The techniques used by Harriette Austin in her writing workshops have evolved over a period of more than thirty years of continuous practice. The procedures of the workshop and rules of conduct are very simple and straightforward, the kinds of things any reasonable and thoughtful person can embrace. There is no mystery to it. It is simply the exercise of presentation and critique in an environment that exists for the support of the writer and is respectful of every participant.

Underlying Principles

There is no one best way to write or to learn. The human intellect is so complex and varied, and the diversity of experience among classmates is so vast that it is not possible nor is it desirable to develop any single technique of instruction or practice that will work equally well with all students. A variety of approaches must be available and explored so that students can find a match that fits them individually. This principle could be restated as to say: You do whatever works for you to achieve your writing goal.

Every student comes to the writing workshop with unique needs and goals. Everyone comes to the task of learning to write from a different starting point. We each have a unique background of academic training and life experiences that have brought us to the current point in our lives. We all come to the workshops for different reasons. Some of us are looking for structure and discipline to help us focus and become productive. Some of us are looking for techniques to tap into our long dormant creativity and to let it run wild. Some of us want to write our memoirs for our children and grandchildren. Some of us want to write the great American novel. Some of us just want to see our name in print.

It is the purpose of the workshop to support each student in pursuit of those individual goals, whatever they are. It is not appropriate for the instructor or other students to dictate the direction that a student's development takes, nor is it appropriate to judge a student's choice of goal. There is no superiority in one type of writing over another. There is only the consideration of how well a student's efforts are contributing toward achievement of the student's goal.

We're all here to learn and develop as writers. The only reason we come together in the workshop is to participate in activities that will increase our personal knowledge and ability as writers. We're all here to learn and to develop. The workshops are designed to provide those things that support that purpose and to keep to a minimum anything that might detract from it.

We each have an obligation to contribute to the common good and help each other. Each of us has knowledge and experience in one or more areas that can help someone else in their quest. By presenting our work to the workshop for critique, we are each asking for help. If we ask for help, then we are obligated to help others in a spirit of collegial goodwill.

Every participant is to be treated with respect. We all have different personalities. We have different education levels, social standing, lifestyles, occupations and income levels. We use different vocabularies, different concepts, and have different perspectives on life and the pursuit of happiness. It's one of the things that makes the workshop setting so fertile. But in terms of the way we embrace each other in the workshop, we are all equal. We are to be considerate of each student's individuality and ever vigilant to avoid the harm that can be done to others by less than respectful remarks and actions. There are two principles of equal weight here: Do only good; and Do no harm. Anything worth saying can be said in a kind and supportive way.

Workshop Methods

The basic method of the workshop is for students to present works in progress to the workshop for the purpose of constructive critique that draws from the body of knowledge present in the workshop.

All participants are expected to participate at a level that is comfortable for them. For some students it is enough for them simply to read and to observe what the instructor and the other students are doing. At first glance this may not seem like participation, but consider that each of us learns by observing the problem solving of others. We learn from having new and intriguing information put before us. We learn from hearing stories that stimulate thoughts we have never had and that provide us with perspectives of which we were unaware. We learn from hearing and reading about experiences that we have never had ourselves. The greatest depth of learning comes from the personal involvement of applying our observations and new knowledge to a project of importance to us.

All students are to be given equal opportunity to present their work and to receive critique. Some of us are by nature more outgoing than others, and some of us are by nature very shy, and all levels in between. We have to monitor the amount of time and resources that each of us is taking from the workshop so that no one is deprived of equal and fair opportunity and no one takes an excessive share.

It is not required that works presented to the workshop be in final polished form. Each presentation should be critiqued keeping in mind its stage of development and the goal of the writer. Beginning writers are not critiqued using the same criteria as advanced writers. We all had to start at the beginning at some point in our lives. There are always people ahead of us and behind us in learning the craft of writing. And there are always people going in different directions than our own. Harriette is fond of saying that you never know who is going to turn out to be the really great writer, and many times it is not who you might expect.

The Body of Knowledge

If there is any mystery to the Harriette Austin method, it can be revealed by examining the body of knowledge that exists and develops over time among the workshop participants and the way in which that knowledge is available to participants at the point that they need it. We all go through very similar stages and face very similar problems at some point in our writing. Over a period of time, we see others go through their stages and encounter their problems and we see the more and less successful ways they deal with them. When it comes our time, we remember the experience we observed and we have those past experiences and those people to use as resources to help us. On those occasions when we encounter a problem that is new and unique to the group, we have the vast background and diversity of the participants to lend to the solution.

Evaluation

In these workshops the student is not evaluated. The course designers and the instructors are the ones who are evaluated. It is our job to provide you with an environment, the resources and the experience to support your writing in pursuit of your personal goals. If we are successful, we will have helped you toward your goal. You will have learned something, and you will come out of the workshop richer for it.

Reading Assignment

1. Chapter 8 in A Writer's Tool Kit.

3. Chapter 10 in Escaping Into the Open.

Writing Assignment

1. After completing the reading assignments, write a paragraph describing the very best experience you have ever had in a writers workshop. If you have not previously participated in a writers workshop, write a paragraph describing the very best experience you hope to have in our workshop.

2. Make a list of the greatest dangers you see that might come from participation in a writers workshop. If you actually know of any negative experience that has happened, describe it.

3. Post your responses to this Writing Assignment to the AdvancedFiction discussion list with the Subject: Workshop Principles.

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