The Reality of Writing Workshops

The Reality of Writing Workshops

This article relates to Are You Happy?

Several stories in Lori Ostlund's Are You Happy? follow characters who are either teachers or students in writing workshops. Writing workshops are intended to help students strengthen their writing process through guidance and feedback from professionals and within a community. Outsiders don't always get much insight into what these classes are like and how it feels to be a part of them. As seen in Ostlund's stories, these spaces can draw an array of personalities and create emotional experiences for those involved.

In "Clear As Cake," a class consists of 16 students who meet every Tuesday: "It felt like Thanksgiving the first night, all of us too close together and filled with dread." Students sharing their writing with a group to receive feedback is an intimate experience. Receiving criticism on work that is often personal tends to stir up emotions and can cause people to become defensive if they feel misunderstood. In the story, a character storms out of the classroom when the integrity of her work is questioned, and another student becomes combative when her dialogue is critiqued: "'What's wrong with my dialogue?' Tabatha asked, looking at me and making her eyes small." The narrator proceeds to explain with trepidation how the dialogue went against what their teacher had cautioned them about, how it didn't have any verisimilitude. While another student in the class counters, Tabatha exclaims that everyone has missed the point of her story in general.

In an article for Lit Hub, Beth Nguyen, author of Owner of a Lonely Heart, criticizes what she calls a "terrible system." She recounts how writers she's spoken to have described the workshop experience as a "test of endurance," a "nightmare," and "awful," and how she has heard of some crying or never looking at the pieces they workshopped again, which is what happens to the character in Ostlund's story "A Little Customer Service." A Kenyon Review blog post by K.E. Ogden further illuminates the reality behind writing workshops:

"Unfortunately, I've talked to too many colleagues, and have observed too many workshops, in which the teacher sits and listens while the class goes from student to student listening to repetitive likes and dislikes, with the occasional comment from the instructor, and no real focus. Like everything, some workshops are great, and some really stink. The good writer is able to weed through the commentary and get to something worthwhile."

For writers, a scenario like the one described above may seem like the cost required for detailed critiques, validation, and suggestions for their work. But Nguyen believes that it doesn't have to be this way, arguing that one of the core elements of the traditional workshop (seen in Ostlund's stories), the student being silent while their story is discussed, is ineffective and possibly harmful, particularly for those whose experiences are underrepresented. Creative writing programs in the United States are 74% white, which can create a uniquely challenging situation for writers of color unable to share the context and intention of their work, something all students could benefit from. Nguyen suggests that letting the student participate instead of remaining silent can alter the atmosphere to a healthier environment while allowing the writer to discover more about their work and helping with their process.

It is ultimately up to the student to determine how much value they get from a writing workshop. The stories in Are You Happy? show what can happen in the classroom and portray the vulnerable and complicated experience of having your efforts critiqued by your peers. While this makes for an entertaining read as an outsider, writing workshops may require thick skin and discernment, and under some circumstances can be confusing and unproductive. But conversely, at their best, they can be validating, create encouraging, generative discussion, and nurture the skills of editing and revision.

A person writing on a piece of paper with a pen
Photo by Alexander Van Steenberge, via Unsplash

Filed under Music and the Arts

This article relates to Are You Happy?. It first ran in the May 21, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.