Writing Workshops

Writing Response Groups

Because of the nature of writing, it's often hard to know when you're being clear and effective until someone actually reads what you've written. Also, we get a lot better at improving our own writing by giving useful advice to other writers. Thus we will be workshopping drafts this quarter. Here's some useful advice on how to get the most out of this:

We will not have time in class to read and comment on papers, so it's important to give a hard copy or email your partners the paper before you meet.

Be patient. It may take time to develop the skills to give effective responses and accept criticism. Below are some condensed guidelines to refer to while you are in your response group. Read this page section before you start.

For the group

Sit close together. Divide the time equitably, so if there are five people and you have and you have sixty minutes, each person will have their paper considered for ten minutes, and you have time for comments. Leave a couple minutes at the end of the session to evaluate what went well, what helped, and what didn’t.

For the writer

Come prepared to ask at least one particular question about your paper. If there are certain kinds of feedback you want or don’t want, let the group know beforehand.

Resist disclaimers before you read your papers to the others, and especially don’t explain your goals or intentions. Let the readers tell you what they think your paper’s about, which can help you see the paper in new ways and you can see if you conveyed your point clearly. Say, “This is what I wrote,” if you want, and begin. Read your paper without stopping to make changes, then listen to what the listeners / readers have to say, writing down their responses. It’s crucial that you not try to clarify confusions or defend what you wrote. Listen carefully. What you are hearing is what one reader got from the words on the page. You need to hear this to see where the gaps are between your ideas and their understanding. Despite the temptation to explain, defending your writing devalues the responders and draws your own attention away from the changes you need to make to get your point across more clearly in your next draft.

Stay open to all kinds of criticism. Remember it’s your writing, not you, that you’re discussing, and that suggestions for revision don’t mean the paper is a failure. Listen with an open heart to what the others say about your writing, though you don’t have to take all of their suggestions. Their suggestions may even be contradictory. In the end, it’s up to you to be the final judge of your work.

Once everyone has responded, ask the readers questions to clarify what they said if it wasn’t clear, or any other questions you still have, but don’t defend or comment on your writing. If they misunderstand your writing, don’t explain it, just note their confusion so you can revise your paper to be more clear. Collect the copies the readers commented on.

For the reader / listener

Before you meet, write notes on the draft, such as “Should this go later?” or “I’m not sure how this relates to your thesis,” etc. Also note any striking insights or other features you particularly like. After the writer reads the paper, take turns responding. Be sure to contribute your share to the discussion. Respond honestly, and be specific. Though it may seem strange, always begin by saying what you think the paper was about, or what the writer’s intention was. This is valuable information for the writer. Next, give some positive comments. Rather than saying, “It was great,” specify what was good, such as, “The humor at the beginning pulled me in and the example of the soldier helped me understand your point about discipline.” Give at least one idea of something that could be improved, but don’t rewrite the piece for the author. In other words, specify the weaknesses, but don’t give the author suggestions on improving them. For example, “The paragraph about John was confusing. Was he still at home?” Don’t praise or criticize the writer, but the writing. Rather than, “You’re slow getting started,” say, “The first paragraph was slow and didn’t catch my interest. It didn’t do justice to the rest of the paper.”

Finally, don’t try to be an English teacher. Don’t comment on grammatical or mechanical errors. Respond to the essay by trying to convey the movie that passed through your mind as you read/listened to it. Tell the writer where you were interested, bored, curious, confused or intrigued. Don’t judge the quality of the writing by making absolute statements about what you think is right or wrong. Instead, talk about how the writing affected you, such as, “It helped me understand what a soldier must feel like in that situation.” Suspend questions of right or wrong in favor of the more interesting questions about the writer’s intentions, how the writing affects you, and what impedes or improves communication.

• For each draft you respond to and edit be sure to print your name and email legibly and give it back to the author.

• When you turn in your rewritten essay it is essential that you TURN IN ALL DRAFTS--- i.e. ALL PEER EDITED VERSIONS.

• You will be evaluated on your preparedness, participation and written feedback you give your group members.

Quick Reference Guidelines for Writing Groups

For the writer:

•Come prepared with at least one question about your paper. If there are certain kinds of feedback you want or don’t want, let the group know this as well.

•Just listen to the listeners’ / readers’ responses to your paper. Don’t explain or apologize for your writing.

•Once everyone has responded, ask any other questions you have.

•Decide later what changes you’ll make.

For the listener / reader:

•Tell the writer specifically how you responded to the piece, where and why.

•What is the thesis of the essay, or the author’s main points?

•What did you like?

•Where could the writer improve the piece?

Following are some other points to consider:

•Where were you most interested or pleased?

•Did you always know what the writer was trying to say? Where were you lost or confused?

•Did the organization make sense?

•Are there enough examples?

•What do you recall vividly without looking back?

•What distracted or disappointed you?

•What overall effect did the piece have on you?

Try not to:

•Judge the writing as an objective authority, or expound on your theories of writing.

•Rewrite the piece for the author.

For the group:

•What comments seemed most helpful to you?

•How could the process be improved next time? If this is not your group’s first meeting, how did this meeting of seem better / worse than previous meetings?

Thanks to Brij Lunine

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