Welcome to our online workshop! Following you will find guidelines for our online workshop. If you are looking for guidelines for our "real world" workshop, you can find those here. Also, please keep in mind that this is a student group and we currently do not offer online membership to people not affiliated with Georgia State University. This may change in the future.
The Society’s workshop component exists as a forum for poets to have their writing critiqued as well as to engage in thoughtful critical discussion of peer work. The purpose of this critique is neither to gain validation, nor is it an open opportunity to slander peers, but rather to provide immediate honest peer feedback.
Why Workshop at all?
• To develop skills in editorial proofreading.
• To evaluate messages conveyed from the page.
• To identify details or elements that may enhance the poem.
• To identify “fluff” or unneeded elements within the poem.
• To supply alternative ideas, phraseology, and methods.
• To learn through the act of analyzing another’s work.
• To expose yourself to new ideas and alternative ways of thinking.
What happens in the online workshop?
• Currently, I will moderate the online workshop but I would like to take on help in the future. :)
• All poems that are to be workshopped should be posted in a thread with the same title as the poem.
• After a poem is posted, then people may comment on the poem. The author does not post during this time.
• After it appears that everyone has had their say--this will be a reasonable period of time--the moderator will post notice allowing the author to respond to comments, questions, etc.
Other information and cautionary advice.
• The speaker of the poem is not the writer.
• No flaming or harassing. Those of you familiar with online forums know the affect that anonymity can have on how people treat one another. Here, we expect the same courtesies that we would in a real world workshop. Repeat "offenders" will be warned, temporarily suspended, etc.
• Limit your criticism to constructive criticism.
• General “bashing” or “attacking” of a poem will not be tolerated.
• “I don’t get it” is not constructive criticism; explain why and what is confusing.
• Realize that, ultimately, your opinion is nothing more than opinion.
• Also realize that any criticism can be accepted or rejected by the writer; it’s their poem.
• Finally, HAVE FUN! This is not a classroom environment--respect each other and have fun.