Advice for writing workshop

I'm not sure, but it sounds like an odd request. However, I haven't had much experience with agents.

Did the agent use 'writer's workshop' specifically? My guess is they meant to pass it through a critique group.

I know you can get help here, but you may want to try to find a few crit partners over at Verla Kay's as they are exclusively children's writers and you'll be able to find people who write in your age category & genre. Not trying to knock AW, just saying for the time issue (resubbing to the agent before they forget about you), finding a targeted critiqe partner or partner might work best, and I know I see requests for this pop up over there all the time.

Good luck!

I think he/she means a critique group. Just make sure that whatever feedback the agent gave you for revisions you address. Good luck!

Finchlark said:

I have a children's novel and an agent has advised if I rework it through a writer's workshop she will consider taking it on. Can anyone suggest/recomment a workshop?

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I haven't had an agent recommend I use a workshop/critique group, but some have asked for rewrites before they've offered representation. If he or she gave you some pointers on the rewrite, use them. Maybe post chapters here in SYW.

Simply suggesting a re-write seems a bit vague. I've been asked to do revision, but the agent said what they wanted to see changed and why. I'm not sure how you can write a "new version" if you haven't been told what's wrong with the current one.

She is looking for a rewrite of your work and suggesting you work with a writing workshop to do so. But you don't HAVE to use a writing workshop. You could use a beta reader, you could just go back and totally change the MS yourself. She isn't telling you the only way to fix your MS is through a workshop and that when you send her the re-write she'll do a double check to make sure you indeed went with a workshop.

I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself to find workshop. I would put pressure on yourself to find the best way possible to fix your manuscript (that is if you think you should fix it in the first place, this is after all, one agent's opinion). If that's through beta readers, then I don't think the agent will mind. She just wants you to make the MS better, how you get there is up to you.

Finchlark said:

Thanks Toothpaste. Being really naive here, but what or who is a beta reader and where do I find one and presumably I will have to pay?

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Check out the Beta section here at AW (just go to the main page & you should be able to find it pretty quickly). Read the stickies and you'll learn all about betas and possibly find someone here at AW willing to help you out (a beta reads your work, providing comments -- people beta differently, so you need to communicate exactly what it is you want/need in a beta).

You can also post excerpts of your novel in SYW. I'd be happy to read and critique sections of your work in SYW, as would many others, I'm sure.

Good luck!

Beta reader is a fancy way of saying "getting someone who's opinion you know and trust and who is willing to help you out read your manuscript and offer you suggestions on how to fix it". My parents, for example, are my beta readers.

And no, you shouldn't have to pay for one. But you may want to take them out to lunch as a thank you.

Critique group

Finchlark, if you want to be a part of real-life critique group, instead of submitting stuff online, I'd suggest taking a class at a local community college or joning a local writing club. That's how I met the members of my critique group, we've been meeting once a month for almost 2 years and it's really helpful.

Senora Verde said:

Finchlark, if you want to be a part of real-life critique group, instead of submitting stuff online, I'd suggest taking a class at a local community college or joning a local writing club. That's how I met the members of my critique group, we've been meeting once a month for almost 2 years and it's really helpful.

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Joining SCBWI is a very good idea, too. Some regions are more active than others, but most have some sort of email list or website to help people connect with other writers looking to join a critique group. Attending conferences is great, too. At most conferences you can pay a small fee ($35-50) and an agent, editor or published author will give you a personal critique of up to 20 pages of your work. It can be very helpful, but since we're not ultimately judged by the first 20 pages, it's important to have other people who can take the time to read your whole book, as well.

I actually worked with a professional writing coach (yeah, I paid money.) Some people would argue that you don't need to pay for a critique group, and that's true. However, your critique partners can only teach you as much as they know, and I was hitting the wall of not-quite-good-enough but I didn't know why. It was definitely worth the money to work with someone who really understands how to make a plot compelling.

If you're interested, send me a private message and I'll give you his information.