I'm in a writers workshop lead by esteemed novelist and teacher Eve La Salle Caram. There are six people in the group, informally called the Algonquin West, and we are all working on book length writing projects.
A workshop allows me to focus on my novel-in-progress and "forces" me to produces pages. It gives me the structure. Some writers will take time off to go on a Writer's Retreat to do some writing. I've never had that luxury because I have a family and am very busy. Workshops help me get pages done. I look at writing workshops as my "Writer's Retreat.
So what do we do at the workshop?
Since we have known one another for years now, we start by chatting before we get to business. It's a random choice -- one person is chosen to have her work critiqued. (We will have read and made notes on her work.) We discuss the work, mentioning strengths, weaknesses, any questions we may have. The person reads a few pages of what she's handing out for next week's critiquing. There is no page requirement, but usually from 4 to 10 pages are handed out (typed, doublespaced).We move on the next person --- and so on. The three-hour workshop flies.
I'm sharing some pictures I took, including Susan Ware in a charming Cheongsam dress that went with the reading of her work-in-progress about her trip to China and Hong Kong. Our leader, Eve, is in blue.
This is all for now,
Cecilia
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