Creating Your Own DIY Writers Workshop

There are lots of different kinds of writers’ workshop. Some are intense 6 week in person retreats whereas others are an hour or two at a writers convention. Some are focused on novels, some on short stories, some on specific aspects of craft. And though there are many commercial versions (Clarion, Clarion West, Viable Paradise, Odyssey, Taos, Futurescapes, to name just a few) sometimes the cost attached, or the timing, doesn’t work for us, or for many of us we just we don’t have the bandwidth to take away from family or work for this.

I have no doubt that a professionally curated workshop is probably better. But if you have a group of writers, I can personally attest that you can make significant progress doing a DIY version.

Set Clear Goals: As I said above – writers workshops come in many forms. Its important therefore to begin by defining what you hope to achieve from your workshop. Whether it’s improving your storytelling, refining your prose, or receiving feedback on a specific project, clear goals will guide your activities. Setting a time limit and a schedule ahead, also helps set expectations of time commitment for participants.

Gather Resources: The most recent one I did of these we worked through a craft book – John Truby’s Anatomy of Genre. The time before it was one writer who had their own approach to building stories and each week we had a one line thought exercise on theme or setting and we came ready to discuss our story we were developing using that lens. But you can also utilize online platforms and libraries to gather resources such as writing prompts, instructional videos, and articles on craft. Think about how people in your group work – some may find reading two chapters of a craft book challenging and if they are going to come unprepared that will impact the entire group. In those cases consider podcasts, YouTube videos or websites like Writing Excuses as alternatives to heavy pre-reading requirements. Regardless of how you create your structure, or content, having this framework to follow often makes for much more focussed and productive discussions.

Do some writing!: Whatever form your group takes the ones I have participated in that have been most successful have done actual writing. It can be during the session, or it can be before it. It can involve anything from writing a story each week, writing one story over the entire workshop and working on different aspects of it each week, or doing writing exercises together or apart.

Writing can be an isolated experience, but there is value in community. A DIY writers workshop empowers writers to take charge of their learning journey, offering flexibility and cost-effectiveness. By leveraging available resources and fostering a supportive community, you can enhance your writing skills and creativity in meaningful ways.

What approaches to writing growth have you found useful outside of formal writing workshops? All thoughts and suggestions welcome in the comments below!