having people be unhelpfully critical! And in the end what we discover about the work is just so so so much more useful, illuminating, and helpful to all of us as developing artists than "criticism." It's respectful, but rigorous. Close reading is actually very difficult!
Jeannine, ever since I first came across your work here you remind me of the work of my mentor, the late Pat Schneider. Her book is ‘Writing Alone and with Others’ (I highly recommend) and she founded Amherst Writers & Artists, of which I’m an affiliate. One of the underlying principles of AWA is that ‘The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or artistic self-esteem.’ Exactly as you say so eloquently.
Margaret!! Than you so so much for this feedback! I incorporate the methods of the Amherst Writers— I used to talk more about it but in the decades of developing my teaching, I’ve kind of adapted from so many sources of wisdom that it’s kind of an amalgam of so many things it feels more its own unique thing. But Amherst teaching was and is an important influence for me. I will look up Pat’s book. Thank you again!
Is this workshop piece this week part of the visceral workshop. I appreciate the information shared a lot of knowledge behind it. Do you teach online workshops
I think a lot of people don't realize that being a teacher is a skill that comprises being a sort of psycholanayst, a good listener, a good communicator a good spaceholder and being good at managing the energy of a very dynamic space as well as a personal knowledge of the material. It's not for everyone and it certainly is not just regurgitating certain material or a certain viewpoint. I was a teacher, raised by 2 teachers, from a long line of teachers going back 5 generations. It isn't for everyone
Grazie! Yes, I'm very lucky and very proud of them, especially my mum who just started teaching again last year after a 30-year career break but who is exactly the same compassionate, funny, brilliant teacher I remember from when I was little. It comes straight from the heart and it changes lives: anyone who becomes a doctor, a pilot, an engineer...etc did it because of one teacher.
Thanks again for this kind space. Kindness and curiosity as a workshop approach is so generative for everyone-- commenters and readers alike. An environment like that allows me to take risks as a writer, and as a reader. Being open to connection with others is a different state of mind than a toxic one of worrying about impressing the workshop, or, as happened once to me, someone questioning the life choices I was attempting to describe in an essay instead of my word choice.
Coaxing an elusive inner voice onto the page and into the world requires courage and a touch of audacity-the same spirit as playing dress up as a kid-- feeling beautiful in that falling down dress and floppy hat because you see things with a gaze of possibility instead of judgement. You know those shoes don’t fit (yet) but won’t they be incredible when they do? And then tapping into the way they make you feel taller standing in them right now! Your playmates should celebrate that rather than shut it down because otherwise, they should just go play chess. It’s a different game altogether ( Ha-this seems to have hit a nerve-- you got my outrage metaphors flowing!)
Creativity is such a paradox -- it's both deeply sacred AND ALSO so playful, shy, irreverent, and silly. A safe and rigorous creative space needs to honor and nurture both of these truths. You just keep those metaphors flowing, Emily! I love it!
And I love and appreciate your permission. 💜💜
Thank you for this clarity in workshopping with others, but I especially appreciate this amazing guideline for assessing your own work, as right now I’m working alone. I love this, thank you so much! ❤️
Yes! I'm so glad. I think it's actually MOST helpful for working alone, but, some writers (maybe most?) are able to best learn these methods in a group with a skilled facilitator first. However, that's not always an option for people, and slow practice with close reading and applying these methods with enough patience will get you very, very far, and much farther than careless "feedback" that comes in settings and/or at times that are just not useful!
In all honesty this makes me want to enroll in one of your workshops all the more, but so grateful for all your resources you so graciously supply until I can get there. ❤️
Will be lovely to have you in a future workshop! Meanwhile I am so glad you are here.
Thanks Jeannine. I like the phrase a friend of mine uses: Caringly Candid. If you miss the caring, the Candid doesn't help much, does it?
This resonates, because in fact curiosity is the root of empathy, so, we cannot be caring if we are not curious. Therefore, it must truly begin with curiosity!
Thank you so much for letting me know what I've been missing. I love how you include clapping and encouragement along with careful, caring, and useful feedback. Feedback that is spacious enough for a writer to look at their work though another's eyes but not second-guess themselves too much. I know you're talking about MFA-style workshops, but I've been in mostly peer-led groups. I've finally realized they're not helpful for me because they're either 100% "oh, that's wonderful!" or the feedback is all over the place. I hope you and Billie and Z have crawled out of the shadow of COVID. And thank you for always reminding us of the importance of love. ❤️
I have heard/seen so much harm to writers from peer workshops w/feedback that is all over the place. What George Saunders says is true! We really have to develop first a very strong and trusting dialogue with our own subconscious mind. But sometimes people need a guide to help them to do that. If that were not true, Saunders would not be teaching at Syracuse! And I know that his teaching methods are similar to mine, both from reading him describe them in A Swim in the Pond in the Rain and also from reading his Substack. But I think I, maybe due to being not famous and therefore very accessible to writers at all levels, am a bit more concrete about my methods in terms of how to adapt and use them on your own. Or, maybe Saunders is just as concrete! What I know, though, is that I teach a lot of nonfiction writers (more than fiction writers) and this becomes much (much, much) more important with nonfiction. So, I take it super seriously. I used to tell my friend Tyler: "No one will be harmed in a workshop on my watch." It doesn't mean no one will ever feel confused or unsure about what to make of something that comes up in workshop, but if something needs addressing, I will address it. I'm a trauma-informed writer and teacher, and I think that matters to me as much as craft. It's equal. Because that's what makes art art!! And thank you for your well wishes! We're all still tired but we're COVID negative and tomorrow is Z's third birthday party!!! A dance party at the park community center, with 40 people (15 of his little friends and their parents) coming to celebrate this beautiful boy making three whole trips around the sun!!
Oh, happy birthday to Z! I will bust out some dance moves in his honor today. And so glad you are feeling better! This makes me so happy.
Thank you so much for the shoutout for me and George!!
Thank YOU for your incredible interview! It's fabulous. xo
Aw, thank you, Jeannine! That means so much coming from you. xx
Oh this is such an unnerving post because, as a teacher, I workshop with writers every week and I love it, and believe there is so much value in the process, but workshopping is (in my humble opinion) the weak link where a writer will get hurt (usually unintentionally). We spend a full year prepping writers to give appropriate feedback, to be part of a community that always starts with caring and ends with instructions to be easy, kind, gentle with those who struggle, but still there are issues...your post reminds me to be diligent in the prep work. TY!
Workshopping is for sure the weak link -- or at least, I felt that way until I started workshopping using the same method we use for close reading. It really has changed everything. There is a possibility--it happens sometimes--that people are afraid to ask questions or identify aboutness/opportunity because they're nervous about being critical or doing it wrong. But I can generally coax that along, and I find that preferable to having people be unhelpfully critical! And in the end what we discover about the work is just so so so much more useful, illuminating, and helpful to all of us as developing artists than "criticism." It's respectful, but rigorous. Close reading is actually very difficult!
I love that. Respectful but rigorous. Yes!
Also, Jennifer, I love that you take all that time and care to prepare your students. It's so crucial!
Jeannine, ever since I first came across your work here you remind me of the work of my mentor, the late Pat Schneider. Her book is ‘Writing Alone and with Others’ (I highly recommend) and she founded Amherst Writers & Artists, of which I’m an affiliate. One of the underlying principles of AWA is that ‘The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or artistic self-esteem.’ Exactly as you say so eloquently.
Margaret!! Than you so so much for this feedback! I incorporate the methods of the Amherst Writers— I used to talk more about it but in the decades of developing my teaching, I’ve kind of adapted from so many sources of wisdom that it’s kind of an amalgam of so many things it feels more its own unique thing. But Amherst teaching was and is an important influence for me. I will look up Pat’s book. Thank you again!
Yes, I thought you must have known of Amherst Writers, AWA. Keep up your great work, it’s quite special.
Thank you so so so so much!
Is this workshop piece this week part of the visceral workshop. I appreciate the information shared a lot of knowledge behind it. Do you teach online workshops
I do. I'll announce them to paid subscribers here first, as soon as I open registration!
I think a lot of people don't realize that being a teacher is a skill that comprises being a sort of psycholanayst, a good listener, a good communicator a good spaceholder and being good at managing the energy of a very dynamic space as well as a personal knowledge of the material. It's not for everyone and it certainly is not just regurgitating certain material or a certain viewpoint. I was a teacher, raised by 2 teachers, from a long line of teachers going back 5 generations. It isn't for everyone
Brava. It is an art in itself, teaching. How lovely you come from such a long lineage of those called to the art of teaching!
Grazie! Yes, I'm very lucky and very proud of them, especially my mum who just started teaching again last year after a 30-year career break but who is exactly the same compassionate, funny, brilliant teacher I remember from when I was little. It comes straight from the heart and it changes lives: anyone who becomes a doctor, a pilot, an engineer...etc did it because of one teacher.
Love, love, love your workshop method so much ♥️