Teaching the Creative Writing Workshop:

A Course in Three Parts

It is a truth unversally acknowledged among creative writers that an author in possession of a story must be in need of a workshop. And this truth is so universally ingrained that many of us do not question the necessity of the workshop until we've been exposed to a workshop which fails to either inspire or instruct.

This, I believe, is a tragedy. One reason for the dominance of the workshop over other forms of creative writing instruction is the fact that it works. Whether its an efficient model of education or a poorly-organized mob of confused writers, a workshop will provide creative assistance to any writer who knows how to to view the feedback provided. Yet many writers - myself included - have faced the harmful writing workshop - a course which fails to providee new avenues for growth or, worse, discourages further writing. In one sad example, I watched a wonderfully fun story simply die on the page after a piece of innocent and yet dismissive feedback. The feedback didn't change the fact of the first chapter of the story, but it destroyed my desire to write a chapter two, let alone an entire novel.

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Ideally, this should never happen. As students, we must insulate ourselves against the detrimental effects of negative criticism - we must learn from our mistakes, accept the advice from our fellow writers, and keep going. At the same time, as instructors we must encourage our students. We must foster the fortitude and ability that all writers need in order to succeed in a competitive publishing market. This will require both positive and negative feedback for our students. It requires patience, preparation, and an undying creative spirit.

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Next: The Classroom Experience