The Pen is a Sword: How to Give and Receive Critiques

Too many new writers stop writing after receiving feedback on their work. Most likely, that feedback either wasn’t delivered properly or wasn’t received in a positive way. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll examine critiques, both how to give them in their most helpful form, and how to receive them in such a way that doesn’t leave the writer paralyzed or bruised. This course includes lecture, examples, and role-playing, and is useful for both new writers and those doing critiques.

What information and tools will attendees gain?

• The psychology of rejection, why it hurts so much, and what to do to reduce the sting

• How to critique others’ work in a specific and helpful way

• How to approach critiqued work and incorporate feedback

• How to find and use beta-readers.

About Lorna

Lorna is a Pacific Northwest writer and speaker. Her narrative nonfiction and poetry have been recognized by Pacific Northwest Writers Association and the Oregon Poetry Association, and have appeared or are forthcoming in Painted Bride Quarterly, Jellyfish Review, About Place Journal, Writers Resist, and elsewhere. She serves on the boards of the Oregon Poetry Association and Alaska Writers Guild, and is president of Write On The River. She is at work on a memoir about going from LA party girl to trail worker in rural Alaska. When not wrangling her two small children, she fantasizes about being interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air. More at www.lornarose.com.