Writers Guild is and has been an important part of the Writing Center for years and was one of the first places where I was exposed to a creative writing community outside of the classroom. In our community guidelines we describe Writers Guild as “a place for creative writers in the DePaul community to share works-in-progress and talk about the process of writing. We welcome all creative work by writers of any experience level, from short stories and poetry to scripts and screenplays!” We use, to some extent, a traditional silent workshop method.
A writer who has submitted work to us will introduce their work (sometimes including context and necessary trigger warnings), read it, and ask any questions or bring up any concerns they may have. From then on, we give each writer about 15 minutes to receive feedback from the peers in attendance. This has created a space for writers of all kinds from within our community to share their creativity, engage in conversations about writing, and meet writers and creatives around them.
Our current model however, mostly resembles creative writing workshops one may encounter in creative writing courses or other writing groups. Writers present their work, they remain quiet, and they receive feedback in total or near total silence from the writer. As a previous community member at Guild and now as a previous co facilitator, this model sometimes works, and sometimes falters. There have been issues we have run into with this model that have become clearer to both Charlotte and I as co-facilitators. There have also been moments where the small things we include in Guild show how we can work to center a writer’s voice and value a writer’s consent when workshoping their pieces.
To clarify though, not everyone who attends Guild has had exposure to a traditional silent workshop, some folks have, and others have had experiences in various workshop settings, whether it be larger classes or smaller independent settings. This wide range of writers introduces a dynamic in which sometimes writers may not be getting the feedback or engagement they would prefer.
At Guild, especially in Autumn quarter (2023), we have considered how to stray from this model of silence, as the Writing Center values collaboration, respect, and transparency. This is not to say, we haven’t primarily relied on the silent workshop model in the past and in current meetings. Moving away from an environment of assuming the writer’s intentions and moving toward a model that asks questions of the writer to guide feedback is a work in progress.
As facilitators we discussed ways to revise methods of operating a workshop so that emphasis is placed on the writer’s voice, their perspective on their work, as well as embracing work at every level of completion (or not! as works at all levels of completion are welcome). We want Writers Guild to be a place that uplifts the voice of the writers who share and participate, and be accessible to all writers. Some steps that have been discussed as ways to move away from the more traditional, silent workshop are as follows:
Asking Questions: One way to center a writer’s voice and their consent while in a workshop is simply to ask them questions. Writer Matthew Salesses comments that “… I think questions are so much more helpful. They encourage the author to create the solution for themselves. Or to imagine a solution for themselves.” Salesses provides a different approach to feedback in workshop settings here. Instead of offering a specific restructuring of a story or a new spin on a particular line in a poem, Salesses encourages asking the writer a question and seeing where it leads them in their revisions. This also makes way for a back and forth between writers and their readers. As a result, questions can be used to clarify meaning, to point out places where there is room for more of a particular kind of figurative language, among other things. Similar to how some tutors engage with writers, asking questions is a way to be mindful of a writer’s work while leading them to solutions that speak to them and their voice.
Uplifting the Writer’s Voice: Part of our work in workshops is to uplift the writer’s voice. As mentioned before, asking questions is one way to help center the voice of the writer as well as the intent behind their work. As writer Kailyn McCord writes when referring to her experiences with a new type of creative writing workshop, “Constructive criticism was encouraged, but we were to operate by the maxim that the writer knew more about their work than we did.” Keeping this in mind, asking writers to give other attendees context and asking them if they want specific feedback is essential to uplifting the writer’s voice. This is just one way we can focus on what a writer wants, rather than what we as readers may assume the work needs. We want to ensure that the writers we work with have a chance to be heard and for their writing to be understood as it was intended to be. When writers feel they are being listened to and that the context they are providing is being met with consideration and thoughtfulness, we can help make Guild a space that is encouraging of every writer’s voice and intentions.
These are just a few thoughts on how Guild functions as a workshop and creative space. There is a lot of room for growth, change, and collaboration as Guild continues to be a home for a variety of writers and their work. We want to provide a welcoming space, and this is a work in progress. Charlotte and I are stepping back as co-facilitators of Writers Guild in the Winter quarter (2024), but our deep appreciation for and involvement in Guild has led us to reflect on our methods and offer these thoughts on traditional writing workshops, and how small shifts can maybe be more accessible and inviting to all kinds of writers!
Works Cited
McCord, Kailyn. “The End of Writerly Silence: On a New (to Me) Workshop Model.” BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog, 19 Aug. 2020, brevity.wordpress.com/2020/08/27/new-workshop-model/.
Salesses, Matthew. “On Asking Questions Instead of Offering Suggestions.” Writer Matthew Salesses on Asking Questions Instead of Offering Suggestions – The Creative Independent, 31 Mar. 2021, thecreativeindependent.com/people/writer-matthew-salesses-on-asking-questions-instead-of-offering-suggestions/.