I've just spent four hours with 13 other writers, immersing ourselves in a workshop that involved 'prompt writing': exercises that you get entirely fresh, no preparation, and with a time limit.
The goal is to generate as much material as possible – first draft writing – and the emphasis is on the act of generation, rather than grammar, spelling, or the tasks that come with revision.
This is the fifth such session I’ve organised for the writers’ workshop I run. Despite it being the first day of the weekend (here in the Middle East) we left more energised than when we straggled in at 2pm.
After the 15 or so minutes of writing (or typing) as fast as you can, you have the opportunity to share your work out loud. The electricity felt as people read and heard fresh comments on what stood out from their particular pieces was palpable; if only you could bottle this kind of energy up and have it on hand when you trudge to your desk, alone, at home.
But this energy can be replicated. Perhaps not every day, but by joining a bi-monthly or weekly writers’ group you could get the sustenance you need for those hours of solitary work at the kitchen table or in carefully planned study.
For my next few posts, I will trace how I established the Doha Writers’ Workshop, out of sheer desperation for a writing community in an often physically and then artistically arid landscape. Hopefully you will glean some ideas of how to start a group of your own, or chime in to offer suggestions from groups you have participated in.
For now we will start with founding rule number one: writers may create, rewrite, and edit alone, but every writer needs readers.
Readers who give you feedback or ask clarifying questions are necessary; those who engage your story and offer suggestions are a goldmine. Often it’s best if this group isn’t your mother or Aunt Sally and if you are interested in being published commercially, an established readership is paramount to getting an agent or publisher interested in your work.
Who are your readers? How (and how often) do you receive feedback on your work?
Best wishes,
(Reading & Writing Development Director)
Hi Joeyfrost89, I would echo Claire and Mohana, and suggest that it would be immensely helpful to join a local writing group where the emphasis is on the process of writing without necessarily being among friends. That way, everybody is there to critique the piece and not the person, and you're more likely to get useful, honest and constructive feedback from that environment than from any other. In addition, to have 10 pairs of eyes offering feedback is always better than just one. Mohana hit on a vital point: a thick skin, especially if it doesn't come naturally to you, is an indispensable characteristic for a writer to develop. Remember, if you're not getting at least a small offering of painfully wounding criticism somewhere along the line, then the chances are people aren't being as honest as you need them to be. But it's cheering to know that all this ultimately helps to produce a far better, more focused and polished piece/ short story, novel etc.
Thank you both. I aim to finish the first draft sometime this year. I would really like to join a writing group like you mentioned in your blog Mohana. A few years ago I got into written role playing. I found that it widened my free writing capacity. I opened up somewhat in what I was writing. That was all topic and blog based.
Thanks again.
Joey
Greetings joeyfrost89 and welcome to the site! Blogging could be an excellent way of getting feedback on your work. We have articles that would suit you (such as 'Writing a Blog' and 'Marketing Yourself Online') in the printed Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, available to buy from A&C Black. You might also like to read how Bloomsbury author Tim Kevan started out by blogging in From Blog to Book Deal.