Need opinions on writing workshops.

On the one hand, I’ve been writing for twenty-five years. I actually get money for doing it, too. Heck, I’m one of those strange people who actually gets to use the stuff that he learned in his English degree. On the other hand, I’ve spent the last fifteen years writing things that aren’t, say, science fiction short stories like the one that I’m totally procrastinating on writing right now. So, you know, maybe I should get a refresher? And on the gripping hand: even if I need to touch up my skillset, is a writing workshop the way to go there?

Opinions welcome. I still got a few days before this online class that I happened across closes, anyway.

13 thoughts on “Need opinions on writing workshops.”

    1. +1 to writing excuses
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      Also look at Branden Sandersons web site, he used to have stuff about writing and workshops.

  1. The few writing classes I took mostly amounted to switching stories with my friends and giving mutual feedback. So, if you have friends that actually know about writing, a regular get-together at the local pub may be just as beneficial.

    1. Last writers class I took, the leader spent a lot of time on genre differences .. and less time than I would have preferred on word choice and how it works.
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      As a result, I have very solid opinions on what differentiates science fiction from fantasy .. but I struggle, every time I try, to be anywhere near as precise with the language as Moe manages in his short-short-shorts.
      .
      Mew

      1. Aside from the Long Block-Quote, the thesaurus was my best friend for padding spaces. Oh, and the occasional tweak of subtext. Subtext is the soul of a story, so sometimes ambiguity is where it’s at.
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        As for dividing Genres, why bother? A.C. Clarke’s law essentially combines the two: “Sufficiently-advanced tech = Magic.”

  2. The only professional writer I’ve known personally was Jay Lake, and he seemed to find them useful when he was starting out.

  3. As someone with very little experience, I’m ambivalent.
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    I’ve heard great things about Kris Rusch’s workshop, but from what I understand it’s at least as much a boot camp on the business side of the business as anything else.
    Life, The Universe and Everything down in Utah is excellent (and cheap!), but it’s more of a convention for writers than a workshop.
    What I’ve heard about most of them is that it’s great to hang out with people sharing similar interests and obsessions. Which I won’t deny is great, but can’t really tell how it improves your writing. They also seem to be extremely pricey and marketed mainly to poseurs.
    The less said about my online experiences, the better.
    Orson Scott Card’s “Character and Viewpoint” is an excellent book on the subject of writing, it that’s something you’re looking for.
    .
    In general, I’d say the way to get better at something is to practice doing it. Put the butt in the chair and get busy. Workshops can help you with specific issues, but beyond that, I’m not really sold on them.
    😉 Of course, I say this as someone about a third of the way into a fantasy novel I haven’t touched for over a month. Just because it’s good advice doesn’t mean it’s easy to take. I’m much more inclined to spend a week researching the “right” way to do something than spend an afternoon figuring it out for myself.

    1. You might like https://madgeniusclub.com it’s a website where several authors (including the three ladies running Sad Puppies this time around) talk about the business and craft of writing Science Fiction and Fantasy.
      I know that I’ve hashed out a problem or two in the comments section there.

      1. The folks at MGC are excellent (full disclosure: some of them are online family to me) for both craft and business. Also on the short list for both aspects are the various classes from Dean Wesley Smith and Kris Rusch and their associates, and the Superstars writing seminars. I know several graduates of Superstars program, and they all rave about it. Apparently the Superstars alumni are an excellent professional network on top of the content of the seminar itself; in this day and age, that’s a significant asset in itself.

  4. I think you’d probably get as much out of a writing group as you would get from a workshop. It would probably be cheaper, too. With a writer’s group, you’ll get more of a chance to help others with their writing, which is an excellent way to get a new perspective on your own work.

    Of course, I’m a hermit, so most of my opinion is purely theoretical. I did a lot of creative writing workshops in college, though, and the discussion between students was probably more beneficial than anything the professor told us.

  5. Do you need a workshop? Here are a few ways to tell:
     
    * Do you need encouragement to write and submit? If so, then a workshop may be useful. In your case this question is irrelevant.
     
    * Do you need contacts in order to break into a new market and escape the slushpile? If so, you might develop useful contacts at a workshop; sometimes even writing “Graduate of ****” on your manuscript and cover letter can help. (Similarly, writing “Member of SFWA” can help too.)
     
    * Do you need someone to critique your writing? A workshop can be good for this. Better, though, is to join a writing group and/or develop a circle of alpha and beta readers who are willing to read your works in progress and criticize the snot out of them. (I’m one of several alpha readers for a Famous SF Author. It’s fun and he enjoys the feedback; sometimes he even takes my advice. ;^) You can also gain knowledge of the craft (and contacts, too) by being an alpha reader for a successful author.
     
    * Do you need someone to tell you “Give up! Your work is crap!” I’m quite sure the answer is “No!” in your case, but I’ve had to do this for a couple of aspiring authors. (Trust me, they truly were beyond hope.) Workshops are impersonal, and they won’t break up friendships.

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