Writing workshops and conferences

[SFG75]

A small college near me is offering a writer's workshop event for high school students and interested members of the community at large during a separate evening. I would be curious to learn from our forum scribblers if such events are helpful in the writing process, or if such events are more of a networking thing. So, do you find them useful and if so, how so?

 

[Peder]

Speaking on the basis of my own experiences with a writer's group and a poetry group, I would say they are most useful if they focus on having the students write pieces which are then critiqued individually, whether by the leader or the other class members. We submitted our work weekly, in advance, to allow time for reading, and then had all other members read it and feedback their comments openly and in writing. Very useful, to hear what a cross section of other thoughtful people think.

Networking, of course, can't be prevented and also occurred, before and after the formal sessions.

You said "workgroup" not "lecture" so it can't be that bad. Lecture material can be found in "How to Write" books, of which there are many.