In this news article: Results of *Negated's Workshop: Creative Nonfiction | *TheObviousChild's Workshop: Another Person's Perspective | First time you have heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you!

Results of the Creative Nonfiction Workshop!

A word from *Writers-Workshop

It was interesting to see so many varied pieces with this workshop, as well as the many different responses from the readers. Becca is currently away, and I am currently without a steady amount of internet, but I have read them, and will be leaving feedback as best I can later on. My apologies in the meanwhile. ~Trevor

Special mention goes to *GrimEden and ~mirageode, both who took the initiative and commented on almost all of the pieces themselves.

*Negated’s response:

Negated's responses are currently unavailable, but watch this journal, it will be updated with the results as we receive them.

*TheObviousChild's Workshop: Another Person's Perspective


Claire Askew, aka *TheObviousChild, is the Editor in Chief of Read This Magazine and also runs One Night Stanzas, a friendly advice blog for young writers. Her own work has appeared in Poetry Scotland, The Edinburgh Review and Poetry News, among others, and she was recently selected to appear in the Scottish Poetry Library's 20 Best Poems of 2008 anthology. Claire is currently in negotiations with various parties with regards to her first collection of poems, and she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her partner Leon.

ANOTHER PERSON'S PERSPECTIVE

'To be a successful poet, you need to find your voice.' Sound familiar? Most people who write poetry will be aware of the idea of voice' - almost an obsession with critics and review writers. But what is voice, and why is having a unique voice so important? Surely the voice you use in your poetry is the voice you use all the time, in everything else?

Well, not necessarily. When you're writing from your own perspective, voice seems easy. But what about when you have to write from the point of view of someone - or indeed something - else? How do you create someone else's 'voice,' and is it still possible for your own to shine through without interrupting? It suddenly becomes a whole lot more tricky.

Basically, what I want you to do is this: write a poem from the point of view of someone or something else. You can choose anything - Brian McCabe has written great poems from the point of view of things like worms and even turnips, and Carol Ann Duffy regularly writes in other voices, having written poems as men, children, mythical characters, and even one where she took on the voice of a Holocaust victim. So basically, I want you to be adventurous, and if you really want to challenge yourself, pick a persona whose voice is radically different from your own. Your task is to write a piece you're happy with, a piece that you think reflects your own 'voice,' whilst also convincingly working within another 'character's perspective.

So what are you waiting for? Get thinking, get inspired and get writing!

How to Submit

After submitting your entry as a new deviation or scrap, send us a note with a link to your piece. Include the subject line "PERSPECTIVE" in your note. The deadline is midnight 24 December 2008. All times are set for GMT. *TheObviousChild will respond to the entries on 28 December. Due to the end of this workshop falling during the holidays, results may be delayed, so be prepared for that.

Due to the delayed start of this workshop, we will accept late entries up to an extra 24 hours.

A note from *Writers-Workshop: Please note that this is a POETRY workshop, meaning that we will accept ONLY poetry entries. 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. Critics 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.

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.

You can host a Workshop, too.


Staff