I like workshops

What a workshop is for me is the perspective of someone else who, lets be honest, doesn't care about my feelings. I'm cool with that, that's what I like. When I write an essay that looks great to me and I come to find out that I screwed up at the most fundamental level and a peer tells me my work is kind of shitty, I'm happy to go back and turn my shit into gold. I never had a real workshop experience until the first paper we did for this class. My vignettes piece was intense and I put a lot of work into it, I thought it was gold. Turns out, it was gold with a little shit on it. When I did the peer edit in class, i came away absolutely thrilled that I had a tool to scrape the shit off of it and let the pure gold shine through. People could see my thoughts for what they were. Especially within the genre our class write in, clarity is usually priority number one to help the reader understand us.

In conclusion, I like workshops.

Workshopping...

This class has been such a learning experience for me. I have struggled writing the papers this semester, tried to give them my best, tried to re-write the same papers over and over hoping that with each draft I would discover a different perspective to explore to make it better. The first paper concerned me because and I wasn't pleased with my grade and as a Creative Writing major, I need to perform well in this technique course in order to get into one of the advanced workshops . I thought that was it. If no one wants to read what I have to say then what am I doing this for. I don't even want to pursue writing as a career. I think that the reality of this did not sink in until I started asking myself if I really thought of myself as a professor writer. Either way, I am pursuing this degree with everything I've got. I have loved to write since I could pick up pen to paper and I'm not going to discredit myself now by calling it quits.

I have spoken to the professor numerous times after class because I know that writing isn't just a one time deal. You workshop, revise, brainstorm all over again, and you try new things. Without others input, you'd be stuck on a Ferris wheel, going round and round only in the direction for which you see fit at the time. I do not think that the workshops we did in class were very beneficial because only 2 or 3 peers looked at your paper and wrote minor comments. I think that we weren't really aiming to improve everyone else's writing because we were so concerned with our own, at least I know I was. Because the topics we were given were so broad, everyone had their own interpretation of what was expected as well as in what ways to be approaching their individual papers. I thought what helped me the most was reading others essays because it allowed me to see so many different writing styles and techniques that I could use in my own writing. But with only usually the first draft being work shopped it made it harder for some people to really improve because they didn't have anyone see how the paper changed.

That's why I thought it was so important for me to reach out to Mrs. Skinner. I knew that as long as I kept writing, that she would keep pushing me. She may have sent me in all different directions but she made me think outside of the box. She is part of the reason I still have it in me to write about my personal life. Because I have been through so much and feel as if my story should be heard, nonfiction is really what I know best. I know writing about myself will help me grow, explore, mature, and improve through revision and reflection. This memoir piece coming up is a bit scary for me but I know I'll get through it. I hope that the revision process hasn't interfered with anyone's writing negatively, no matter how much time it takes to go back and fix it up, you're learning. Although it's time consuming revising and transforming my writing, I know its necessary because there is always room for improvement.

Happy writing to everyone! Try to finish out the semester strong :)

Workshopping

Workshopping:

The process of workshops are beneficial. It provides opportunity for feedback from not one but multiple sources. During the beginning of the semester I was unsure and skeptical of our workshop days .. until we had our first one (not to mention the double absence we get for not attending). The process of exchanging my paper with another student or students who, like myself, seek opinions from peers their own age provided comfort. The workshop days make me willing to share my work with someone else who can provide valuable feedback that is put to use to enhance my work - not just anyone, but someone who is in the same position as myself.

Also, I enjoy our workshop days because I am able to read the work of other students before they turn their final piece in. In courses I have taken in the past I have been unable to read the work of classmates because the process of exchanging was unavailable, unless requested ... and who randomly requests to read your work, right? It also allows you to see the imigination and writing styles of others.

Workshopping is a very valuable and helpful opportunity that you have provided us with.

Work Shopping Work Shop

Work shopping is not my favourite thing to do. But, I can recognise and appreciate the need for it. One of the things I hate about work shopping is the need for positive feedback. Positive feedback generally includes “Oh, I liked what you did with (insert random part here)” when really the person just found a random metaphor to make you feel better. The problem with work shopping is no one really knows to work shop. We all just float around the paper, look for typos, things we didn’t quite understand, etc. One of the main problems is people never really seem to care what they are reading. But you can't really make people want to read your paper about that time you and your Aunt Barb made cookies and that's when you realised you wanted to be a chef, after they've just read how three other people wanted to become astrophysicists.

I find that work shopping really goes well when the class does it in a group. Like, everyone does the same paper. That generally doesn’t work when you have larger pieces. For larger pieces I find it works best if instead of in class work shopping, you do at home and then discuss in class. 

I do like the feedback I get on my papers. I like the negative more than the positive because that helps me write a better paper. Don’t get me wrong, positive feedback is good, too, but it doesn’t really help you do much to better your work. I think when a lot of people read or paper, instead of one or two you end up really being able to see the problems with your paper.

Workshops

Workshops can be helpful to those who want their work to be looked at. The reader attempts to look out for the writing's strengths and weaknesses, and then suggest  different ways for revising it. The advice other people are giving to the writer helps the writer to use what is helpful, and disregard the rest. It gives the writer a chance to think hard about what their classmates are saying  about their work. The anticipation is that not only will the specific piece of writing be improved, but that their future writing attempts will also be more successful. I think workshopping hasn't been productive for me thus far. I haven't found any comments that were helpful to me. Maybe if we were in groups of two, it might be helpful.

Workshopping the Workshop

I like to think of workshopping as a giant dart board you see in those grimy bars all of the time. Get drunk and do a half-assed effort, and you'll miss it completely. Have some skills and your head screw on right and you'll probably slam it into the bull's eye, if not, close enough. Though there are many there who are inexperienced and obviously miss the targets, but with enough practice, the merits that will come later will be rewarding. 


Oh noes. I hope I didn't lose you there. Here: have a photo of a bullseye. 

Oh, not that Bullseye! Close enough. 


I think subject matter comes a long way into holding a reader's interest. An essay about the history of Barbie might generate the interest of females, but its a bit more questionable for males. Unless it's done right in a very interesting matter that could very well appeal to both genders. I think, personally, that in writing, you've got to keep it always interesting, if a scene is needed, insert it; if dialogue can be used without dominating the work, go ahead. I've come to realize that I myself late in this semester specialize in the narrative format. I always felt that my purposes come into the light whenever I insert a story within my work and only recently has that been confirmed rather than just me going straight to the point. But that's always been the fiction writer in me. 


This is my first semester at FSU and never had I ever done a workshop. I'm also taking a poetry class and here, we experiment with the whole workshopping process: we do the standard, in which small groups of three are dispersed in class; the "speed dating" method, wherein one person stays in place while others swap into the next seat, which is a very quick and utilitarian method, and as of the moment, we're doing anonymous whole class workshops, where the whole class writes critiques on poems distributed for the day. 


Nonfiction class has been rather disappointing, mostly because we've only done one "successful" workshop in which my essay ended up being a B (to my dissatisfaction, I genuinely liked it). During the Travelogue unit, I was at a complete loss for words and because we didn't do a workshop for it, I had to just go with the only location I really knew about in Tallahassee and its probably the least liked of everything I've written this semester.  But I being the eternal optimist that I am, am starting to quickly pick up on things. I've been able to voice my opinions when I read someone's work. I need to find the negatives and turn them into positives and expand upon the positive. Hurting someone's feelings is never the right thing to do, and luckily, I haven't come across those people yet who just like to flame and rip apart the work others have tried so hard on and have actually accepted their precious work in the hands of others only to be let down. I believe I was too soft during the beginning of the semester, but I think now as we finish the month of November, I've grown a firmer hand, because what's improvement without the critique. 


So I'll just say the same for this workshop for our class. It could have a lot more potential if done more often, we could have hit a stride with it, and maybe there's still enough time for it to be salvaged, but hey, I guess not all dartboards are easy enough to hit, right?

Workshops

I think workshops can work if done a certain way. Of course there are always people who won’t take it too seriously or who aren’t as good at giving feedback, but there are also people that are really good at it. In my past classes I had always work shopped with the entire class, so even if there were a handful of people with unhelpful feedback, there were also those that were helpful. With a larger amount of feedback, you can compare how different people react to different parts of your work, which allows you to eliminate and expand on your work where necessary.

In our current class, the very small groups are ineffective. Only having two or three opinions on a work, which might not even be complete, is pretty pointless unless you’re lucky enough to be working with someone who’s taking it 100% seriously and is really good at editing. Another thing that makes work shopping in our class hard is that the prompts are so vague. Everyone in your group most likely approached it completely differently, and if you’re not sure what they’re going for it’s hard to help them reach their goal or steer them in the right direction. I feel the workshops in our class only help with minor editing changes and confusing sentence structures, but since they are all first drafts chances are those things would have been changed once you went to revise it yourself anyway.

Workshops are definitely necessary but if they’re went about the wrong way they can be a huge waste of time.

Workshopping

Workshopping is definitely not my favorite thing to participate in because I get very shy when it comes to people reading my work. Although I am a little uncomfortable with it, I do find it very helpful. Sometimes I have no idea what to write or how to start my paper and I sit there and stare at a blank document for hours! Workshopping allowed me to see other peoples ideas and build my own ideas off of theirs. It is fun to read other peoples papers and maybe even get some ideas to improve your own from their writing. The comments I receive from fellow classmates regarding my papers are also very beneficial. They help me see errors that I would have never noticed. It is very common when proof reading your own work to overlook a lot of different mistakes, because you read what you had in mind, not necessarily what is actually written down. After reading other classmates work I find myself aware of certain things I may have left out or need to be more detailed on. Every paper I've read in the workshops has been really awesome and very well written. Without the process of workshopping I don't think my grades would be as reasonable as they are now. Outside of this class I plan to continue allowing my roommates and friends to proofread my work, even though I'm a little insecure, I know it will result in a better paper and a better grade. Thanks for allowing us to participate in workshops and improve our writing skills!

Workshopping

So far, I don't think workshopping has been very productive for me personally, though I do enjoy reading my classmates' work. Usually I find that comments are not that helpful because there are not enough of them and provide little to no specific examples. I appreciate encouraging words and positive thoughts, but truthfully constructive criticism and suggestions would be more helpful. However, I can't blame anyone for this because we are usually short on time and have 3 papers to read through, edit, think about and respond to. It can be overwhelming, especially if you are making an honest effort to improve your classmate's work. To write a piece in this genre is a thoughtful process, though when we are swapping papers with people in class, the readers are anxious to get through it so they will have enough time to finish the other group members' papers too before they can leave. Thus, not nearly as much thought is going into the paper as was put into it originally, and a lot of key things can probably be overlooked. Like some people have suggested before, I think we could benefit a lot more from workshopping days if we either worked in groups of 2 only, or if we could take the papers home with us in order to write more thorough comments.

Oh, Workshopping

Although revision, at first, may seem a scary step to take, in letting some stranger read your personal thoughts, this process has proved to be immensely helpful at every point in my writing career. In Workshopping, I love when a reader comments on both what Isworking and what is Not working. I feel slightly less confident about turning a paper in if it has not been workshopped by someone at least once, especially in a class like this where the prompts are fairly open to interpretation. When something is wrong or awkward about a sentence, I appreciate a few suggestions for alternate ways of saying things, or ideas for using other words. To me, it is easier to read and edit as I go along, as opposed to reading the entire paper and then going back to mark. Awkward sentences often stop me in a paper, and thus why not fix them right on the spot, as opposed to coming back to them?
In our classroom setting, I would love to do a paper scramble, where we all put our papers into one pile and then randomly pick from the stack a paper to edit. I think I would get a wider range of responses from other students in the class, as opposed to sticking to those sitting near me. Although, I do love the comments I receive back from those who edit my paper. I like how these readers can interpret a story a completely different way than you had intended. This is one of the great thank you’s to Workshopping, because the way something sounds in my own head may make no sense whatsoever to a reader. I also appreciate the harsh feedback on my papers. If I have a reader who blatantly disagrees with the theme of my paper, then I do not mind them saying so. In the end, however, it will be me who has to decide whether the opinion of this one individual is correct for the majority or if it is one superfluous interpretation that does not call for my paper to be changed.
The way that I Workshop has not changed within the context of this class. Editing papers is something that I have done, for fun even, for a while now. My friends come to me to ask me to revise their papers, because they trust my criticism. I have, however, seen different ways of work shopping used by others in the class and I will most certainly take those into account when I Workshop in the future.

Workshops Rule!

The first day of our workshops I was a little confused as to what this would really help us with or if it would even broaden our imagination. I can say now that these workshops really help me with creating my paper. I like the fact that we are taking advantage of other peoples brains and ideas, thats not something you get to do everyday in classes. I have written and re written my paper several times because of great ideas I get from classmates. My writing style is a bit different than any normal writing style. I begin by sitting down and thinking of a topic to write about. Once I have come up with a topic I brainstorm and come up with key terms. Once I have a general idea I take a break and either get on Facebook or watch a little television. Getting on Facebook and watching television help me think of creative ideas for my paper. I then sit back down and begin writing a little more. I usuall take another break and go to the mall or walk my dog. Going to the mall helps me clear and relax my mind. Once I have my rough draft complete I bring it into our workshop at class. My paper gets completley re written everytime after this class period, it never fails. I am not complaining though because I know it will be ten times better than before. I think it is safe to say that these workshops that we do during class help my writing process and style in many ways. Several imaginations are always better than one.
On the other hand, sometimes I feel like half the class doesnt participate. Maybe do some hands on creative games or class participation games for a small amount of the class period. It might help getting the class to participate and spark some ideas into our brain.

Workshopping...

WRITERS WORKSHOPPING

Making the decisions for revision--RE-VISION.
Following the lines, the colors and shapes of the story in your head, and getting it down.
Down on paper.
Painting from memory and asking another reader/writer...
                Can they get where you are going with this? What you mean to say?
Is a 1000 words worth a picture?
               And likewise, you offer the same to them: "This looks like snow, with late sunlight here. The green is very good, and that orange streak is a perfect contrast.The blue is so cold I can hear my boots squeak, and I smell woodsmoke"
So--- what works well, in terms of feedback from readers? What is the best workshop scenario? Have you learned to better talk about how writing works and doesn't work as well? Does it help to notice and discuss techniques--- like scene, like character-depth, realness of dialog, organization and order-of-events, themes, devices like metaphor, plot or narrative, what you as the audience want to read-- is your curiosity satisfied? Can you find points of audience-adherence? Do you need more information? Do you want to keep reading? Is there a takeaway for you? Is the shape nice, and the rhythm, pace, tone appropriate?
What kind of questions are you asking of what you are reading, and of your fellow authors, and what kinds of questions and comments have helped you to fine tune your own work?

This is the assignment for our virtual class
(instead of physical bodies-in-chairs for class on Tuesday, Nov 22nd)
        Everybody post a reflection on workshopping---i.e. giving/getting feedback, and your process of revision ----has anything changed, and if so how?