5.1 KiB
5.1 KiB
%title Further Confusion Writing Workshop 2023
Workshop notes
Friday --- Critical reading
- Intro
- Intro self (incl. "this is for MFA" spiel)
- Allow others to intro
- Ice breaker: what is your least favorite part of your favorite movie?
- Lead into what is a text
- Books/writing, sure, but also anything that tells a story --- film, games, etc
- Thus, what is critical reading?
- Intentional engagement with a text, especially with regards to the self
- Back to ice breaker: how do you intentionally engage with your favorite film?
- How do we intentionally engage with a text in furry?
- What do we like in a furry text? What don't we like?
- Notably, not asking what makes a text furry, that we are furries is what enables us to read into that context
- Thus, how do we engage with a text that we feel is furry as furries?
- What goes into critical reading?
- Layers:
- Mechanical: presentation, word choice, language usage, writing style
- Subjective: emotional impact, plot effectiveness, evocative descriptions
- Layers:
- Reading exercise:
- Pick one of these two categories to pay attention to first and read, then read for the second
- Critique tomorrow, but preview: we're not tearing a text apart, we're asking it questions:
- How did we feel the plot worked? Was there a structure? Could we follow it?
- What was told? What was left out? How did (not) knowing make us feel?
- What type of language usage was there? Word choice? Style?
- How about emotional impact? Was the story impactful? Did the mechanics help or hinder us?
- Was it evocative? Was it furry? Did that work?
- Be ready to summarize
- 10 mins to read
-
- Have someone summarize
- Talk through the mechanical and subjective layers, drilling down into specifics
- Talk through how the exercise felt
- was it useful? Tiring? Enjoyable?
- Tomorrow, we'll go through critiquing writing and actually workshop a piece --- one of mine that has already been workshopped and published, so just an example of critiquing for a present author.
- Optional homework:
- Write a short ~500 word snippet (or pick one already written) to go through a gentle workshop, think about what we talked through today while writing
- Email it to me and I'll put it online for all to read in the workshop
- Will be asking how it felt etc
Saturday --- Critiquing in workshop
- What is workshopping?
- More important, what is it not?
- Tearing apart a story
- Tearing down the author (Maslanka story)
- Editing a piece
- Talk about your engagement with the piece --- remember list of questions from yesterday
- Author:
- Listen to feedback and take in the ways your work affected others
- Will talk about writing for workshops tomorrow
- More important, what is it not?
- Types of workshops and such
- Silent author
- How that works
- Why --- active listening, no shaping responses
- Participatory discussion
- Better for pieces earlier in process
- Feedback as to where to take it
- The role of the facilitator
- Prevent stalling
- Keep on track
- Pay attention to mood, etc
- Silent author
- Tone
- Talk to the piece, not the author --- some don't even use the author's name, pretend they aren't there (not particularly a fan, but also stay away from addressing comments to 'you')
- Talk about yourself, your responses, your questions
- Changing language
- Stay away from generating shared values/taste
- Imagine and invite change
- We don't want to over-reward author because then it becomes less about creativity and more about writing for success
- Sample workshop:
- https://makyo.ink/jump
- 10 mins to read
- Workshop discussion with silent author, then bring author in
- Discuss how it felt
- Tomorrow: writing to receive critique/actually receiving critique
Sunday --- Writing to expect critique
- https://makyo.io/fcww23s
- Writing and vulnerability
- Vulnerability in creation
- The terrifying ordeal of being seen
- How to manage having one's vulnerability openly addressed
- A lot is on the facilitator
- Ensuring discussion stays on the work
- Ensuring uncomfortable silence is filled
- How silence feels
- How to fill silence if it happens (ask questions)
- Engaging with responses as author
- Always good to thank, but overdoing can weaken your position in your own eyes
- Maintain authorial vision ---- everything you get (even negative) is encouragement and opportunity to change, but not a demand
- Friction and vulnerability:
- Maintain openness (even physical --- half smile, willing hands)
- Maintain distance
- Feel free to maintain boundaries, facilitator is there to help, can guide/move on from topic
- Take notes! Can be overwhelming, so read through and think before blithely implementing
- Workshops:
- One person summarize and lead in with discussion
- Try one response at a time vs open discussion
- Reflect on how that felt