New Workshop: Overcoming Feedback Fears to Enhance Your Writing
In collaboration with Creative Questers: The Art of Using Feedback – integrating constructive criticism without losing your voice
I’m excited to welcome the accomplished author and IP lawyer, Ella Voss, to host a workshop on feedback. Join us for a valuable session where Ella will share her insights on the art of giving and receiving feedback in the world of writing. As authors, the ability to receive and utilize feedback is crucial for growth and success. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your creative journey with her unique perspective.
More about the event:
Ella hosted a private feedback group for several years. Authors met twice a month to share their work and provide constructive criticism.
The big lesson learned was this: Many people are gifted writers full of sparkling ideas, producing amazing first drafts. However, many never make it to the finish line because they lack the ambition or the techniques to edit on the basis of constructive feedback.
After the wild ride of the first draft, good writing typically requires extensive and relentless revising and editing. Even the most talented writer benefits greatly from sharing her/his/their work and from taking on board the feedback received. But hearing others criticize your work is tough, editing is a very personal process. Writers often get discouraged too early or fear losing their authentic voice and end up making only a few cosmetic changes to their work, if at all.
Ella will share techniques for:
- Developing the mindset to work with feedback without losing yourself.
- How to deal with feedback that seems overly harsh or toxic.
- How to know when you are done editing.
- And finally: How to provide constructive criticism in a writing group (giving and taking typically go hand in hand).
There will be an opportunity for attendees to share their experiences and tips.
About our host:
Ella’s debut novel, Like a Fox to a Swallow, was published in 2021 and was longlisted for the Devon-Cornwall-International-Novel Prize. Ella’s journey as a writer has been shaped by her experiences living in Geneva, London, and Chennai, where she drew inspiration from her encounters with love and life. She is set to release her second book, Almost Happy, a collection of stories and personal essays, by the end of October 2023. Ella’s long short story, “The Germanic Nights,” is also scheduled to appear in Straylight Magazine in Spring 2024. All her stories have been written with the loving support of Munich writing groups.
In her daytime job, Ella Voss is an IP lawyer. When not writing, she is most likely found cooking for her friends or running with her greyhound in the English Garden.
Book Club Choice – “I’m Glad My Mom Died”
The Votes are all in! Our next book choice will be I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. Right behind it, was a four-way tie between You Could Make This Place Beautiful (I highly recommend this one!), What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding (I think Kristin Newman is my soul-sister), Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (This has been on my list for a while), and Speak Memory.
I’ve added a page on our website with the book club questions. You can find current and past book club questions here: https://memoirmentors.com/book-club-questions/
We will be meeting on November 30 to discuss I’m Glad My Mom Died. Sign up here:
Upcoming events
I’d prefer that you sign up through Meetup so I know who to expect and so that you know what the agenda is for the week, but if that’s too problematic, you can go directly to the Zoom link that we use every week:
https://zoom.us/j/4400465879?pwd=R0Y0RUp4YjAvdnJCODV0MkhNMXlmdz09
October 5: Write then Read:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/dggxdtyfclbfb/
October 12: Write then Read:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/vxsxftyfcnbqb/
October 19: Write then Read:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/dzsxftyfcnbzb/
October 26: Speaking Your Story:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/qfgxdtyfcnbjc/
November 2: Write then Read:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/txsxftyfcpbdb/
November 9: Write then Read:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/vxsxftyfcpbmb/
November 12: Overcoming Feedback Fears to Enhance Your Writing
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/296928256
November 16: Speaking Your Story (pulled forward a week since we’re not meeting on Thanksgiving):
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/dzsxftyfcpbvb/
November 23: NO MEETING. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 30: Book Club – I’m Happy My Mom Died:
https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/296411050/