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Writing Classes - What Makes A Good Writer's Workshop Or Class by James King
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Writing Classes - What Makes A Good Writer's Workshop Or Class |
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Education
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"As for myself," says Stephen King in his wonderful book On Writing, "I'm doubtful about writing classes, but not entirely against them." What I want to insist on in this article is that writing classes - or seminars, or workshops, or writing circles, call 'em what you will - can be Inspirational Motivational, and A spur to action and that Mr King would do well to approach the subject a tad less skeptically. Our experience as facilitators of such groups suggests that if a number of cautions are borne in mind, writers can derive real, practical value - and have one hell of a lot of fun as they go - from writing seminars. Whether you're a writing instructor - or a writer contemplating the mountain of your first major writing project - these pointers could help. Here are the cautions: Get the size of your group right. We've found that less than six is too small, more than twelve unmanageable. Make sure the individual members of the group are more or less on the same rung of the skills level. Get the composition of the group right. A good mix makes for the best and most productive discussions. One recent group we guided featured a talk show host, a dedicated environmentalist, an IT entrepreneur, a midwife and a publisher. Each was in the process of writing a book - both fiction and non-fiction - or on the brink of starting. And here's what great workshops should do: Workshops should provide solid intellectual stimulation. Something for the participants to get their teeth into. Something designed to be useful to them in the writing process. Something practical. How to choose the most appropriate point of view. The nuts and bolts of creating memorable characters. How to structure scenes. How to add steel and fibre to avoid a sagging middle. Workshops should be structured around a series of challenging writing exercises. This enables wannabe writers to apply their new skills to the sort of problems they'll face as they drive their projects forward. (And they love it!) Participants should work in an atmosphere of creative freedom, where they are encouraged to share their problems and their achievements. Finally, what we've learned is that a relaxed but focused approach yields the greatest results. And nothing helps that as much as a bottle of soft red wine to wind up the evening. Of course, this isn't necessarily a universal truth, but it's worked for us. And perhaps that's why Stephen King's a little jaundiced. He's on the wagon, poor sod. buy research paper
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