Date: January 1st 2004

HANDY JOB HUNTER FOR WRITERS
ISSUE #5 (1/2004)
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Compiled by Michael Arnzen, Ph.D.
http://www.gorelets.com

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WORKING THE WORKSHOP
by Michael Arnzen

Writing workshops can be miraculous. The environment can offer a "safe haven" for editing and revising your work before submitting it to publishers. The feedback you receive can boost your self-esteem and confirm what you're doing that's right; they can also teach you why some things just don't work. The veterans and teachers you encounter in a workshop can offer "shortcuts" to trade secrets that you would have to pick up through years of research and trial-and-error. In a workshop setting, you can learn of hidden markets or excellent methods for approaching editors. The colleagues you meet could become your future collaborators, editorial partners, publishers, and life-long friends.

And yet so often, writers can just as easily sabotage the workshop. Egos take the stage or emotions flare. Some participants unthinkingly espouse the same dogma for every manuscript; others mutter line edits as they go page by page through the manuscript. The "alphas" in the group call the writer names; the "betas" offer little feedback more than faint false praise. Writer X defends herself to death, explaining why she refuses to make any of the changes proffered, Writer Y apologizes over and over, and Writer Z just looks out the window.

What we sometime forget is that a workshop is a lot like shop class -- a place where one learns by working. And the "work" that's performed at a workshop is editorial work. We practice editing and hear how other professionals "respond" to a piece, which is really what editors do for a living. Editors are first and foremost readers: they listen to their intuition when they read a story or article; they play the role of their market's audience. They represent The Reader with a capital R. And by working the workshop properly, we both internalize their voice and develop a stronger editorial ear of our own.

Too often, writers workshop their egos, instead. It's human nature, especially if your story is on the table and everyone's talking about it. But to get the most out of a writer's workshop, you need to think of the story on the table as your car, and everyone around the table is a mechanic looking under the hood. If you want to learn how to fix it -- or just soup it up -- on your own, you have to watch and listen. And get your hands dirty.

The best way to "work the workshop" is to listen intensely to everything that everyone says, because workshops don't teach us how to write so much as they teach us how readers read. Nearly every morsel of criticism is a reader's response to a text. And whether it's the academic dogma of the freshman creative writing student or the blasé response of the well-published veteran, every bit of feedback can teach you something about the way reader's read...if only how other writers imagine they do.

When I lead writing workshops in college, I encourage the participants to listen to one another and try to emulate the person who gives them the best feedback. The goal isn't always just to fix the story but to tune in to "what works" in the skill of offering editorial advice. For it does take skill and practice, and if you're new at workshopping the best thing you can do is follow who you perceive to be the leader and emulate their approach and delivery style.

This advice, of course, is predicated on the assumption that in writing workshops, the Golden Rule is the norm: that the reason we are there is to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We expect to get as much feedback as earnestly as we give it. But it's a two-way street, and this is what some workshop attendees forget. What you give is what you get. If you're in a workshop with repeat attendance -- like in a college classroom where workshops happen every few weeks -- then pay attention to the amount of feedback you receive. Chances are good that you're getting it like you give it. If you don't feel like you're getting enough comments on a manuscript, it may be the case that you aren't giving enough on others.

The Golden Rule isn't infallible, of course. If one person in the group likes a no-nonsense "give it to me straight" critique, then that will often explain why their comments come across as rudely terse, abruptly short-tempered, or needlessly cold. If another person prefers their feedback be delivered with kid gloves, then that might explain why their comments seem overly idealistic, gratuitously complementary, or puffed-up with false praise. What often come across as personality conflicts are actually masked differences in the way people assume their criticism can be most constructive: both "types" of personality are actually trying to be helpful teachers to one another!

So if you're in a workshop and you find yourself "butting heads" with either the sheep or the rams, try to remember that the other person might need more help being a constructive critic. Remind them that you're both just a couple of mechanics looking under the hood together. Don't challenge them based on personality; if you agree or disagree, be polite and professional. Lead by example.

The best workshop critics I know are the ones who don't spout platitudes, but those who raise questions or point out points of confusion. Whether they're right or wrong is irrelevant: they're just reporting their experience of reading the text, which is what you're after when you submit a story for critique. However, there are always people in a workshop who feel that posturing and attacking is the best way to teach someone a lesson. The best way to deal with an ineffective critic -- whether they're brashly obnoxious or timidly shy -- is to ask follow-up questions that tease the significant kernel out of what they are saying. Here are some typical tactics you can use to follow-up someone's criticism in order to make it more constructive:


+ Ask for amplification: "You say it's meaningless. What can I do to make it more meaningful?"

+ Request definitions: "What does 'trite' really mean? Do you mean common or do you mean insignificant? Why?"

+ Demand examples: "You say this character is unoriginal. Where have you seen her before?"

+ Challenge vagueness: "You said that my story was filled with purple prose. Which paragraphs? Can you show me which words make it purple, exactly?"

+ Get concrete advice: "You suggested I fix this plot point on page 3. How would you revise it?"

+ Check their sources: "You say my characters shouldn't be flat. Do you know any books that can help me with rounding them out?"


In general, you want to ask "how" and "why" questions which invite the critic to give concrete methods and suggest a rationale for the changes they are recommending you make. Because you, ultimately, are the judge of what needs revising in your own manuscripts, not the workshop critic.

Just as you want to get as much as you can out of less-than-helpful critics, you want to make sure you establish good bonds with those who are the most effective. Get good critics to talk in more detail by asking the same sort of questions. But also reward their generosity by mirroring their style back to them and giving them an earnest, honest dose of feedback when it's their turn at the table. You can also consider asking them for follow-up critiques of your actual revisions outside of the workshop via e-mail or in a separate meeting (for the price of a dinner or a reciprocal critique). People who are serious about their first round of comments are often serious about helping the manuscript succeed as a whole and will happily help usher you closer to publication. If you take this approach, you should aim for people whose tastes and interests and level of experience match your own. Don't try to get special treatment from a teacher or workshop leader who is probably invested
in helping everyone equally. Likewise, don't try to sweet talk your way into an old cadre of veterans in the group. Chances are they will voluntarily come to you, if they feel you're competent and professional.

Finally, no matter how "artistic" your intentions might be, pay close attention to the "market mavens" -- those people who are so serious about the marketplace that they seem to know more about magazines mastheads than they do about the craft of writing. Don't let their apparent focus on commerce fool you -- while "mavens" often espouse editorial dogma, these writers are often just practicing "talking the talk" of the trade and flaunting their knowledge. Many are quite savvy about the basics of the craft and many have advice that can help you, no matter how pat or superficial it might sound. The fact is, much of the "dogma" we encounter in writer's workshops -- "show don't tell," for example -- is good advice, even if it has become a cliché! Mavens can sometimes play matchmaker between you and a future editor. Most "mavens" are -- or believe themselves to be -- buddies with editors of some kind; indeed, they often someday become editors themselves, rather than the writers the
y think they are. Such folks are not poor writers -- they're simply very good readers and passionate researchers who love the community of the book world.

Aren't we all? Diverse people with common goals. That's what makes a workshop work.

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THE HANDY JOB HUNTER FOR WRITERS

key
± = new/revised entry
SF/F/H = Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
$ = requires fee or subscription
Likely Dead = website non-responsive

>>GOOD OVERVIEW TO GET STARTED<<

Writer's Guide to Finding Jobs Online
http://www.sunoasis.com/tutorial.html

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>>JOURNALIST-ORIENTED<<

Power Reporting
http://powerreporting.com/category/Journalism_shoptalk/Jobs

Journalism Jobs
http://www.journalismjobs.com/

Job Link for Journalists (Newslink.org)
http://newslink.org/joblink/

Detroit Free Press Job Portal
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/links/jobboard.htm

J-Net
http://www.journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/

Journalism Net
http://www.journalismnet.com/jobs/

Media Bistro
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/

New York Times Media Jobs
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/jobs/jobs_media/index.html

Society for Technical Communication ($)
http://www.stc.org/

Sun-Oasis Job Bank
http://www.sunoasis.com/

Nat'l Diversity Newspaper Job Bank
http://www.newsjobs.com/

JournalismNext for Persons of Color
http://www.journalismnext.com

NewsJobs
http://www.newsjobs.net/usa/default.asp

Nat'l Assoc of Broadcasting Career Center
http://www.nab.org/bcc/

Writer Classifieds
http://www.writerclassifieds.com/

Publishing News (UK)
http://www.publishingnews.co.uk/pn/pnc/index.asp

American Copyeditors Society Job Bank
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACESjobs/

Non Profit Times Jobs Bank
http://nptjobs.nptimes.com/search.cfm

Editor and Publisher Career Center
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/classifieds/index.jsp

Just Tech Writer Jobs
http://www.justtechwriterjobs.com/JSSearchJobs.asp

± Detroit Free Press Jobbank
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/

± American Society of Business Publications Editors Job Bank
http://www.asbpe.org/jobs/joblist.htm

± TV Jobs
http://www.tvjobs.com/jbcenter.htm

± News Directory
http://www.newsdirectory.com/

[Likely Dead: copyeditorjobs.com; medialife]

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>>CREATIVE WRITING-ORIENTED<<

Publisher's Weekly Job List ($)
http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=classifiedsJobsPub&category=Publishing+Jobs&publication=publishersweekly

The Write Jobs
http://www.writejobs.com/jobs/

WriterFind Jobs
http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/

About.com's Job Listings
http://freelancewrite.about.com/cs/assignmentboards/index.htm

Writer's Retreat
http://www.angelfire.com/va/dmsforever/main.html#jobs

Preditors & Editors
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubjob.htm

Telecommuting Jobs for Writers
http://www.tjobs.com/new/writers.shtml

Writer's Resource Center
http://www.poewar.com/jobs/

Society for Scholarly Publishing
http://sspnet.org/classifieds/

Creative Hotlist
http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp

Sharp Writer
http://www.sharpwriter.com/jobmarket.htm

Burryman's Freelance Opportunities
http://www.burryman.com/freelance.html

Work for Writers Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WorkForWriters/

Support for Writers Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/supportforwriters/

± Craig's List - Community Classifieds for the City
(check New York for publishing house needs)
http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html

± Writer's Weekly
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs.php

[Likely Dead: Freelancewriting.com; InscriptionsMagazine.com; WritingContests.net]

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>>GENERIC JOB-HUNTING<<

Monster.com (aka Jobs.com)
http://www.monster.com

HotJobs (@ yahoo.com)
http://www.hotjobs.com/

Career Builder (aka Headhunter.net)
http://www.careerpath.com/

JobHunt.org
http://www.job-hunt.org/general.shtml

Job Hunt Resources by Academic Major
http://www.uww.edu/stdrsces/career/jobsearc/d12.htm

Job Star
http://www.jobstar.org/

Dice
http://www.dice.com

± 4Jobs
http://4jobs.com/

± JobPilot: European Job Market
http://www.jobpilot.co.uk

[Likely Dead: altavista.worklife.com; realfind.com]

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>>GUIDELINES & MARKET LISTINGS<<

Writer's Write Paying Markets
http://www.writerswrite.com/paying/

Poets & Writers Classifieds
http://www.pw.org/mag/classifieds.htm

Writer's Weekly Updates
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets/markets.html

Writer's Digest Guidelines
http://www.writersdigest.com/guidelines.asp

Worldwide Freelance Writers
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/

Writing for Dollars
http://writingfordollars.com/Guidelines.cfm

Art Deadlines List ($)
http://artdeadlineslist.com/subscribe

Mary Wolf's Guide to E-Book Publishers
http://my.coredcs.com/~mermaid/epub.html

Piers Anthony's Survey of Electronic Publishers
http://www.hipiers.com/publishing.html

Ralan's Extravaganza (SF/F/H & Humor)
http://www.ralan.com

Write Market (SF/F/H)
http://www.writemarket.com/

The Market List (SF/F/H)
http://www.marketlist.com

Fleming's List of Markets (SF/F/H)
http://home.att.net/~p.fleming/Sfmarket.html

Speculations Rumor Mill (SF/F/H)
http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/

Hellnotes (H)
http://www.hellnotes.com

Horror Scripts (H)
http://www.tcnj.edu/%7Eberes/horror.htm

Little Behemoth (genres)
http://www.littlebehemoth.com/

FlashFictionFlash (very short stories)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlashFictionFlash

Funds for Writers
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Places for Writers
http://www.placesforwriters.com/archives/cat_calls.html

Engen's SF&F Market Engine (SF/F/H)
http://engine.freeshell.org/

± Dark Markets (H)
http://www.darkmarkets.com/

± Gila Queen
http://www.gilaqueen.us

± Spicy Green Iguana (SF/F/H)
http://www.spicygreeniguana.com/index.asp

± SpecFicWorld's Market Listings (SF/F/H) ($)
http://www.specficworld.com/sfme.html

± Writer's Resource (?)
http://www.writersresource.net/listings.php3

[Dead: jobs in hell]

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>>WRITING TEACHER ORIENTED<<

Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/jobs/

Academic Position Network
http://www.apnjobs.com/

Association of Writing Programs
http://www.awpwriter.org/careers/careerlinks.htm

Adjunct Nation
http://www.adjunctnation.com/jobs/

Internat'l Teacher Recruitment
http://www.teachers.eu.com/

Academic360
http://www.academic360.com/

± "Agent K-12" (fmr. Education Week Jobs)
http://www.agentk-12.org/

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>>FREELANCING FOR HIRE<<

Elance -- Auction Your Services
http://www.elance.com

Free Agent -- Sell Yourself
http://www.freeagent.com/Myhome.asp

± E-Moonlighter (fmr. Guru.com)
http://www.emoonlighter.com/

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>>ACADEMIC PUBLISHING CALLS<<

UPenn's Calls for Papers
http://www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/

E-Server's Calls for Papers
http://eserver.org/calls/

Tech Comm Calls for Papers
http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Academic/Calls-For-Papers

Custom Conference Alerts
http://conferencealerts.com/

± Papers Invited
http://www.papersinvited.com/

± APA Online
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/opportunities/conferences/

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>>INTERNSHIPS<<

Internships.com
http://www.internships.com

College Central
http://www.collegecentral.com

Internship Programs
http://www.internshipprograms.com

Get That Gig
http://www.getthatgig.com/media/index.html

Envision
http://www.e-magnify.com/envision/

BackDoor Jobs -- Adventuring
http://www.backdoorjobs.com/

******************************************************
Compiled by Michael A. Arnzen, Ph.D.
http://www.gorelets.com

Look into the low residency Master's Degree program
in Writing Popular Fiction @ Seton Hill University:
http://fiction.setonhill.edu/

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>>MICHAEL ARNZEN'S LATEST<<

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Cover Art by Matt Sesow
ISBN 0-9745031-2-6 | 156 pp. trade paperback

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"You have to know how to accept rejection
and reject acceptance." -- Ray Bradbury

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