Maureen Buchanan Jon
338 Pelham Roa
Amherst, MA0100
maureen@writingfulltil
www .writingfulltil
Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences. They
are the ones who keep writing. They are the ones who discover what is
most important and strangest and most pleasurable in themselves, and
keep believing in the value of their work, despite the difficulties.
Bonnie Friedman Writing Past Dark
The Workshop
The group will meet weekly for two and a half hours with a break
halfway through the workshop. Writing will be in response to
exercises or prompts- one of the prompts each week will be body
oriented. If a prompt is not useful, writers are free to ignore it and
follow their own inclinations. The newly written work will be read
to each other when writers are pleased to do so, writers may refrain
from reading when that seems preferable.
There is usually time for two or more exercises or, if someone has
brought a manuscript, the group will respond to that work as well
as write. The manuscript will be discussed in depth, after which
the copies with our notes are returned to the writer.
Concentration is crucial to the creative process, and people vary in
their levels of distractibility. Please do all you can to preserve quiet
during the writing times. If you must arrive late or leave early,
please do so quietly and as inconspicuously as possible. If you
arrive late, you will be given the prompt outside our writing room.
Workshop Critiques
To maintain a safe, confidential space in which to write whatever
comes to us, we follow certain practices in responding to new
writing.

the writer is honoured by listening carefully

everything is treated as fiction, referring to the narrator, not the
writer, as the voice of the piece

while healing can occur through writing this is not a therapy
group, so our focus stays on the writing

There is a concentration on the writing at hand, not on
anecdotes of similar experiences

Responses to work written immediately in a workshop are
given by saying what is liked, what is remembered, what is
strong

Respect for each other’s creative process and privacy is given by
not talking about a piece of writing once the workshop
responses have ended.
Critique or questioning of brand new writing is not done, because
it has not yet been carefully considered by the writer. Respecting
the newly created work means allowing it and the writer the space
and time to find their own way rather than having others impose
their associations or imagination. This practice creates a safe place
to experiment, to take risks, or to simply relax into writing
whatever comes to mind.
If a manuscript has been handed out the previous week, it will be
discussed in depth, after which the copies with suggestions and
comments are returned to the writer. Works in progress are
welcome; a piece does not have to be finished to be considered as a
manuscript. Everyone learns by talking together about what
strengths a work has and what may be undermining that strength.
The intention is to be honest while encouraging the writer
presenting a manuscript.
The comments written on another’s manuscript will be taken
seriously. Responses are balanced and mark what is enjoyed as
well as what is unclear or uncomfortable. Honesty and directness
in our own voices are of more value than a “professorial tone.”
Offering grammatical information or linguistic guidelines can be
very helpful. It is helpful to comment when something is
confusing, moving, or when a sentence causes us to stumble. In
this workshop responses don’t need to agree. Differences of
opinion give the writer more room to make choices, and protects
his or her own voice. Unilateral responses can be limiting, so don’t
be afraid to politely disagree.
Manuscripts
Manuscripts must be typed and, except for poetry, double-spaced.
Fifteen pages of prose are the maximum for a manuscript
submission. Six pages are the maximum for poetry submissions;
two or three poems will be discussed in the workshop, but all
poemson the manuscript pages will have comments. The writer
will read one page or one poem from their manuscript before
discussion begins. One writer will not have a manuscript review
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two weeks in a row. If you are reticent about sharing your work
with the group, you may give the work to the leader and it will
receive careful and private review on your manuscript pages.
Private Consultations
Tuition grants each participant to submit a manuscript to the
leader. I will spend one hour with the manuscript and hold a onehour private consultation with you during the six-week session.
Private consultations are not required, and it will be up to each
individual member to initiate a consultation if desired.
Business
Each session lasts for six weeks. Tuition for the ten weeks is $180,
which may be paid in full at the first session or paid weekly at
$30/week. We meet for 2 and a half hours each time. A manila
envelope marked “Tuition” will be available in which to place your
tuition. Participants choosing to pay by the week should note that
I offer this option with the understanding that each participant
will make a commitment for the full 10-week session; participants
are therefore responsible for payment for each meeting during the
session, even if they are absent.
If, following the first meeting of a session, you decide that you do
not wish to participate, there will be no charge and any tuition paid
will be refunded in full. If withdrawal from the workshop becomes
necessary following the second meeting, any tuition paid for future
meetings will be refunded. Those withdrawing after the third
meeting will be responsible for the six -week tuition and no refunds
will be offered.
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost,
it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege,
not a right. We must earn life once it has been awarded us.”
Ray Bradbury
Zen in the Art of Writing
Workshop Guidelines with permission of
Maureen Buchanan Jones
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