In this news article: Cycle Three round up!| Results of ^lovetodeviate’s Workshop: I, Me, Mysel| `conorschild’s workshop: : Brevity is the soul of wit | On Accepting Critique | Want to make us a stamp? | First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.

Cycle Three Round Up!

It’s exciting to think that since our launch in November, we have seen through nine amazing workshops. In this period, we have gained almost 300 members, over 10’000 pageviews and 5 of the pieces produced in these workshops have received Daily Deviations. Not bad for only 9 workshops, and many more to come!

Cycle three saw our members take on new challenges and discovering styles of writing they may not have experimented with before. With *apocathary we discovered what Magic realism was, and with ~EveningDownpour an entire new concept was revealed in nonfiction poetry. Finally ^lovetodeviate showed us all that sometimes writing can start with the self, and the results can be truly effective. As a whole it has tested our writers and from the feedback they’ve enjoyed it!

Our new workshop cycle, cycle four has yet to be titled. However we have three hosts that vary in style and ability, and we’re really looking forward to it! Check out more below about the first workshop in this cycle.

Finally, we’d like to thank our members for their continuous efforts and support. Without them we wouldn’t be running such a positive momentum, and we’re so pleased to see so much improvement in all of their work. This is what community spirit is all about


Results of ^lovetodeviate’s Workshop: I, me Myself.

A word from *Writers-Workshop Another huge workshop, another great effort! We saw 29 entries in total, equalling the record amount we have had for a single workshop. There were some really insightful pieces written for what was actually a rather challenging approach to writing. We can’t point out one individual for critique this time, simply because there was an awesome board sweep of constructive comments and advice from everyone. It was refreshing to see not a single piece has been neglected and every entry to this workshop has been given something they can use in continuation and redrafting!

This workshops special mention goes to *batousaijin who before these results have even been announced has seen his contribution to this workshop receive an honourable daily deviation.



Before moving onto ^lovetodeviate’s comments, we would just like to echo again a reminder to everyone. *Writers-Workshop is not about competition. When you enter these workshops, you are here for your own writing development, and although we have ‘top picks’, this isn’t about ‘winning’. Everyone who spends the time to look at their own writing constructively, can be prepared to take, give and use critique and are happy to explore new techniques are all winners to us. We want to thank everyone who participates in these workshops because you are all amazing and keep the spirit of this project alive!




I'm exhausted after commenting on 29 entries (I apologise if some were too short, but I allowed myself to ramble only when I had many suggestions to offer), but it was good fun.

The poets chose all kinds of spaces to write about, from trash cans and coffins to closets and bedrooms. A lot of writing operates through the opposition of open space and claustrophobia. For some reason, we like large, sprawling fields, mountains and rivers, even the desert, because when we explore them, we also conquer them. It's human. Confining ourselves to smaller spaces, like a room, offers different paths of explorations, and I was happy travelling through the poems that were sent in. *scottish-gardeners, for instance, described the walls of her study as "sky blue"; yet the voice of the poem is intensely aware that you cannot see the clouds outside, which was a great way of talking about what is outside while being sheltered, so to speak. Houses can also be metaphors for memory, as in `tmpst24myst's poem.

The diary entries were lighter reading, and it was very interesting to see how people saw themselves ten years or more down the line. Many of you found yourself talking about success or the lack of it in love and work. *itzjusdrama is pretty sure that some of us will still be fighting our battles on dA 17 (or is it 5?) years later, which made me smile. But the most interesting discovery I made was that many of you saw yourselves with children. Here it is worth mentioning *wordworks's entry, which portrayed the most unique, and perhaps realistic, description of a family.

Before, I get to my top picks, I'd like to mention that we need to get out of this trend of not finding titles, even rudimentary ones, before posting a piece of writing. (I've done it, too, so I won't leave myself out of it.) Here are some of my favourite titles in this workshop: My Rolling Coffin, Panic at the Student Union, Closeted, For The Love of Emma and Elvis is Close Enough.

Top Picks

It was fun not letting on how much I liked these entries when I was leaving comments, and restricting myself to critique and suggestions. In alphabetical order:

Personify me by ~Amy--Louise

This poems begins with an artistic comment that goes on to describe the human condition pretty well: don't we all need "person-things"? ~Amy--Louise pursues this idea with a very matter-of-fact, yet poignant, narrative. My favourite bit was "A superhero / I knew all about / invisibility." I don't like the linebreaks, but the idea itself is fantastic, because the writer has inverted the coolness of being a superhero by making invisibility a sad thing for the narrator. I suppose the poem breaks the "rules" of the workshop, but to a good end. A real treat for this reader.

Life Cycles by *BerylAlexandros

I was so surprised that this was the only prose entry that approached the fear (or anticipation) of death. The best part is it's not just the death of someone, but the death of a 102-year-old, who has a brain tumor. That brings in a lot of complications and it could make the reading heavy, but the writer finds a way to approach the subject without either belittling it or making it very depressing. "I wonder if I should kill myself." Takes some skill to pull off a line like that.

Closeted by ~daowns

I love economical poems, and this is a good example. In eight short lines, the writer neatly lays out the setting. The images are sharp and fleeting. What I enjoyed most was that the space chosen was "told" only at the end. Instead of telling and then showing, the writer showed us the space through details, and then told us what the space was. Of course, the title was a big hint, but it did not ruin anything for me. In fact, the word "closeted" connotes privacy and intimacy, perhaps even shame, and these meanings add to the overall experience of the poem.

A Day in the Life by =GaioumonBatou

"I swore to myself when I first decided I was going to be a teacher that I would never teach anything below high school." This, to me, is the mark of good characterisation. Several participants of the workshop have examined their future selves' lives by talking about whether or not they achieved what they wanted when they were young. This is good, but what this writer has done is even better: he has made an in-the-present ambition, if that makes any sense. Often what we hope for is not something great; it is the inches we negotiate, the little spaces. So it's not good enough that :devgaimonbatou:'s future self wants to be a teacher, but that he does not want to teach below high school. For him, that is a standard. Excellent detail and enjoyable read.


`conorschild’s Workshop: Brevity is the soul of wit


`conorschild has been a member of deviantArt since 2005, and has certainly made his mark in a rather different way than most. In fact his writing ability is often underestimated, often overshadowed by his massive impact with in the deviantArt forums. Nevertheless, his charming work and good ideas have led to him hosting this rather interesting workshop.



"Brevity is the soul of wit," said Shakespeare. But being concise in your writing shouldn't just be restricted to humour: it's paramount in all kinds of writing. While details are important, too much background and information that isn't related to the plot can slow down your piece and make the reading painfully boring. With some bias, I must direct this at some fantasy writers - while your magical worlds can be very interesting, spending excessive time on them can send a reader (well, me) to sleep!

Although this workshop is aimed at prose, poets should take note too - keeping your lines short and to the point is significant in making a powerful piece.

And those of you who are currently doing coursework, this is key too! I myself was chastised for going into too much detail about the Senecan model of tragedy (I'm a hit at parties, believe me) during a recent essay. Interesting notes are good to keep people hooked, but it's important not to lose focus of what you're writing about.

So, that's why being concise is important. But what do I want you to do?

For this workshop, I feel you need to take a look at your writing to see what's really driving your plots and stories. Examining your work in such a way will help you to see what is significant in creating a good plot. Remember: the details are crucial in creating a well developed piece, and I'm not saying we should all be aiming for cut-back bare boned pieces. But at the same time, you can't allow yourself to be driven too far from the path.

Your task, then: Take a 1,000-3,000 word piece from your gallery, and cut it down to 500 words or less. Sounds tough? Good. Look out for important plot points and significant lines and make sure they're included. When reading your work, I want to get the same emotions from both versions of your piece.

If your piece is a longer (around 2,500-3,000 words) then some leeway can be given on the 500 words, but I don't want anything over 1,000 words being sent to me.

Don't have any pieces over 1,000 words? You have three options: 1, write both the long and short versions. I'd recommend that you'd write the longer one first or it'll defeat the point of this workshop . 2, take a look in my gallery and choose a piece to shorten. All I ask is that you link this in your shortened version. 3, if you don't like any of my pieces (and who can blame you?) then you can always ask someone else on deviantART. Ask VERY NICELY, don't be surprised if they say no, and link them gratuitously!

Send a note to me containing BOTH of the pieces. (You may, going to my page, notice I've been suspended. Don't worry, I can still receive notes, and I'll be free to give crits before the workshop ends.)

For an example of what I want, I offer this extremely poor example of my own: [link] (long) and [link] (short.) I wouldn't use these as an example of quality

Some useful articles:

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How to Submit

After submitting your entry as a new deviation or scrap, send us a note with a link to your poem. Include the subject line "Brevity" in your note. The deadline is midnight March 27th, 2008. All times are set for GMT. `conorschild will respond to the entries on March 30th, 2008.

A note from *Writers-Workshop Please note that this is a PROSE workshop, meaning that we will accept prose entries only. Proofread your work before you send it in so that grammatical and spelling errors are minimal. And most of all have fun with it!

On Accepting Critique

Always thank the critic. This gratitude must be as sincere as possible, even if you did not like the critique given, because the critic has taken time to offer his/her opinion of the piece.
If you do not like the critique, it is not necessary to mention so. Simply thank the critic and move on. You can always ignore their suggestions, while not making a scene of it.
If you are unsure of what the critique means, feel free to ask the critic what s/he meant. Building rapport with your critic is one of the best ways to survive in a workshop and to learn. If you want examples, ask. Similarly, if you like the suggestions given, mention it. Critic's have feelings too.
In the unlikely case that a critic offers rude/sexist/racist/etc comments, feel free to contact *Writers-Workshop in a note and we will try to help you. A decision regarding the rudeness of the critique will be taken, and if we're not sure ourselves, we will consult with one of the GDs or anyone else high up on deviantART.

Want to make us a stamp?

We're looking for a stamp, folks! We might even have a prize for the one we like the best. Your support, in whatever form, will be appreciated.

We have two lovely stamps from *inspiredimperfection and *itzjusdrama, which are fantastic and we’d love to see some more!



First time you've heard of :Writers-Workshop This section is for you.

*Writers-Workshop is a literature community that focuses on the development of a writer. We intend to provide a non-competitive workshop environment on dA, as well as to push good, polished writing over winning prizes or "networking".

Workshops will be conducted every fortnight; prose, poetry and free-for-all sessions will be rotated. For more information, read our: FAQ section or note us with queries.

We have been working on a list of resources for our writers: Resources for Writers which we think is worth going through. We are open to suggestions as well.

Our Diary has a list of upcoming workshops. We are booked till April!

You can host a Workshop host a Workshop, too.

Look out for =MSJames’ workshop on Tankas’s, coming up in a fortnight!

Staff