tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6147920534572837961.post7369093146501417276..comments2023-10-06T12:12:31.468-04:00Comments on The MFA/MFYou Newsletter: More on the Slush PileAshley Cowgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362214167891115633noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6147920534572837961.post-21276952854665229442009-11-12T14:49:42.220-05:002009-11-12T14:49:42.220-05:00That is so funny because I was just talking about ...That is so funny because I was just talking about that - that workshop methods should be altered to allow the writer to guide the discussion a bit more - with some people the other day. We were talking about how frustrating it can be when a workshop goes off on a twenty minute discussion that ends up being worthless because it has nothing to do with the writer's intentions. Maybe when different people in the workshop have different guesses at what the writer's intentions were, they should stop and ask the writer before the discussion continues.Ashley Cowgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12362214167891115633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6147920534572837961.post-62148201680536813072009-11-12T12:34:05.861-05:002009-11-12T12:34:05.861-05:00I think this is a really important thing to keep i...I think this is a really important thing to keep in mind. It's unfortanate that submissions often don't get a fair read, but it's also probably unavoidable. And the more we remember that our work can be rejected for nearly any reason--it wasn't even read or they just accepted something similar or the reader was in a bad mood that day because his dog threw up on the floor last night, so he wasn't going to like anything--the less likely we are to beat ourselves up about those rejections. <br /><br />But I also think the slush pile party attitude is one of the negatives of the MFA world and the world of literature in general. So much comes down to personal taste, but many people think that their taste is good and others' are bad so what they don't like is terrible. But, again, that's probably unavoidable. I'm sure I'm as guilty as other writers of sometimes having that attitude.<br /><br />I often wonder, though, if there might be better strategies for running workshops and such to minimize that personal taste issue, to emphasize individual writers' goals rather than each member of workshop offering suggestions about how to make the piece more like what they would want to read or write. I wonder how effective it might be if each workshop submission were accompanied by a statement of purpose where a writer describes what he was attempting so readers can fairly judge how successful the attempt was rather than assuming the writer was trying for something else entirely. Of if instead of the old workshop policy where the writer has to remain silent and listen to feedback, what if the writer had a moment to explain themselves prior to any discussion? Would that merely result in defensiveness, or could that help readers to refine their critiques?Justushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12701126200573700215noreply@blogger.com