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?
I am not a typical pick up a sheet of paper, get on my laptop and type, or get a notebook and write out whatever ideas I'm thinking kind of person. As for the workshops I have attended while in class, I must say several of my fellow peers know a great bit about different writing styles and how to convey their messages to their readers. I have edited some awesome rough drafts and then I frequently wondered, "Do I write as well as he or she does? How did I end up in this class, and wait, why did I choose the major I have? I don't even like to write."
ReplyDeleteThen, the day of workshop number one, it hit me! It hit me like a bad attitude a teenage girl has with her mom over the most simple things...I am afraid to express myself through my own writing. And yet, the shell I thought I removed, grew beyond and let go remains and it taunts me. I've lost all incentives to write and express myself through written pieces in this class; because of this, I've turned in not one assignment this semester.
For the first paper, I did my rough draft on time and two students edited it and the things they brought to my attention shocked me. After that point, I was no longer willing to elaborate or tell the story of my life. I thought I would be comfortable at this point being a junior and doing well in other writing/speaking courses to write about what I know firsthand, the experiences I have endured. I was wrong. My overly protected, sheltered, shy and withdrawn old self crept back up on me and I shied away from formal documentation of putting things on paper to keep memories alive. I've learned to harbor memories in my mind and not let the outside in. So, I've been having the most difficult time sitting down and just writing. My process of revision took a dreadful turn and instead of revising my writing and using the suggestions of my classmates, I STOPPED WRITING ALTOGETHER.
My way of not letting people into my life by viewing my writing, which I cherish so dearly. I guess workshopping has helped me in a way; for the first time, I know what I am not willing to disclose with the world. It was easier while in grade school to write and just "let my pencil flow" because my mother was always there and my big sister to push me to get the job done.
This entry was difficult for me but a great breaking point and hey, I got the job done for me--done for my future success and continuance in school and written growth.
Workshopping has its pros. I've obtained different feedback on my papers in class, that proved to be helpful. However, I feel I work best on my essays for this class when I have a nice and quiet space, where I can write, revise, write, and then revise again. When I get in the right mind set to write--where I know what I want to write, I have a better chance of coming out with the paper I want. However, it's really hard when I know what I want to say but I don't know exactly "how" to say it so the reader "sees" events and places "how" I see them. But, I understand that to do this, requires ALOT of revision. I've had a hard time in this class, "Showing and not telling" in my writing. I'm still learning to do this, and hopefully I will get better at it. Creative writing classes like this one should definitely keep doing workshopping, because there is something to be gotten out of them.
ReplyDelete--Melissa Dutra