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Creative Writing Courses

Writing can be a lonely profession. Most of the time we sit alone, drinking coffee as we voyeuristically watch other people interacting, or frowning at the blank page muttering to ourselves. Or perhaps that's just me.

Because of this, one of the most severe afflictions to befall a writer is cabin fever, and a resulting inability to see your work objectively. There's only one real cure, and it can seem absolutely terrifying: joining a writers' group.

COME TOGETHER

The thought of showing your work to a group of people, especially fellow writers, can strike fear into the heart of even the toughest of scribes. I remember when I attended my first creative writing meeting my heart was pounding and I was sweating more than a Sumo wrestler in a sauna. But all this stress was unnecessary.By the time the meeting settled I understood that each and every person there was in the same boat as me, and equally nervous about the process. The relief of getting to know likeminded writers with the same fears and paranoias as myself was euphoric.

WHY WORKSHOPS?

No writer is truly the best judge of their work. We can't see our writing the way another person would read it, and, as tough as it sounds, we need feedback from other people to make sure it works. Joining a workshop is difficult because it's an admission that perhaps our writing needs improvement. But workshops can make us view our work in a new light, provide us with original ideas and find more powerful ways of saying what we want to say. If you find the right workshop, each session will make you more aware of your potential, more confident in your work; it will give you a better understanding of the process of writing, and of the techniques other people use for success; and it will leave you feeling exhilarated and impatient to write more. Plus, it will inspire you to write: you can't bring your material to a meeting until you've written it.

WHICH WORKSHOPS?

Take your time to find the right environment, and don't be afraid to try more than one group. There is a vast abundance of groups and courses available for writers: ranging from groups who meet informally to postgraduate courses which offer an intensive series of exercises and feedback sessions.When thinking of joining a group, take the time to work out what you're looking for. Most groups look at several pieces of work a week, usually by different writers, whoever's got something new - the aim being to help a piece of work evolve and grow. Other workshops set exercises to help improve a writer's grip of technique and expression. A good workshop will always feel co-operative not competitive: you are all there to find out how to write successfully, and if you don't work at it as a group you'll all falter.

A DIFFICULT DUTY

Writers' groups demand that you learn to accept constructive criticism - there's no point attending if you don't want to hear other people's opinions. Listen carefully to what people are saying, don't try and argue or contradict, just write it down. Criticism in workshops should always acknowledge the integrity and value of the writing it's aimed at - it shouldn't pick at the flaws, it should point out how the good parts of a piece of writing are weakened by less desirable elements. Criticism should also always be specific - if it's too general, the critic risks giving the impression that it's a writer or his ability to write that is being rejected. Learn to let your work go, to acknowledge the divide between you and your writing, if you want to make the most out of criticism. Be aware that people will interpret your work differently from how you intended, and that this might not necessarily be their fault.


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