It's What You Know and What You Do With It

You know stuff. Yes, you do. It is highly likely that you have specific knowledge of something that would be of interest to someone else.

The first step for How To Put Up a Workshop: what do you know? It took me years to realize that while I am a character driven writer just like a bunch of other writers, I have a whole actor's toolbox at my back when it comes to handling characters - a toolbox I could open up and offer to other writers. Insta-workshop. A good friend is fascinated by the novel Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. She has turned into the ultimate research geek for Edwardian fashion, manners, and ships/shipbuilding - not to mention her depth of insight into a single piece of literature. She has all kinds of workshop opportunities there. (Costuming/fashion, research resources for the time period, etc) Maybe you have a job you often see depicted inaccurately in fiction. There's your workshop. Or you have in depth insight into the mind of a serial killer because you've never, up until this very workshop, confessed that you are a serial killer. Whatever your knowledge, someone, somewhere needs it.

Second step for How To Put Up a Workshop: can you communicate your special thing in layman's terms? Part of the challenge of knowing what you know is that you know it. You take what you know for granted. Teasing apart what you know so that it's accessible to others is no easy feat. Solicit feedback from someone outside of your specialty field. A critique group can help. Or friends who know nothing about your deep, dark secret life. If it's the serial killer thing? I can't help. I'm busy.

Third step for How To Put Up a Workshop: pick your audience. Serial killer? I suggest that law enforcement might not be your ideal audience. The rest of you may have noticed I like cats. Hanging out with the cat fancy, I can say I have picked up a fair bit of information about the genetics of feline coloration. Specialized knowledge that's utterly useless to just about everyone else on earth. Knowing that my workshop audience(s) are likely to either be writers or steampunk enthusiasts, I have to realize nobody else cares that genetically speaking there's no such thing as a brown and white tabby cat. Unless I'm making a point of coming up with a mad scientist aboard and airship somewhere who's doing the impossible with gene splicing brown and white cats with machine components. Your audience is likely going to be determined by the conferences and meetings you already attend. Most of us are going to develop workshops for writers or for readers. But what other events do you attend? Our marina brings in speakers on subjects specific to boaters - crossing the Atlantic, managing storms at sea, circumnavigating Vancouver Island or cruising the canals of France. . .match what you know with who might be intrigued by what you know. Check your local libraries. Don't limit your audience. What you know may be applicable more than one place, which brings us to:

Fourth step for How To Put Up a Workshop: develop for more than one format. If you belong to RWA, you have amazing opportunities for putting on your workshop in multiple formats. You can teach your workshop online via a series of lessons you write out and then interactive emails with participants. Do this through your online chapters. You can present your workshop at your local chapter meeting. You can submit your workshop proposal to a local conference. Last but not least, you can submit your proposal to the National conference.

NOTE: while I echo the advice that interactive workshops are really helpful, don't think you'll get people out of their chairs to participate in actual movement once you reach local and national conference levels - everyone is in nice clothes and shoes. Interactive at that point means getting workshop participants to talk to you and/or share writing.

Workshopping

I got half way through writing my weekly post, then went to check out what others had said to see if I was repeating. I was. That just means the info is valid, right? So here's my post which could be seen as an homage to the amazing Jeffe.

Our Sunday Word-Whore nailed it with her five tips. Definitely, #1 Give a Workshop on a topic people want to know more about. Snazzy titles help, but be realistic. Don't promise cupcakes made of solid gold if you're only going to deliver overly chocolate-chipped brownie bites. (Chocolate reference for KAK. POKE! Seriously, who wouldn't come to an overly-chocolate chipped brownie bite workshop?)

The workshop I have given a few times at various venues is called Manuscript Polish, and it is all about the things I learned (Jeffe #4 Use Your Own Experience) in the process of working with an editor over the first few books--specifically the things every author needs to do AFTER finishing the novel and BEFORE sending it in to an editor. Part informative, part Q&A, and part pep-talk, it is chocked full of information that I wish I had in my hands early on, but didn't.

But beware: the last time I gave it, I had two older gentlemen hecklers in row one and two.

(Which correlates to Jeffe's #3. Practice and Adapt.) You have to get your audience to feedback so you can adjust the material to them. My hecklers had me frustrated. For about 3 seconds.

What they didn't know, was, at the time, I tended bar at a VFW. I knew exactly how to handle the wise-cracks of the silver-haired smart-ass. I won them over, and was able to toss their heckling back at them ala comedic 'call back.' And fun was had by all.

Jeffe #5 Leave 'em inspired. Indeed!!! A good workshop will leave you inspired and anxious to write--and that is what those folks have come for!

Don't think "I can't give a workshop." Public speaking isn't my strongest skill. I'm sure my beginning-jitters don't exactly sell the idea that I have over half-a-million words published. What I lack in openings, however, I make up for in knowing my topic. The best workshops, I've found, are small enough that I can get everyone involved in the conversation. I welcome all questions--writing related, that is. Dear Abby I am not. I can hear it now:

"Dear Abby, my girlfriend is obsessed with my dangling participles. Help! How can I get her to focus on my diction?"

<giggles> Couldn't resist.

This year, at CONTEXT I'll be doing a brand new workshop.
webpage here  Writing the Fantasy Series   (Sunday, September 28th, 3pm-5pm)
I want to explore the pieces that come together to create an urban fantasy, high fantasy, or epic fantasy series, and will involve the group in activities that explain and define the basic parts of a fantasy novel, get them thinking in depth about their own projects, and help them generate and refine new ideas for their books.

I'm really excited about it, as I'm in the middle of a big fantasy right now and taking notes for the workshop as I go through it. If y'all are in the Columbus area come late September, come and give me a listen.

Five Tips for Building a Successful Conference Workshop

Yesterday my lovely, smart and generous friend Darynda Jones gave the workshop for our monthly local chapter meeting. Giving presentations for small groups like this can be a great way to develop conference workshops. One of five I have to offer today.

Jeffe's Five Tips for Building a Successful Conference Workshop

1. Give the Peoples What They Want

I don't know about you guys, but people mention to me all the time what they'd like to learn. Sometimes they drop subtle hints. Sometimes they come right out and say "you should do a workshop on this." This is gold. Listen and give it to them. Caveat: convincing conference organizers can be a different matter entirely.

2. Basic Is Okay

I trip over this one time and again. I always figure people know stuff already and don't want a rehash. However, people don't necessarily know - and the fundamentals are called that for a reason. They always bear revisiting because they form the foundation for everything else. Also, people are most self-conscious about asking the basic questions, so it's good to touch base there.

3. Practice and Adapt

Find groups to give your workshop to, like Darynda is doing with us. Your local writers group or a group that sponsors online classes can be great places to test out a new conference workshop idea. Then pay attention to what people glom onto. What do they ask questions about? What gets them excited? If something doesn't work, no biggie. Now you know.

4. Use Your Own Experience

This is what people will want from you - what YOU have actually experienced, not what you read someone else doing. Seriously. Even if you think you don't have that much, it's still better to give your authentic, in-the-trenches feedback. Be honest and forthright - you likely have much more to offer than you think!

5. Leave Them Inspired.

Really, all anyone wants from a workshop is to leave it feeling fired up to get their own work done. Share your enthusiasm and energy and offer positive suggestions for moving forward. Even if you feel you only have a few substantive nuggets of information to offer, if you send people away feeling inspired, you've given a successful workshop.