My "literary" workshop in Portland ruined how I read my own drafts

I went to a three hour workshop at Powell's in Portland last Spring. The guy running it had us read our first page out loud, then everyone took turns saying what was "wrong" with it. By the end I felt like I couldn't write a grocery list without second guessing every word. Now I can't even get through a first draft without stopping to fix commas or swap out words. I've written maybe 2,000 total words this whole month. Has anyone else had a writing coach or workshop totally kill their momentum like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahk1914d ago

Had a similar thing happen with a book club once. We read the same novel and this one lady kept pointing out every grammar mistake like she was grading it for a class. Totally killed the vibe for the whole book for me. @patricia_schmidt14 is right that one bad workshop isn't the end of the world, but it can mess with your head if you let it. I think the key is remembering that rough drafts are supposed to be messy, not polished. Maybe try writing with your phone or a notebook where you can't go back and edit easily. Give yourself permission to write garbage for a week and see if that helps shake off the criticism.

johnson.jason14d ago

That workshop sounds more like a demolition crew than a renovation.

patricia_schmidt1414d ago

People always exaggerate with stuff like this... a bad workshop doesn't mean the whole house is coming down. One guy missing a stud with a sledgehammer isn't demolition work. Seems like a lot of drama over a normal renovation hiccup.