Thoughts on Forming or Choosing a Creative Writing Workshop

Part 2 in a three-part series for creative nonfiction writers

Aug 01, 2024

This is Part 2 of a three-part series on creative writing workshops. Part 1 focused on what a creative writing workshop can offer.

Share the intangibles

When you work with a group of writers — through different periods of life, through rough drafts and final revisions, through goal setting and submitting, setbacks and celebrations — you learn how to become a more dedicated writer as well as how to exist in and support a literary community.

However, in my work facilitating and leading writing groups I meet writers who previously joined a writing group/critique group thinking it would be a fruitful space for their work-in-progress, but have ultimately left the group because it wasn’t helpful, and, in some instances, was even detrimental to their work.

Some writing groups form organically after the culmination of a writing class. I’ve seen that happen many times, and I always love to see it. And in college creative writing workshops or an MFA program you don't have as many choices when it comes to picking your professor or your classmates — they are mostly chosen for you.

But let’s say you’re not in a graduate writing program and you’re looking for a writing group. How can you set yourself up for workshop success? I think it helps to know a little bit about what you want to get out of the group and the types of writers you benefit from working with.

Here's a list of things to consider when forming or choosing your own writing group:

The Monday Night Writing Group that I’ve been facilitating in some iteration since 2019. Many of these writers have been working in this group for years. (I’m in the square in the middle at the very top row.)

How is the group organized?

I think there should always be a creative writing instructor facilitating the group who is not participating in the workshop — or else it can become disorganized, unbalanced and keep writers from being vulnerable and sharing their work.

In addition to providing helpful guidance on the workshop process, the creative writing instructor/facilitator also acts as a neutral party, organizing a schedule for workshop and adhering to deadlines. It helps to have someone in this role who isn't also scrambling to workshop their own writing.

But not every instructor will be a great fit for your writing. Do they have experience in the genre you are writing in? Have they run a group like this before? Don't be afraid to ask them questions about how they run the workshop.

Who are the others in the group?

Writing is an incredibly vulnerable activity, and your writing group should be a place where you can be yourself, write about big things, and feel supported.

Rather than direct you or tell you what to do when offering feedback, members of a writing group should ask good questions and give you space and time to connect with your own writing voice and your own vision.

While you don't have to love or want to be social with everyone in your writing group, you should feel that they are considerate and conscientious and that they are giving your work their careful attention.

If you’re enjoying this post, please feel free to share it. Your recommendation is what brings new readers to the intangibles.

Consider Perspectives

As a writer who often writes about the disability experience, I wish I’d been able to find a workshop in my early writing days that included more disabled writers. It’s hard to be the only one of anything in a writing group — the only genre writer, the only LGBTQ writer, the only woman writer, the only male writer — because craft questions can feel invasive and triggering and the experience can feel isolating and othering.

At the same time, writers who often find themselves in workshops with other writers who look like them can benefit from a writing group that contains a variety of perspectives: members of different ages, races, abilities, orientations and class. Diverse workshops like this can work together to produce more layered and complex writing and offer a space where we can ask good questions to unearth areas of growth. A conscientious facilitator who is trained in leading diverse workshops can help the workshop feel like a less isolating space.

Is there guidance from the facilitator?

Like any group, when others come together to share space it’s an opportunity for misunderstandings. There are so many different ways to give feedback in a writing workshop, and some are more helpful than others. Does the facilitator provide any guidelines or training for other members on how to give and receive constructive feedback?

A student and subscriber sent this to me and it made me laugh. I promise that the creative writing workshops that I run are nothing like this!

Get clear on your goals

Don’t be afraid to ask yourself what you want out of a workshop group, and consider this question carefully before committing to a group. What are your own priorities? Do you want deadlines? Accountability? A place to experiment with a new genre or commit further to a long-term project? Do you want constructive feedback on your work? Do you want to publish? How often would it be helpful for you to meet?

Are the goals of the other members of the group similar to yours? Does that matter to you?

Check in with yourself

I encourage you to check in with yourself after meeting with a writing instructor or a workshop group. Did you feel comfortable in your body while you were there? Did anything the instructor or other members say pique your interest or feel aligned with your writing project?

Recognize that it won’t be perfect

Maybe the group doesn’t meet as often as you’d like. Maybe you wish there was one more person present who was writing in your genre. Maybe it’s a little disorganized. But if the writing group helps you set deadlines and move forward with your goals, that is a step in the right direction.

Writers, what are your thoughts? Did I miss anything? Let me know.

the intangibles