by Araminta Matthews

Created on: August 29, 2008

We write because something inside us compels us to weave words on paper. Whether it is poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, song, lyric essay, haiku, metanym, we write because our souls ache, our hands tremble, our minds swell. We write because a part of us needs to be breathed into existence. So how, if we are creators with such spiritual or physical or merely humanly vain interest in our products, can we accept criticism for our work? That is precisely what the writing workshop is for, and congruent with the criticism of the writing workshop is the writer's need to develop the skill of absorbing critique without taking personal offense.

A very few of us already have the skill. Either we do not feel personally connected to our words, or we simply are capable of looking at the process of criticism as helpful in our journies toward progression. The truth is, the majority of us start out in our childhoods. We write poetry as it springs into our minds, we make up stories in little notebooks, and we journal voraciously about ourselves. Because we are starting so young, at a time in our lives when we are rightfully self-centered before we have the spiritual awakening of understanding and compassion for others that comes with adulthood (and perhaps exists in early childhood, before adolescence), our writing is also self-centered. We often see our writing as ourselves and rejection of that writing - whatever the reason - is painful and similar to a personal attack. But, to be a successful writer, we absolutely must engage in the writing workshop. The writing workshop is our first toe-dip into the pool of our audiences, and without an audience, our writing gathers dust in the closets.

For those unfamiliar with the writing workshop, allow me to explain its process. Typically, writing workshops occur in college composition courses (whether they are Academic Writing workshops, Creative Writing workshops, or Professional/Technical Writing workshops, workshops exist for all types of writing). Students are asked to bring a rough draft (or any draft) of their story, prose, or verse to class with enough copies for all the students and the teacher. The student usually reads his or her story/prose/verse out loud at the beginning of the workshop, while readers listen and take notes (in some cases, readers have already read the drafts and made notes before coming to the workshop).

After the reading aloud, the writer is usually instructed to remain silent. The reason writers must

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