❌ why I don’t use workshopping

I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. I loved my MFA experience, and it contributed to who I am as a writer today. But I don’t necessarily recommend it for everyone.

The time-honored tool that’s prevalent in the vast majority of creative writing classrooms at the undergrad and graduate level is workshopping.

In a workshop, you might have five to twelve writers who read each other’s work and give each other feedback, in addition to the professor giving feedback.

I have sat around many, many workshop tables. Workshops provide value, and I have definitely taken away valuable insights from the workshops I’ve attended.

But I don’t use the workshopping model in Writing Brave.

Here’s why:

Reason #1: When there are a lot of voices, there is inevitably conflicting feedback. This can create confusion and inaction, especially for newer writers.

Instead, in Writing Brave Mastermind, we cultivate your own vision for your book, and strengthen your own voice, so that you can stay true to that.

Reason #2: In a workshop model, while you’re getting feedback from readers (and writers of different skill levels), you’re not always getting feedback from a skilled, highly trained editor. While the former can be valuable, the latter is more valuable.

During my MFA, I inevitably found my 1:1 work with a professor during the semester more in-depth and rewarding than the workshop models during our residencies. And that 1:1 skilled feedback helped me move the needle toward my best writing much faster.

That’s why I mimic that 1:1 ongoing support during the Writing Brave Mastermind.

Reason #3: My clients are busy people; they have careers and families and lots of other obligations. They are making a commitment to their own books, and I want them to focus on their own work. A workshop model also requires writers to make a lot of time to read their colleagues’ work and respond to it. I prefer to keep the focus on your own writing.

Reason #4: I value providing feedback in a compassionate, trauma-informed way, and my editors are trained to do just that. Most (if not all) of my clients have creative wounds, and many of those wounds stem from the dreaded red pen of a teacher or professor. I want feedback to feel safe, and so I want the people giving feedback to be trained to give it in a safe way.

To be clear: I’m not saying that workshopping doesn’t have value. It does! I’m simply explaining why I’ve chosen to provide 1:1 editing support for the six months of Writing Brave Mastermind, rather than a workshop model.

In short: I believe 1:1 editing support moves the needle toward your best writing much faster and better.

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(There are sixteen spots in the mastermind, which starts in January, and thousands of writers receiving these emails. Joining the waitlist is the best way to get early access.)