Bread Loaf Environmental Workshop for Beginners

Participants are all strong writers and come from a variety of backgrounds, some with workshop experience and some without. If you’re anxious or just new to the experience, we hope this advice will help guide you through what we expect will be a wonderful learning experience.

Faculty

Bread Loaf faculty members are chosen because they have vast experience teaching writers at all levels and will help participants grow as writers. They bring their own experience, style, and methodology to the workshop.

In addition to offering feedback during the workshop, faculty arrange to meet with participants individually during the session to discuss the manuscript and further refine what is discussed in the group. Faculty members schedule a 30-minute individual meeting with each participant.

Preparation

In early June, you’ll receive access to the workshop packet of student manuscripts, followed by an assignment to prepare for the first workshop.

The assignment is provided by your faculty workshop leader and usually involves reading and preparing to discuss some portion of the workshop packet. In addition there may be outside reading assigned, and, if so, that reading is provided along with the first assignment you receive. Please commit to reading the workshop packet and preparing the first assignment.

We consider preparation part of your agreement to maintain a respectful workshop space. Also, it’s worth noting that the conference is a busy time, so planning to read and prepare as much as possible before your first workshop can be the best approach.

Your Submission

Even if your submission is wonderful, you should expect to receive feedback. You are at Bread Loaf to improve both your submitted piece and your craft, so be open to receiving constructive criticism, and remember that not all critiques are created equal. Take notes but be discerning about what to incorporate.

Peer Submissions

Always read your peers’ submissions before the workshop meets. And read it more than once, if possible. Take notes on your reactions and thoughts while reading and be prepared to provide respectful, concrete comments. Expect that you will be asked to submit your comments. As such, write clearly on the submitted piece or type your thoughts on a separate document.

Your peers deserve each participant’s thoughtful feedback and you, too, will increase your grasp of craft by both thoughtfully responding to others and listening to the thoughtful responses of others.

Offering Critiques

Your faculty member may have their own specific guidelines for offering critiques and may share this information along with the first assignment mentioned above.

In the absence of such guidelines, it is often best to begin with objectively describing the submission, which serves to establish trust between reader and writer. This can be a challenging task, but the goal is to provide the writer with the feeling that their work has been seen. After the objective description, it is best then to offer positive feedback and encouragement followed by what you thought was not working well on the page. Do not be afraid to note a problem or lack of clarity even if you don’t have suggestions for how to fix it. But do ask yourself if your comment will be useful. “I don’t like this” is not as helpful as “the character made me feel angry.”

Your job is to help improve what’s on the page within your allotted time, not to decide if the work is worthy. Sometimes your opinion will differ greatly from others. Please remember no two readers interpret text the same and there’s no reason to debate your understanding. One of the most important take-aways for your peer whose work is being reviewed is to know all the various ways a reader will absorb their text.

Receiving Critiques

It’s always best to receive comments on your work respectfully. Your peers are offering such comments because they feel it will be helpful to you.

While receiving comments, you may feel very vulnerable. This is normal. Many choose to actively write notes while receiving feedback, avoiding eye contact, while others choose to nod to signify close listening. Whatever you do, do not interrupt. After the reviewer has finished, you may ask questions for clarity.

After Workshop

During revision, use the comments that resonate and set aside the other comments for later review if you feel they may be useful. If possible, begin revising your work within a month of leaving Bread Loaf, as the comments and ideas will be easier to recall.