Suggested Unofficial Workshop Guidelines

The Goal of a Workshop

A tight-knit group of writers working together so that everyone in the group improves his/her writing.

Size of a Workshop

The workshop should be at least 3 and at most 6 to 8 regularly attending participants. If interest is greater than this, a waiting list should be maintained and used for recruiting members when openings become available or as a basis for an additional workshop should the list grow large enough.

When and Where

The workshop should have a regular meeting time and place. The place can be a bookstore, a church meeting room, a member's house, etc. It is important that all members are comfortable with the arrangement.

Cost

For LLG workshops, dues are $15.00 every six months, plus you must be a member of the Lane Literary Guild ($15 to $50 depending on type of membership). You will not be charged dues until after you attend for the third time.

General

Writing time is precious and our goal is to improve our writing. We will stick to that goal, limiting diversions and digressions during our meetings.
Success of any ongoing workshop depends on trust and commitment of the members. Participants should be ready to commit to the workshop.
All participants will have the opportunity to submit their material for review as well as to provide criticism for others.
A good reference about writers' workshops is: Malone, Eileen: The Complete Guide to Writers Groups, Conferences, and Workshops. Wiley Books for Writers, 1996.

Meeting Structure

Warm Up

2-3 minutes per person to briefly review what they have accomplished in their writing life since the last meeting. This gives us time to learn more about our fellow writers, acknowledge successes, and provide encouragement and practical advice for those having difficulties. Announcements regarding just about anything can be made at this time.

R & R (Reading and Review)

The remainder of the meeting will be dedicated to reading, reviewing, and discussing members' works in progress. Sometimes a writer will merely want to read a passage and get feedback on the language or structure of it. Other times, someone may want to present a novel chapter or a short story and need feedback on everything from plot to character consistency. From meeting to meeting, who needs what will vary greatly. As a result, the time dedicated to each piece of work will vary depending on what is appropriate.

Break

Ten minutes to loosen up about midway through the meeting. Many groups prefer to skip this.

Next Time

The R&R lineup for the next meeting will be scheduled at the end of the meeting. The moderator will maintain the schedule and insure that over the long term, time is equally divided among all members.

Participant Roles

Moderator

The moderator's goal is not to dictate, but to motivate and keep things on topic and moving along. In addition, the moderator:

Keeps the meeting on schedule.
Takes down the agenda for the next meeting.
Tracks total time allotted to each member's work.

Presenter

Workshop members present work in order to receive comments and critique to improve their writing. Presenters request time from the moderator at least one meeting in advance. The moderator schedules them onto the agenda.

The feedback we'd all like to get is "Skip publication, just send it straight to the Nobel Committee." The feedback we all fear is "What makes you think you're even qualified to write? You're hopeless. Get out." The feedback you're going to get is the feedback you need. The comments and suggestions let you know what is strong, what is weak, and what you can concentrate on to make your work better.

When your work is up for review:

Provide a neat, typewritten copy of your manuscript for each member of the workshop. Pages should be numbered and you should leave ample space in the margins for reviewers to make notes. If you would like people to read the piece in advance, provide the copies one meeting before you present it.
State your purpose for the writing and/or what you would like reviewers to look for. For example, "I want to create a sense of suspense, but I don't think the dialogue is working."
Read your work aloud or have another member read it aloud for you.
Concentrate on getting the most out of the comments. Listen, take notes, ask for clarification when a point isn't clear.
If you want a detailed written criticism of your piece, ask if anyone would be willing to do that outside of meeting time.
Remember to thank the reviewers.

Don't...

Make excuses for the work or explain how the work was derived. The rest of the members, editors, and the public are concerned with the product, not with the process. Good or bad, how your piece ended up the way it is isn't their concern.
Defend your work. Your purpose here is to learn how others perceive what you have written and how you can improve it. The onus for communication is on the writer, not the reader. If the readers are missing the point, you need to know that and to change the work so that readers do get the point.
React harshly. It's no fun to hear that something you worked hard on isn't as good as you'd like or as you thought. The criticism you hear should not be taken personally. If you feel it is becoming personal, approach that carefully and in an adult manner.
Give up on a piece just because you heard a lot of criticism. If you believe in it, use the comments to make it better.

Reviewer

The watchword here is empathy. You will get a turn on the hot seat yourself. Treat the presenter as you want to be treated when your own work is under review.

Do...

Be attentive. You deserve undivided attention when you present and you owe it to others when they do, too.
First comment on things that the writer did well, everyone needs to be stroked.
Note words and phrases that struck you, both good and bad.
Note what in the piece brought out feelings, on track with the story and off.
Mention what in the story left you feeling curious or wanting more explanation.
Use questions to express concerns about the piece. This is less threatening than direct statements.
Use concrete language and make sure the writer understands your point.
Make suggestions on how the writer could improve the work. This is the ultimate purpose of the workshop.
Use humor when appropriate. This is a great way to reduce the tension that inevitably comes with criticism.
Sign your name to the copy on which you wrote your comments. The presenter may want to follow up with you on some of your comments.

Don't...

Attack the writer personally for any reason. If you have a problem with the subject matter, you may tell the writer that the writing upsets you, but not that the writer upsets you.
Dwell on or repeat points that have been made sufficiently.
Make false compliments. It may be tempting to do this in order to avoid conflict or negative reaction, but they are counter to the purpose of the workshop.
Argue strongly about your, or anyone else's opinion. The writer will ultimately decide if what anyone says will be used to improve the work. Your opinions and suggestions will stand on their own perceived merits.
Let jealousy lead you to harsh or unintended criticism. So what if your piece is better and got rejected while hers won the Pulitzer. You're both here to work on improving your writing.

NEVER let anyone outside of the workshop read anything from another participant unless you have the writer's permission. This is a betrayal of the trust each member brings into the workshop.

Everybody

Make every effort to show up on time and stay until the end. If you must come late or leave early, slip in or out quietly. If you miss something, don't ask the group to stop what it is doing to bring you up to date.
Notify the moderator if you are scheduled to present and will not be able to. You don't want to waste time by having holes in the schedule.
Express your desires for the group to the group. Nothing about the workshop, other than everyone is there to improve their writing, is written in stone. The group is there to benefit its members. If a change will make things more efficient, then we will change.

New Members

As the group evolves someone will leave and the group will be faced with bringing in a new member. Appropriate criteria for admitting a new member include:

Quality of writing.
Quality of critique.
Dedication to the workshop.
Dedication to the craft of writing.
Ability to get along with the existing group.

Consideration for membership or admission to the group cannot be based on a person's gender, religion, race, national origin, or sexual orientation. As an organization, Lane Literary Guild supports diversity and will not accept discrimination in its workshops.

Problem Members

Occasionally, a group may find itself with a member who, for some reason or another, causes problems for the group and whose continued inclusion threatens the workshop's existence. If one or more participants feels this is happening, they should discuss it with the moderator. The moderator should then check with all members to see if the perceived problem is affecting everyone. Every effort should be made to correct the problem, but if that doesn't work, the group should respectfully request that the person who is causing the problem find another workshop.

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