Blog 4: Workshop

     The best part about being workshopped, was receiving constructive criticism. It was interesting to hear what others had to say in regards to my poem. The difficult part about being workshopped was receiving conflicting advice. It was confusing to hear one person offer a suggestion, and then another person say otherwise. Being workshopped is such a humbling experience- it is a reminder that writing is a process and is never done perfectly the 1st time. 
     To workshop was totally different because I was the one doing the critiquing. I know people, often times, take their work personally. Knowing that people can be sensitive about their work, it was pretty uncomfortable to have to offer suggestions and/or critique the poems. But as the saying goes, 2 heads are better than 1. And even better than 2 heads? 14! It was wonderful to collaborate as a group to help contribute to the masterpieces of one another. 
     It is difficult trying to decide how much I should change and/or edit the poem based on suggestions, while remaining true to my original context. It also difficult changing the lines and/or stanzas in ways that make sense to others. So many times I have a hard time conveying my thoughts into actual words. 

Workshop review

I found workshop to be a really fun, positive experience and a great tool in my writing. It was really great to get such positive feedback from the class. I'm not sure anyone notices, but it made me tear up a little.

One of the most difficult aspects was not being allowed to speak or answer the questions or comments people made in the course of the discussion, but just sitting back and listening to the ideas and critiques were having was an interesting experience. Some people had some conflicting ideas on what to change/ expand on, which  was interesting to think about. All the comments were very helpful, and I paid particular attention to the classes critiques on possible changes in the form and grammar. I actually did end up taking quite a bit of it into consideration when I re edited the poem again.  Even reading the poem aloud to the class helped in this, as poetry tends to sound different when spoken.

Overall it was such an enormously beneficial experience and it really helped. I am not ashamed to say I went home and re read over all the lovely things people said in their comments, grinning all the while.

Workshop

Workshop was better then I expected it to be. Honestly, I was nervous to have my poem critiqued. I was worried and unsure how to react to the criticism. Confrontation is not my forte. So, when my time came and I read my poem aloud, I was surprised by the responses I got from my classmates. Every part of my feedback was constructive and useful. I enjoyed it more then I thought I would.  It was cool when my own concerns about the poem were shared among the class. This gave me a chance to hear some helpful opinions on how to improve my piece.

The one thing I love about poetry is that you can read a poem and take what you want out if it, especially if its unclear on what it is about. A lot of the responses I got were “I’m not sure what its about, but I love the way it sounds” or “Its mysterious and I like it, it could really be about anything.”

In particular, someone said it was delicate; kind of like a song. This was a really important response for me. That is exactly what I was trying to go for when I wrote my poem. I wasn't looking for people to completely understand where I was coming from, I wanted to leave room for imagination. I appreciated everything that was said in workshop. I can only hope my comments on others poems are as helpful and useful as everyone else's were for myself.

In turn, I am grateful for having the opportunity to be work-shopped. I now understand what AG meant when she said it can be “addicting” It’s a weird thing to be thankful for, but I am! I'm currently working on rewriting my poem and I cant wait to re-share it with everyone.

Workshop Reflection

I have done a workshop once before. It was senior year of high school, I think, in my writing class. We workshopped short stories.

God damn, that workshop was not even real.

I learned almost nothing from that workshop. No one had any criticisms. No one had any thoughts about form, sentence structure, or grammar (the easiest thing to have thoughts about). If anyone did say anything, it was probably along the lines of "It was good" or "I liked it." I think Mr. McQueary probably shared my frustration with the class.

This workshop was the polar opposite, and it's probably because everyone who is in the class wants to be there, has a vested interest in creative writing, and was not forced to sign up for the class. I received criticism, praise, and analysis from my peers that helped me think of revisions and improvements before the workshop was even over. If anyone was critical, they were not malicious. If anyone was congratulatory, they were sincere.

Additionally, by being forced to read my poem in front of others, any delusions about its quality had to be swept away. And that's good; delusions about its quality had to be swept away. And that's good; delusions about the quality of your writing are bad. I think when poems are workshopped, it forces the author to humble him/herself and come down to earth. Someone who thought their poem was deep and meaningful might realize in a workshop that it was actually just hoity toity bullshit.

Not that anyone's poem was like that...

Workshop

Workshop was a very surprising experience for me to say the least. I have never much been bothered by other people's commentary on my life, whether said commentary regards me personally or academically. That's why I was surprised when workshop made me so nervous.  Throughout the workshopping of my poem, I found myself extremely tense. Not on the fact that I was being evaluated but because I was unable to offer any sort of explanation for my poem. It was unique to have to hold a certain confidence that your work will be able to stand on its own two feet. Being able to explain and defend your work when presenting it is a much different experience than having to offer something which you feel confident is transparent to your reader.
Another surprising thing about workshop for me is how much I thoroughly enjoyed helping my peers in the editing process. I found great joy from gaining an understanding of everyone's pieces and helping them prepare another draft. Analyzing the brilliant works of my peers and being able to offer assistance for their structure, wording, or even just a compliment enlightened me to the unique perspective I have to offer as a writer. I have found that I truly enjoy writing as a whole, not just the finished product but also the process of procuring something to be proud of.  This experience has inspired me to attempt to become involved in publishing, on both sides of the concept.
Finally, this experience in workshop has opened my eyes to the possibility of becoming published. I didn't imagine that publishing was such a tangible idea; I had always assumed that it instead was this impossible dream. Overall, I think that this workshop experience has been immeasurably beneficial to me as a writer.

Workshop Reflection

Workshop gives us an opportunity to get thorough feedback from our classmates on our work, which we don't get to do in many of the other classes we take. The result of revising our work with the help of our classmates will surely be great narratives. Workshop has taught me that the reader's interpretation of your work can sometimes be even better, or different, than your own. Overall, I believe that workshop has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing how all my classmates revise their works based on the feedback given in class.

poem workshop

I really enjoyed the workshop experience. At first I was a little apprehensive to have to read aloud in front of so many people, but having a bit of previous practice when we read in class sometimes definitely helped. I found it kind of funny listening to the class try to decipher peoples’ poems and to look at the face of the poet who so desperately wanted to blurt out what it was really about but had to wait until the end. Hearing so much good feedback definitely helps with confidence when writing. I also really liked the fact that people actually gave good constructive feedback that is beneficial to our work, rather than just saying nice things so they do not hurt anyone’s feelings.

When I first finished my poem I did not think there was much more I could do to change it, but from the class discussion I got so many insightful ideas about how to better change words and phrases that I think it really took my poem to a new level. I also found it really helpful to actually read my work aloud because when you hear it spoken from your lips rather than just in your head it is easier to point out which parts need to be worked on more and which parts work really well. I also like the fact that the whole class reads over / edits our work, rather than just having it edited by one peer because you get so many different ideas and feedback to work with. I finally see what Professor Groner meant by the fact that workshopping can be addicting – doing it once just doesn’t feel life enough!

Workshop

Workshop has been such a helpful experience. It's less intimidating that I initially imagined it would be because we're all vulnerable together and share a same purpose: improving both our own work and the work of others. I've appreciated everyone's honesty and feedback thus far because everyone has come to class with such good intentions and every suggestion comes from such a genuine place. Everyone has been considerate and respectful throughout the process.

At the time I submitted my poem, I didn't think there was much work I could do to improve it. I was content with the piece as it was. The problem is is that I couldn't see the piece beyond my own limited vision of it. It was necessary to have an audience —particularly a vocal audience — willing, not only to read the piece, but to honestly come forth and point out what was working and what wasn't with it.

It was refreshing to read my own work from another's perspective. It breathed fresh life into it and I was able to see it in all its potential. Workshop has been invaluable thus far. I do hope we take more time to do similar sort of critiques throughout the rest of the semester.

workshop

Workshop is a good way to help the students critique their writing.  It is very helpful for the author to hear a collective of thoughts and critiques from many different people, in order to figure out what problems in their poem really need work.  Everyone is very respectful to each other and wants their fellow students to succeed.  It is nice to hear compliments about your poem, as well as what could be changed.

One problem I faced is that I'm not very good at critiquing other people's work.  Unless it is something very evident, I feel weird changing or editing someone else's piece.  It comes from their mind and it is their words, and I'm no master poet to be judging or editing something as abstract as poetry.  Maybe I just need some more practice, given that I have not written much poetry until now.

I enjoy writing poetry and reading other peoples poems.  Since I know everyone who writes these, it gives me more incentive to want to compliment them, as well as let them know what could be changed, even though I just explained that I'm not very good at that.  Still, I like workshop as an editing process and I think we should use it more. :)

Workshop

As nerve wracking as Workshop is, I have found it to be incredibly helpful and encouraging. I think it is a great technique how the work is read out loud and then carefully critiqued after by each member of the class without the writer commenting at all until the discussion is over. It is good that the poem is read aloud to everyone since how a work sounds being verbalized is very important and gives further insight into details you probably would not notice when reading silently to yourself.

Second I found how each member shares what they liked about the poem first very efficient, since this avoids everyone from talking over each other. This tactic also gives the writer plenty of time to write down any notes they found useful from everyone’s advice about their work. The workshop then seems to turn into a group discussion about the pros and cons of the work. I like how the discussion is very thorough and everyone gives their interpretation. Going into it I didn’t expect the discussion to analyze just about every detail about my poem along with others, but I found that most helpful and it opened my eyes up to details I never even noticed I had written, as well as areas of the poem I probably would have not thought of critiquing.

The discussion goes from the form of the poem, the title, the grammar, the plot, and the interpretation which is very helpful and useful to both the readers and the writer. Overall I felt workshop to be very rewarding, helpful, fun, yet intimidating in the best way. It is an excellent way to improve your work with both positive and negative feedback which is always necessary in order to improve.

Workshop Blog

If there's one thing I 've learned from workshop, it's that your audience wants to see you do well. In the week before workshop, I had this nagging, irrational thought in the back of my mind that "They are going to tear me apart." However, after seeing it done two times now, my general impression is of my peers giving each other pleasant, helpful criticism out of a desire to see each other succeed. I also like that workshop begins  on a positive note with everyone talking about what they liked most about everyone else's poems; it's a great way to ease into the process.

Although I think of myself as creative, poetry is a horse on which I've never come to have that great of a handle. It's not something I ever took seriously, and I have always kind of dashed it off to the side. However, there's no better way to get better at something than for others to tell you what you are doing wrong and what's good, which is the essence of workshop. Workshop has done two things for me: it's made me appreciate the art and process of poetry, and it's taught me to become a better writer. I'd also like to say that it's made me a more confident person as well.

Perhaps the only drawback I can think of is that we're only doing one poem. Other than that, though, I can't think of any negatives to fellow poets discussing each others' material and helping each other to be better writers.  Workshop has allowed me to think of poetry from a different angle than what I'd grown up with. It's been a daunting, new experience, and I'm glad my first foray into workshop is a positive one.