My First Writing Workshop!

Today, my memoir seminar at school began our workshop phase. I shared a two-page section of my memoir with a small group of my class. As we sat in a circle, I listened to my group provide warm and cool feedback as well as suggestions for my piece. This process was a little uncomfortable at first since I had to remain quiet and pretend like I was not in the conversation as my group discussed my writing, but as the discussion progressed, the environment became more comfortable. My fellow classmates' feedback helped me understand how readers connected or failed to connect to my story.

Here are some crucial beginner workshop tips that guided me through my first workshop:

• start with smaller workshop groups rather than a full class

• if possible, try workshopping somewhere outside :)

• it is helpful for the member presenting his/her work to start the conversation with any specific concerns he/she has about the piece

• even though it is awkward at first, the person whose work is being workshopped should try to remain as an observer rather than a contributor to the conversation

• do not speak directly to the member being workshopped (use the member's name instead of "you")

• specific comments are the most helpful comments (pull quotes from the workshop piece to use as evidence when providing a comment or suggestion)

our workshop in action