In this news article: Results of `Amberlouie's Workshop: Netting the Vignette | `GaioumonBatou's Workshop: Limericks! | Call for Workshop Hosts | First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.

Results of `Amberlouie's Workshop: Netting the Vignette

`Amberlouie's Comments:

I was really impressed with the standard of writing that arose from ‘Netting the Vignette’. Especially the people who took up the challenging typo of composing a Vignette out of 50 words, kudos! What was striking was the multitude of perspectives and approaches, in particular:

two of hearts by ~brytning captured my attention, not only because it was exactly 50 words in length, but the metaphor of the cards/pyramid was constructed with much care. The story based on love wasn’t clichéd. It was just honest and I honed into the emotions carried through in such a small piece. Good things come in small packages with ~brytning’s piece.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Rose by =Lilith-Elina. The piece is wrought with heavy description which make “The Rose” feel almost magical. It is interesting to see two pieces touched on the theme of flora. Something as simplistic as a rose comes out well through the authors almost filmic descriptions.

To topple the impressed meter was ~Kitz-the-Kitsune’s piece, < Windowsill Memories. This piece in the vignette style injects a focus as miniscule as the pot plant which then injects both a sense of loneliness, beauty and fragility. A very beautiful read.

Thank you for participating in the workshop, and I congratulate everyone who tried the vignette style. I truly loved reading each piece. Keep supporting *Writers-Workshop and in doing so experience more with your writing and potential!


`GaioumonBatou's Workshop: Limericks!


`GaioumonBatou has nothing to say about his ridiculous username, or even much about himself for that matter. A second-year English Literature major, he's still got a long way to go on the road to learning, but he is happy about that as well. He currently attends university in southern California and on off-seasons lives at home with his family.

LIMERICKS!

Limericks are a short form of poetry, made to have a humorous edge to them. They are comprised of five lines with an AABBA rhyme scheme, so that the first, second, and fifth lines will rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines will rhyme, but not with the other three lines. The Wikipedia page is surprisingly helpful when it comes to information on the limerick, so give it a read if you've got the chance, particularly the "Form" section and the links on the two most common types of meter used in limericks. Often, limericks begin with "There once was a..." or "There was a...", but that's not entirely necessary. The main point is for them to get a laugh. They are often used as forms of satire as well, and one of my favorite examples of satirical limericks are Wendy Cope's Waste Land Limericks, which take jabs at T.S Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land". (Don't worry, you won't be expected to have read Eliot for this! I'm merely including a link as a reference to show the satire.)

THE TASK

Write a limerick or two. Or three. The more the better, honestly. That way we can properly gauge comprehension and success with the form. My main request is that you keep them all in one deviation, it'll make things a lot easier on me. Have fun, and bust out the wit!

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 "LIMERICK" in your note. The deadline is midnight April 29, 2009. All times are set for GMT. `GaioumonBatou will respond to the entries on May 3.

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

Call for workshop hosts!

As always, we're looking for people to come along and host a workshop! Did you know that any member can partake in a workshop? If you have a good idea, then why not consider sending us in a proposal? We're always willing to look at applications for workshops. Currently, we could really use some prose and free-for-all applications!

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