Tuesday
A few months ago, I wrote a piece that mocked the way most university writing workshops unfold. While serious in subtext, it was primarily a satire on how the majority of student comments are self-serving and useless. It was well-received enough, but I'd neglected to come full circle with my approach. It's easy enough to critique the standard methodology, but how about going a step further and proposing a new way to do things? Some readers may have wondered how I would run a writing workshop. Well, we'll get to that in a bit.
First, it's important to understand why the current structure doesn't work. To put it simply—there isn't any structure. More often than not, workshops begin civilized enough, but eventually, they transform into unorganized madness wherein readers declare random, unfocused comments while the writer is left to compile pages of notes without direction. Ultimately, the writer is left confused because he or she has been given shallow advice on a thousand different aspects.
Really, that's barely better than receiving no advice.
Clearly, a much more helpful and serious approach is needed, and I believe I have one—workshops should focus on only a few concrete suggestions that will truly affect the piece, and everyone involved should know what will be discussed ahead of time. This way, the professor can lead an organized discussion where important issues are discussed and both the readers and the writer can learn from each other. Also, the writer should have his or her specific concerns addressed too.
So, how would this work in practice? Simply and logically. The readers should read the pieces before discussing them (rather than concurrently). For example, say you're running a workshop once a week. On a Wednesday. At the end of class, hand out the pieces that will be discussed the following week. Instruct the readers to read them and, within a few days, email you with several questions they would like to address. Simultaneously, have the writers of the pieces inform you of what they're concerns are; this will ensure that they will benefit from the suggestions (after all, that's what it's all about).
After you receive all the questions, single out all the important, concrete and useful ones and compile them into a few groups. Aspects such as voice, narrative perspective, logic, effectiveness, and reader engagement are always good topics to focus on (and they're definitely more valuable than, say, discussing the color of a character's shirt). Bring them to class and address as many as you can in the time allotted.
There's only one rule left once the workshopping begins: address the writer's concerns first. Or, at least a couple of them. After that, it's essentially a judgment call on where the group wants to go next. And always be positive; even if the feedback is negative, it can be phrased in a positive tone. Following this new agenda will guarantee a more rewarding and better organized writing workshop.
And if it doesn't, it's probably your fault, not mine.
About the Author
Jordan Blum is an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) graduate at Rosemont College. His poetry has been published in Venture Magazine and he is in the process of revising several short stories, flash pieces and a novel for publication. He hopes to teach creative writing at the university level. When not writing fiction/poetry, he focuses on his other passion, music. He records his own progressive rock pieces as well as writes music journalism for three online publications and Ticket magazine in Montgomery Country. He lives in northeast Philadelphia. 
For further reading, check out FlashFiction.Net's suggested readings of flash fiction and prose poetry collections, anthologies, and craft books, by clicking here.
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