Is the workshops worth it?
I felt that this would be a better place to ask this question then other places where I might get yelled at by some not so understanding people.
I've been looking over some of the Workshop forums just getting a feel for them and the site in general as I am pretty new to The Cult and so far have only posted about the books that Chuck have written and I was just wondering about people's opinions on whether or not the workshops are actually worth the money.
Now I know that they are really cheap considering how much Chuck had paid for his and how much I could be paying but I am a college student trying to work two jobs and keep up with a lot including money so I'm sure you can understand I'd like to be careful with my money. I would love to be able to just throw my money into the workshops and just go and see what I can get out of it but that's not really an option for me right now.
So if people could give me their opinions on the workshops and tell me how they feel about them that would be great. Also if anyone wants to explain to me how the whole thing would work if I did decide to join that would be wonderful and I'd be very appriciative.
Thank you!
You can't believe in anyone else
Hello and Welcome,
Anyone who's scratched around in our workshops a bit in 2008, and never before that, would probably tell you that they haven't seen much action. They post a story and it takes weeks to get more than one or two reviews on it. But if you hear that from somebody, ask them how many reviews they've been writing.
It's important to realize that our workshop was bustling and full of life in 2004-2005. Some of the people who made it great sort of graduated to other things. It's also important to understand that really green, new people here often have no idea that the site underwent a rebuild this time last year. One casualty of that rebuild is we've gone for a year with a new workshop that lacks some of the features we had before. One such feature was a mandatory reviewing ratio, where you'd have to write five reviews to be eligible to make one story submission. As much as some folks were impatient with that feature, it caused stories to receive reviews! Everybody wants his or her own work to get looked at, and this is one way to insure it happens.
Now the good news: the workshop itself is undergoing a total rebuild RIGHT NOW. In 2009, it will be feature-rich, like it was before, including the mandarory reviewing of others for anyone who wants to submit a story. And that's only the start. We've got some very big things happening for the workshop that go way beyond the technical improvements. Much of what I'm hinting at will be official news on the site on New Year's Day, and I really can't divulge it before then. But I'll tell you that we're headed for another golden time for this workshop, just like we had back in 2004-2005. Commited people, who really want to improve their craft and feel the rewards of that, all the while helping others, are going to feel right at home here.
If you upgrade to the premium membership right away, then make sure to start reading Chuck's informative craft essays, starting with the early ones. Experiment with some of the techniques he suggests. Write a short story or two and tweak them a bit based on what you're learning. But don't worry so much about making submissions until you see the news on New Year's Day.
All best,
Mark Vanderpool
Writers Workshop Administrator
VP - Workshop Dog
word ^^^ the workshop still has one of it's strongest elements, though: its resources.
the essays, and countless page links to interviews and articles on writing craft. once you premium, look for the resource page; like the workshop, you can get out of it what you put into it.
odd tittle
a week ago or so, a new member submitted a story. it hasnt gotten any honest reviews. at the time, that new member hadnt written one review. and her story is ten thousand words. i mean, seriously, she joined the cult workshop and submitted a ten thousand word story for review, but offered no reviews before submitting it and only one review after submitting it. the likeliness of other members taking a serious look at that novella is quite low, which is unfortunate because that particular member has some fucking real ability. back in the day when i submitted seven and eight thousand word stories, i still got reviews within a few weeks because i'd written two hundred of them myself.
end of story is.. like anything else, you will get out of the workshop what you put into it.
in the meantime, back to word ^^^
if you do member premiumly, spend your time reading essays and working on your stories until after reading the news new years day!!
and welcome to the cult
-kabol
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
I second the aforementioned sentiments of Mr. Kabol and Mr. Puppy. Mr. Palahniuk's essays (perhaps particularly his first dozen or so) specifically get at the core of his "minimalist" approach to writing. I am unaware of any other living author who is so generous when it comes to the "unpacking" of technique. Also, I, too, was something more of a participant back in 2004-2005, and I look forward to the revamped workshop.
this didnt occur to me until after i left for work, but you can get a sense of things for free:
this year, chuck's this-year essays are available for free, for the reading. to close off the year, chuck decided to write a short story in front of us, a horror short to be published in feb. the story is in three parts: first was october, second was november, and the third is out for this month. a great way to see him craft a first draft and take you through the elements--one piece at a time. even non premium members get to check out each essay the month after it is up. so right now, you can read his november essay, and in a few days everyone will be able to read the december one.
to feed off of FV's sentiments.. ive not come across another author who'll take you through their rituals. and he crafts a short story in three parts for everyone to see. he says that it sucks like all first drafts suck, but the finished version of this story--"fetch"--will be available to read when it gets published (this feb, i believe).
so you can see chuck "write" a short story in front of you. that's something not easy to put a price tag on. not to mention his first twenty-four essays. the first essay opened my eyes on how to actually write a short story--as at the time i was openly NOT a writer. the second blew my mind again. and the third immediately motivated me to write an entire story that i am still working with to this day. this afternoon, even. and they kept getting better. every essay shows something to a new writer, something that can be applied to work immediately.
and it's from others along the way that you learn the other tricks. it's a tough road, and all workshops are evil. nec evil, for any writer. if you want to improve. what ive loved so much about this one is a and b:
a) direct material from an author i admire
flexible timetable. i can work around my schedule, always, whatever comes up
not to mention that it made me a writer
good luck
-kabol
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play hard, like it's work to be done.
Thanks a lot you guys! I appriciate the input!!
You can't believe in anyone else
You're welcome. You're also less than a day away from the big news. Everyone needs to check in on New Year's Day, as fast as the hangover clears.
VP - Workshop Dog
I'm not a workshop member, but as i understand it, it's in the process of being rebuilt. Kabol will probably chime in here soon about specifics, but i think it's more or less down at the moment.
my year in words
my year abroad