The critique-based writing workshop currently represents the backbone of almost any writer's classroom education. It was the increasing popularity and effectiveness of the workshop model which led to the explosion of MFA programs as viable graduate programs. Before the workshop (and even now, decades after the workshop has been ingrained as a fixture of creative writing culture), many held the opinion that creative writing simply could not be taught.

The real strength of the traditional workshop lies in the balance between encouragement, instruction, and personalized feedback. Students bring in their own works for their classmates to read and critique outside of class, and then everyone reconvenes to discuss the pros and cons of each given work. Instructors have a great deal of leeway in terms of leading discussion - some are "hands-off," allowing students to run their own discussions, while others simply provide a lecture to the class on each student's work. The best instructors, however, find a good balance in-between. They encourage the students to make the opening comments on a work and offer differing interpretations. Rather than provide one "correct" interpretation of a student's work, a good instructor will draw attention to the strengths and weaknesses of a work, thus providing directions for further student discussion.

Another strenght of the critique-based writing workshop is the use of constructive negative feedback. This is, however, coupled with the greatest potential weakness - overwhelming negative feedback can kill a student's desire to write. Worse still, offhand positive feedback can have a similar effect, sending the message that a story isn't important enough to merit effective praise. And as if that wasn't enough, writers tend to be somewhat neurotic - one writer's constructive criticism is another writer's literary kick-in-the-balls and still another writer's encouraging words of wisdom. So a balance must be found. In order to derive the most benefit from the workshop, all participants - the instructor especially - must treat each writer and work with respect. And negative criticism is part of this. By telling a writer which areas need improvement, we also send the signal that we want this writer to improve.

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The next type of workshop is the technique-based workshop, sometimes referred to as a "style seminar" or a "readings course." In these courses, students are often required to read outside works written by well-known masters in a given genre. Instructors will then lead discussions and give assignments based on particular writing skills such as developing character or the portrayal of setting.

Because these workshops are centered more on teaching a particular style or technique, many instructors do not consider them as workshops at all, but rather as classes. The distinction between a creative writing class versus a workshop, in my opinion, should be based less on the focus of the course and more on the kind of feedback received. Many instructors use the techniques seminar as a way for students to share shorter works with their classmates. Feedback is then provided openly during the class period - seminars structured this way are workshop courses. Classes, in contrast, focus on confidential feedback from the instructor alone. Assignments are handed in to the instructor, they are returned by the instructor, and they are not reviewed by fellow classmates. The class period itself is reserved for instruction and general questions.

Although the class-based format is an efficient way to present key elements of literature, I believe that much is lost by the reduced creative interaction between students. When students can see their classmates learning the techniques, they tend to respond better to the lessons. In addition to finding a strong social connection in the shared writing experience, students learn a great deal from the strengths and shortcomings of works submitted by their classmates. They inspire each other to write in new directions - many more directions than a single instructor acting alone can provide.

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The third type of workshop - the freewriting course - has become increasingly popular over the past several years. In a freewriting course, students write short pieces (10-15 minutes) in-class, and then share these pieces aloud. Generally, only positive feedback is allowed (and I strongly encourage adherring this rule, per the Amherst Method) - for this reason, the encouragement provided is very strong, and many students complete freewriting courses with a renewed energy to write.

Each year, it seems that more and more seminars incorporate a freewriting component to the course, even large seminars where only one or two out of a hundred students may be able to share a given work. The reason for this is simple - freewriting offers a quick way for students to immediately apply a lesson learned or an idea proposed. This kind of active learning is very fun and very effective, and students respond extremely well. Students want to see that their is progressing, and a ten-minute freewriting prompt can provide nearly instant gratification.

However, unlike critique- and technique-based workshops, freewriting workshops tend to encourage the writing lifestyle more than they instruct writing craft. Because of this, some students don't feel they learn enough from freewriting courses - they don't have tangible lessons to take home. The majority of students, though, find that the freewriting workshops free their writing to explore new directions. This is one reason why I believe every student needs some exposure to freewriting, whether through a complete workshop or as a component of another course. Writing craft is important, but stories and poems require the kind of imagination best fostered by freewriting.

Ironically, the very freedom engendered by the freewriting workshop sometimes requires a strong hand to enforce.

Next: Ground Rules for the Writing Workshop