Is a Creative Writing Workshop Worth It?
Creative writing can be very isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. By enrolling in a creative writing workshop, you can build a community with fellow authors and poets, and receive feedback on your work-in-progress. But it can be hard to find a creative writing workshop, and when you do, it can also be costly.
Are creative writing workshops worth the hassle and cost? And even if they are — how do you find one that’s right for you? Hang tight and we’ll answer these questions and more.
What Are the Benefits of a Creative Writing Workshop?
Some people love creative writing workshops, some people hate them. Like most things in life, you’ll get as much out of them as you put in. With the right attitude, commitment, and environment, creative writing workshops can yield some massive benefits to your WIP — and your social circle.
A Sense of Community
The life of a creative writer can feel a little lonely and a little isolating, it’s true. Even if you have an ample amount of friends or a busy social calendar, sometimes it can be hard to connect with people who don’t write about your WIP. Maybe their eyes glaze when you start talking about plotting, or they don’t understand the frustrations that come along with writer’s block. Creating a social circle of fellow writers can help you find a support system for the struggles that come along with writing.
Not only that but it helps you find success — having other writer friends who know your style and what your WIP is about means that you may hear of more opportunities to publish your work. If you have a creative writing community, it means you have more people who are likely to give you a heads-up about submission opportunities.
Not only that but just having a creative community can make you a better writer. Having others to talk to about our work is essential for increasing our creativity. Having stimulating conversations about our work helps generate ideas and delve deeper into the ways we think and write.
Create Accountability
From a poem to a short story to a novel to a novel-in-stories — all creative writing projects require some serious commitment to complete. When you’re a part of a creative writing workshop, you’ll have people who will hold you accountable for getting your writing done. This alone can be worth its weight in gold. Plus, knowing someone is going to seriously look over your work provides helpful motivation — you know that your pages and hard work aren’t going to sit gathering dust. Someone — even if it is just one other person — will see it. This can make it feel less like you’re dumping all your time and energy straight into the void.
Get Valuable Feedback on Your Work-In-Progress — Obviously
No matter where you are in your career as a creative writer, it’s important to see how readers react to your work. It’s harder for us to spot plot holes on our own, or to realize when we’re over-explaining something.
Peer feedback doesn’t have to be all negative, either. It can show you what works so that you can incorporate more of it in your writing. Not only that — but a supportive workshop can help you boost your confidence.Where to Find Creative Writing Classes
If all that sounds appealing to you (and why wouldn’t it?) than it’s time to find a creative writing workshop. If you’re a college student this is easy enough — most universities offer some form of creative writing classes — though many aren’t a fan of the form traditional academic workshops take. But if you’re not a college student, you’re going to have to look around.
Check Your Local Community
Sometimes there are already writing workshops right around the corner from you — and you don’t even know it! You can often find postings for these kinds of creative writing groups at coffee shops in the area. Or you could check on online community boards like MeetUp.
If you aren’t finding any — try starting one. It may seem scary at first — especially if you’re an introvert — but you could end up making some really great friends.
Check Online
There are a lot of writing workshops and creative writing classes being offered on the internet. They’ve become especially popular since lockdown but attendance in these kinds of writing classes has remained strong even after quarantine.
There are often free workshops you could join — potentially looking for them through social sites such as Reddit would work. Or you could search for guided creative writing workshops or regular creative writing classes. Eventbrite often has several you can sign up for.
Find Your Creative Community With Us
We here at Pumpernickel House Publishing often offer virtual creative writing workshops in a number of genres. From writing a query letter to generating a beginning — we cover a wide-range of topics in a supportive environment. Interested in taking a class with us? Check out our schedule of classes. If we don’t have any open at the moment — sign up for our newsletter and you’ll get a heads-up when we announce our online writing class schedules. Join us and find out for yourself — is a creative writing workshop worth it?
