Writing workshops and seminars

I have a writing workshop coming up next week; I’ll be presenting at the Orange County Public Library on crafting strong characters. Some of my friends who are starting to write have asked me how, short of formal schooling, they can learn more about the craft of writing. One way is through local events like this one; if you don’t have the money or time for a writers’ conference, an hour at your local library should give you some new techniques to try and maybe even spark some new ideas for your WIP. And it’s free!

Some people use the terms “workshop” and “seminar” interchangeably. In my opinion, a true workshop involves sharing your writing with other people and welcoming feedback that will improve it, but this is unlikely to happen in a public forum of other current and aspiring writers who have just met one another. More likely, a presenter will talk about some aspect of the craft of writing, hopefully welcoming discussion and questions. I also like to give at least one short writing activity at the end of my sessions so everyone has a chance to practice the thing they’ve just spent at least half an hour thinking about.

If you’ve never been to a writing seminar or workshop, you may be wondering what to expect. After all, if you don’t know the presenter, you probably have only the flyer or advertisement for information. Here are some pointers I’ve gleaned from attending and giving talks on writing over the years:

There’s no such thing as not ready. I’ve had people in my seminars who ask and answer questions, network with other participants, take extensive notes, and talk with me afterward. I’ve also had people who come in, sit down, stay silent, and write nothing. In a college classroom, that might be a problem, but at a one-hour library seminar, that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes participants stay quiet because they’re shy (rather common for writers) or because they’re newer writers who feel intimidated and unready to jump right in. So wherever you are on that introvert-extrovert continuum, you’re welcome to come as you are and participate at your comfort level.

Bring a laptop or paper and pencil. It helps to have something handy to take notes. Even if you think you’ll remember everything, you’ll probably have some sudden ideas during the workshop that you will want to remember for your next writing session.

Consider what you want to learn from the session. Do you want to learn some new techniques and skills? Do you want a fuller understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of some part of the writing craft? Are you looking for good examples of books to read about the topic at hand? Knowing ahead of time what you want to learn can help you structure your notes and think of relevant, helpful questions to ask.

Consider how the topic of the seminar fits in with your WIP. Let's take my crafting-strong-characters example. Maybe you’ve been struggling with your protagonist’s voice. Or maybe you have a really strong main character that the side characters can’t really live up to. Whatever your manuscript's issues are, keep them in mind during the seminar. I recently went to a talk where I filled up an entire back page of a worksheet with notes on how I could use what I was hearing to fix specific problems in my WIP. Having that piece of paper helped a lot the next day, when I’d forgotten the details of my train of thought but still really wanted to follow it for my next writing session.

Meet the presenter and other attendees. Again, some writers won’t want to do this, but if you’d like to introduce yourself to the presenter, feel free! We’d love to give you a business card and share our newsletters or blogs with you if you’re interested. And if you hit it off with another writer, you may have the beginnings of your own writing workshop, in which you can exchange manuscripts and help strengthen each other’s work.