What Is Workshop and How to Do It / Small Group Workshop Paper 1
Fri, Sep 15
Peer-group writing workshop is a tried-and-true way of improving your writing, but nobody said it was easy. We use a traditional workshop model that goes like this:
- Authors share work before workshop, and readers read it closely, attending to their experience of reading. Where are you confused, excited, curious, or bored?
- We meet in the classroom. The author brings us in by reading a paragraph out loud.
- Readers discuss their experience of reading while the author remains silent.
- Readers may ask direct, concrete questions, which the author should answer as concisely as possible.
- After all the readers have offered feedback, the author may ask a question or two.
For authors, the hard part is keeping quiet and listening to what your readers have to say. The best thing to do is take notes. Don't try to fix anything or make excuses. Accept that the reader's experience is the reader's experience.
For readers, the hard part is staying true to the experience of reading without judging the work or trying to fix it. Focus on your reactions as you read. Did a particular character engage you? Did a certain transition seem abrupt? Were you skeptical of how evidence was presented? Was the piece easy to follow, or did you get lost or confused? Do you come away with a strong emotional response or a clear sense of the author's point?
Remember that workshop is a place of trust and sharing, where we are showing up for each other, nurturing each other, and helping each other attend to the words on the page.