What happens at creative writing workshops?

simu

I've seen ads for them in uni from time to time and wonder what exactly goes on in them. Is everybody just given paper and told to write or what? Have any of you attended such workshops and if so, how did you find them to be?

RopeDrink

Never been to one myself but anyone can speculate.
I'd wager it's basically a gathering where people are able to contribute idea's to mass or single projects, however they mean to do so, wether just talking about possible written projects or offering up influencial work, or even jotting down a few notes and handing it to those barren of idea's...

Just a thought...

It all depends on how the workshop works...
Do they all work together to form one project, or do they use eachother as mirrors for idea in regards to making a project of their own?

It can even involve things that exclude both of those theories, so I'd be interested to find out what actually goes on in one...

Any idea's people!?

luckat

As I understand it, they make a circle around a fire and chant until Satan appears - but you could see for yourself by attending one.

Specky

As I understand it, they make a circle around a fire and chant until Satan appears

I thought they made a circle around a fire and chanted until Maeve Binchey appeared...or was that what you meant??

luckat

Of course you're right, Specky.

**mutter mutter: damn editors**

CuLT

rofl.

/me wipes tear from eye .

simu

I met a guy who runs creative writing workshops this weekend and it's not nearly as exotic as some of ye had imagined.

People bring texts they've written and read them out to the group and others give suggestions and make comments and so on. At the end, they all go for a meal together and discuss whatever they feel like. Apparently, it gives writers encouragement and also gives them deadlines to work for. Hmmm, were I to do creative writing, i wouldn't enjoy that (I'd rather do the whole thing on my own until I was perfectly satisfied with my work) but I suppose it's good for certain writers.

Of course, other writing workshops may take different approaches.

Specky

That sounds almost sort of civilised but, I agree, doesn't sound quite like my particular cup of tea.

An old friend of mine indulged in one of those "creative writing by distance learning" type courses some years ago and their particular thing was "getting published".

The approach advocated by the people running the course was to look at who were the biggest consumers of wordage and target these people with saleable material. This invariably meant the pulp magazines, mostly women's mags actually, who seem to devour all sorts of articles all the time, and, as a result, are just itching to publish whatever you submit (or so the people running the course reckoned it seems). It seems somebody actually does write those recipes and they even get paid for them. Astonishing...

There are certainly an awful lot of trade journals and special interest publications to choose from (perhaps I could write articles on Thomas the Tank Engine for D'Agostini....or something about my extra special passion for all things equine, particularly the jingle on the tv ad....)

If you dip your toe in the workshop set let us know how you found it, I'd be interested to know what they get up to...especially if it's pervy

simu

If you dip your toe in the workshop set let us know how you found it, I'd be interested to know what they get up to...especially if it's pervy

Well, i heard that one of the guys there read out a piece of writing about masturbation!

Specky

bet he felt a right w@nker