If you want to deepen your writing experience, attending just one writing workshop can teach you plenty about the art of writing. You will be exposed to new perspectives and welcomed into an atmosphere where everyone is passionate about the written word.
7 Key Benefits of Attending a Writing Workshop
The benefits of a writing workshop are numerous and, even if you only attend a few writing workshops spontaneously, you will still reap the benefits of joining in the engaging experience a writing workshop offers.
1. You will meet likeminded writers
Meeting fellow writers and being able to talk about writing with people who understand, at some level, how I feel about writing, was one of the best benefits of attending a writing workshop for me. I felt comfortable talking about why and how I write and was overjoyed to forge connections with writers who feel similarly about the magic of the written word.
Most writers are also happy to share their tips and tricks. It was informative to hear about where my fellow attendees are in their writing journeys, their agent and publishing headaches, and their creative visions and dreams.
2. You will discover your strengths and weaknesses
In the writing workshop I attended, we spent the first hour discussing the topic of the writing workshop (Synching Pop Culture Within Our Narratives) and also reading aloud the pieces each attendee brought to the session. As I shared my feedback on my fellow attendees’ writing and listened to the response to my piece, it felt amazing to get a fresh look at my writing style and notice where I sometimes fail and where I am consistently strong.
3. You will learn to give and receive criticism
This naturally leads me to criticism. I am not too good with criticism, but I have learned to welcome it because it is one of the best ways I learn as a writer. Criticism is one of the key benefits writing workshops because feedback helps you grow.
Every writer at the writing workshop had a different opinion on how any given piece should be structured, voiced, and expressed. I enjoyed giving hopefully helpful feedback and noting down the feedback I received that I found useful.
As you ease into the experience of attending a writing workshop, either virtually or in person, you will get more adept at voicing your immediate criticisms respectfully and usefully. You will also learn to sift through the feedback you receive, extract useful advice, and discard what I call technical gripes.
4. You may try your hand at a fresh writing technique
I worked through three writing prompts at the workshop I attended. After each prompt was given, the class wrote for five minutes on the fly and then shared what they had written aloud. It was amazing to see what comes out of five minutes of free writing and to push myself to try my hand at writing about experiences I would not normally open up to.
While I usually write fiction and poetry, I wrote a short opinion piece and a personal life reflection. I experimented with metaphor and with drawing upon pop culture icons to inform and bind together my writing.
Here is a brief sample of a piece I wrote in five minutes during the writing workshop:
I saw Zendaya cut herself the other day cooking. She shared this moment on her Instagram stories and Buzzfeed quickly picked it up in a tasteless post that consisted of about two hundred words alongside grainy photographs.
I saw the story trending on Twitter and read it, convinced Zendaya had lost a finger or worse! My heart sank when I saw she had only nicked herself.
People like me cut ourselves accidentally cooking food for loved ones every day. No one bares our stories to world, but millions of people joined in Zendaya’s happy accident to sympathize and smile at her silly face when she held up her bandaged finger to the camera.
I find it funny a woman so many admire cannot even cook.
I would not normally have written this piece, but a key benefit of all writing workshops is that they push you out of your comfort zone. When you write what you do not know, you end up calling upon all your skills and experience to help you make the most out of an unfamiliar situation. This only serves to make you a better writer.
3 Ways Writing Workshops Benefit you as a Person
Writing workshops do not only benefit you as a writer! They also help you grow as a person. Here are three ways attending a writing workshop benefits you as a person.
5. You will build confidence
I am camera and crowd shy. It is hard for me to share my thoughts with strangers and even harder for me share my writing aloud.
As my writing workshop progressed, I soon found myself at ease and comfortable talking with strange people about a delicate subject: writing. I became more confident sharing my thoughts and reading my work aloud, and I have no doubt this confidence will not die overnight.
6. You will reap the benefit of learning from more experienced writers
The teacher and writers who attended the workshop alongside me were from all walks of the writing journey. I learned from the feedback of writers who dabble in creative writing as a hobby, writers who use creative writing to heal from their trauma, and writers who have published books.
It is useful to see where other writers are at and learn from their mistakes, headaches, and ‘what we wish we knew beforehand’ conversations. You can store away all this precious advice for later use.
7. You will have an incredible amount of fun!
All other benefits of writing workshops aside, if your group forms an engaging, interesting class, then you are in for an amazing time. I loved every minute of my experience and was sorry when it was over.
7 Things to Ask Yourself when Considering a Writing Workshop
I would never consider taking a writing workshop I am not interested in. For example, while no doubt a workshop on technical writing is a useful experience, I am not interested in technical writing and would doubtless be unable to make the most out of my experience.
Only sign up for workshops where you can bring your best literary self to the table. Here are seven questions to ask yourself when you are considering signing up for a writing workshop.
- Does the subject of the writing workshop interest me?
- Does the workshop leader have relevant writing experience and accomplishment?
- Is the workshop held in a preferable setting (i.e online or in person)?
- If the workshop is in person, can I make it to the meeting place?
- Does the workshop time fit into my schedule?
- Can I afford the workshop?
- Does this workshop interest me enough that I will bring my best literary self to the experience?
It is essential to choose writing workshops where you can honestly answer ‘yes’ to all of the above questions else you are potentially wasting your time and money, and potentially taking away from the workshop atmosphere.
I am not saying you should not experiment with different types of writing workshops; you should! If you are considering taking a chance or going out on a limb, the only question I think you really need to ask yourself is “Does this workshop interest me enough that I will bring my best literary self to the experience?”. If the answer is yes, go for it!
I hope this post adequately covered why attending a writing workshop can be a great way to improve your writing and answered any questions or doubts you had about writing workshops. I had a lovely time and am already more eager for my college writing classes to begin!
Have you ever attended a writing workshop? Have you ever taught a writing workshop? What is one writing workshop experience that sticks with you today? Tell me below!