Hey, everyone. I wasn't sure where to put this, but General Writing seems like an acceptable place. This month, I took three Zoom-based writing workshops. All were one-off sessions of 2-3 hours, and they were offered through different organizations, each with a different teacher and focused on a specific topic. Despite that, there were a lot of similarities, and not necessarily good ones. My biggest complaint was that all three teachers included a section of prompt-based generative writing time. I've taken workshops like this before, and I know it's a pretty standard thing, but after going through it three times in a row, I've realized that I'm not a fan. I signed up for these classes because I wanted to learn more about specific topics, and the writing time just took away from that. The typical arrangement is to write for 10-15 minutes (one class did 20). That's not much time to produce something, especially for a slow writer like me, but it is a significant chunk of a 2 hour class. Sometimes I get a decent start going, but only a few paragraphs; other times I barely produce anything. Then, in some classes, we read what we wrote and compare/critique each other, which eats up even more time for very basic comments like "Interesting concept" or "I like that sentence." I really don't see how anyone gets any value out of this. I would much prefer more lecture and/or discussion time about the topic. So, from here on, I'm not taking any more generative writing workshops; I can write on my own time without paying for it. I do enjoy less formal writing hangs with friends, but those are typically long enough to do some real work, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on valuable instruction time. However, I'm curious what everyone else thinks of this. Do you like generative time as part of writing workshops?
I took a really good one. I'll have to look it up and see if I can find out who put it on. The instructor was one of my favorite authors so hearing his take on a lot of things was of great interest to me. It was a two-day (and pretty long) lecture. I got more out of this one than I have with the writing and workshopping component that is in some of the other zoom classes. This one was great and exactly what I was looking for. I believe it ran $500 to $600 for the 2-day lecture. I did get a scholarship to this one, but I think it would have been worth the price. You might want to check with your bookstores. I know a few near me that offer some similar zoom discussions and are usually free. Also, some small presses hosts these type of things too. I don't want to list my area of the forum, but since we've already talked off the forum, I would be happy to message you some links where you can find some topics or speakers that could be of interest to you. And it won't matter where you are because they're through zoom. I have enjoyed and gotten a lot out of some online workshops. I like the Gotham courses, but the full courses, not the one or two day ones. The full courses are around eight to ten weeks. I did find there was more of craft discussion than the workshop part of it which I liked and thought the balance was appropriate. I know that Gotham has released a series of free one-day classes. I've tried those. Some were more interesting than others, but I think they are more of a teaser to get you to take their paid classes Again, I do recommend their paid courses, but I don't think that's exactly what you are looking for. I'll DM you some other stuff that might be helpful. I want to see if I can't find the place that offered the last one I took. But I'll send you some stuff either way. Don't know if it will be helpful, but you might find something of interest.
Thanks, @deadrats; I'd appreciate any recommendations you send my way. I've been looking at some of Gotham's classes, but haven't tried any yet, so it's nice to hear that you liked the balance. I actually do enjoy workshopping pieces with other writers; it's just the in-class writing time that I've soured on. I'd rather leave that for offline homework. I am fortunate to have plenty of local options; perk of living in a big, arty city like Philly. Last fall, I took a short fiction class through a local writing nonprofit and enjoyed it, and I'll probably take their intro poetry workshop this fall. I also signed up for their fantasy writing class over the winter, but that one was cancelled due to lack of interest. Boo. So I'm eyeing Gotham's options there. However, I think I'm going to take a break from workshops and classes (writing ones, at least - my next improv comedy class starts in a week!). For now, I just want to focus on developing good writing habits again and enjoying the summer.
I'll send you a DM too, but I just wanted to say on here that I can't say enough good things about Gotham. The class I took changed my life. My writing was noticeably different, better by the end of it. There was a lecture posted each week that people could discuss or post messages on. There was a small writing assignment around the topic of the week. Those weekly stories were not shared with classmates, but the instructor gave feedback on each one. Then there were also the standard two full stories. Those were posted each week for comments and discussion, but the writer could only read and not respond. Again, pretty typical. In addition to all this was a live weekly chat with the instructor. I found this time invaluable. It's because of this class that I applied for MFA programs and had any sort of chance getting in. I could even say that it's probably because of this class that I even became a creative writer. I would recommend researching the instructors and seeing if you can't get your hands on some of what they've written before picking a class. I did this and ended up picking a beginner class. I had first thought I would take the advanced fiction workshop because I had done the workshop things so many times. But the guy teaching the beginner class was such an amazing writer and publishing in places I dreamed about. I will forever be grateful for his advice and encouragement. Gotham does or used to offer free one-day writing courses. You still have to sign up ahead of time and they can fill up, but it is a pretty good way to get a feel for an instructor and their teaching methods. I am in no way affiliated with Gotham. Just sharing my personal experience. Really, can't say enough good things.
All that sounds good. My summer plans are just to survive and leave the country. Waiting on my passport and then I can be aimless somewhere else. I guess that has little to do with writing or the topic of discussion here. I don't know if I've missed the deadline, but maybe I should apply to Breadloaf or something. You might want to look into that one too. I think it's two weeks long, but I can't say for certain off the top of my head. Improv comedy sounds fun. I'm sure it keeps your creativity fresh. Does any of the stuff you come up with via improv make it into any of your stories? I took a poetry class once and I will say it changed my relationship with language. And I very much enjoy the challenge of complicated forms. But I don't really and never have considered myself a poet. I'm just not that good. I almost always write poetry in form so I can say it's correct even if I can't say it's good. I do go back to by poems and slave away with multiple drafts of revision. I'll submit five sestinas to The New Yorker. Sestinas are my favorite to write and I love reading them too. I am an avid reader of poetry. Well, I do read some poetry every day. I think it's probably good for the soul. Have you taken a poetry workshop before? I don't really see myself taking a straight workshop class again, but I love watching online lectures and going to zoom events. I actually haven't done anything like that recently. I signed up for one, but then just couldn't make myself do it that day. I do think this form of learning will always be present in my life.
I agree. You can create your own prompts. And youtube is your friend: https://www.youtube.com/user/clickokDOTcoDOTuk/video
