Been to one of these before? Maybe you attended a conference and went to a session where an agent listened to your first five pages, and then told you when to stop reading because they got bored or the writing was poor.
Workshops can be a great opportunity to get a variety of feedback on your work, both from other writers, and potentially, some professionals in the field. They can be done in big groups of folks, or in smaller, focused gatherings. They can be done online, or at a person’s house, or at a huge writing conference. The point of taking part in one is to learn how to be a better writer, whether you’re tackling some specific flaw you have in getting the story down, or you want some wide-ranging feedback on a chapter or scene. They can also be a good inspiration to actually make yourself sit down and write in the first place. Whatever the case, workshops can be an invaluable resource for your craft. But where do you find them? Do you have to wait for the next conference to visit your area? Not at all. There are a lot that you can choose from, ones that are flexible to your schedule and writing style.
Here are two links that quite a few of these workshops available to you. The SFWA link is nicely comprehensive, listing online, annual, and ways to search for local writing meetups.
http://www.sfwa.org/links/workshops.htm
For instance, I’ve taken part in the Critters online workshop for a few years now, and have benefited not only from having my stories improve (and a few get sold) but also in learning how to read and critique other’s work in an encouraging and constructive way. That in itself is a skill worth developing.
Do any of you guys have a favorite circle of people you bring your work to, or a workshop you always look forward to joining?
I see that smile.