When Workshops go bad…

In my Fiction I class, it was workshop time. Last night a classmate and I presented our work and accepted criticism from our peers and the prof. For me, this is usually a wonderful experience where I collect enormous kudos and accept some ideas for revision. That did not happen this time.

Bear in mind, it has been suggested that some of my work be entered for literary awards and I have nothing lower than a “B” affixed to my literary work. The work that I presented has an “A” on it from two different profs. None-the-less, these “peers” (and I use this term very loosely) of mine shredded my work. I swear if I had switched my paper for a James Joyce work, they would have shredded it too! I handled it as cooly as possible. The prof had valuable suggestions atleast, and understood what the work was about. I am STILL the god of vignettes, despite the “peer” shredding.

Things got worse when a classmate submitted her children’s literature piece for workshopping. They shredded it as well. This irked me to no end. I sit on the left side of the room, so I strategically have the last word out of all my peers. (The instructor has the final word in all cases, of course.) After the shredding, I proceded to clean some house. I was forced into lecture mode. I admonished the entire class for not receiving the work as it should have been received…as a 7, 8, or 9 year old child. Sure a cake does not rise using flowers instead of flour, and a person does not wash a car on the inside…but in children’s literature, it works. See Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones. Either way, I lectured the class and my stock in there has probably plummeted lower than the Dow Jones. I gave good advice, that is to say, I told her to ignore the obvious ignorance and do not revise based on those awful peer reviews. The piece was in fact good, with minor attention to small details. The prof didn’t have too much to say, as I stole what he was going to say to the class.

All in all, I have a list of things one should and should not do in a workshop:

Ed’s Rules for Workshopping Creative Fiction.

1. The first words out of your mouth should not be: I do not like the piece, I do not like the genre, I do not like (fill in the blank here). If you do not like a work for whatever reason, find something in the work that is working. Everyone’s work has atleast something good. Try this sentence to start out your critique: There is a lot to like about this piece. or What I liked most about the piece is (fill in the blank). REMEMBER: A workshop is not about what YOU like, it is about an OBJECTIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE critique of a work. That being said, always always always always always start off your critique on a positive note and it would be nice if you end on one.

2. Read the work through the eyes of its intended audience. If it is meant for a kid, look at the work in those terms. If it is meant for a teen, then look at the work in those terms. If it is meant for anyone, then ok…read it with your own peepers carefully.

3. After you have offered the positives up, look at what the work is lacking. Be honest, but not brutal. Explain thoroughly what the issue is and what you think can be improved to resolve the issue.

4. Only offer a critique on those elements that you can offer a suggestion on for revision. You should never say, “The setting seems wrong, but I just can’t put my finger on it,” or “I don’t know why it’s just not working, but it isn’t.” If you do not know why…then don’t mention it.

5. You are not meant to be a nit picking proof reader. Don’t bring up minor typos or punctuation problems.

6. Like is a good word! Use it often. A good thing to say is, “I would like to have seen more/less (fill in the blank).”

7. Always answer the question: Can I, or the intended audience, suspend disbelief willingly? If not, then WHY? What would make me, or the audience, suspend disbelief?

8. End on a positive note. Say something like, “I believe that this can be a good work if the author (fill in the blank with revisions, summarizing what you said.) Again, I believe that you did a good job with (fill in the blank with positive comments you have made.)

9. REMEMBER: The people you workshop will workshop you!

Ed Stackhouse