Workshop FAQ

A writer's workshop is one of the best ways to get feedback on your writing. You've probably done one without even realizing - like with peer review on papers. That's on a small scale - this workshop is open to everyone on Write the Stars. People read through your work and leave their impressions, what they think you did well, and what they think needs work.

So how does this work?

• Our writing workshop will work in the sense that you post your work - or an excerpt if it is a longer piece. Then people on our forum (any of us!) will look through your work and give it a constructive critique.
  

Do I have to critique other peoples' work?

• While we encourage members to read through other peoples' work, it is not required. But by reading through someone else's work, you can start to see where there are strong points and weak points within your own work. You're honing your eye. Giving critique helps you be more (constructively) critical of your own work. It helps you improve.
  
  You don't need to start with huge, detailed comments. If you've found one point, post about it. Let the author know. They'll appreciate it.
  

I'm not sure what falls into constructive critique.

• Constructive critique balances between being all praise and all negative. It's the type of comment that helps you improve your work. It is clear, specific, and detailed. And most importantly, it's the type of comment that makes it clear what you need to do in order to improve. You know what action you need to take. So when you're giving critique, think about the type of comments that would make YOU understand which action you need to take.
  

What kind of work can I post?

• For the most part, keep things PG-13. If you'd feel uncomfortable sharing the piece of work with a 13-year-old, maybe you shouldn't be posting it? Please avoid posting erotica - anything explicit in that sense is not allowed. Within reason, violence and other subjects will be allowed. However, you will need to note that at the beginning of the post.
  
  In the broader sense, post short stories, novel excerpts, poems, academic papers, non-fiction...
  

So should I be commenting on spelling and grammar?

• Unless the original poster says so, no. A workshop is to work on the content of the paper, not so much on the grammar and spelling. Spelling and grammar can be smoothed out in later drafts.
  

As more questions come in, more will be added to this!